Moderate rebuild in 2002 - engine overhaul, LPG injection system fitted, all body rot cut out and rebuilt, suspension overhaul, etc.

This is the "experimental" ECU from the States (Megasquirt) in the centre, the pigtail connector just assembled, and the "drainpipe" with Air Temperature Sender installed within it to replace the old Lucas airflow meter

Cutting off the Lucas ECU and connecting to the Megasquirt pigtail - lots of wiring diagrams lining the footwell....

ECU in temporary position!, and tuning taking place using the laptop. It didn't take long to get it running, but you can probably spend a lifetime tuning it...

How the 3.5litre EFI Rover V8 looks before ripping down to find out why it's behaving like a V7 (zero compression on #1 cylinder)

Piston #1, complete with hole - explains the zero compression and pressurised crankcase

took a few hours to dig down far enough to uncover the problem, and still need to remove the sump and piston yet

holed piston and damaged bore - but could have been much worse

view of the "extra" aluminium the piston left welded to the bore - hopefully it'll hone off

no damage to the head luckily

not quite as complete looking as the earlier photo

that'll explain it then.... melted piston and rings will not help compression...

a lot of the carbon build up here is probably from burnt oil after it melted, but not clear what caused the initial melt (possibly detonation from playing with the fueling - but localised impact?).

doesn't look any better from another angle.

smeared aluminium piston removed from the bore using diluted hydrochloric acid, patiently...

Honed bore with new piston assembled on the original conrod.

Ready for the head, manifolds, plenum, injectors, etc, etc.

back on the road again and running fine (with no amendments to fueling or timing, so suspect mechanical failure of the piston was the cause)

everything re-assembled under the bonnet, with nothing left over...

rangie comes in handy at winter time...

oh dear, digging in to those heads again. Pressurised coolant so suspected head gaskets. Marks here show the "tin" gaskets hadn't been doing a great job of sealing

rusty coloured marks on block, maybe casued by coolant moving about under the gasket?

lots of digging to get both heads off

heads refitted with composite head gaskets this time - see if that makes a difference

rotten inner wing and drivers door pillar

and not much left of the sill...

holed inner sill as well

and also the passenger side sill

rebuilt the inner wing and door pillar, then primed, then glossy black chassis paint (not the best for photos...)

had to move a few bits to get welding in here