(Maybe this is a sign that it's time to repost my swan-song BC posting
on the 215 GM/3500 Rover V8 - Enjoy!)
Well, I'm no expert, but I've collected a bunch of info about these engines;
here's a summary. Everything you always wanted to know about the 3.5 liter
Buick/Rover V8, but didn't know where to ask...it's a wee bit long, so you
might be wanting to hit 'n' now if you're not a motorhead...
_History_
In 1961, General Motors released a new line of compact cars: the Buick Special,
Oldsmobile F-85, and Pontiac Tempest. Marketed as economy cars, they were
never the less designed in the American idiom: probably larger than any European
car of the time, though relatively light, and powered, of course, by a V8,
albeit of only 215 cid. The special twist on the American design theme of the
car was that the block, heads, and intake manifold of this engine were cast
entirely in aluminum, yielding a compact, short-stroke, oversquare V8 weighing
in at only 320 pounds fully dressed - compared to 575 lbs for an all-iron
small-block Chevrolet. ("So it's lighter than a SB Chevy", you say, "so what?"
- weighed an iron 4 or 6 cylinder recently? It's less than, say, an all-iron
Toyota 4 ).
Power was 155 hp, for the low-compression 2-bbl, 185 hp with the 4bbl. In
'62 and '63, Olds released a limited run of cars with a 2.5" Garret turbo-
charger, moving the horsepower figure up to 215 hp. Surprisingly, Olds
engineers retained the _10.25:1_ (!!) compression on top of the turbo, using
water/alcohol injection to limit detonation & carbon build-up. The regular 215s
can be a little difficult to locate; the turbo engines are _quite_ hard to find
(only about 5500 made). [Full story of the Olds Jetfire is in a recent
Autoweek].
Turbochargers notwithstanding, by 1964, GM decided that the cars needed more
cubic inches, and as other considerations presupposed retooling (new bell-
housing pattern), the General decided to save some $$ and cast the new-for-64
300cid Buick in iron, albeit still with aluminum heads in '64. GM chopped two
cylinders off this lovely engine, enlarged it a bit & cast the resulting V6
in iron, and thus was born the 3.8 L Buick (ever wonder where 90-degree V6s
come from?). Olds went with a 330-inch all-iron engine, and (I think) Pontiac
introduced the 326 that same year. The 215 tooling was sold to Rover, who
still produce the Buick variant, tho it's often referred to there as the "3 1/2"
in deference to the metric metric displacement of 3.5 liters. Needless to say,
continued availability makes those of us who like lots of cylinders in
small, light engines very, very happy. Rover has used this engine in a variety
of Rover saloons, the TR8, and the Land & Range Rover, and it is also used in
the 'big' TVR (350-450i) as well as the TVR Tuscan spec-race cars, the MGB-V8,
and notably the US-spec Morgan.
_Engine Technicals_
As delivered, the 215 was available in two versions, Buick and Olds (Pontiacs
used the Olds), in both 2 and 4bbl configurations. Maximum overall dimensions
are 28"L x 26"W x 27"H, max. dressed weight is 320 lbs, and motor-mount
positions are as for the 3.8 L V6. Both Buick & Olds shared the same basic
bottom-end (3.5" bore/2.8" stroke), but differ in the heads & valve train.
Buick used 1 head pattern and changed the piston to set compression, while
Olds used 1 piston and had 2 & 4bbl head variants. Olds heads also use 5
bolts/cylinder while Buicks used 4; the upshot is that Buick heads will bolt
to the Olds block, but not vice-versa (sealing is considered OK with 4 bolts in
the Olds head - valve train used must be same as head).
The Rover may be considered a Buick, although the accessory mountings are
different, and I would not be surprised to see different timing covers and
other small details (timing covers, incidentally, appear to be interchangeable
between 215s, the later Buick/Olds V8s / Buick 3.8/4.2 V6 - timing marks may not
match up, tho). Rover also produces a 3.9 liter version, which, I believe, is a
stroked 3.5. If I judge the TVR model numbers correctly, they seem to carry
3.5, 3.9, 4, 4.2, and 4.5 liter versions - take this assertion with an
appropriately large grain of salt.
The GM versions were all carbureTed, while the Rovers have been both
carbueTTed and fuel-injected.
_Parts, supplies, and More Horsepower - U.S._
Bolt-ons:
Post-'74 Buick V8 HEI electronic distributors will fit the 3.5 with a little
grinding of the intake manifold. There are GM factory 2 and 4bbl manifolds
around, drilled for the early Carter AFB carb, aftermarket Holley-compatibles
and there are presumably factory fuel injection and carb manifolds available
for the Rover [tho I really can't understand why anyone would fit that wacky
dual-Skinner's Union semi-downdraught configuration when a Haltech FI
or Weberized double-pumper could be used just as easily].
Parts such as cams, manifolds and headers are not as easy to find as those
for more popular US V8s, but there are certainly some suppliers to try:
Kenne-Bell Performance Products (Buick/Olds)
1527K West 13th St.
Upland, CA, 91786 714-946-7671
Dave Smith Oldsmobile
112 North Manchester
Anaheim, CA, 92802, 714-635-3100
Also, in addition to the usual BritCar suppliers, there are
EightParts/ Rovers West
731 South Vine Ave
Tucson, AZ, 85719 602-748-8115
(also another in AZ that I can't find a ref. for - I'll post in the
addendum)
Advanced Fooling Around:
The block is dry-sleeved with iron liners, and there is quite a lot of 'excess'
material around the cylinders. The sleeves themselves can be bored 0.030"
(for 217 cid), but there's plenty of room to fit larger sleeves, up to about 4.1
liters/247 cid. With more work, and the use of a Buick 300 (3.4" stroke)
crank, displacements of up to 5 liters/305cid are possible - all in the same 320
lb, compact package. These displacements require some parts selection from
various US engines to obtain correct clearances; fortunately the _Hot Rod_
magazine of March '85 detailed them pretty nicely; this missive is getting quite
long, so I'll USmail a copy of the article to those who send a SASE.
There are a few folks in the U.S. who specialize in building variants of the
3.5; Phil Baker in Washington State [Baker Automotive, 19552 40th Pl. NE,
Seattle, WA, 98155 206-363-5088] has been building alloy Buick motors since
1966; he currently performs stock-displacement rebuilds starting from about
$1600, and will build 250"/4.1 L, 262"/4.3L and 305"/5 L variants to order.
Prices depend on what parts you'd like to use; a low-budget 247" motor (the
largest size using the stock 2.8" stroke, also the size I want!) starts at
about $2,700; addition of goodies like forged pistons, moly rings, baffled oil
pans, etc, is extra...going all the way up to $5,700 for a top-line 5 liter
(drool, drool drool).
While there are Rover parts available in the US, they tend to be expensive,
and as often as not one might want to use local bits. There are intakes, cams,
and many such goodies available from the US suppliers. Trans-Dapt sells a
complete bellhousing [p/n 0527] for use with GM 4 or 5-speed V8 manual
and transmissions, Baker's carries adaptors for the GM TH350 3-speed and
THM-700R 4-speed automatics to these engines.
Parts, supplies, and More Horsepower - U.K.
(Note: I'm still waiting for replies from many UK suppliers such as Rimmer
Brothers - an addendum will be mailed when they arrive.)
Haughin's Northern TVR Centre in Cumbria provides a TVR 350 upgrade using a
Sprintex supercharger running 6 lbs of boost yielding 270 BHP @ 5500 and 290
lbs/ft @ 3500. The upgrade is done in a package with suspension and brake
mods, and runs 3000 Pounds ... not a small piece of change, but quite a
nice-looking package.
There is a British spec-racing series for purpose-built TVRs known as Tuscans,
named after that firm's monsters of yore. The Tuscan is an evolution of
the TVR S, and carries a 4.5 liter variant built by NCK of Coventry. Not only
do these cars look _great_ - I was fortunate enough to see one at their
introduction at the '88 Birmingham show - but the cross-bolted,
quad-Weber-carbed race engines pull 396 hp @ 7500 rpm! If you have the
cash, I'm sure that NCK'd be willing to talk...
Cardinal Triumph Spares [Cardinal House, Rabbit Bank Road, Gateshead, Tyne &
Wear NE8 2AG UK] sells new front cross-members for the TR8 (95 Pounds) which
should bolt up to the TR7...
_What To Do With Them_
Because of their size, weight, configuration, and power potential, these engines
lend themselves really nicely to swaps as well as to the cars for which they've
been installed from new. Rotus, in Maryland, has installed them in their
version of the Lotus 7 - remember, this engine weighs about the same as an
all-iron 4 cylinder. While I don't think that MGB V8s were available here from
the factory, the parts needed to make the conversion are not too difficult to
find, as is true for the TR7/8. Before the Big Healeys became too valuable to
violate, this was a very viable choice as an engine, and the resurrected Healey
3500 (?) runs it as standard powerplant. It's probably the only logical choice
for those of us afflicted with a Triumph Stag ... the cost of a properly-built
stock engine would cover a rebuilt 3.5 _and_ the rest of the swap!
[That's what my Olds motor is for; my Stag will end up with it, but ya know,
I keep having these visions of a Sprintex-blown 4 liter in a suitably-upgraded
Esprit ;-) ;-) ;-) ].
There's no substitute for cubic inches except cubic dollars; a good 3.5
needn't cost much more than a good turbo install + performance rebuild, and I
for one prefer to see lots of cylinders before lots of plumbing. Keep these
engines in mind when you drive an older car and say "Yeah, but if it only went
faster..."
ed devinney pismobch@well.sf.ca.us
"I don't know what the world may need,
but a V8 engine's a good start for me..." - Cracker
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