Just discovered my rear core plugs are leaking, ya know the ones that need the gearbox pulling to get at! pfft..

Discovered this Splodge on the TQ inspection plate on the bottom of the bellhousing.

Also the front main transmission seal is leaking so tbh its defo a box out Job..

While I'm there I might aswell have a play with the engine..

An RPI engine can be had for aroiund 4000 pennies RTR

My Plan is to Pull the 4.6 - rebuild it and throw it in my Discovery 2 as the TD5 is getting a bit long in the tooth.

And put a 5.2 in the P38..

Just thinking out loud.

LOL

A 5.2 with forced induction would put out atleast 450hp, that would be fun.

And make a good towcar!

V8 Developments will do everything RPi will for lower prices and without having to put up with the bullshit. But why only 5.2? What's wrong with a 5.4 http://www.v8developments.co.uk/products/engines/long_engines/5.4_litre/dominator/index.shtml

£7,320.00 "breath"

Yep i'm mental and that would do nicely!

400hp in a p38!

that would be fun..

Although the performance 4.6 doesn't look too shabby with 330hp.

Wonder if it's worth sending my block off to them!

I used to buy mags such as 'Fast Car' back in the late 80's early 90's, back then there seemed to be a few firms making big bore and/or long stroke versions of various engines including RV8's. At a time when the 3.9 might have been the biggest OEM RV8 some firms were making a 5L aftermarket version... Am I right in saying that one such firm's re-design of the RV8 which was a 4.6L version was adopted by LR for the now familiar OEM 4.6 ?

I miss the old mags like Fast Car, back then it was the owners modding their own cars and explaining in detail what they'd done to their cars. Just a few years later it all changed, there'd be similar stories but it wasn't the owners modding their own cars anymore, instead it became all about lads (some of whom had probably never wielded a spanner) paying firms loads of money to mod their cars, no technical write-ups because even the owners didn't know what these firms had actually done, firms secretive about their mods. There'd be stories about lads paying firm X £5000 to get 300bhp out of their RS Turbo, which then worked for a month before blowing up, so same lad would go back to firm X and pay them another £5k to get 320bhp out of their RS Turbo which would last another month before blowing up. Seemed crazy that these lads didn't insist on a warranty but were happy to pay firm X to experiment.

Lpgc wrote:

Am I right in saying that one such firm's re-design of the RV8 which was a 4.6L version was adopted by LR for the now familiar OEM 4.6 ?

There was a stepping stone which was codenamed the Iceberg engine. Perkins did some development work for LR to see if they could produce a diesel version of the V8. The bottom end was strengthened with cross bolted main bearings and various other mods done including increasing the stroke. Although the diesel version didn't happen, this resulted in the 4.2 litre version that was fitted into the LWB variant of the Classic. The 4.0 and 4.6 litre versions fitted into the P38 benefit from the stronger bottom end but the 4.0 litre shares the same bore and stroke as the 3.9 in the Classic (which explains why they are both 3950 cc) while the 4.6 uses the same bore size but with a longer stroke again to give the extra capacity.

Getting back on track. If the core plugs on the rear of the engine block are leaking, they lurk behind the flywheel so it is an engine out (or at least move it forward to separate it from the gearbox) or gearbox out job. No easy option and if one is leaking, usually caused by the cooling system having been filled with plain water so they rust through from the inside, then the others will need doing too. I've got the same problem on the Ascot but the ones I can see leaking are a couple on the sides of the block (including one hiding behind the engine mount), so they can be done with the engine in place. But if they are leaing, the ones on the back aren't going to be far behind so will need changing too. I've got the core plugs, the Loctite to coat them in when the new ones go in, the engine crane to lift it and move it forward away from the gearbox, all I'm short of now is the time to do it!

Aye i'm sure it's leaking!

Which is why i'd stuggle to put a stock engine back in lol