have a V8 Rover and a 63 Beetle laying around. doing the conversion is not a problem, so my question is what other mods will have to do to get it registed in QLD?

Good luck.. i can already tell you the engine will be too heavy, you would have a crap (and dangerous) weight distribution.

That and the engine will be hanging waaaay out the back, the v8 is a much longer engine than the bug.

V8 in a kombi? sure.. in a bug.. way too big and heavy.

Sorry! but anyone else will tell you the same!

i can remember one back in the eighties, it was mid mounted behind front seats with gearbox flipped over

Best to stick with four cylinders. Even six would be a squeeze.

There is a yellow Baja bug here in Qld with a Rover V8 in the back and it hangs out the back like all bullsh1t....I first saw the car in 1994, and have never seen it registered, the guy just brings it out to the shows every now & then.

The only way I've seen the V8 done successfully in a bug is when they start with a chassis from something else, run the engine in the front & a conventional diff in the rear, and just "rebody" it with a beetle shell.

why would ya....Rover....unless it's been through TVR of course.

yeah that yellow v8 baja isnt able to be registered.

its impractical anyway. sticks out like dogs balls.

you couldnt put ur foot down cause the thing would just wheelstand.

:kiss

So glad i was right.. lol

a kombi it is then. never hurts to ask hey.

yer either way mate the rover is awesome! i have one in my bay (in the non-vw engine conversions page too),

jo_tas... my bus sits 4mm higher at the back after i replaced the 1800 with the alloy rover V8. there are no weight issues because of the all alloy block. the complete rover engine (3.5L) weighs 145KG, compare that to nearly 410KG of an iron holden 308ci engine!!!

plus, ya can still do wheelstands in a kombi rover V8 too. i have proof haha

dont hold back mate, if you are confident with mechanics, then you can do it! A v8 is a v8 right!!!

goodluck

kevo

[ Edited on 15/2/2006 by kevo ]

whats the displacment of one of these engines? 3 litres? 3.5?

3.5L (215ci) is most common, and weigh 145kg

3.9L engines came out later on (88 on i think) but are only a stoker versuion of the 3500 block so weight will still be close, then there is the newer rover V8s with a 4.4L displacement, but there pretty expensive... heap more than a suby of same age

IS this the yellow V8 Rover baja bug u guys talking about?

[ Edited on 16/2/2006 by bajachris88 ]

yeah thats it.


its a superbug. (struts) with full front nose cone and just bajaed rear and the v8

I believe there was a Manx (or Beach Buggy at least) in Mackay Qld with a Rover v8. The guy who had it was killed in it, he hit a cow. Last I heard it was sitting in a Police Compound in Mackay, waiting for the Coroner's inquest I assume.

Hi Guys, I'm new to this forum.

In the late eighties I did such a conversion. I put a 3.9 litre V8 from a Range Rover in the back of my '74 Beetle. I'll gladly asnwer any questions about the conversion, but a few comments I'd like to respond to....

1st, the Rover V8 is made from alloy and only a little bit heavier than the standard Beetle engine - I weighed them both and was shocked by how little difference there was.

2nd, Don't use that Baja as a ref point for how far it will stick out trhe back, that isn't the 'neatest' of installations if I may say without causing any offence? The pully of my motor would have been within the perimeter of the rear vallance had it still been in place. My car was set up like a drag racer and I used a low mounted alluminium rear wing to cover the top of the motor with some small triangulated fillets down each side just to hide the rocker cover ends where ther were visable. I covered the rear with an aloy plate with diagonal cooling slots cut in with mesh grill behind (all body coloured) and it looked very nice indeed in my humble opinion?

In the short time I had the car (another story) it handled very well and didn't do anything weird on the bends. Tried to wheelie it but just spun the tyres instead.

My opinion is that if you do it well, it is a fine conversion.

Good luck mate!

This conversion is not as wild as you might think. The new draft for National vehicle mods allows for NA motor of a max of 4x the mass of the original car. For a Sbug/Lbug that is something in the order of 3.5-4l.

Can anyone say Toyota 1UZ powered Lbug?

Did you get ordained then???? - I've got issues...if so well done! I love the mood - brilliant....now go any buy a bus and spread the word...time to get on a misssion....