Rover V8 in a Series, options...

[msggunny]

I have a line on a 3.9 that has a price that i cant resist.

I know that there is almost no way for the stock tranny to take the power from a 3.9, and to be honest i really dont want to find out the hard way.

i am sure i can find a 5 speed tranny to put in, or a ZF, my question is where does one find an adapter for the Tcase?

ECR used to make them, but if they still make it i dont think they sell it outright.

I was also thinking about replacing the entire drive train with a LT230 also. Of course i will be upgrading the axles....

Is there any way to run the LT230 in 2wd?

Lots of questions, i know. Looks like my brain storming may actually end up materalizing into something...

[greenmeanie]

If I was going to the hassle of dropping a V8 in that I knew waw going to require a gearbox swap too I would simplify things, bypass the Rover V8 and go straight to a SBC. That way you have stock bell housings, clutch and stout domestic gearboxes that all line up without adapters. What you do on the back end is another matter.

I'm doing a Chevy 292 6 pot/NP435/series transfer case set up on my 109. Both the Rover and the 350 will require bulkhead mods so why make things difficult. The 350 will also have a bit more ooomph.

Another alternative if you wish to go the Rover V8 route is an LT95. It has 4 speeds to begin with but you can add an overdrive (It is a Fairey but it is unique to this gearbox), has a center diff with vaccuum diff lock actuation and there are a fairly wide selection of transfer gear ratios to allow you to tune your gearing. It's a big lump that has an integrated casting for both gearbox and transfer case so you don't have to deal with adapters. It's pretty much the strongest box ever designed to go behind a V8 and can be found in early Range Rovers, Stage 1 V8s, ealy 110 V8s and, of course, the 101. If you go this way look for the 101 version as it has a shorter bell housing which makes installation envelope a bit simpler.

[leafsprung]

ECR used to make them

ECR doesnt make much. They were using ashcrofts adaptor which you can buy from directly from ashcroft.


I was also thinking about replacing the entire drive train with a LT230 also. Of course i will be upgrading the axles....

Is there any way to run the LT230 in 2wd?

LT230 is just a transfercase, you would need a transmission as well. They can be converted to part time 4wd, but you would need to either weld or spool the center differential. If you do a search on part time lt230 you will come up with a wealth of information.

[msggunny]

LT230 is just a transfercase, you would need a transmissin as well.

Yes Ike,

which is why i said i would replace the entire drive train, adding the LT230 to the rover engine and tranny....

I will look around for the part time info as well as the ashcroft adaptor.

Thanks!

[yorker]

If I was going to the hassle of dropping a V8 in that I knew waw going to require a gearbox swap too I would simplify things, bypass the Rover V8 and go straight to a SBC. .:thumb-up: :thumb-up: :thumb-up: :thumb-up:

[JSBriggs]

Have you ever driven a Rover V8? A SBC give you way more power, for the same (if not better) mileage, cheaper to rebuild, many more transmission options.

-Jeff

[yorker]

part time lt230 (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666370&highlight=part+time+lt230) http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=328525&highlight=part+time+lt230 http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=285818&highlight=part+time+lt230

[msggunny]

Have you ever driven a Rover V8? A SBC give you way more power, for the same (if not better) mileage, cheaper to rebuild, many more transmission options.

-Jeff

I have, i owned 2 Disco's with them in it.

If i could get a 4.3 or SBC for $200 complete (including ECU and anicillaries) that runs i would most likely go that route.

There are trade offs with both, but i am going to try and go the Rover route.

[TeriAnn]

I have a line on a 3.9 that has a price that i cant resist.

First,the price of a petrol engine tends to be something like 1/10th or less of the total price for a reliable V8 conversion. Second, a used Rover V8 can be very expensive to rebuild when it is tired. Rover V8's tend to get tired at a relatively low mileage, especially if it gets overheated.

A conversion will cost way more than you think it will and take many more hours than you think it will, then there will be a time afterward where you will deal with teething issues: Swapping out parts that don't play with others as well as you thought they would, tightening or replacing things you forgot to tighten the first time, discovering that "good used" really means "out of spec and unfit for use" and so on.

If you do the job right, you can end up with a great running, highly capable reliable vehicle that is a joy to drive. One that can do the speed limit on mountain highways, merge into traffic without waiting for a half mile gap in traffic and that can climb anything where your tyres can find bight and the centre of gravity stays inside the wheelbase.

Done wrong and you will have an unreliable vehicle that you drive rarely and only then with a lot of trepidation, a full tool kit, towing insurance and a cell phone.

My 1960 Dormobile is powered by a 1970 Ford 302 with 1991 Mustang Fuel injection coupled to a Borg Warner T-18, a Series transfercase with Ashcroft high ratio kit feeding a pair of custom Great Basin prop shafts (longer slip joints & high angle U joints). At the back is a Salisbury with ARB locker & maxidrive axles. At the front is a Trutrac carrier & Seriesterk 24 spline front axles. Oh, and the much stronger 4.75:1 R&P gears. Rugged reliability was a prime conversion goal. The fuel injection does a great job compensating for major altitude changes & lets the engine run smoothly in rough conditions that overwhelm carb flat bowls.

But it took a LOT of effort to get there and I refuse to add up the costs. If you want a cheap V8, get a early Range Rover or a Disco I.

That said I have a lot of opinions about engine swaps into a Series Land Rover and since writing web pages seems to have become one of my hobbies I have a few web pages discussing conversions:

http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/engine_conversions.htm

http://www.tjwakeman.net/1v8s.gif

[msggunny]

Thanks for yalls input. Looks like the majority of you think its a bad idea.

I can tell you that i orginally wanted to go with a 4.3L V6 for the swap. Not that i need to do it right now as my 4 banger runs fine and is quite strong.

I am going to buy the engine for a couple of reasons.

1. I have never gone through the process of rebuilding an engine. After pricing the parts for a rebuild i realise it will be a tad on the expensive side, which is fine.

2. This engine wont go in for a while, i will be doing other things to the truck that need attention. As i go i will accumulate the parts required, hopefully upgrading my axles to the Series Trek Toy mod while i am at it.

3. IF i come accross a SBC or 4.3L v6 and a tranny that i can get an adaptor to fit my SIII Tcase to i may go that route too and just keep the 3.9 for ****s and giggles. I am well aware of the cost difference between a Rover and almost every other engine out there, let alone a SBC/4.3L which is why its a serious consideration.

4. One of the reasons i want to go with the Rover V8 is weight, im not a "purist" by anymeans but as much as i would love to I most likely wont have the coin to afford an aluminum SBC or Ford.

Thanks for your input.

Terry Ann, i have gone over your site more times than i can count. Its a wealth of knowledge and one of the places i go for info on a regular baisis.

[TeriAnn]

4. One of the reasons i want to go with the Rover V8 is weight, im not a "purist" by anymeans but as much as i would love to I most likely wont have the coin to afford an aluminum SBC or Ford.

One of the interesting things about the conversion is the weight factor. A Ford 302 with aluminum heads (otherwise stock) is actually lighter weight than a Land Rover 2-1/4L four cylinder petrol engine. With the cast iron heads the engine weight gain is minimal. A small block Chevy is only about 50 lbs or so heavier than the Ford. A series suspension would not feel the difference in engines.

Conversion weight gain is in the cast iron bell housing and the gearbox with its massive gears and cast iron housing. That extra weight is distributed between the front & rear suspension. My total weight gain from the transplant was about 150 lbs (including larger radiator, power steering conversion, larger exhaust system).

The cast iron engines are a lot tougher than their aluminum counterparts and can handle overheating much better than aluminum engines.

Coin? I purchased a rebuildible core engine for $300 and a remanufactured long block for $1000 (warranted for 30,000 miles or 3 years). I swapped the missing parts over from the core engine & bought a couple items I preferred to have new. My junk yard core became the core for the rebuilt long block. I spent about $30 for a NEW water pump. Try & do that with the Rover V8!

[BackInA88]

Just for reference......

Engine swap in a 71 CJ-5

I installed a low mileage (10 miles) 2000 FI 4.3 with was out of a ZR2 S-10 that had rolled off a train while being shipped to the dealer.
I got the complete engine, exhaust y-pipe with O2's complete clutch and hyd throw out bearing, clutch master cylinder, bell housing, air filter box, wiring harness and computer for $2000.
Cost to rework the wiring harness to be stand alone $400.
Some sims for the after cat O2's about $100.
Bought some universal Chevy motor mounts to weld in $40?.
Reworked the bell housing to mate to the T-18 Trans.

Been running for 10 years without missing a beat!:thumb-up:

Steve

[greenmeanie]

I have to say I shouldn’t be too critical of anyone’s engine swap choices. I started off buying a 109 SW with a Chevy 292 already installed with a Scotty’s adapter mating to the original Rover gearbox. My original plan was to just overhaul the truck and run it. Well after getting it I realized that the PO modified electric system was shot, the fuel tank leaked and the radiator installation gave me the heeby geebies. With that in mind I decided to do a light rebuild and leave the engine in place.

Well now I’m down to a chassis up build with PAS mod, some undefined axle upgrades, an NP435 mated to high ratio series transfer case, new cross flow radiator etc etc. With the engine I decided to look at what cheap upgrades there are out there. Well I’m now at the stage of a bare block, crank and pistons at the machine shop and a whole lot of goodies because the hot rodders got to me. Overall engine costs will be $2500 but it will be a great engine. The gearboxes will probably be about the same amount once done and axles at least the same again. Is it the cheapest, smartest conversion ever – probably not. Is it fun and will it work well – yes. Why did I choose this path – I dunno, just because.

‘Gunny, if it works for you go for it, take you time to engineer it well and have fun.

[Alaska Mike]

Thanks for yalls input. Looks like the majority of you think its a bad idea.

I can tell you that i orginally wanted to go with a 4.3L V6 for the swap. Not that i need to do it right now as my 4 banger runs fine and is quite strong.
The Rover V-8 is a conversion, so it would likely have all of the same problems any other conversion would have. When you look at the other options out there, the Rover V-8 is not at the top of the list. If you were starting with a Stage I or a Disco, I would say to stick with the Rover V-8. As you're doing an engine conversion, go with the powerplant that will be the most reliable, sustainable, and economical over the long haul. The Rover falls short in those areas.