Dune Buggy - Rover / Leyland P76 V8 with Holley 500

UPDATE: ITS ALIVE!!!
Video upload to youtube to follow next week, but in the meantime here's a link to a new clip on facebook, just a quick fang in the top paddock. SOOOO much torque!!! This is going to be well worth the effort. My girlfriend and I rebuilt the gearbox over two days from two shagged boxes. Happy as Larry now! :)
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=202280607147&ref=mf


Howdy All, This is my new toy.
An old Sand Drag-Racing buggy, running 4.4L Alloy V8 with warmed up Holley 500. It uses a VW 1600 kombi gearbox same as most dune buggies, but the previous owner kept chewing through the boxes as they were never strengthened to deal with the 387Nm of the V8.

This clip is from the afternoon I picked it up. Craig and myself just threw in some fresh fuel and a fuel filter, cleaned the plugs, connected up a new battery and squirted in some carby-cleaner.

UPDATE: Carby has been professionally reconditioned, and all that is left for smooth running is a new distributor cap + rotor. HAPPY DAYS!
The buggy now has twin RCI plastic bucket seats (so they can be hosed down) and 5 point harnesses. Pedals are sorted out, just need to make a better throttle cable. Need to replace the four Girlock calipers, then paint time!!!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Dune
• Buggy
• Rover
• V8
• Holley
• Starting
• Lachy
• Craig

[1800unbelieveable]

yes there is a 2bbl 500 holley to check look on the choke horn for the list number and check holley parts list specs 2bbl carbs came in 320,350 & 500 c.f.m. for better throttle responce try an adaptor plate and a 390 4 bbl holley tuned right will be better.

[takeyourpills69]

@1800unbelieveable cool, I'll check it when I'm up there next (its a shame, I was up there for the first time in 3 months yesterday!)

If I went 4bbl, I'd need a different manifold or at least modify it pretty seriously. I've got bigger problems to worry about, like why there is steam blowing out of the oil breathers! LOL

[mutto82]

Those lucas dizzys were utter crap really some people modify a buick hei or apparently a holden 253/308 dizzy can be used with some modifications,sounds a beast I have 3 p76 v8 engines they have survived well 2 have never been rebuilt but well worn enough.Does yours have a special 4 barrell manifold with the 500 holley? 1 of my engines has a 350 holley

[takeyourpills69]

@mutto82 Its actually running a 350, not a 500 as my description says (...unless they made a 2bbl 500?) so its just got an adapter plate for the 350 to the stock manifold. Ive now got electronic egnition (eBay = $60) with new leads, cap, rotor and button - runs beautifully! Well, up until I pulled the heads because i had steam coming out of the oil breather hoses. Just waiting to buy new gaskets and have a spare weekend :)

[takeyourpills69]

@mutto82 Its actually running a 350, not a 500 as my description says (...unless they made a 2bbl 500?) so its just got an adapter plate for the 350 to the stock manifold. Ive now got electronic ignition (eBay = $60) with new leads, cap, rotor and button - runs beautifully! Well, up until I pulled the heads because i had steam coming out of the oil breather hoses. Just waiting to buy new gaskets and have a spare weekend :)

[youjgh26]

sounds sick,and i don't mean that in a good way.

[takeyourpills69]

@youjgh26 read the description next time

[Crowley483]

its more rewarding to build it ur self stick your 10k up yer ass fucking rich boy prick

[ashleehoward]

haha..very nice..sexy time! alright! I love the sound of a loud dunebuggy,it's in my blood!

that buggy needs to be worked on like my dads buggy! haha needs ne everything!

[nathansohm]

put put bleh, the fire breathing animal dies...

[bunning63]

P76 engine if I remember was 4.4 litres from the factory, not to be confused with later engines. Rover version was about 15lbs heavier than Buick due to some 'extra' metal in the block. Rover dropped the outer 4 bolts as these were found to cause the head to fallover, (if you get what I mean), over time. Standard fasteners were pretty suspect to reuse...ARP solved that.

[505197]

Oldsmobile also had it's version of this engine, it too was 215 cubic inches. It's a better choice and has the same bottom end, the Olds used 4 more head bolts per side and had better breathing. If you got lucky you might find a Jetfire version, it came with a turbo and water injection right from the factory in 63 I believe it was. I've built dozens of the 215s for VW installation in Tucson Arizona a couple of decades ago. We put them in the Westfalia campers more then anything else, toomuchfun

[rangerRZR1]

it needs a little cleaning up. but thats a bad ass buggy