Rover V8 Engine Rebuild: Doubling Horsepower with Machining and Balancing

Engine Block Preparation

• 🛠️ The aluminum V8 block from Jason Cammisa's Rover SD1 is being prepared for machining to increase its horsepower.
• 🧼 The block was taken to Thirlbys machine shop for cleaning and bore preparation.
• ⚠️ Special caution was taken as this was the first time working with an aluminum block for bore addressing.
• 🔩 Gallery plugs were removed, with some requiring drilling and a slide hammer due to inaccessibility.

Cylinder Head and Piston Work

• 💡 Cylinder heads were sent to D&D Fabrication for decking, valve cleaning, and seat grinding.
• 🚀 Porting work was performed to eliminate casting edges and blend ports, aiming to maximize airflow.
• 📊 Flow testing showed a 10% increase on intake and 5% on exhaust with stock valves, and a 14% intake increase with performance valves.
• 📈 New .020"-over pistons were ordered to increase the low, smog-era compression ratio.
• ⚙️ Connecting rods were refurbished by clipping the cap on the large end and honing them back to size.

Rotating Assembly Balancing

• ⚖️ The crankshaft was sent to Allshaft Repair for cleaning and balancing.
• 🎯 The goal is to balance the rotating assembly to within one gram, a significant improvement from the factory's 60-gram tolerance.
• 🔍 The balancing process involves weighing pistons, wrist pins, rods, rings, and bearings to establish a bob weight.
• 🔧 Material is carefully removed from counterweights on the crankshaft to achieve zero balance.
• ✅ The flywheel and balancer were also zero-balanced to ensure smooth operation at higher RPMs.

Next Steps

• 🏁 With all machine work complete, the next phase involves assembling the engine back at the shop.
• 💪 The focus is on achieving a balanced rotating assembly ready for smooth revving and increased horsepower.