Mid engine 16v Rover progress...

[Spag]

Helloo all,

After a break of about 6 months, work on the van is underway again :-)

It is now a rolling shell with +5" wheelbase using home bodged semi trailing arms. Engine & gearbox locations are finalised with temporary mounts tacked in position.

Very tempting to put together a trial exhaust, just to see where everything fits, certainly not so I can fire the V8 up in the van, oh no, not at all :wink:

http://www.pievan.co.uk updated with the latest pics & stuff... in the Pie Build 1 section.

[Geehawk]

:shock:

So you really are mad :wink:

Looking good though ....

[BassAddict]

Thats quality ! Makes me think about the new van we've got :wink: !!
Rich

So you really are mad

:lol: hes nuts!!!

hes running AMOC

[shaggy]

:shock:
A nutter is true, :lol:
but maybe thats the best way to be? 8)
Whens the first road test? :twisted:

[Spag]

I am kind of hoping that the Pievan may be driveable in the spring. May not have brakes or other such handy bits, but basic chassis, engine & transmission.

Latest updates
Engine/gearbox adapter - www.pievan.co.uk/pie_adapter1.htm
Fast engine swap - www.pievan.co.uk/box_fit1.htm

We may trailer it to a couple of shows next year as a 'work in progress'

[shaggy]

Riv Run?

[Spag]

Probably not Riv Run as the last time we went (03?) we were a bit unimpressed with the organisation compared to previous years.

Also it's a bit of a trek with a car we wouldn't get to use on some of the 'entertaining' lanes !

[shaggy]

Its coming on though :lol:
I dont envy you the job of straightening that deseaming job!! :cry:
And I was moaning about the rust in the floor of mine where some muppet tried to fit a sill!
Have you come accross those daft lillte bits of foam BL saw fit to put in the pillars? Whats that all about? makes for an intersting spot to repair I spose.. :?

[shaggy]

Also it's a bit of a trek with a car we wouldn't get to use on some of the 'entertaining' lanes !

Did those lanes in my old mans Ovlov estate fully loaded to RTTS this year and lets just say we could smell brakes just a little when we got to Trevelque!! I appreciate your point :shock:

Its only an hour or so from me so I never miss it but cant say I've noticed much difference but to be fair I generaly notice very little anyway :twisted:

[Richard]

Ian
Is the 3 mm bell housing adapter plate going to be the finished article or is it a dummy run? Will the starter motor be fitted to the plate?
Sorry for the questions but its given me some ideas for fitting a K series in the Midget with a Ford box without the exorbitant cost of a special bellhousing. I was thinking of a thicker plate though.
Richard

[Richard]

Ian
Is the 3 mm bell housing adapter plate going to be the finished article or is it a dummy run? Will the starter motor be fitted to the plate?
Sorry for the questions but its given me some ideas for fitting a K series in the Midget with a Ford box without the exorbitant cost of a special bellhousing. I was thinking of a thicker plate though.
Richard

[Spag]

The deseam does look messy from the outside along the gutters, but I think that it should push out from inside with a couple of bottle jacks & some bits 'o' timber. At least enough that a slap of filler can be carved into the right shape. Removing the distortion from the rear side 'window' panels will be a little more challenging !

[Spag]

I should have taken a better side view pic of the adapter as it is. The plate is 3mm thick, bot the bolts for the gearbox are welded to the rear face of it adding maybe another 10mm.

I don't know the final thickness I need until I get the flywheel redrilled to take a Renault clutch cover. Then I will just pack it with washers until it works OK, then sleeve the bolts to that distance, wrap a strip of steel around the outside & glue together with the mig :-)

You may have spotted that the plate is a bit big at the moment, but that will be chopped down to size, and a hole cut for the std Rover starter to bolt to the block in it's normal place. Finally I may add a bit of box section across the top for another couple of mount points into the shell.

what did you use for the semi trailing arms then?.
sean.

[Spag]

The arms are made from 3mm thick 25mm box section with Sierra rear hub carriers welded on and rose joints for the pivots. See http://www.pievan.co.uk/sub_2.htm for 'design' and construction :-)

I recently slapped some 3mm plate across the bottom for a bit more strength, and some 1mm sheet across the top to make them look a bit more tidy, and to stop them from filling up with water & cack :-)

http://www.pievan.co.uk/p15/images/06_arm.jpg

professional.

[colin.ab]

Ian, Link you may find useful for the Rover/Renault conversion
http://www.lamboreplica.co.uk/gearbox.html
C.ab