The little motor can build really nice power. It has a bad rap because of the liner failures but once you top hat them that is no longer part of the equasion. 300hp is not a stretch for this engine and thats respectable. even in the 250 hp range with just a good cam they move a disco very nicely. It was not designed for high rpm HP but rather to be an engine with great low end torque. i over cammed my engine once and although it would barely move under 3000 rpms, when the cam came in the damn thing would pull you back in the seat as the engine was looking for 7000rpms. scared the pee out of me that the engine was going to spread across the engine compartment. So now I am working on the roller cam setup. damn close to having it made and just need lobes ground. (I have to make that call today) i can wait to have a full roller engine and get Annabelle running again. Then to top it off i just found a Coscast block sitting in my scrap pile but thats a story for next year. Might be a race truck build on that one.
XD Engine Upgrade
- Thread starter Tin Medic
- Start date
I guess I need to duckduck "Coscast" 
Certainly more torque would be grand. I have a great appreciation for moderate-flow *HIGH VELOCITY* heads that make their nut from 1500 to 5500. Ideally that number would look even better (to me) down in the 1200-5200 with special emphasis on the 1200-4000 rpm range. Winding out a heavy wagon just seems like a cop-out This is why I have been trying to see if there's a way to stuff the buick 350 crank in there without gluing a 3/4" deck plate on top (jk)
That Buick 340/350 crank, with it's 3.85" [97.8mm] stroke and high-end sleeves able to keep it together at 3.80" (96.5mm) would give 5.7L of slightly over-square, very strong low end torque... especially with a modern hydraulic roller. The benefit to keeping the rpm below 5k is that it requires only moderate intake improvement and a nice set of headers. I just don't have hands-on experience with modifying this engine. But that may change.
Custom long rods and custom pistons with raised pin heights are just not out of the question in this wonderful age of CNC machining. Hell, a custom crank could be cut but it appears there are already plenty of options... especially if the 3.9 block can be clearanced to fit that big swing.
Certainly more torque would be grand. I have a great appreciation for moderate-flow *HIGH VELOCITY* heads that make their nut from 1500 to 5500. Ideally that number would look even better (to me) down in the 1200-5200 with special emphasis on the 1200-4000 rpm range. Winding out a heavy wagon just seems like a cop-out
This is why I have been trying to see if there's a way to stuff the buick 350 crank in there without gluing a 3/4" deck plate on top (jk) That Buick 340/350 crank, with it's 3.85" [97.8mm] stroke and high-end sleeves able to keep it together at 3.80" (96.5mm) would give 5.7L of slightly over-square, very strong low end torque... especially with a modern hydraulic roller. The benefit to keeping the rpm below 5k is that it requires only moderate intake improvement and a nice set of headers. I just don't have hands-on experience with modifying this engine. But that may change.
Custom long rods and custom pistons with raised pin heights are just not out of the question in this wonderful age of CNC machining. Hell, a custom crank could be cut but it appears there are already plenty of options... especially if the 3.9 block can be clearanced to fit that big swing.
If Ed reposts the photos of the lifter valleys of a run-off-the-mill and CoI guess I need to duckduck "Coscast"
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The AI gave me a fluff piece on it.. I have not verified the accuracy yet:
Regarding land rover (e.g. buick 215-based) v8 engines.. what is a `coscast` block (it might be spelled `comcast`):
The term you're looking for is "Coscast" block, which refers to a specific type of engine block used in certain Land Rover V8 engines. The Coscast block is named after the company that cast these blocks, Cosworth Casting Techniques, which was known for producing high-quality castings with improved durability.
The Coscast blocks are distinguished by their superior casting methods, which resulted in better cooling and oil drain characteristics compared to other blocks. They are often sought after by enthusiasts and are considered to be more robust, especially for high-performance applications.
These blocks were used in various iterations of the Rover V8 engine, which itself is a development of the Buick 215 engine. The Rover V8 was used extensively by Land Rover in models such as the Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover.
They did, after a shitstorm with 2003-early 2004 D2's with misaligned timing cover dowel pins.Are these unicorns? I am guessing they never made it into the NAS production line?
“These blocks were used in various iterations of the Rover V8 engine, which itself is a development of the Buick 215 engine. The Rover V8 was used extensively by Land Rover in models such as the Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover.”
And many many more other British vehicles. They put it in their tiniest sports cars all the way up to their largest transport trucks, There was a model used for taxis beginning in the 60s. In 3.5 form they were exceptionally long lasting.
I am speaking of the standard Rover V8, not the coscast. I’m sure those would be even better.
And many many more other British vehicles. They put it in their tiniest sports cars all the way up to their largest transport trucks, There was a model used for taxis beginning in the 60s. In 3.5 form they were exceptionally long lasting.
I am speaking of the standard Rover V8, not the coscast. I’m sure those would be even better.
Is it accurate to say the coscast was predominantly in 4.2 guise here in NAS territory? e.g. LWB Classic
I am wondering if the buick 350 crank can be made to swing (and balance) in the 3.70" long-snout, or short snout blocks with the stock deck height (the buick 340 and 350 had a taller deck to accommodate the 3.85 stroke). Custom pistons being necessary to keep that deck height under control, along with the crank clearance is likely why the 300 crank is the biggest backyard stroker option.
My pictures are all on my phone and the damn amazon tablet that i use does not play nice with data transfer to upload pictures.
Coscast was an outside block manufacturer Land Rover used to source replacement waranty engines in 2003-2004. you will only find them in those 2 years of discos. Land rover was scrambling when they started having massive engine failures in 2003 with the misalignment issue of the timing cover cracking oil pump gears. They used coscast blocks on some of them. (just note land rover had no idea what the problem was at first. there were multiple tsbs issued) Mind you many disco engines didnt make it past their first oil change. They would come in for their first service and after changing the oil there would be no oil pressure. Thats a lot of engines it affected, even though it was only 2003 on the tsb we were seeing the same thing in early 2004s as well.
With all of this i have only seen 3 of these blocks and I have looked at thousands doing heads and engine work, looking though junk yards... searching for my unicorn. I had a customers car apart in the shop (1 of the 3) and was showing someone the casting in the engine and to show him the diference walked out back to show him a scrap rover block to see the visual casting quality. I flipped an core engine over and there was a coscast block sitting there i totally missed. It had spun multiple rod bearings and at the time i was looking for good cranks so i didnt even look at the block. We dragged it inside and tore it down so i can save it. I might build it for the race truck next year.
On another note i talked to my cam machinist yesterday and discussed final grind on my gems bosch roller cam. shooting for a big 1800-5500 rpm cam.
Funny you should mention that - since I have a 68 Wagoneer in the garage with a Buick 350. The similarity in most everything with 215/RV8 is striking.
Yeah, if you can snap pics of what the casting ID looks like, that would be great Just so I can keep my eye out
Do you have the latest grind specs and do you mind sharing? ALso, what lifters and guides are you running?
I looked at this a little closer, static compression ratio would be in the teens. I think its going to take very custom pistons with dish somewhere around 26cc
Great thread.
It turned out that I could actually build a nice rover/buick engine for a disco sized truck for around $7500 bucks.. and a clean hemi or LS swap was not much cheaper, when I dialed in all the fiddlybits. The LS/Hemi is more powerful for sure, but not much cheaper.. and time/effort-wise.. the stroker rover seemed easier (given we weren't doing the machining).
We concluded it is worth building a naturally aspirated stroker to produce 270hp up to about 300hp with similar torque numbers (ft-lb). While this is really a "stretch goal" for the buick/rover engine and essentially a *floor* for the LS and hemi swap, it is a great power range for the disco. A 300hp NA D1 is a very peppy, competent, and confident wagon. 500hp is not necessary for this vehicle (for my intended use) though I have not driven a D1 with this much power so... I could be wrong
I am still researching roller cam efforts and am surprised these are not *common* upgrades for an engine with small block buick lifters and a history of flattening cam lobes. So much low and mid-range power can be made with a modern hydraulic roller that it just seems like a no-brainer to me.
On the subject of sleeves and big budget stuff:
Has anyone tried installing aluminum nikasil sleeves? I think Darton makes them (https://dartonsleeves.com/) and will customize for the Rover/Buick. Maybe even a MID conversion (if possible). Also interesting, would be to drop aluminum (nikasil) sleeves in. If I won the lottery I'd do it just because.
(https://dartonsleeves.com/)
From the D&D guy it is possible to make a 3.9 stroker with the Buick 300 crank (making 4.8L/293in) by boring 0.01 over (3.701) "with early 5.66 rods or modified Chevy rods and Ford 255 pistons".
The variety of options is really quite impressive
Great stroker info:
Displacement
D&D Fabrications is the Aluminum V8 Specialists Worldwide. Featuring Buick & Olds 215 CI and Rover 3.5, 3.9, 4.0, 4.2 and 4.6 liter engines.aluminumv8.com
TA Performance makes aftermarket Buick 350 heads:
(https://www.taperformance.com/products.asp?cat=421)
TWS has fantastic info on building power with the rover v8:
...but MAN are they pricey (note their, rare, roller cam is $2200: https://thewedgeshopstore.com/roller-cam-setup-rover-v8/)TWS Motors
TWS Motors (formerly The Wedge Shop) has been serving the British car community since 1990. We are a provider of OEM and performance products for many British cars including: Triumph TR8, TR7, TR3, TR4, TR6, TR250, Spitfire, GT6, Land Rover, Jaguar, Lotus and MG. We carry a full line of OEM...thewedgeshopstore.com
RPI Engineering seems to have a lot of knowledge in this realm:
R P I International Ltd
At RPi Engineering we have be specialising in the Rover V8 engine for 30+ years. We supply not only parts but fully built engines world wide and also have full workshop facilities.shop.v8engines.com
Roller cam info:
And lastly, I hope this one doesn't get me in trouble, the buickV8 forum has some great insights into cross-breed compatibilities and upgrades:
Small Block Tech
Curioius about the little brother? Ask here how to get your 215/300/340/350 some respect!
And to answer the Why question... Why not?
This seems to be way overkill to me. Hats off to you if you go through all this since I'd enjoy seeing the progress at someone else's expense.
300hp is not too hard for a 4.6. These are very torque-focuses engines though. You need pistons, cam, worked heads, headers, and port matched intake. The intake takes some doing because the way the pan gasket works. With machine work (cam bearing intall, hot tank, etc.) you'd come out around $4000 or so. If you want liners add in another $2000-2500.
I've been wanting to build a "race" RRC with a 4.6 and R380. Then I consider the cost and accept Rovers are better crawlers than anything else. Jeeps are crap but they're light and that counts big time in the sand.
I am curious...
If one has a Buick 350 sitting around, why not take it and adapt/mod the components to run either 14CUX or GEMS or any other EFI setup?
The biggest issue with any build boosting torque and horsepower significantly is 4HP22, closely followed by the driveshafts and axles.
If one has a Buick 350 sitting around, why not take it and adapt/mod the components to run either 14CUX or GEMS or any other EFI setup?
The biggest issue with any build boosting torque and horsepower significantly is 4HP22, closely followed by the driveshafts and axles.