OFFICIAL Land Rover thread.

[slammin.e28]

Got my new plate last Friday....



...then put it to use....



Went to do Shoe Creek....a mildly challenging trail, but you don't have to do the hard parts. I did the hard parts.

Headlamp, one of the ball sockets broke, so I removed the lamp before it fell and broke on the rocks. Rear bumper is garbage now. Damn you D2 overhang. We drove down from the top of the trail and were turning around to go back up.....annnnd the starter decides to not start. SO ended up abandoning the dreams of driving up and had to get the trailer and tow the truck out of deliverance. Luckily it quit at the bottom and not in the middle of the trail. Guy passing by stopped and said, "Ya I don't mean to be mean, but that plate is really appropriate for your situation right now."

I was happy.

Also, D2 is like the easiest starter ever to replace. Now I need to look out for a Greg Davis rear bumper....

And these fine chaps have visited me twice in the past two weeks:



But they always leave after a restart. Fingers crossed....but I'll be evicting them soon methinks.

[LateFan]

Engine swap question -

Since I see there's been a straight 6 BMW swap into a RRC, and since there have been reliability questions with the D2 V8 casting / cylinder sleeves etc….

Has anyone just swapped in a SBC or a 302 Ford when the LR engine gives up? Like the late 80s RRC with the crazy electronics and injection problems - why not just go to a reliable high torque American V8.

When I was a kid, my dad's stock, 2 barrel 302 Bronco would crawl over logs at idle, not even touching the gas. It was perfect for low gear chugging.

Would you have to build a completely new harness to go back to a carbureted V8? Eliminate all the computer and Lucas weirdness?

Just thinking out loud...

[quickervicar]

Engine swap question -
Has anyone just swapped in a SBC or a 302 Ford when the LR engine gives up? Like the late 80s RRC with the crazy electronics and injection problems - why not just go to a reliable high torque American V8.

In a word, yes.

http://www.marks4wd.com/engine-conve...8-engines.html

[LateFan]

Found this on a LR forum from 2009….

"I am so tired of reading threads responding to engine conversions in disco II's. I see a ton of them, but then land rover guys just pick them apart and in the end up not offering any info.

Land Rover guys (I am one)... The engine is disco II's suck. I have had two disco II's and I have had 5 head gasket replacements (first at 65,000 miles). The first one I paid $3700 dollars to replace (I did the rest myself). I love these vehicles (the look, the way they drive, interiors, etc...) but the engines SUCK. Only a landrover guy (and I am one) would think that these are good engines.

If you want to see a good engine, I have a 1988 BMW E28 with 375,000 miles that has had no engine work/all original gaskets, and it doesn't leak a drop.

I am in the beginning processes of putting in a Buick or Chevy V6 into my disco II.

I've seen people ask, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?

Because, I don't want to replace engine gaskets every 70,000 miles.

I don't want to get alot of responses saying, THAT'S NOT TRUE, I HAVE A DISCO WITH 150,000 and head gaskets are fine.

If that's your response then you haven't been around alot of disco II's.

ITS A FACT, their head gaskets need replacing every 70,000 miles generally.

If anybody can help me with this conversion, I would be pleased."


Discuss….

[LateFan]

In a word, yes.

http://www.marks4wd.com/engine-conve...8-engines.html

Nice. So that's a slick kit to adapt bell housings and mounts, but what about electronics and sensors and ECU and…..?

[DEV0 E30]

Sweet mercy, that plate is fantastic.

As long as you can find humor in the pain slammin.

[LateFan]

From 2013:

"The Overfinch was a 5.7 Chevy bolted to a ZF. They used the TPI intake and tubular headers. I found a picture of the bottom of a Overfinch P38 and you can see the ZF tranny pan. It's crazy how much difficulty there is associated with fitting a small block Chevy in a Discovery given that it has essentially already been done. Overfinch even integrated the new ECM with the Rover's BECM (supposedly). The magazine reviews indicate that the marriage was less than seamless but at least they ran. Until the driveline broke."

[rturbo 930]

I think if I were swapping engines, I would just swap the whole assembly - engine, trans, and transfer case. I have no idea if LR transfer cases are any good, but I'd rather just get rid of it.

I found this a while back when I was looking into a V6 for my Jeep. Pretty decent build log of a Chevy 4.3L V6 into an old Rover, and general restoration of his truck. IIRC he used a 5 speed from a Jeep (?) and the LR transfer case.

https://www.youtube.com/user/RiverportRovers/videos

[LateFan]

wow..what a can of worms ……

http://landroverforums.com/forum/discovery-ii-18/here-we-go-again-my-lsx-swap-thread-63211/

This looks pretty slick. This guy is making some sweet adapters for GM transmission to LR transfer case so the transfer case sits at stock position, plus motor and trans mounts.. Planned for a 110 conversion but would work for a D1 I think.

http://www.defendersource.com/forum/f6/gm-gen-4-conversion-including-ls-51290.html

[LateFan]

Flanged liners and other options…

http://robisonservice.blogspot.com/2013/10/should-you-rebuild-or-replace-your-land.html

[I got it, yes!!]

LOL, don't know how I just found this thread, but Im currently trying to sell my ETA to get a D1, my wife has a 2001 D2, I have done EVERYTHING you can possibly do maintenance wise on that damn thing! Learned the hard way about buying a "cheap" Rover.

[Wschnitz]

Noticing a ton of obviously vin swapped defenders on craigslist now, "1988" but rusty doors and rear door? Yeah no thanks, enjoy the government seizures.

As far as ive read on british forms defenders didnt get steel doors until ~1997/8

[acolella76]

Learned the hard way about buying a "cheap" Rover.

Haha, nothing is more expensive than a cheap Ferrari/Audi/Rover

[slammin.e28]

Mine was cheap.

[slammin.e28]

I just wanted to share....

+2 body lift and 33s.




Then went out and tried to break it.




Then went home and parked it.