Where in New Zealand?

Peterv

Active Member
Hi All, Especially fellow Roverites in NZ
I'm needing to do a cam and follower replacement reasonably soon and wondering where I can get parts required from locally.
Planning to take the heads off also to clean up all that lovely black buildup around the rockers.
Would like to have all parts on hand or on standby here rather than having pulled it apart to find I'm needing to wait the month or so to get from overseas.(not to mention the astronomical freight charges at the moment.)
Hope some one can advise
Cheers, Peter


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Hi Peter,

I'd advise talking to the local Rover clubs - Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin. They'd have more knowledge about where to get parts from either in NZ or Oz.


Chris
 
Kelford cams in Christchurch can do any grind for the Rover V8 ( even plain Jane stock ) and likely supply valve springs and followers; parts pricing horrendous your side; a waterpump that’s 50 dollars kiwi ( 29.95 ) in the States is 400... try Kelfords they’ve got a great rep
 
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Drop some Sd1 heads on her Peterv
and put in an upgrade oil pump also for the SD1. Give far better oil pressure/flow
 
I have a reason to beleave this is a 3.9 motor. Has the longer sparkplug threads. Oil preasure is at 50spi when driving. Have you heard any feedback on "Auckland Camshafts" products. "Kelford cams only quote u.s dollars for some reason. I'll look at some of the 4x4 places, They'll do gaskets etc. Rockers and shaft condition are unknown until I pull things apart. Those I'd like a local source for in particular. Alloy or steel rockers???
 
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Any parts I have bought for my engine have always come from the States as local prices are ludicrous ( I am in Christchurch) as TokyoP6B has alluded too.

Graeme
 
It's just that at the moment freight prices have doubled compared to what they were. GST is also added either at the source or at the border. And just to add to the anticipation, things are taking one or two months to arrive....Hoping the correct bit arrives. (been burnt before).
Rimmers seem to have a good selection. I'm just slightly out of my depth when it comes to real inside engine stuff so might hand the task to a mechanic friend of mine and just pay the bill. That way I wont end up buggering things up and costing me a lot more. (learnt that one from experience).:hmm:
 
I have a reason to believe this is a 3.9 motor. Has the longer sparkplug threads. Oil preasure is at 60spi when driving.

Hi Peterv,

The engine number could certainly add weight to those thoughts. The heads are responsible for spark plugs, so that in itself is not reason to think it is a 3.9, whilst oil pressure can be misleading, being sender dependent.

Ron.
 
www.rimmerbros.com list all Rover V8 engine number IDs, here are the 3.9s

If you run your numberplate number through CarJam ( www.carjam.co.nz ) this will tell you the engine number your car was first registered with; rocker arms are all alloy AFAIK

GW
 

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Thanks GW, 36d.... There it is. 3.9 with CR 9.35:1 (also stamped on block). Car jam now out of date;). Wonder if its possible to narrow the year down? Took car for a drive today. Oil pressure at about 45lb when hot. When I first got the car the pressure moved between 5 and 30lb but a jolly good cleaning of contacts sorted that.... Just need to deal with those tappet noises, sounds like an MGB:LOL:. (then the heater, wiper motor, window winders, under body cleanup and any other thing I look at.) Love these never ending projects.
 
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I did 150k kms in 2 SD1 3.5s and never had any tappet noises or dirty rocker covers or valve gear, so I am a bit surprised by a 3.9 being dirty inside, unless its had a hard life with minimal oil changes. I would be tempted to pull the rocker gear and dismantle to check the state of the shafts - I just did this on a 74 3.5 (mileage unknown really) and the shafts are knackered, see below. It was pretty rattly until warmed thoroughly. Dont be tempted to just replace the shafts, the rockers will have steel particles embedded in them now. Got new shafts and rockers from Island4x4 for A$190 landed in Oz. This is a lot less work than doing cam and lifters.
 
Yes, totally unknown engine. I'm under the impression it was swapped as a cheaper alternative to repairing the existing one prior to sale so I'm sure they got the cheapest available. (still wasn't an inexpensive job). I had read somewhere to replace only as a set and the reason why:thumb:.Having a look at Island 4x4 now. I see what you mean. Thanks very much for the tip...
cheers, Peter
 
Here is one of my old rocker shafts...much quieter now with new shafts and rockers!
jk6Rkdd.jpg
 
wow. That certainly will give the rockers some extra rock. That'll be a much easier first step before changing the cam, (although I may have had a legitimate excuse to put a more 'interesting'cam in).I'm going to put an order in for rockers and shafts. Do the rocker shafts need end plugs?
Can this be done without having to take the valley gasket off? (only remove the rocker covers) Sorry about all the questions, these motors are new to me
Cheers, Pete
 

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You only need to remove the rocker covers, and then unbolt the 4 rocker shaft pedestals - but do this progressively (1/4 turn each bolt once cracked loose) because there will always be some valves open, and the same on refitting. Island said I needed the shaft plugs, so I ordered them, then the shafts arrived with plugs already fitted - ask them to check the shafts and add the plugs ONLY if needed. Get the later rocker cover gaskets in rubber with anti-crush rings in the bolt holes. Can be a bit of a struggle to get the rocker covers out from under HIF6 carbs which have a lower body. You will need new split pins (1/8") for the shaft rebuild. I assembled the rockers with assembly lube to make sure they didnt have a dry start before the oil gets to them. Runs much quieter cold now .
good luck.
 
Reckon a knackered old rocker shaft could be repurposed into some sort of musical instrument? A Rover Flute? A Rover Recorder? OK, getting my coat...
 
Reckon a knackered old rocker shaft could be repurposed into some sort of musical instrument? A Rover Flute? A Rover Recorder? OK, getting my coat...
Not much chance it would be nice to hear. My dad played with a flute for a while, and did some research - the design is VERY complex and has many compromises in order to produce something you can play with average size hands and fingers.
 
I know. I play sax. Can't get a single note out of a flute though! For the life of me, I can't remember what I had imbibed the night before I wrote that bizarre observation. I imagine my old rocker shafts look similar or worse. Clackety clackety clackety clack. Suspension is so noisy you can't hear the valvetrain wear though!
 
When you get a rocker assembly off the head, you can easily check the state of the shaft - turn the assy upside down and then slide a rocker (except the two end ones) away from the pedestal, against the spring, and you can see where the wear occurs - underneath, towards the pushrod end. If its not badly worn ANYWHERE you might be able to refit it. Note that the original rockers have a production year cast on them - mine were all '73', so originals.
 
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