DOHC Daily Driver.

danm

danm

Member
Hi, it has been a while since I last posted on here............been busy driving the Rover rather than fixing it :D When I bought it it needed some engine work and the usual brake overhaul along with minimal welding, and that is that, it has been a very reliable and comfortable daily driver (except for when the salt went on the roads!)
The standard single carb engine is nice enough to drive but I feel it is somewhat lacking in go, it could also do with an extra gear for the dual carriageways.....
For this reason I have decided to embark on an engine conversion. I am not going for big power or turbos or V8's for that matter as economy is a major factor for me, this is one score that the standard engine does do well at as it returns 30+mpg quite easily if driven sensibly. One engine that I feel fits the bill nicely is the 8 valve Ford DOHC or I4 as it is sometimes known. I cut my teeth on these engines as an apprentice when they were new and I have always liked the way that they drive with good low down torque and a reasonable power output of 125PS, they are also mated to my favourite Ford RWD gearbox, the MT75. I feel that this combination will suit the Rover nicely..........assuming I can get it to fit!
The key problems that I will have to overcome are adapting the fuel tank to work with fuel injection, converting the cable operated Ford clutch to hydraulic operation and fabricating suitable engine mountings. Gear stick position will not be an issue as the MT75 gearbox has an easily adapted remote, I think that the propshaft will end up being a few inches shorter too.
I will post some pictures up of what I intend to fit tomorrow...........if anyone is interested!!!

Dan
 
Sounds like an interesting project :)

The ford engine probably isn't going to be better than a 2.2tc rover engine (which will fit straight in). The gearbox will probably make a bigger difference....
 
rockdemon said:
Sounds like an interesting project :)

The ford engine probably isn't going to be better than a 2.2tc rover engine (which will fit straight in). The gearbox will probably make a bigger difference....
Click to expand...


Hi, I agree that there is probably only a small difference in the respective power outputs of the two engines but the fuel consumption of the 2.2 TC fitted to a colleagues car is not that good, the fuel injected DOHC should realize a significant improvement in MPG over the 2.2. The extra gear should make a massive difference to the high speed cruising!

Dan
 
I did consider going for a carb'd version of this engine as it would have made things simpler from a fuel tank point of view. The carb engine looses out on 15 HP and a lot of the tractability of the EFI setup. The EEC IV engine management system is a very robust and (compared with modern systems) simple to adapt to other vehicles, I intend to go for a test start of the engine out of the donor vehicle this weekend.............I may end up eating those words after attempting that :roll:

Dan
 
Hi, this is interesting, There may be an increase in power but how does the torque compare?
Because it is the torque that makes the car drivable everyday. How does the physical size of
the gearbox and bellhousing compare? You might want to avoid cutting the shell because that
way BIVA lies. I think the solution to the fuel injection pump problem would be to mount an
intank pump in a small tank/swirl pot in the front right hand corner of the boot. The swirl pot
would then be fed permanently by the fuel tank above, and so avoid the starvation risk in
cornering. Good luck with this, and keep us updated.

Colin
 
Thanks. The DOHC makes 174nm of torque quite low down in the rev range, the EFI engine is very tractable and pulls like a train. I have taken several measurements of the Rovers engine Vs its replacement and the differences are encouraging. The DOHC is over 5 inches shorter (Not including the Rovers fan), the bell housing of the ford engine is approximately 3 inches narrower than the back plate on the Rover. The Ford is quite a bit wider in the head though and this is where I may hit some snags.
Here is my new engine.

IMAG1814_zpsrrgxagkc.jpg


IMAG1815_zpshenzbblr.jpg


IMAG1816_zpsrpilqoet.jpg


And the gearbox.....

IMAG1817_zpsi9me2yyp.jpg


Here is the standard engine, as you all know there is not masses of space at the back due to the steering box and the idler.
IMAG1824_zps002hsdzo.jpg


My two "pinch points"...
OS
IMAG1825_zpsmfblyvwb.jpg


NS
IMAG1826_zpsflpjrazb.jpg


I think that getting the exhaust out past the idler will be interesting to say the least, I may end up fabricating a manifold that goes forwards like the original one does.
This is the brains of it all, the EEC IV module.
IMAG1819_zpsziswxp35.jpg


And its loom...
IMAG1820_zps7t7cbp07.jpg

I have pinned the loom out so I know what is what.........hopfully.
I also have a pump from a 4 litre Jaguar.
IMAG1823_zpsu3oplohh.jpg


I hope to hook this lot up soon so I can go for a start attempt. I refuse to strip out a running engine only to fit one that is knackred or won't start!!!!

Dan
 
colnerov said:
Hi, this is interesting, There may be an increase in power but how does the torque compare?
Because it is the torque that makes the car drivable everyday. How does the physical size of
the gearbox and bellhousing compare? You might want to avoid cutting the shell because that
way BIVA lies. I think the solution to the fuel injection pump problem would be to mount an
intank pump in a small tank/swirl pot in the front right hand corner of the boot. The swirl pot
would then be fed permanently by the fuel tank above, and so avoid the starvation risk in
cornering. Good luck with this, and keep us updated.

Colin
Click to expand...


Hi Colin, I have checked the figures out for the new engine and the peak torque of 128 ft/lb is available at 2500 rpm, That is significantly lower than my current engines 3600 rpm, so even though the DOHC makes only 7 ft/lb more it will feel much more "grunty" as it will pull without having to be revved so high. I will have to run an external swirl pot as you advise, I would like to have it mounted under the car if possible.

Dan
 
Hi, Dan, I did initially think of underneath the car but thought you might want to keep it
accessible. There is my first thought of the triangle of space between the trailing arm,
diff extension and drive shaft on the right hand side which is just forward of the tank
connections so pretty much ideal really. How did you get on firing it up on the floor?

Colin
 
Hi Colin, it will be handy if there is a nice space to mount it underneath. Mounting it inside is ok but the thought of a pipe splitting and filling the boot up with fuel with a battery sitting there worries me somewhat.
I will be having a go at the engine this afternoon, if it goes I will post up a short video.

Dan.
 
:D :D I hooked up the wiring and my fuel pump today and went for a start attempt, it started really easily and ran well. That said, I could only run it for a short time as there was no water in it.

Here is a short video of it running, just click on it and it will open up.


I am well pleased........now all I've got to do is get it fitted into the car!

Dan
 
Excellent exhaust set up. My first taste of mechanics was rebuilding a Lister D when I was about 12 - the pepperpot looks familiar!

I can imagine having the torque lower down would be ideal. Are you going to alter the final drive ratio at all?

Cheers
 
Hi, Thanks for the replies. I will be pulling the engine and box out of the Rover sometime this week, I will then be able to trial fit the new engine and see exactly what I am going to be dealing with. I have wondered about the final drive ratio, my car was originally an automatic and was converted to manual in the eighties. I do need to determine its ratio.
You are correct, the engine is from a LHD French Sierra, this has helped me out as the wiring loom for the engine control unit is separate from the main harness. As far as I am aware, on the UK cars they are integral so separating the different wires out is more awkward. BTW, the best donor is a Granada, the loom on those comes with all the relays and only needs four wires connecting up to work.
Aah, the Lister D, A fantastic little engine, are you still into stationary engines? I have several and they are my "main" interest.

Dan
 
harveyp6 said:
danm said:
. I do need to determine its ratio.
Click to expand...

All 2000/2200 cars were 3.54:1
Click to expand...

Thanks for that!, You have saved me a job. From what I have found out the Sierra's final drive has a ratio of 3.62:1, so it is not that far from what I already have.......result!!

Dan
 
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