Engine and Transmission Tech

Some people would have you believe Rover V8s are rare...

I took a trip to "U Pull N Pay" in Denver today for various Subaru/Volvo/GM odds and ends, and I noticed they have at least five intact Rover V8 engines in inventory at the moment. Specifically, they have one 3.9, one 4.2, two 4.0s with the earlier intake manifold/plenum, and one 1999 4.0 with the "Thor" manifold/plenum. (I bet that last one was a lower mileage engine in good shape, because the truck looked pretty good except for collision damage at the back end.)

Some people would have you believe Rover V8s are exorbitantly expensive...

"U Pull N Pay" charges the exact same price for a fully dressed engine whether it's a plain Jane mass market four-banger or something really cool and exotic... their price is $199.99, period. If you prefer to pull specific parts, you can pay for specific parts. Cylinder heads cost 29.99 each. (The whole price list is here.) Really, the surprising thing was that none of the five engines had been picked to pieces. A couple were missing their water pumps and I'm not sure any of them still had their mass airflow sensors, but all of these Rover engines still had their EFI plenums and their valve covers bolted down tight.

If someone doesn't talk me out of it, I think I might go get the three 4.0 engines this week. I could surely part them out and come out way ahead, right? Or maybe I should take pre-orders... Anyone want to ante up to make the trip worth my while? I don't know. I might just sit this round out. There will be a new crop of Rover V8s next time I look.

Incidentally, there were a couple other cars at the junkyard today.

Most technically interesting, I suppose, was the 1977 Mercedes 450SEL, with 6.9L overhead camshaft V8 featuring K-Jetronic electromechanical fuel injection. I'm surprised a Mercedes specialist didn't snap that car up before it got to U Pull N Pay... The interior was picked over and the body was rough, but the engine looked mostly intact.

Then there was a Porsche 928 that had been in a garage fire. Supposedly the engine and transmission ran fine before... The engine bay didn't look too bad. I was kinda curious to see what Porsche used for a throttle body, but it's pretty well buried low and on the firewall side of the engine.

The oldest car I saw at the junkyard today was a 1971 MGB roadster. Most of the body was was very rough, but the doors appeared to be usable. It hadn't been there too long, apparently, because the radiator was still in place. The engine still had twin SUs fitted, and the Lucas distributor was still installed. 4-speed. Armstrong shocks all around, and an original front anti-sway bar. The seats would need new foam and upholstery of course, but appeared rebuildable. (FWIW, I hugely prefer restored MGB seats to Miata seats!) The car was on Rostyle wheels, but apparently arrived at the junkyard with a pair of spoke wheels in the boot as a bonus. I snagged headlamp bezels, the one good tail light, the battery box cover, and the M-G-B boot badge. I certainly would have snagged the wiper motor too, but I was out of time...

Curtis, Isn't there a certain GT-2 car could benefit from a 3.9L or 4.2L engine ? Seems like if enough people petitioned SCCA ? Thanks for the leads, roverman.

I've only found 1 self pull yard in Houston -- and it's LKQ owned, relatively small, most everything is extremely picked over within 1-2 days of showing up; and, their prices are not even close to the ones you mention above. Wish there were somewhere like that around here!

LKQ is the most expensive around here too. I think Ive seen a Rover V8 everytime I go to the yards, and I stop in as often as I can to take a look if nothing else. Right now, 2 of my local yards have rusted MGB onvertibles.The locally owned yards that arent chains seem to be the cheapest. We have some pull a parts here that have websites that let you search their inventory and it even tells you where it is on the lots. Saves a lot of time.They also have a buyers club where you get a card like in a grocery store that makes parts a lot cheaper. On the locally owned yards, it seems to make a difference who is working the counter as to what you pay when you go. They have price lists and they are kind of open to interpretation. It wil says something like $5 for linkage, or $15 for stering linkage. So when you get to the counter, they usually ask what you have, so if you say linkage, you get charged $5, but if you say steering linkage, you get charged $15, so study the price list before going to the front.