This is my current project. Hopefully no one get’s upset there’s no E30 content here. :)

I’ve decided to replace the old V8 in my 1994 Land Rover Defender 90 with an S52.
If you don’t already know, BMW owned Land Rover from 1994 to 2000 and they put the M52 into the Defender 2.8i (sold in South Africa between 1997 and 2002) and also the diesel M51 into the P38 Range Rover 2.5 D/DSE (1995-2001), so luckily most of the major parts to do this swap are available. I just need to get the correct bellhousing, engine mounts, clutch, and flywheel, etc.
I found the bellhousing I need on eBay UK from a seller who was a pleasure to deal with. (Edit: I realized the 2.8i clutch housing is specific and I sourced one from South Africa.)
I got a stellar deal on a new clutch and dual mass flywheel from carparts4less.co.uk for £545 and they shipped it via DHL which arrived in only 2 days!

Now I mostly just need to pick up some of the smaller items like the accessories and hoses, etc. The only major obstacle I foresee at this point is that the steering box in the Defender will be in the way of the power steering pump and possibly also the alternator. BMW/Land Rover didn’t have to deal with that problem since all the M52 powered Defenders they made were right hand drive. I plan to get to work on it around June when the weather is nice. :)

I’ve decided to replace the old V8 in my 1994 Land Rover Defender 90 with an S52.
If you don’t already know, BMW owned Land Rover from 1994 to 2000 and they put the M52 into the Defender 2.8i (sold in South Africa between 1997 and 2002) and also the diesel M51 into the P38 Range Rover 2.5 D/DSE (1995-2001), so luckily most of the major parts to do this swap are available. I just need to get the correct bellhousing, engine mounts, clutch, and flywheel, etc.
I found the bellhousing I need on eBay UK from a seller who was a pleasure to deal with. (Edit: I realized the 2.8i clutch housing is specific and I sourced one from South Africa.)
I got a stellar deal on a new clutch and dual mass flywheel from carparts4less.co.uk for £545 and they shipped it via DHL which arrived in only 2 days!

Now I mostly just need to pick up some of the smaller items like the accessories and hoses, etc. The only major obstacle I foresee at this point is that the steering box in the Defender will be in the way of the power steering pump and possibly also the alternator. BMW/Land Rover didn’t have to deal with that problem since all the M52 powered Defenders they made were right hand drive. I plan to get to work on it around June when the weather is nice. :)
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