Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I took the 22 dollar plunge and bought the tensioner from rovahfarm for the major I'm currently doing. As you can see from my pics, the entire assembly is identical to the 348 with the sole exception being that it doesn't have the tiny oil hole - easy enough to remedy. For less than 30 bucks, I'm not going to complain. Let me know if you have any questions. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
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This could be a great breakthrough, but some questions come to mind: 1) knowing Range Rover's reputation for reliability, is it really safe to use a Land Rover part? 2) Are there 2 potential pad materials avaiable to us; the OEM Ferrari pad made from Unobtainium 1 vs the Dave Helms pad made from Unobtainium 2? If so which is theoretically superior? Which one is the Land Rover part made from? If it's made from Unobtainium 1, but Unobtainium 2 lasts twice as long, I'd cough up the cash and get that just to save a trip into the innards of the engine. Sent from my VS990 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I just bought a Land Rover tensioner. I found only one seller offering genuine LR part made by Renold (https://www.johnrichardssurplus.co.uk/timing-chain-tensioner-etc5190.html). Renold is a very reputable company and their tensioner is probably the best quality as compared to other (cheaper) available aftermarket ones.
I didn't know there was someone making pads out of a better material. I guess I should have asked. As far as the LR piece that I got, it certainly looks and feels like the original material to me. Same with the build quality - I mean, it's really just a spring and some steel so I'm not too worried. One of my first cars was a Triumph TR7, so I'm definitely sympathetic to your concerns! I did find another difference between the OEM and Rover parts once I took that base plate off. The Rover's housing is completely flat on the back with just a tiny pinhole for the oil where the Ferrari part has a kind of cylindrical boss that fits into a recess in the block. In my case, I just inserted the Rover's piston, spiring, and pad into my original housing. (after drilling a small oil hole in the pad)