Newby with a few questions.

TurboDodge

New Member
So I just acquired a 2000tc minus engine and trans. VIN starts with 418 and ends with B. Is that enough to tell what year I have. Also what other drivetrains have people swapped into these cars? We're building this for my 15yo son.
Thanks for the add,
Deric
 
A few engine swaps are detailed here. There's a Saab turbo engine and at least two diesel engines.

Why would you want to swap? It'd make it likely uninsurable as a road car when your son reaches 17 for starters.
 
Hi, Considering where you live I suppose it would be better to fit a rwd Japanese engine and gearbox of some sort because of initial supply and parts availability.

Colin
 
Thanks for all the responses. It's not really a want to swap as much as a have to swap. I got the car with no engine or transmission. My neighbor brought it home to scrap the next morning but it was too solid and unique for me to allow it to be scrapped. Living here in the States I think it would be too hard and expensive to put in a Rover drive train. As you can tell I'm a turbo Dodge fan and am in the middle of a rebuild on a 2.5 litre boosted to 28lbs. It's fwd though and not cheap and easy to make rwd. Saab....I like. Japanese...maybe. Miatas are cheap and plentiful here, but I'd rather have something from Toyota or Nissan. As far as insurance goes it would be liability only and they won't care or even ask what engine is in it.
 
There is also someone on here from the States with a Ford 5.0 V8, but I haven't seen anything from him for a while
 
I have come to the conclusion that we in the UK, have one of the most restrictive insurance regimes in the world

Hi, It's likely to get worse following the Vnuk agreement and our governments statements that it will align with EU legislation, in all aspects not just vehicle regs.

Colin
 
There is also someone on here from the States with a Ford 5.0 V8, but I haven't seen anything from him for a while
That's Tom - 302Rover. Come to think of it I haven't heard from him in ages, I'll drop him an email to check in on him.

With that said, I can tell you that the Ford 302 fits very nicely into the engine bay, and it's a real hoot to drive around in. I think that the Toyota 1UZFE might also - I'd like to see that conversion. Here's some info on the Toyota specs Rover V8 vs Lexus V8 Dimensions | Super 7th Heaven
 
Not sure what the dimensions of the 1UZFE are compared to the Ford small block but, the 302 goes into the 4 cylinder base unit with tons of room to spare.

...Looks like height and length are fine but the Toyota is about 6" wider than the 302
 
I am a little concerned about a v8 fitting as the crossmember is different from my understanding. I would rather do a turbo 4 cylinder as it is a lot of fun picking off Mustangs and Camaros with a 4 banger, especially in my minivan. The Lexus V8 looks good. I wonder though about the dimensions of the Dodge 5.2 and 5.9 engines. Those are plentiful here and are often found with a manual trans in their trucks. I am a Dodge fan so I will look into that first for a V8, but 4 cyl is my preference for ease of fit and ease of maintenance. Thanks for the info.
 
I think the 5.2/318 is roughly the same size as the Lexus V8 - about 6" wider than the Ford 302.

The 302 gets you this lovely noise

More about Tom's Rover can be found here My Hot Rod Rover

Where in the US are you?
 
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