TVR/Rover engine ID

[simonjrwinter]

Hi There,

I'm trying to identify a Rover V8 engine in a car I have bought. The owner states it is a Rover engine from a TVR Griffith 500, therefore a 5.0 litre capacity engine. However, looking at the engine number, it seems to be a 4.6 litre engine maybe from a Morgan? the engine has "500" on the plenum and TVR on the valve covers, it also has a T5 gearbox rather than the LT77 that so many are fitted with, but I guess they could all have been fitted afterwards.....
I understand the TVR 5.0 engine had a higher CR than the 9.37:1 stamped on this one.
Would anyone on here be able to help me identify it?
The engine number is S46D44990A

Many thanks

Simon

Yes, I've been on the usual websites (Rimmers etc) but the nearest I can find is the Morgan ID

[TheRainMaker]

A real easy give away is the purple rocker covers.

Someone should be able check the engine number for you though.

[simonjrwinter]

No purple rocker covers.....☹️

[Englishman]

I believe TVR modified V8 engines were numbered as follows:

37A50Pnnnn TVR Griffith/Chimaera 500 10:1
47A43Pnnnn TVR Griffith 4.3
47A50Pnnnn TVR Chimaera 500 10:1

Certainly the number on my Griff 500 engine matches the above

Your engine number does indeed look like a Morgan one:

S46DnnnnA Morgan +8 9.35:1

[macdeb]

all 500's did NOT have purple rocker covers, My first 500 had black and the second was silver. ETA if it is a TVR 4.6 the cr will not be 9.35:1 either, more like 8.9:1.

Edited by macdeb on Thursday 23 January 09:20

[TheRainMaker]

macdeb said:

all 500's did NOT have purple rocker covers, My first 500 had black and the second was silver. ETA if it is a TVR 4.6 the cr will not be 9.35:1 either, more like 8.9:1.

Edited by macdeb on Thursday 23 January 09:20

Most did though

[Toma500]

Early pre serp 500 s like mine here had the cast black rocker covers rocking horse poop apparently

[simonjrwinter]

Thanks for your help gents. The previous owner had the car Dyno’d when he fitted the engine and it made just over 290 BHP. I guess that’s well short of the 340 BHP that TVR quoted for the engine, but still pretty respectable for a Rover lump. Even if it is “just” a Morgan engine I’m pretty pleased with that.
Simon

[The Lodge]

Hi there,
The engine number for TVR engines is stamped on the front right hand side of the block just under the cylinder head,covered by the power steering pump.
Original number and compression ratio is often left on, engines came from Land Rover before they where modified.

The easiest way to identify an original five litre is a big dent in the front of the sump (outwards), the increased throw of the crank would hit the sump so it was hammered out

[5.0ltr]

Could be ok. TVR bought engines directly from Rover but didn't have blocks built especially for them so Rover supplied blocks similar in specification to that required which variously was Morgan, Rover et al. Sometimes a TVR number was over stamped or elsewhere on block.

[simonjrwinter]

Found it!

37A50xxxxxx
And the lumps in the sump!
Brilliant, thank you all
Simon