County V8 dilemma

[CountyV8]

Hi all
New registered member and I need some help with my new project.

I aquired a very original and well maintained one owner County v8.(215,000 km) and maintained by Fred Smith.

The motor however has a problem with either a sticking/popping/burnt valve. I'm not really too concerned about this however cos it was bought at a good price and the rest of the vehicle is in great nick. a credit to Fred

In regards to the motor, what are my options for improving the power, reliability and economy?

Obviously the heads will get done and probably extractors and HEI.
What else? Cam and timing chain? Lifters ?

I also have in the shed a complete and running 4.4 Leyland Terrrier V8 (that was running in a Stage One till I stripped it for parts, don't know its history ie whether it has been rebuilt).

Would love to put the 4.4 in with the redone rover heads but i am concerned about reliabilty.

I intend to keep the vehicle for a long time.
It will be converted to dual fuel asap.
It will be used to tow a Jayco campervan on extended trips.
I would rather spend a little more to get reliability
I would rather do it properly the first time.

Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated


wes

[Loanrangie]

If the 4.4 is in good condition and not modified much then reliability shouldnt be a problem, the extra torque will help with towing especially after you loose a little power with the lpg. Any rover V8 over 180/200k will benefit from a new cam/ timing gear and a valve grind, the bottom ends are good for maybe 400k if oil changes kept up etc. Fred knows his way around landys and is highly regarded in the LROCV and general landy community. Good leads and ignition components make a big difference with lpg. I have a good low k 4.4 with HEI and 450holley that was going to go into a 4dr rangie but will now go into a rangie ute with lpg.
A cheaper alternative to extractors is a system off an efi V8 3.5/3.9 etc as they breth better than earlier carby manifolds.

[Reddo]

agree that a valve/cam job may be needed at that milage. But....when we aquired out 3.5 Disco it was diagnosed as needing the same and was missing badly at revs. So... we gave it an engine flush and treated it to GTX Magnatec and new plugs, lead and dist cap and guess what, it has not missed a beat since. One lifter rattles a bit if the car is not started for 2-3 weeks, and soon pumps up. May be worth a go??

[Loanrangie]

Mid 80's V8's seem to suffer the most cam wear due to some problem with the castings i believe.