David Bradburn's Build

David Bradburn's Build Progress

I took the engine to the factory when I collected the chassis and they fitted it. 5th.October 1999. The photo is rolling it out onto flat-bed trailer for transport home.

I purchased a rolling chassis ready for a Rover 3.5l V8 engine.
Engine purchased from RPI in Norfolk August 1999. It is ex military and had been prepared by them for road use.

The heads have been upgraded to 4.6 valves and made for unleaded fuel. The compression ratio raised from 8.2 to 9.8. Its output should be a little under 200bhp. It came painted with a yucky military preservative green. It is now red and blue, and the aluminium rocker-box covers and SU carb units I have polished.

November 1999 with some parts clamped and temporarily fitted

May 2000: 6 months into the build. Much of the bodywork fitted, but lots of finishing of panels and gaps to do. I cannot do the near-side door until I turn the car round!

The V8 engine is just about as big as can be put under the bonnet.

The Radiator (ex FX4 taxi) has to be about an inch forward of normal, which makes the bonnet metalwork as long as it possibly can be. The fan (ex Cavalier) is mounted between the grille and the rad.

The water-pump nuts have been changed for rebated cap-screws to gain about ¼ inch. This leaves about ¼ inch clearance each side of the radiator.

The alternator would have been outside the bonnet, so it had to move forward 3/8 inch to clear the rocker-box and fold in close to the engine. This involved moving the water-pump pulley and crank shaft pulley 3/8 inch forward also. Crank pulley easy with made-up plate.

Detail of shortened pulley shaft.

Water pump much more difficult. With considerable help from an engineer friend we took the pulley, which is an iron casting that includes a tubular shaft and slots over the water-pump bearing, cut 3/8 inch out of the shaft and welded it up.

Complete view with alternator

JBA informed me Jaguar-type handles were now available for the car from S&J Motors and I plumped for those, having been assured by the supplier that they would not be an SVA problem.

The next sequence of photos is fitting the handle and aluminium backing plate. This one is the basic hole cut into the door

The handle fitted into place

The door with the supplied hand recess cut off

The reinforcing plate (scrap aluminium 1/8 inch thick) ready to fit

Handle and plate fitted: outside

The plate will be fibre-glassed in due course.

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