I recently bought a 1973 Series III North American Regular 88. It is a great, original example that hasn't been molested or beaten on. Proper parts and attention were (mostly) applied to repairs and mods. It will be a fun project to roll along and restore. My goal isn't to necessarily keep it original or exacting to factory specs. I did that with a Series 1 107" SW restoration. I want this to be practical and dependable and build in a couple creature comforts.

With all of this in mind, my first project is either replace/rebuild the head or re-power with a 2.5L used example. It seems that there are some good, used 2.5L engines out there for sale. They rival the price of a new 8:1 2.25L head that our host sells. I'm wondering what the inherit problems are with this conversion. The added power would be nice, parts seem widely available and it stays in the Land Rover ecosystem (vs. a Chevy, Toyota or similar conversion). What am I missing? What are the caveats? Curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks in advance.

Matthew Clark
Seattle, WA