LDV 400 LWB V8 Spottage/Possibly for Sale

[Des]

If I could home that van I would, and I'd be ordering a very large LPG tank to nail in behind the seats, whip off the heads that are probably well due for a de-gumming and skim an 1/8'' off them for some compression ratios, perhaps drop in a marginally more knobbly camshaft and give some kindly encouragement to the ignition advance, wakes up those old donkey engines quite cheaply. Twin wheels and the self discipline to keep the back empty = weapon of mass drift action. Ultimate donuts yo.

[Hertz]

Still available as far as I know. Push button start as well! 

[DodgeRover]

If I could home that van I would, and I'd be ordering a very large LPG tank to nail in behind the seats, whip off the heads that are probably well due for a de-gumming and skim an 1/8'' off them for some compression ratios, perhaps drop in a marginally more knobbly camshaft and give some kindly encouragement to the ignition advance, wakes up those old donkey engines quite cheaply. Twin wheels and the self discipline to keep the back empty = weapon of mass drift action. Ultimate donuts yo.

Later 10 bolt heads are a cheaper and easier way of raising compressions and they flow slightly better too.

[Des]

Mind you drill the missing boltholes, I killed two blocks before I pulled the Black and Decker out. Nice, low miles crossbolted blocks. The humanity.

[DodgeRover]

Why? The later blocks don't use the extra studs and from memory you don't torque those ones down that much anyway.

There's 3 I know of including one in the family built this way and put back together with composite gaskets and they've been no bother?

[Jikovron]

I chuck the the outer bolts in the bin, i would however fit properly them in if i had an Oldsmobile 215 block that had a row of bolts on the inlet side of the head mirroring the outer row.

Whilst i don't believe that V8 specialist bollocks about the head 'tilting' because of the outer bolt row, i do think the inlet manifold expansion sort of wedges the heads apart due to differential thermal mass between the block and head/manifolds which leads me to believe the outer row does nothing.

 

One thing to note is that 10 bolt heads with a composite HG are the same CR as 14bolt items with tin gaskets due to the cylinder head measured height accounting for the different HG thickness , however ive seen via rolling road runs with my ill fated 3.9 the 10 bolt ports are worth about 5bhp on a stock camshaft (a new one though rather than a round bar)

[Captain Mainwaring]

Wonder what it looked like in service as a surveillance van? Can't help thinking it would have been somewhat conspicious, especially packing a V8.

[Des]

Why? The later blocks don't use the extra studs and from memory you don't torque those ones down that much anyway.

There's 3 I know of including one in the family built this way and put back together with composite gaskets and they've been no bother?

 

Spreads the load I reckon, the blocks I killed had both failed on the nearside outer area of liner to block, where there'd be more load with the outer row missing and it got me thinking, must be a reason they were there to begin with in the good old pre-penny pinching misery bollocks days, like to help out the hotter zones or something. I was pissed off with building the bastards, humping them in and out and tackling those whores bastard top bell housing bolts, so I asked some 'experts' who talked so much shit I became convinced I was on the right track. May have all been an unlucky coincidence but I'd now no more leave headbolts off one of those donks than I'd omit a wheelnut.