Product information
With hundreds fitted at RPi, and thousands more sent worldwide, this is the essential ignition upgrade kit to suit any Rover V8 with a post 1976 timing cover. Supplied in the kit is our in-house-developed upgraded ignition amplifier with the option of dual timing for dual fuel vehicles, brand new electronic distributor, a set of Magnecor spark plug leads, a Lucas 12V ignition coil, a distributor cap, rotor arm and a set of 8 NGK BP6ES spark plugs.With this kit, spark output is increased massively compared to the standard system, which means you get an engine which is smoother, has better throttle response, cleaner emissions, increased torque and yes even some additional fuel economy. If that's not enough, we've spent many years and many thousands of miles testing all the products we sell in this kit to ensure it's as reliable as possible and built to last. Please note we are currently supplying Lucas coils with this kit, not the Bosch coil shown in the photo as these will be unavailable for at least 10 months
What's in the box?
A&R Ignition Amplifier
The A&R ignition amplifier was originally developed as a dual timing unit for vehicles running petrol and LPG. However, during development we found an inefficiency in the standard amplifier, and so the A&R amplifier was born with increased output over the standard amp as well as dual timing ability, resulting in a much bigger spark output - giving gains on both petrol and LPG. A bigger spark at the spark plug means that more of the fuel is ignited at the initial firing of the plug, which leads to the rest of the fuel in the combustion chamber being burned faster and more completely. This in turn results in the gains in throttle response, torque, smoothness and efficiency whether your vehicle is dual fuel or petrol only.
Brand new electronic distributor
A copy of the Lucas electronic distributor, we have worked closely with our suppliers to ensure that the distributors are up to the excellent quality we demand, and even then every single distributor supplied by RPi is thoroughly inspected before it even hits the shelves. This means you can fit our distributor with complete confidence that it will function exactly as intended, every time. The distributor is supplied with a brand new drive gear suitable for v belt and intermediate serpentine front covers produced post 1976. Our advice however is to fit the gear from your original distributor to the new body as it will be "keyed in" to the gear on the end of the camshaft; this is a simple process only requiring a gentle hammer and suitable punch. Alternatively, replace the gear on the end of the camshaft at the same time as the distributor (available from RPi on enquiry).
Magnecor spark plug leads
The only brand of plug leads that we will use or consider acceptable for the Rover V8 engine - in our experience even genuine Land Rover items aren't up to the job for long. Magnecor leads are hand built in the UK using stainless steel ends and high quality, EMI suppressed cabling with an aerospace grade silicon outer, these are not to be confused with cheaper alternatives that offer a lot of silicon and not much performance. Looked after properly (aka removed by pulling boots not wires) these leads are guaranteed to last a lifetime. Having seen so many problems caused by other brands of plug lead, we won't use anything but Magnecor. The leads supplied in this kit are 8mm blue but 7mm black and 8.5mm red leads are available by request, please contact us if this is something you require. Please select which vehicle the leads will be fitted to using the drop down menu above to ensure the correct lead set is supplied.
Lucas 12V coil
Compatible with all Rover V8 engines which use a 12v coil and compatible with our A&R amplifier
RPi Approved Distributor Cap and Rotor Arm
Much like the Bosch coil, we have tested a huge range of distributor caps and rotor arms, and these come out on top. Please note the cap may be supplied in blue or black depending on availability.
NGK BP6ES Spark plugs
Last but not least, the set of 8 NGK spark plugs. Built to a high standard, we have used NGK spark plugs for many years and will continue to do so for many more. There's no need for any of the "fancy" spark plugs on the market for any variant of the Rover V8. Iridium, twin electrode, quadruple electrode, platinum, none of them will offer any gains but all will cost you much more.
RPi Advice
- The base ignition timing for petrol should be set to 6 degrees BTDC, on LPG it's 14 degrees. This will get the engine running but usually a couple of degrees extra advance is required for best performance, in most cases ending up at around 8 degrees BTDC on petrol and 16 on LPG. In all cases the best timing should be confirmed by road test as every setup, engine and vehicle is different.
- Full fitting instructions for wiring the A&R amplifier are supplied in the box, but are also available online here
- Always solder your connections when fitting terminals to wiring - we have seen many issues caused by poorly fitted electrical connectors
- Fitting and tuning advice is freely available from RPi - mail info@v8engines.com with your enquiry or give us a call.
| Brand | RPI |
| Condition | New |
| Weight | 8kg |