Brings back memories, my brother did this many moons ago everything you experienced he did. Only difference he had a full engineering shop. I love this video ans the others will be butter on the bread. ExPat in California. Thank you.
Fantastic video, very informative and honest. Well done you definitely know your stuff. Helped me with an electrical problem on the distributor. Many thanks - keep up the good work.
Agree on all points you made about people using the usual comments on the reliability. I have had 4 stags in my car ownership and sold the last one in 2011, had a timing chain jump off on my second one after 2 days of owning it [3500 Rover unit was the replacement] 3rd one was a cataloy car with a nice paint job and the last one was no trouble at all and is still on the road. What people don't understand is that any little niggles can be fixed at the side of the road, as opposed to a modern car, that shuts the engine down due to a faulty sensor. So in theory and practice the Stag is a very reliable car. Never had one overheat by the way! Screw you Clarkson and Quentin!
You need another Stag, I cannot bring myself to sell mine, watch the latest cold start vid - no spoilers. Ha re Quentin the "hairdresser" You forgot ant antsead and alexie sayle
@@churchhouseclassics Yes they made a mountain out of a molehill, over a bloody flat battery! I wish i could afford another but prices are like a 2 bedroom run down council estate house! When i was in full obsessed mode [1992] a mint stag was about £10,000, you can nearly triple that now!
Sad bit is they are a sweet running and fruity sounding motor and you are 100% correct about people not understanding maintenance. I was once envolved in a project to develop a twin row timing chain like the Merc has but there wasn't a market for it so never produced.
twin row sounds like a fabulous solution but this v8 is so understressed in factory form that so long as it is built properly there should be no real issues. Rover v8 runs and sound sweet minutes from catastrophe. Stag v8 like so many other engines doesn't tolerate such abuse
@@churchhouseclassics in my opinion a more advanced engine than the Rover V8 and showed forward thinking in its design. it just needed a little more development before release and also some better training of dealer mechanics. Currently rebuilding Jag V8's but ooh I fancy a Stag.
Could not agree with you more on your comments on Stromberg carbs. I have heard exactly the same thing you describe from people who simply don't understand how they work. They work very simply (and reliably) i might add, once their concept is understood. I also agree with your the rest of your comments on the Stag engine in general. Keep the faith Richard. :)
@@churchhouseclassics Well Mr missing link, I do it as the oil gets back to the sump quicker but then again the cars I drive, Jaguars, are a little more racing engine oriented than a Landy :)
This is a job I need to do. Big overheat a few years ago. Heads have been rebuilt and are ready to go on. But I’m told I need a re-bore. Bit like Giles I’m in deeper than I wanted. Got the engine back from where it was stripped. It’s now in pieces in my shed... So great video.. Time to get started..
You, me and Giles are itching to get this one finished. I am waiting for Boris to update us on 1 June as to unlocking the lockdown. Might need to get it towed over to my house so I can finish it
The most accurate way to use a snap gauge is to insert it slightly cocked, nip it up, then tip it the other way. It will then move to the exact size. No fiddling required.
Fantastic video! I’ve always been in admiration of engine builders and would love to rebuild a Stag engine. I fear that I’d bite off more than I could chew and end up with a pile of parts!
ive actually seen drag racing engines where they deliberately paint the inside of the block with a heavy duty paint, supposedly to provide less resistance to oil return flow.
Hello, excellent video, well done. For what its worth , I finished my stag engine in July of 2019, logged 5k since then. I would highly recommend using Evans coolant, keeps the pressure down and runs very cool in the Stag. I have been running it for years in my classics.
Me? wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! Why? because ethylene glycol does just as good a job in a healthy cooling system and costs a fraction of the amount. evans coolant might appear to be the perfect solution for a cooling system that is operating perfectly, however other have found that it could cause serious damage to the engine where faults exist in the cooling system. search on youtube for the disaster stories and research
This man is correct the V8 was tge first engine in tge modular engine design it was design to be above to made small triumph where working on modukar engibe before most car manufacturers the saab and the dolomite both used 4 cylinder derived from tge V8 it was not the other way around .
Hi going to start my re-build soon and will be using your videos. Had the Stag 25 years and it's been waiting for the rebuild all that time ha ha ! But it's gonna have a twist - a retro-mod with subtle changes - what would it look like if it was still in production today...
@@churchhouseclassics one of my changes is to make the front of the car overhang equal amount as the rear hangs past the rear axle. The side view shows a snub-like nose, almost Triumph PI. But extending the front is not easy. The wings afore of the front wheels need lengthening. There is a slight downward angle of the nose which would nee to be extended. Not planning to make any changes to the bonnet so the nose piece needs lengthening. And of course if it was in current production today the two headlights, indicator and sidelight would all be one assembly. But that could mean the combined 'unit' becoming smaller, and if the headlight assembly becomes smaller, the 'grill' needs to become 'bigger' to take up the spare space... (Some idea's I'm planning...).
How are Stags overall, reliability wise? Beautiful vehicles, and sound amazing. I know the common laughing points about BL workmanship and all that business, but I always can't help but feel they're better than they're given credit for.
original problems in the day were down to lack of understanding of the unit. Oh and apathy of the workforce/management/unions/government (taking no sides here). Nowadays the issues are all understood, Stag can be and is reliable BUT parts quality is variable, this really is a car where you should NOT be shopping for the lowest priced item to bolt onto it
35.02, "And the Stag has got quite a (.) nasty (.) and quite unjustified reputation (.) for unreliability". You then go on to explain how the aluminium cylinder head starts to dissolve through its reaction with the cast-iron block and this furs the radiator up because it's got quite narrow channels.... A mass-produced car (which the Stag was, albeit quite an exclusive one) should not be made with these potential weaknesses, which can be avoided, but only with specific servicing requirements. Would a competent engine designer really have trusted all British Leyland garages to put the right anti-corrosion agent into the coolant and change it as often as needed? And that's before the over-head water pump and sand left from the casting, about which you will know far more than me! But the reputation is justified. That doesn't stop it being a lovely engine when it's running right. These days it's more likely too, as the problems are known about far better than back in the day.
I think that the reputation was justified when BL were fixing them. Alas nowadays with better understanding they can be fixed and run reliably. There are a couple of worthwhile upgrades but many snake oil upgrades. I will do another video explaining my rational and love for the good old Staaaaag within the month 👍🍻
If you have left any paint which can come into contact with oil there is a good chance the paint will turn up where it is not wanted at some time in the next ten years. So say's the professional chemist in me :( Just sayin......
Well if you must go to 15" then maybe... but they don't suit the style or character of the car really. Seen a lot of cars at shows with Minilites, wires or worst of all woodrim steering wheels with old 60s Triumph centres !
@@johnmoruzzi7236 My pet irritation, the chap who moans like hell about originality and then has a chrome shite laden engine 🤣 I am also not fond of BurrWalnut dash and wooden steering wheel rims! for crying out loud, it is a 1970s car, born in a period of purple draylon! Love it for what it is
@@churchhouseclassics they had there issues due to underdevelopment. But a large portion of them have been rebuilt, looked after correctly. They will be as reliable as any other engine. Hey I had a TR6, UK spec when I bought it, it had been used and parts replaced. It needed body work. Anyway I filled it up one Friday night and went off out. Clunk clunk clunk?!! Cut s very long story short. The garage had had a delivery of diesel but they dumped it in the 4 🌟 underground tank. It finished off my engine, it had a bit of piston slap anyway... Turned out the shiny rebuilt head from a very well known UK triumph parts supplier had, had an 8th of an inch skimmed off of it!! The triumph specialist near me was not happy at all and reported it to the club.
budget was the main reason, after assessing the paint which had been on the block for some considerable time we opted to clean the gasket faces and leave the rest alone. Sorry that it turned you off 🙈
Brings back memories, my brother did this many moons ago everything you experienced he did. Only difference he had a full engineering shop. I love this video ans the others will be butter on the bread. ExPat in California. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed this. More Stag content is coming later this summer. Keep watching
Fantastic video, very informative and honest. Well done you definitely know your stuff. Helped me with an electrical problem on the distributor. Many thanks - keep up the good work.
Agree on all points you made about people using the usual comments on the reliability. I have had 4 stags in my car ownership and sold the last one in 2011, had a timing chain jump off on my second one after 2 days of owning it [3500 Rover unit was the replacement] 3rd one was a cataloy car with a nice paint job and the last one was no trouble at all and is still on the road. What people don't understand is that any little niggles can be fixed at the side of the road, as opposed to a modern car, that shuts the engine down due to a faulty sensor. So in theory and practice the Stag is a very reliable car. Never had one overheat by the way! Screw you Clarkson and Quentin!
You need another Stag, I cannot bring myself to sell mine, watch the latest cold start vid - no spoilers. Ha re Quentin the "hairdresser"
You forgot ant antsead and alexie sayle
@@churchhouseclassics Yes they made a mountain out of a molehill, over a bloody flat battery! I wish i could afford another but prices are like a 2 bedroom run down council estate house! When i was in full obsessed mode [1992] a mint stag was about £10,000, you can nearly triple that now!
Brilliant video Richard, I have been watching them all while decorating the house and it’s kept me going . Please keep making them 👍🏻
certainly will, there is another Stag vid on the way. no spoilers
Sad bit is they are a sweet running and fruity sounding motor and you are 100% correct about people not understanding maintenance. I was once envolved in a project to develop a twin row timing chain like the Merc has but there wasn't a market for it so never produced.
twin row sounds like a fabulous solution but this v8 is so understressed in factory form that so long as it is built properly there should be no real issues.
Rover v8 runs and sound sweet minutes from catastrophe. Stag v8 like so many other engines doesn't tolerate such abuse
@@churchhouseclassics in my opinion a more advanced engine than the Rover V8 and showed forward thinking in its design. it just needed a little more development before release and also some better training of dealer mechanics. Currently rebuilding Jag V8's but ooh I fancy a Stag.
Could not agree with you more on your comments on Stromberg carbs. I have heard exactly the same thing you describe from people who simply don't understand how they work. They work very simply (and reliably) i might add, once their concept is understood. I also agree with your the rest of your comments on the Stag engine in general. Keep the faith Richard. :)
C'Mon Tricky Dicky, paint inside the engine helps oil to return to the oil pan BUT BUT it must be Glyptal special internal engine paint.
never ever ever painted inside an engine. never will. Gravity is all I need to get oil back to the sump. But then I am a foul mouthed Neanderthal 😂🍻👍
@@churchhouseclassics Well Mr missing link, I do it as the oil gets back to the sump quicker but then again the cars I drive, Jaguars, are a little more racing engine oriented than a Landy :)
This is a job I need to do. Big overheat a few years ago. Heads have been rebuilt and are ready to go on. But I’m told I need a re-bore. Bit like Giles I’m in deeper than I wanted. Got the engine back from where it was stripped. It’s now in pieces in my shed... So great video.. Time to get started..
You, me and Giles are itching to get this one finished. I am waiting for Boris to update us on 1 June as to unlocking the lockdown. Might need to get it towed over to my house so I can finish it
Church House Classics watch out, you might get another one too!
I’m also looking forward to your video on the Strombergs. Mine were nicely balanced before this all kicked off. Cars been off the road too long now..
Great video, I'll be attempting the rebuild of my stag engine soon, so looking forward to the rest of the vids.
The most accurate way to use a snap gauge is to insert it slightly cocked, nip it up, then tip it the other way.
It will then move to the exact size. No fiddling required.
Fantastic video! I’ve always been in admiration of engine builders and would love to rebuild a Stag engine. I fear that I’d bite off more than I could chew and end up with a pile of parts!
Thank you 👍 it is only a machine designed and built by mankind. Hardly any wizardry nor witchcraft were involved 😋
Another interesting video thanks I still love the sound of a v8
Triumph v8 is one of the best sounding v8s in Europe in my humble opinion. It is a peach of an engine
@@churchhouseclassics all v8 engine sound great even the one in range rovers which I've had a few a great car/truck what ever you want to call it .
I tend to paint engines like they do in the army after it’s assembled and you know it’s running then you don’t paint anything you shouldn’t
ive actually seen drag racing engines where they deliberately paint the inside of the block with a heavy duty paint, supposedly to provide less resistance to oil return flow.
engine paint or Celly? and that I think was my point. Rong paint and it melts and bungs up oilways 😮
Hello, excellent video, well done. For what its worth , I finished my stag engine in July of 2019, logged 5k since then. I would highly recommend using Evans coolant, keeps the pressure down and runs very cool in the Stag. I have been running it for years in my classics.
Me? wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! Why? because ethylene glycol does just as good a job in a healthy cooling system and costs a fraction of the amount.
evans coolant might appear to be the perfect solution for a cooling system that is operating perfectly, however other have found that it could cause serious damage to the engine where faults exist in the cooling system. search on youtube for the disaster stories and research
This man is correct the V8 was tge first engine in tge modular engine design it was design to be above to made small triumph where working on modukar engibe before most car manufacturers the saab and the dolomite both used 4 cylinder derived from tge V8 it was not the other way around .
Hi going to start my re-build soon and will be using your videos. Had the Stag 25 years and it's been waiting for the rebuild all that time ha ha ! But it's gonna have a twist - a retro-mod with subtle changes - what would it look like if it was still in production today...
there is a chap on SOC forum who went medieval with his stag
@@churchhouseclassics one of my changes is to make the front of the car overhang equal amount as the rear hangs past the rear axle. The side view shows a snub-like nose, almost Triumph PI. But extending the front is not easy. The wings afore of the front wheels need lengthening. There is a slight downward angle of the nose which would nee to be extended. Not planning to make any changes to the bonnet so the nose piece needs lengthening. And of course if it was in current production today the two headlights, indicator and sidelight would all be one assembly. But that could mean the combined 'unit' becoming smaller, and if the headlight assembly becomes smaller, the 'grill' needs to become 'bigger' to take up the spare space... (Some idea's I'm planning...).
Could you do a vid on rover v8
There are a couple on the channel. check my play lists as there is one dedicated to the ubiquitous Rover v8
How are Stags overall, reliability wise? Beautiful vehicles, and sound amazing. I know the common laughing points about BL workmanship and all that business, but I always can't help but feel they're better than they're given credit for.
original problems in the day were down to lack of understanding of the unit. Oh and apathy of the workforce/management/unions/government (taking no sides here). Nowadays the issues are all understood, Stag can be and is reliable BUT parts quality is variable, this really is a car where you should NOT be shopping for the lowest priced item to bolt onto it
35.02, "And the Stag has got quite a (.) nasty (.) and quite unjustified reputation (.) for unreliability". You then go on to explain how the aluminium cylinder head starts to dissolve through its reaction with the cast-iron block and this furs the radiator up because it's got quite narrow channels.... A mass-produced car (which the Stag was, albeit quite an exclusive one) should not be made with these potential weaknesses, which can be avoided, but only with specific servicing requirements. Would a competent engine designer really have trusted all British Leyland garages to put the right anti-corrosion agent into the coolant and change it as often as needed? And that's before the over-head water pump and sand left from the casting, about which you will know far more than me! But the reputation is justified. That doesn't stop it being a lovely engine when it's running right. These days it's more likely too, as the problems are known about far better than back in the day.
I think that the reputation was justified when BL were fixing them. Alas nowadays with better understanding they can be fixed and run reliably. There are a couple of worthwhile upgrades but many snake oil upgrades. I will do another video explaining my rational and love for the good old Staaaaag within the month 👍🍻
I can't believe he complained about the paint inside the crankcase, then proceeded to bolt it all together. He should have hot tanked the block.
Budget and matey signoff of liability sorted that. Now, however, I wouldn't do that!
please do not paint inside engines...... fuckwits 😂😋
Is the new video of fitting the engine finished?
No yet, it is back in the engine bay but the gearbox has yet to go back
If you have left any paint which can come into contact with oil there is a good chance the paint will turn up where it is not wanted at some time in the next ten years. So say's the professional chemist in me :(
Just sayin......
totally agree with you! I wanted the engine dipped. my mate (not a customer) had budget limitations and was less keen
It’s 2 dolly engines welded together bet it’s over heated !!! 😉😉
Shame about the Minilite copies... nice car otherwise...
I quite like them, especially in 15" form. Horses for courses though
Well if you must go to 15" then maybe... but they don't suit the style or character of the car really.
Seen a lot of cars at shows with Minilites, wires or worst of all woodrim steering wheels with old 60s Triumph centres !
@@johnmoruzzi7236 My pet irritation, the chap who moans like hell about originality and then has a chrome shite laden engine 🤣
I am also not fond of BurrWalnut dash and wooden steering wheel rims! for crying out loud, it is a 1970s car, born in a period of purple draylon! Love it for what it is
It will overheat thought!!! 😃
only if I forget to pour coolant in it 😋
@@churchhouseclassics they had there issues due to underdevelopment. But a large portion of them have been rebuilt, looked after correctly. They will be as reliable as any other engine. Hey I had a TR6, UK spec when I bought it, it had been used and parts replaced. It needed body work. Anyway I filled it up one Friday night and went off out. Clunk clunk clunk?!! Cut s very long story short. The garage had had a delivery of diesel but they dumped it in the 4 🌟 underground tank. It finished off my engine, it had a bit of piston slap anyway... Turned out the shiny rebuilt head from a very well known UK triumph parts supplier had, had an 8th of an inch skimmed off of it!! The triumph specialist near me was not happy at all and reported it to the club.
what a turn off. why not chemically clean the engine components to get rid of the paint. low class rebuild.
budget was the main reason, after assessing the paint which had been on the block for some considerable time we opted to clean the gasket faces and leave the rest alone. Sorry that it turned you off 🙈