Thread: Rover V8 direction of rotation

Honda 4 cylinder are counter clockwise...

from ( way) left field. Turn it around and drive it from the front.

Smoky Yunick's Reverse Rotation Special of 1959 ran backwards. Get a copy of his autobiography and read the detail of the work involved in getting a Big Offy to run in reverse. Quite a lot to it.

Go all out Detroit 6-71

Originally Posted by Ancient Mariner

Go all out Detroit 6-71

Great engines, Detroit two strokes. Could be spec'd to run in either direction, singly, banks of two, banks of four.

The Leyland 500, aka "the headless horror", could be spec'd to run either direction and drive could be taken of either end of the crank or off either end of the camshaft. Not a real good engine though. Too small, lacked development. Unit head and block not acceptable to customers.

One of the cars here has a little four cylinder motors that has, er, a minor issue I need to fix.

It would certainly be cheaper to just buy a second hand engine in good condition to replace the one with the broken crank.

You will end up in a world of pain trying to modify a 3.9 V8 to run in the other direction.

Although I was thinking that all it would need was a cam change, but who is going to grind you a custom cam. Then I thought of Starter motor , alternator, belt tensioners, timing chain tensioner , dizzy although I guess you could convert to a chopper, and I am sure there are numerous others that I have not thought of.

I was trying to remember whether the conrods on a V8 are offset , but my head started to hurt.
Regards PhilipA

Yet despite all the issues, it does sound like it is doable and has been done - sounds like a cracker of a project if you’re up to it Shane. 👍

Sometimes it’s not about what is easiest. 😊

I have heard of ford windsor V8's run backwards for certain applications.