I've been planning my next engine swap. Basically I want to swap a pushrod V8 and a manual transmission into an old Mercedes.
Considering that I'm Yuropoor and I'll have to stay under ~5.2 liters if I want to pass inspection with my new engine, my options seem to be either
1. Chevy 305
2. Ford 302
3. Rover V8 3.9 or 4.6
I'd also like to modify it for more performance, so I'd rather stay with a compact pushrod engine than with some fuckhuge 4-cam Jap V8 that gets really expensive to build.
Honestly?
Take a 350 and put a 283 crank in it to make a Chebby 302, then put a hot cam in there as well and rev it to the fucking moon.
Simply because Chevy stuff is cheaper, even in yurop.
normally I would say the chevy but 305s are kinda shit so do the 302 ford, but don't take it in the neighborhood of 500hp or the block will crack straight in half.
I'm not sure of the aftermarket there but I'd imagine you'll be jewed for parts on any of these anyway so it's a tossup.
Don't know shit about rovers, but between the 305 and the 302 I'd take the 302. Block is a tad weak by today's standards but if you're sane and stay below 500 crank it will survive. The main reason I don't like the 305 is that it's undersquare, instead of oversquare like the 302. This means you can't fit very big valves due to the bore being small, and it doesn't like revs as much because of the longer stroke.
I'd rather have a Chevy 283 than the 305 or the Ford 302.
If you want a LS engine, GM made a 4.8 liter V8 called the LR4. Same block as the 5.3.
Yeah, the 305 is a boat anchor. No room for big valves, so it gets choked at higher RPMs and can't really make power.
The Chevy 302 I described is basically a bored 283, and it's similar to what they used in the Z28 homologation special Camaro.
Revving the thing to 8k+ sounds pretty fucking mean, too.
Dumb question: isn't it a 327 block you're supposed to use?
Same bore between the two, either should work.
>not stroking a 350 up to 383 and telling inspections to go fuck themselves
I could swear the crank journal size was different between the two or something.
Oh yeah, apparently the '68 and up 4" bore smallblocks have bigger crank journals (2.10" instead of 2.00"). The 350 was introduced in '67 and the 327 was available way before that, so it's much easier to find a 327 with 2.00" journals in order to fit the 283 crank.
I'm just Googling the fuck out of all these things as we speak, I'm far from an expert on Chevy smallblocks or anything.
Also 2.45" mains instead of 2.30", which is probably the biggest stumbling block.
Buy a chey becouse you have special dealers with that kind of stuff in europe for us american car fans. A friend of mine ordered me a 350 with all accesories with shipping for less than 5k. The basic block is even cheaper but its easier to just buy the whole engine. Or if you dont mind used engines co to USA Bildelar AB Osby.
How exactly are they going to check the displacement? are they going to open it and check your crankshaft stroke or what?
also, get a modular, its 4.6 and it's better than any pushrod small block
I would go with the ford 302. It's 1 inch longer, but two inches narrower (european cars are usually not as wide as american ones) and about 100lbs lighter. For a few grand in heads/valvetrain/cam/intake/exhaust you can easily turn a 302 into a 7000rpm 450hp machine.
As far as I know, the Rover v8 is a difficult engine to make power from, so it is better to stay away from it if you wanna modify it.
It is probably the easiest to find in europe, tho.
probably talking about engine size/bulk, if he can't close the hood then he'll never pass an inspection
just mount the engine lower and further back then
no you fucking idiot he's talking about cylinder displacement.
>dude get a modular 4.6
OP is choosing a pushrod motor ror size constraints. The 4.6 is gigantic even for a DOHC V8.
except OP specified displacement limitations, autist
OP here. Thanks for the useful information, everyone. The Rover V8 engines are pretty cheap, but so are 305 Chevys because nobody wants them. I think the 302 is the more expensive option here.
Is the T5 transmission "good enough" or do I have to go straight for a TKO or T56? There's a kit available to mate one with a Rover V8 also but I don't know the price.
Well, you submit paperwork with the engine model, serial number and any modifications, so yes you could cheat by increasing the stroke and omitting that information for example.
That's what I hear. Aftermarket parts aren't as plentiful but the engine is very light. I fear that while the engine itself is lightweight and probably one of the cheapest to buy, building it for more power will become expensive.
People build Rover V8s up to like 5 liters for racing all the time and they can use Buick parts if I remember correctly, so you should be able to get some decent power out of it regardless.
Hell, it was good enough for TVR to use in their absolute madman-mobiles in 5 liter form.
then why do you even fucking bother? get a 351w or an LS and stroke them to 7 liters
also the 350z 6 speed is a good option for trans, but mounting the LS might be more difficult, just google it
Don't forget valvetrain stud girdles if you do want to rev super high with one, especially if you use a solid roller cam
LS = lots of money in yurop. I can get a regular SBC much cheaper.
Seems like an attractive option but I'd have to have one shipped from the US. What's the aftermarket and N/A tuning potential like for these engines? Don't know anything about them.
After doing some research it looks like the 302 block is weak and prone to cracking even at lower power levels. Seems like a gamble to me.
>what's the aftermarket like for an LS
Yeah if you don't even know this the chances of you even getting anything done are very low.
fuck off cummy
if you want a ford engine get either a 4.5 modular, a 351w or a 460 big block
the 302 is only good if you want just to cruise on the weekends