4x4 Mag - The Rover V8 - Music to your ears

Music to your ears !

Looking at the Land Rover driving fraternity as a whole, or at least those who get their vehicles dirty off-road, it seems a common aspiration to achieve ownership of a motor with a V8 fitted. In the early days when Range Rovers where too expensive for off-roading, and that's only if you could beat the waiting list on delivery and get your hands on one, all sorts of modifications appeared. In such times of V8 engine fitting experiments, owners would often shoe-horn a V8 from a Rover P6 into a Series II or IIa, suffer all the running problems inherent with over heating and non-standard engine fitments, normally failing and resorting to either sale of the vehicle in desperation or refitment of the original lump.

That was many years ago, now we've moved on a good deal and there are many successful conversions. Indeed it's easy to source an original V8 from a Range Rover or early V8 Series I 109. Some of us have even used the tasty 190BHP unit from the SDi Vitesse, and nowadays it's not uncommon to find 3.9 and 4.0 litre units from early 1990's accident damaged Range Rovers running around in even earlier Range Rover chassis based machines with coil springs and PAS.

That's the topic of this series of articles based on the Rover V8 and its application in what are called "HYBRID" off-roaders. In the March issue we featured John Deaville's Bowler Racer and in the April issue Paul Wilson's V8 Hybrid. In the JUNE issue we will be featuring a ground up self-build/restoration Hybrid, but for now we're taking a look at a couple of "standard" motors who's V8 was fitted at the factory !

Looking at the Range Rover angle we'll be covering the Bobtail Range Rover next month but as a preview we take a brief glimpse at Richard Canterbury's "V" reg Range Rover. This was a standard vehicle, and the modifications were spawned from a rather unfortunate, but not life threatening accident, when Richard managed to invert his Range Rover when playing off-road. This was prior to the fitting of a roll cage, and the whole episode rather advanced the conversion process. So one day a tidy standard Range Rover, the next day the same Range Rover with a crushed roof. Richard, who's a motor mechanic by trade set to on the task and decided to fit a full roll cage, safety harnasses and bucket seats, and convert the vehicle into a pick-up. Whilst in the process he thought it best to take some of those excess inches off the back, created his bobtail and fitted some wider wheels with better rubber.

Since the vehicle had been on it's roof and side Richard also took a look at the engine to make sure everything was OK. No oil starvation problems here and basically in great shape already he simply fitted a set of K&N air filters to improve things on the induction side. Several months later this vehicle has presented itself well at off-road events and now is the towing vehicle for a competition prepared trialling special. A success story here, take one Range Rover and a rollover and get a bobtail and a trialler to play with, what more could one ask for ?

If you're reading this and aren't a fan of the Land Rover or Range Rover, well done for reading this far, but read on, or listen on for this article may convert you. How can anyone resist the appeal of that glorious V8 tone, the throbbing pulse at tickover and the explosive power at acceleration ? Problem is, so many V8 aren't actually running on all eight cylinders, often six or seven or even FIVE cylinders. You have to appreciate that when a Land Rover man's been used to a four cylinder non-turbo diesel even a five cylinder V8 sounds smooth ! Now that's OK if you're the normal run of the mill person, however, if you have a musical ear and appreciate the finer things in life like good meals out, holidays in exotic climates, King Edward cigars and you're "Mister Ten Percent" of the music business you're sure to notice such inconsistencies.

Anyway what's someone like that doing driving a Land Rover I hear you say ?. Well, that's the universal appeal of the marque, from landed gentry to stable hand, the Land Rover is "class-less". This particular entrepeneur was the lucky individual who manages to purchase a 1989 90 V8 county station wagon at nine years old with only 22,000 miles on the clock and "paid a shamefully small amount for it". Julian Phipps picked this one up with full Land Rover service history and even the original Michelin tyres.

Modifications to-date have been simple and effective, which is often all that is needed to really transform the driving appeal and off-road mobility of your 4x4. Julian has fitted 7x16 modular wheels with 235/85/16 Wildcat radial Mud-Terrains. That was the start, then an 8mm aluminium steering guard from Bearmach and a differential guard. To assist with the ride comfort and wheel articulation the vehicle sports a set of 4x4 Gas-Magnum dampers from Monroe, and to maintain visibility in the dark all round light guards from Bearmach protect the lenses.

Back to the engine, we're talking about a man who likes the feeling of power, the surge of all those horses as the right toe vanishes into the carpet ... yes at 22,000 miles you've still got a lively engine, but Julian wanted more ! He's started this quest for power with a pair of K&N air filters to replace the very restrictive standard box and a full stainless steel large-bore sports exhaust and headers. It's had a retune and new carb needles, and now "sounds like two TVR's mating on full song". We'll let you know the other modifications planned as they come to fruition, however, we reckon they'll be quite serious since this guy drives enthusiastically off-road and "too fast everywhere else"!

So it's clear that the Rover 3.5 V8 certainly has its enthusiastic followers, we've even seen a V8 in a Suzuki SJ410 but he was too fast to catch a photograph of. Amazingly with that conversion it was driving a Borg Warner 3 speed auto box through the standard SJ transfer box and running standard axles and differentials, with nothing breaking. If you've got a V8 in a Toyota Hilux send us an e-mail. Better still have you fitted one into something even more interesting? We'd love to hear about it.

Our thanks to Richard Canterbury and Julian Phipps for there assistance in compiling this article.