So I've wanted a Rover since High School and finally got one, with a few issues. I bought this 97 D1 for a decent price knowing that it needed, at the least, a head gasket. Now i've been trolling the forums and basically drooling over Rovers for quite some time now and had a good idea of what I was getting in to. I am pretty skilled with a wrench so this would, by no means, be my first engine tear-down. However, this is my first endeavor with an aluminum block.

So, upon pulling the heads I found that the reason the head gaskets were bad were that the inserts were pulled out. I don't know if they were improperly put in in the first place or if they were over torqued and pulled out. The inserts used were Time-Serts, which seem to have a pretty decent rep. So, I tried to easy out the inserts to see what, if anything, could be salvaged, and they did come out, with the aluminum threads attached. So I now have a smooth-ish hole where the threads used to be.

My question is this - Can the block be salvaged? I've considered welding up the aluminum and re-tapping new threads to stock size or putting new inserts in? Finding inserts that have a larger outside diameter with stock inside diameter? Using an insert inside of another insert? Using a larger insert and drilling the heads to accommodate a larger bolt? Or buying a new/used engine. The heads are in perfect condition, as is everything else, so all i'd really need is the block if I went that route. Any thoughts?

 

I'd try to find bigger OD inserts and drill and tap. If that's a no go Rover 3.9s and 4.0s are fairly cheap

 

I am sure it is fixable that said I am a rather experienced mechanic and I would build another engine and swap it in probly easier in the long run, would suck to do all that and get some shavings in the engine or pull the new threads