Rover V8

[Richard]

OT, I know, although some of you have the Rover V8 in a Series Rover...

I've always been of the understanding that the Rover V8 engine was all aluminium, heads, pistons, and block. Recently someone owning – and having owned – several TVRs told me no Richard, I'm sorry, you're wrong, the block is cast iron. I didn't believe him, of course, until doubt slowly but surely started nibbling away at my strong conviction.

The Rover V8 originally was the Buick 215. GM started using aluminium to build engines because ALCOA wanted them to, but for economic reasons fell back on cast iron. "The reason we stopped using [the V8] is that the economy took a turn. It was an expensive engine to build, a lot more than cast iron – close to 50 per cent more,' according to Cliff Studaker, then Buick Senior Project Engineer, quoted on ARonline.

On Wikipedia we read: "Known as the Buick Fireball, the 215 had [...] aluminium cylinder heads and cylinder block [...]" and "at the time it was the lightest mass-production V8 in the world." ARonline tells us "A major change to the British engine is that the cylinder blocks are no longer gravity cast from metal dies with the liners cast in place, but are sand cast by the Birmingham Aluminium Casting Company Limited in a special foundry built for their production [...]" And according to Buick: A Complete History by Larry Gustin and Terry Dunham, it was the first mass-produced, all-aluminum, American-made engine.

If Wikipedia is right, if I am right in assuming aluminium casting companies cast aluminium, and if the authors of the complete history of Buick are right, the Rover V8 is all aluminium, right? Or has something changed during production in the UK?

Richard

[diffwhine]

As a Rover V8 block it was always definitely cast alloy. No steel in the Rover version.

[Richard]

Thanks. It's nice to be right (This is not a political statement.)
Richard

[ChrisJC]

The confusion might arise from the fact that Buick developed it into a V6 by chopping off two cylinders. I don't think they changed the 'V' angle. This also switched to cast iron, and lasted until 2008.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine

Chris.