Other parts

Radiator fitment needs to be decided before the engine is put in. This is due to the fact that the amount of room needed to fix things in becomes a little tight once the engine is in. I found this out the hard way, having mounted the engine I had to squeeze a radiator in the resulting space. I have used the rad from an Audi 100 from the mid eighties and find it very effective at cooling the Rover. As the mounting room is limited, go for a position nearest to the lower valance as possible, if you do it right you can drill mounting holes through to match up with those in the radiator. Top mounts need to be an L shaped bracket fastened to the slam panel, making sure not to affect the chassis plate in the process. Photos are included in later sections of the article giving a better idea of what goes where.

Electric fan  used was from a Renault 21. This can be wired directly to the Audi thermoswitch or can have an override fitted in the car to use in heavy traffic. Please be careful with these fans as they are dangerous and can start up without warning after a certain temperature,( obviously, as they were designed to do that!). A shroud should be made to protect fingers and anyone working on the car must take care not to catch clothing, long hair etc as the results are not pleasant.

Header tank should be from a Mark 2 Fiesta. This is compact enough to fit in the space where the washer bottle lives, two brackets are sufficient to mount it to the bulkhead. Then mount the washer bottle on the nearside inner wing where the injection gear lived, ( 2.8i only).

Next to this you can mount the coil, I have gone for an Accel Super coil, the big yellow one. This was as much down to cost, (£10 second hand) as for effect, although it does produce a nice fat spark and makes the engine bay look good.

Of course having a good spark is pointless if there is no fuel to be lit. I replaced the mechanical Rover fuel pump with a Facet Red top competition pump. This can be mounted anywhere, although nearest to the engine is best in my opinion. Do not mount this directly to the body, use Mini exhaust rubbers, ( cotton reel type) to mount on as the pump does move around. Make a template using the removed Rover pump to make a blanking plate, I used a piece of 3mm steel sheet I had and it works fine, but don’t forget a new gasket !

The battery needs to be moved as with early Rover alternator mounts there is less room for adjustments. I put mine in a fiberglass sealed box behind the passenger seat, securely bolted down from inside and using battery clamps on the top. Do vent the box to air, drill a hole in the box and another in the floor to allow gases to escape. Route the battery cable through the gearbox tunnel to the starter, remembering to insulate and pad to avoid any rubbing on the bodywork, failure to do so can result in panic ( such as burning carpets!) or even a destroyed car. Earth the battery to a seat belt point close by.

I had the propshaft made locally by a firm that specialise in making truck props, it worked out a lot cheaper than those advertising in car magazines. Use the Rover yoke at the gearbox end and take all the Capri prop too. If using the 2.8i two piece prop then be sure to check the condition of the centre bearing before having any work done.