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Re: Warning: coolant temp. and cracking in Rover blocks

To: "Carl Floyd" <cmfloyd@chartertn.net>, "James Jewell" <m1garand@speakeasy.net>, <mgb-v8@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Warning: coolant temp. and cracking in Rover blocks
From: Barrie Robinson <barrie@look.ca>
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 00:56:58 -0700
In-reply-to: <000401c59535$e61ea320$38239f18@carlfloy>
References: <6.2.1.2.0.20050727150032.02841368@mail.look.ca> <007a01c5939e$1cc1b5a0$eee3fea9@one> <42EBA03C.9050302@speakeasy.net> <000401c59535$e61ea320$38239f18@carlfloy>
Reply-to: Barrie Robinson <barrie@look.ca>
Sender: owner-mgb-v8@autox.team.net
I think the GM casting would have had the same problem - The block was never meant to be bored out any more than 3.5 litres. I read something somewhere that GM could not get quality castings as no one around had sufficient experience in aluminium engine castings.

At 11:38 AM 7/30/2005, Carl Floyd wrote:
About friggin' time! That book has been delayed since before the 2004 V8
meet!

Did they mention what the delay was about? I just checked, I first ordered
that book June 14, 2004.

Sounds like GM's investment casting process was superior even if more
costly.

Carl

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Jewell" <m1garand@speakeasy.net>
To: <mgb-v8@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 11:43 AM
Subject: Warning: coolant temp. and cracking in Rover blocks


> All,
>     Veloce just sent me a copy of their latest book for review: Power
> Tuning the Rover V8 by Des Hammil.  It's a fantastic book, and should be
> on the shelves soon.  However, it brings up some frightening points
> about the big-bore (3.9,4.0, 4.2, 4.6L) blocks.  Many of us know that
> when Rover upped the size of the bore, that the thickness of the
> aluminum surrounding the sleeves actually got thinner, which led to a
> cracking problem, with commensurate water loss into the cylinder, and
> sleeve drop.  What I didn't realize was how bad the problem was:  Fully
> 25% of the big-bore blocks will develop a crack.  But it gets worse:
> For a few models, Rover installed a higher temp. thermometer in the
> engines (opening at around 185 DegF).  On those models, the cracking
> rate goes over 50%.  So the book recommends that all Rover engines run
> with the lowest temp Thermometer one can find.  The problem is that,
> with the small radiators that fit into our beloved MGBs, it's hard to
> keep the engine that cool regardless of the thermometer setting.
>     Anyhow, lets do a survey:
> Who is running a big-bore Rover, what is your thermometer setting, and
> are you mysteriously losing coolant?
> Thanks,
> JJJ

Regards
Barrie

Barrie Robinson
(705) 721-9060
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