Thread: 4.4 conversion

It can be done but it is illegal to put a P76 engine into a car later than 1976.

However many have done it and got away with it.
A sharp inspector would maybe pick the engine number difference or the fact that the engine number is in a different place. AFAIR those ACT inspectors are pretty tough.
You need a spacer for the inlet manifold, and to swap over the timing cover, and I think it needs slightly different dowels in the timing cover. I also believe the crank bolts to flywheel are different. The engine mounts are slightly different but I think its just a matter of grinding the Rover ones.
If you want to use Rover V8 heads you have to have the block gun drilled to provide an oil way to the heads.
I am sure someone who has done it will correct me or amplify.
Regards Philip A

Philips on the money, you would need a redrilled rover flywheel or 4.4 if you can find one or an adapter from the 4.4 crank to ZF. To get the 3.9 timing cover with internal oil pump to work you will need to have a longer keyway cut in the snout of the crank or just use the earlier multi V belt setup. Spacers for the efi manifold and it should run ok with the hotwire injection, all the emissions are in the heads/manifold so although technically illegal apart from the compression and cam its pretty much the same bottom end- put in the 3.9 cam and its 6/ half dozen. I have heard of speedway guys that used rover heads without drilling the block with the no lube issues.

I was actually thinking about this the other day as V8 disco's are cheap and i have a very good low k 4.4 in the shed waiting for a new home.