Engine Ancillaries

5th September 2001

I've been concentrating on finishing off the engine and getting things ready to start it for th first time. I have ordered the exhausts from DAX and they should be here at the end of October. While waiting for them to arrive I've been connecting all the engine ancillaries.

I've fitted the inlet manifold and carbs now but am not sure what to do with the engine breathers, or even what to do about air filters

I have also spent many hours trying to work out the correct ignition wiring for my SD1 engine...

15th September 2001

The engine number starts with 11A, which according to the Rimmer Brothers catalogue means it was originally fitted to a Rover SD1 automatic, I'm not sure when it was mated to the current 5-speed box. It is fitted with a 35DE8 distributor with a magnetic pick instead of the usual points. With the help of www.rover-v8.co.uk/electrical.htm and a fellow Land Rover owner Mike Rogers, I was able to deduce the correct connections and all is complete. I'll put in a circuit diagram soon.

I have also had a second attempt at making a wooden template to fit around the instruments, this is now with my brother to get the walnut finish added. I need to find someone to cover the fibreglass dashboard, anyone tried this themselves?

30th September 2001

I have finally fitted the radiator, not much to say about fitting it really. It stick out the bottom of the car as can bee seen in the pictures below. Getting a drill in to drll the fixing holes was a nightmare. It fits almost vertically with a good gap between it and the body shell at the top. The top brackets had to be massaged with a No.1 adjusting tool to get a good fit, but it's in!

Finding the right hoses to connect it to the engine could be areally big challenge. DAX have never built a car with the Rover engine and therefor do not have a ready made pipe kit or any advice on where to start.