Cannibal V8 Resurrection

In the Automotive landscape, there is one vehicle brand that has stood alone..


As a leader in its field, the Land Rover. A vehicle, that has seen nearly every mountain peak and pass and still devotedly driven by many around the globe. But, those who have owned them wonder why reliability wasn’t given more emphasis before the launch. Essentially for a motor vehicle that the military uses, Prince and Kings have driven, and the average soccer mom uses to tote groceries and their most precious cargo, the children. Welcome to the legacy of the Land Rover.



Land Rover UK introduced the aluminum V8 engine in the late 60’s after falling in love with General Motors Buick 215.
​ It was the perfect engine given the vehicles weight distribution, which was somewhat on the heavy side and the 215 offered the balance, coupled with performance they so desired, or did it?

​
Over the years the engine has gone through minor design changes in an effort to resolve overheating, premature wear, subtle noises and yes, outright failure. The flaws have cost the company and those who have been driven to own this brand. But the who’s who of the automotive universe still could not keep their hands off it, including BMW, Ford Motor Company and now Tata automotive manufacturers of India.



Porosity in the casting, engine management glitches, and poor steel liner design have been present from the start. Then the little engine is put into a 2045 kilo truck and introduced to inherent heat and you have the perfect storm for failure. Aluminum does not like heat and instinctively reacts adversely. The engine could not help but be put in this service environment as the discerning owner used their vehicle like it was intended.
It has been practically speaking, like a gremlin living in these engines that kept the owner hostage to a temperature gauge among other things. Soon the V8 would experience a make-over that has long been overdue. Hence the CANNIBAL V8 was born.


The Brits had already been working on a top hat liner system going back to 2001..
But the supply of cheap, new short blocks kept the discovery and adaptation at bay in the USA until lately. Installation of a stronger machined top hat liner or cylinder sleeve would bring resolve to this genesis challenge, by allowing more even heat transfer, perfect fit to piston and then a hot seal process to the water jackets to close intrinsic porosity and fatigue issues in the aluminum blocks.