Which v8 for mgb conversion?

Lets hope the V8 route is the right one - I just bought the donor car!

Really, though - the point about the Japanese fours is perfectly valid, but a V8 engine transplant is like the proverbial novel - everybody has one in them. Plus half the fun for me will involve the engine side of things (famous last words).

Well at least it isn't an old V12. Local tyre maker used to have a V12 engined car for testing the high performance tyres. Apprentice I went to college with told me the test driver used to frequently come back and complain it was only running on 7.

Dave, you said - Unlike modern engines, these V8s use high flow / low pressure oil systems, so stick to good old 20/50 unless you *know* the engine requires something else.

I'm getting an oil pressure of about 25-30 at 3000 rpm. I know the car has stood for most of the least year with just an occasional turn over. How low, is accpetable?

Using 20W50 (assuming a pre-serpentine engine) you should have 30 + or -

5psi at 2400rpm hot. As long as you have 6 or 7 psi at idle to accompany this, it's ok. Badger.

Oops, that should have been 35 + or - 5! Never seen many on the higher figures though, but you can fit an mgbV8 relief valve spring (£1.something from real steel!) to give 50 + or - 5, at the same rpm. Badger.

Well, here's a strange thing. I ran it this morning and it went up to

40 cold, then as it got warmer dropped back down to 25-30.

I assume the wrong grade of oil is in it ? With it being more viscous when cold.

BTW what is the oil capcity (litres) for an SD1 V8?

I'll flush it and replace it - Halfords are doing 20/50 at 5.00 for 4.5 litres, or the traditional 'green' (WTM) stuff for 8.99 for 5 litres. The bloke looked at me like I was daft when i asked him how much it was

- they don't sell much of it apparently.

It also runs very unevenly until it warms up - then its fine, I read on another post about making sure the carbs are filled with 3 in 1. There is oil in them but I dont know how to tell how much - the Haynes manual hasn't arrived off ebay yet.

Nope, that's normal. My 3.9 in my landrover 110 runs off the gauge on cold start, as the oil is so thick when cold the relief valve can't flow quick enough to keep the pressure down. Mine runs over 80 cold, 52 at 2,400rpm hot, 25 at idle, hot. It's not a standard engine build though!

Off the top of my head, around 4.5 to 5 litres, the landrover sump holding about 1/2 ltr more.

Use the halfords 20w50, it's a good quality oil.

Run the carbs with 20W50 or 15W50 or 10W40. 3-in-1 is too thin and will allow excess oil consumption from the carbs as well as giving a weaker acceleration mixture.

Badger.

Trouble is that most "interesting" four-pots these days are twin cams and quite tall.