The Rover-Landers of BC

**UPDATE** Project changed to 1969 NADA 2a 109" SW .. see page 2 of this thread for details



***OLD INFO BELOW***
Well folks, I'll start this off with a post of my intentions and pose a question for some feedback.

I picked up this unit a few months back. It apparently was a runner before the PO got it. But sitting motionless in a driveway for three years didn't do the poor old girl any favours.
She's in worse shape than I thought, but not too far gone to bring back. For the most part anything that can rust or corrode on a rover has done so to some degree on this one. The frame and bulk head are both in need of some serious lovin. The body panels aren't bad but aren't great either. The door frames are rusted, and the rear door seems warped in some way as it wont latch properly. Additionally the side-frame assembly needs to replaced on both sides. The 6 cyl engine has long been swapped out for a standard 4 cylinder. Its got 3 year old gas in the tank so I haven't worked too hard on getting it fired up. Once the spring arrives I'll take a proper go at getting it running, though it does turn with the hand crank. It looks like the vehicle was subjected to some sort of half assed attempt at an upgrade/resto in around 1993. I received invoices for about 25k worth of work, but its hard to imagine on what exactly.. mind you that was over 20 years ago now. Judging by the extra little holes for lights and such that had been bondo'd over the body panels have been cobbled onto it from other trucks. It came with some 'ok' defender style front seats and aside from headlining and matting the interior seems fairly complete, and approaching fair condition. Its got a fairly rough white re-spray, including over all the body capping and trim, which is a real peeve of mine. Factory original it was the lovely pastel green and my intention will be to bring it back to that eventually.

As to my plans, the thought of doing an original spec resto had crossed my mind, but its had enough things changed already that I'm not sure its really feasible. Not to mention I want a rig to drive regularly so I've decided to embrace the non-standard path and do a full on updated drivetrain, suspension, braking etc. I'd like to keep it looking as close to stock as I can though.

Now is the time that folks who find projects like mine frustrating will ask "Why not just buy a defender?" My answer doesnt make the most fiscal sense or practical sense, but the reality is I just don't like the defender front body work and I love the safari tops on the 109 SWs. There are probably other ways to go about it, but the reality is that I do have this vehicle, so thats where I'm starting from!

I decided early on to go with a new coil sprung galvanized chassis from Designa. They can set it up for me with whatever combination of rover drivetrain parts that can all bolt together. I'll take the axles, steering & brakes from either a disco 1 or a defender(given how hard it is to come by defender stuff vs how easy it is to come by disco stuff it will probably be disco)

I've got two options that I'm considering as far as drivetrain and I'd love to hear people thoughts on this.

option 1:

Have the chassis set up for rover v8 + auto + lt230. From here I can either mount a rover v8 from a disco 1 OR I can utilize the adapter & mounts from Marks 4wd (http://www.marks4wd.com/engine-conversi ... k410a.html ) to mount a chev v6 or v8 to the ZF, keeping the same rover engine mounts & transfer case position. My thinking is to go with a v6 4.3l vortec as the shorter engine will probably allow me to keep my lights in the grill rather than the wings.

Pros :
Parts more readily available
Engines much cheaper
.Engine: 300-700 complete
.Wiring Harness: 500 USD( http://howellefi.com/vortec-harness-199 ... ssion.html )
.ECU: 350 USD (http://howellefi.com/gm-vortec-products ... 4-5-6.html )
.Adapter & Engine Mounts: 780 USD (http://www.marks4wd.com/engine-conversi ... gines.html )
I have the correct gearbox and transfer case in my garrage
More Power/torque
'Can' be switched to rover V8 if a 'All rover' drivetrain is desired

Cons :
probably need to modify bulkhead/tunnel to fit.
electronics... I just don't get automotive electronics (see above.. maybe not so bad????)
Fuel economy
Rover v8 - I'm not a fan
less information available on the swap so I'm going ahead on the 'hope' that it will fit and work!

Option 2: (where I'd like to go, depending on logistics)

Have the chassis set up for 300tdi, r380 or autobox & LT230. Should fit without modifying the bulkhead or trans tunnel BUT may need to move the lights to the wings(?)

Pros
Cool diesel engine
snug but doable fit without modifying the bodywork (much)
resale value
Of the two this seems more 'fitting' for a series rover
No adaptors required
fuel economy

Cons
Cost; rebuilt 300, trans, tcase : Approx 10k (in fairness this is not apple to apple. the 4.3L vortecs I'm looking at are take outs and the trans tcase I got for almost nothing.. could be junk)
availability of parts
Requires placing a lot of trust and cash in people half a world away and hoping for the best!

I would love to hear some thoughts on this. I've also considered the OM617 swap, rover 3.0l I6, chev LS engines, 200 TDI, Isuzu JBDI-T, cummins. but I keep coming back to these two.
300 TDI is the option that I like the best but that's partly due to uncertainty on how the chev v6 swap would go down. Plus there is something to be said for keeping a rover drivetrain, even if it is wearing the wrong skin!

I have no opinion until you post some pics!!! :P

After many hours of agonizing over the same questions, I ended up putting a 200TDi in my 109, a 300 doesn't fit right it's too far forward. The 200TDi bolted right into the existing engine mounts. The next step was the transmission as a normal Land Rover Transmission wouldn't handle the torque of the 200TDi so I fitted a Santana Series III transmission.

The combination is incredible... I agree that the look of the 109" S/W's is pure Land Rover, nothing better, but once you put a chevy engine in it the appeal goes away quickly.

Here's a picture, it fit's and looks great me thinks...

Well I've been back forth on this a lot, but I'm pretty sure I'm moving forward with the 4.3l v6. I was very tempted to go the diesel route, but she started life as a 6 cylinder gasser and she will be again. 4.3 is a fairly low revving, torquey little engine and paired with the 4l60e transmission there is only 48" of engine and trans in front of the transfer case, which will leave my case in the same location and my front end unaltered. I'm going with the Forbyn-Cooper transfer case to get the drive line past the transmission without interference.

I'll still be a while getting money scraped together for the new chassis, bulkhead & side-frame, but I should be picking up engine and trans within a week or so.

There are a lot of posts all over on this topic, but it is a fun one on which to opine.

4.3 Chev - solid engine, fantastic parts availability, cheap, can be done with full fuel injection or carb, fits without too much surgery. I would look at a manual trans as the 4l60e is quite wide and will likely interfere with the front prop shaft. if you do some hunting there are examples of the sm465 onto the lt230, and onto the series case.

stock rover 2.25 - not too bad, stockish so holds value better, already there. kind of anemic for a 109. easy engine to work on and you already have it.

200 tdi - great engine, fits, more power, more economy, pushing limits of series trans and transfer case. expensive to get here and any used one you find will likely need a rebuild. also needs surgery upfront to mount intercooler.

300tdi - great engine, sort of fits. you need to swap in r380 and lt230. also need to mount intercooler and the whole cost issue.

OM617 swap, great engine, not easy. OM617 has a front sump oil pan than interferes with the front axle. no kits really available so you are fabricating everything. quite heavy for the power, but very reliable and will run on just about any oil.

rover 3.0l I6, 3 litre? I only know of the 2.6 IOE. nice engine but quite rare and expensive to repair and maintain. I had the 2.0 IOE in my series one and I really like that engine. If you can find one and take the NADA back to oe it will be best for value, and 2.6 IOE will be quite nice to drive.

chev LS engines, you would need to replace entire drive line. too much power for everything.

Isuzu JBDI-T, nice, but big, loud, heavy, and pushes the limit of the driveline. A bit pricey and parts might be an issue.

cummins - if you are thinking 4BT or 6BT, don't. way too big and heavy. They are super tall engines and won't clear the axle without a 4-6" lift, and then you would have to find a way to not snap your axles every other week.

Here are a couple others to think about:

VW TDI. stock is 90 hp/155 ft-lbs so pretty close to 200 tdi. no idea how to adapt to a rover driveline.

Mitsubishi 4d56t or 4m40- this is in a lot of the recent japanese import vans. A very solid 2.5 to 2.8 litre turbo diesel.

yeah the 4l60e will foul the driveline with any rover transfercase. I'm looking at the Cooper-Forbyn replacement transfercase.

http://forbynbros.com/replacement-transfer-cases/

Its designed to clear the driveline with a 4l60 or 4l80. Its more expensive than the adapter options but it has some serious bonuses going for it.

1. maintain stock transfer case location
2. Keeping engine and transmission from the same donor should help fend off ECU issues and wont need to worry about reprogramming or replacing computer
3. Shortest Autobox transmission and transfer case combo I've been able to come up with. Under 48 inches in front of the transfer case puts it neatly behind the existing front body work and radiator.
4. 'Seems' like the Engine & transmission will be far enough forward that the bellhousing wont need much if any accomodating as far as Bulkhead alterations.

The Downside: cost is 3500 USD

Its a big pill to swallow for a transfer case but for one its new.

However to compare:
New (apples to apples) LT230 from ashcrofts: 750 to 1500 depending on options
Adapter kit: 700 not including flywheel and starter motor
ECU & Harness: 500-1000 + the hassle of figuring out how to make the ecu play nice with a different tranny

That is big bucks.

I'm not sure I'd make the same assumptions in the comparison. you can get a use-able lt230 for a couple hundred if you are patient and a gasket kit is $30. The insides are usually perfect. or you can use the series case.

Advance adapters sm465 to series case adapter is $500.

sm465's are on craigslist regularly for about $300.

you can use the stock gm computer without the transmission if you use a manual trans. If you have your heart set on the 4l60e your $3500 transfer case might be your best option.

Another option is the LT230 is easily converted to a divorced case. and then you could use a 2wd trans and push the transfer case back.

I spend too much time thinking about this kind of thing.

Why so set on an auto, stick with a Manuel trans for cost savings.
Check out Peter Knowles youtube vids on everything to swap in a 4.3

I love that video series.. started me looking at the 4.3 when i was dead set on a diesel. The auto is not really something I'm dead set on, in fact at first i was very resistant to it, BUT its the one thing my wife is asking me to do in this project so its a small(ish) price to pay for actually getting to go ahead with it.

The previous poster was right about the comparisons not being very real world. Numbers were just factoring a new case vs a new case. I've actually got an LT230 and ZF4HP22 in my garage so I may still decide to go with those and the marks 4wd adapter to mate to the 4.3 to the rover autobox. Though I think if I keep the LT230 I'll be inclined to get it rebuilt with the Ashcroft ATB limited slip center diff in it, which will probably cost me in the 1000 to 1200 dollar range all in.

That all being said I had a long conversation with a nice gentleman today that really has me considering going the restoration route! Its very tempting as this rig was a bit of a rare unit and restorations have a special place in my heart. He also seemed to think he could help me find a rover 3L 6 cylinder engine which would be a whole different type of cool and probably make the finished project worth a whole lot more. Just not sure I'm up for it and not entirely sure that the end result is entirely what I'm after. I'm also not going into this with the thoughts of maximizing resale value or anything like that.

I'm doing it mainly to finally have my version of the cool classic 4x4 that I have wanted since i was a teenager as well as in honor of my parents. My dad who was a mechanic by trade and from whom I wish I had taken more time to learn from when I had the chance and for my Mom who went missing in the mountains last summer. She was in her mid 60s and climbing mountains alone on a week long trek when she went missing. She was an amazing lady who never let anyone tell her she wasn't able or couldn't do anything that she set her mind to. Her last known position is on the top of the mountain pictured here : http://www.summitpost.org/castlecrag-mountain/547178

Rob sorry to hear about your mom, I remember hearing about this story last summer. My buddy and I do a hike in Strathcona every year and talk about this missing Lady in great length on our hike last year. The mountains are always calling me, I love getting out there away from it all.

There is nothing quite like being in the mountains. I spent a lot of the summer searching for her and even though our task at hand was a tough one to swallow it was impossible not to find joy in the experience of being out there. I know she would have been thrilled to see her three boys out hiking together again. There are a lot of worse places and ways to go and I'm certain everyone in my family would happily take that end compared to most others.

franko wrote:Rob sorry to hear about your mom, I remember hearing about this story last summer. My buddy and I do a hike in Strathcona every year and talk about this missing Lady in great length on our hike last year. The mountains are always calling me, I love getting out there away from it all.

So things have moved along slowly! Done a little bit of dissassembly and am just about to start making actual forward progress!
I picked up a chev 262ci V6 from a 2006 silvaerado a few months back and I'm finally in a position to order the parts to mate it to the ZF4hp22 & LT230.
I'll be using the Kit from Marks4WD in aus to mate the rover bellhousing to the GM engine block.

I've sorted out a few potential issues for which there was precious little concrete information available online so I'm posting it here in case anyone comes searching for info on the swap.

Marks kit requires a 153 tooth flywheel to fit into the rover bellhousing. For engines 2002(?) or later there simply is no 153 tooth flywheel listed as compatible. My first thought was that the ones from 1986-2002 'should' work as I couldn't find any info that would suggest they changed the block or engine balance from 2002 onward but I wasn't exactly comfortable with basically just hoping it would work and sinking a bunch of money into an adapter that might not even work.

After a lot of searching and hair pulling I finally got a hold of a guy from advance adapters and he gave me the scoop:

2002 and later blocks don't have the straight across bolt hole pattern for the 153 tooth starter, only the staggered 168 tooth pattern. Having that info I was able to search out a starter from CSR performance that has a built in adapter to change the bolt pattern form staggered to straight across. As far as I can tell its the only one on the market.

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/c ... /overview/

Its pricey, but I'll need a mini starter anyway and I'm not keen on drilling & tapping another hole in my block to mount a regular starter, though that is an option for the steady handed. Its an extra $150 or so bucks but I'm OK with that considering the alternative is revising the entire plan.

The other issue that may crop up is the balance of the flywheel. My google-fu has not been able to provide me with a definitive answer as to whether the 262 and v8s can swap flywheels. Some say yes, other no. Summit racing lists several flywheel as applicable to both v6 up to 2002 & V8s so I'm kinda of inclined to think that I'll be ok :/ . The small block flywheels are only mildly unbalanced so hopefully it wont be a big problem, its not like the engine will be seeing super high revs.
I spoke to an automotive machine shop and they thought they might be able to take my existing flexplate and duplicate the imbalance on my flywheel. That's another $100-$150 so I may just do that to be safe

That's it for now, I'll post more once parts start rolling in and I can bolt it all up.

Managed to get the old engine out as I finally got some free time and nice weather to work on it. This was my first time pulling an engine and it went better than expected. She was being a bit stubborn at first but came loose in the end.

Next up will be the transmission, transfer case and overdrive.

Nice! Looks like a fun project. I'd say the best way to find out would be just to try it out. You should be fine as long as it doesn't interfere with anything. But for the ease of everything, you may just want to consider getting the older, but still faithful 4.3 Vortec. That way you have a proper distributor, and simpler fuel injection. I just think with the newer motor, you'll have trouble with all that coil on plug stuff...

I've got a 2006 4.3 already so I'll do my best to make that work.. If I run into any insurmountable roadblocks getting it in and working then I'll put it up for sale and reconsider which engine to play with. I still have the option of a rover v8 or chev 305/350

e.prevost94 wrote:Nice! Looks like a fun project. I'd say the best way to find out would be just to try it out. You should be fine as long as it doesn't interfere with anything. But for the ease of everything, you may just want to consider getting the older, but still faithful 4.3 Vortec. That way you have a proper distributor, and simpler fuel injection. I just think with the newer motor, you'll have trouble with all that coil on plug stuff...

Fair enough. I got a 4.3 in one of my pickups, and although it's not the most powerful motor, they can definitely move pretty good if you need them to! :rev:

yeah.. not the most powerful, but the way I look at it the 200hp from the 4.3 is a heck of a lot better than the 80 or so HP of the original engine. Plus the power curve is pretty good

ok moving at a snails pace of removing 2 or 3 bolts a day when the weather co-operates, I finally got the tranmission/transfer case out.. only a month after the engine lol! Lack of daylight hours and dry weather working heavily against me right now.
https://www.facebook.com/rob.apps.7/pos ... 3838236424

Imagine you may have already come across this, but, if not, pirate4x4.com is a good resource for figuring out what's involved in making different 4.3s work (it's all toyota guys, but still pretty applicable): http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-t ... 2-0-a.html

Looking forward to welcoming you to the 4.3 club when you get there!

great info in that, thanks!
The one thing I'm still not 100% clear on is if there is a 153t flywheel that will work with the 4.3l and be balanced correctly. I've talked to an automotive machine shop and they thought they might be able to match the balance of my 168t flexplate to a flywheel I bring in, but it would be easier all round to find one that just works.

I got my rover flexplate in today and it fits the crank adapter as expected so that is one more thing off the question mark list. Now I'm waiting on a staggered bolt pattern 153t starter motor that has been on back order since november before I can proceed in mating up the zf4hp22 and engine

steveep, what did you use for a radiator on yours? did you work something out with the series radiator or did you fit a GM rad?

RamblerRob wrote:steveep, what did you use for a radiator on yours? did you work something out with the series radiator or did you fit a GM rad?

I used an aftermarket performance aluminum radiator and electric fan that I just picked to fit the desired space/inlet-outlet configuration. It was quite a few years ago, and I'm out of town at the moment (so can't rifle through my receipts), but I think I might have just purchased it through ebay. At the time I needed it to clear a power steering pump I had poking out through the front, so the whole breakfast/support was fairly heavily modified.

Here's one old photo (initially went with a carb setup, have since switched to CPI and cleaned the whole thing up):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/328 ... 4ca819.jpg

There's some more on my build thread:

http://www.roverlanders.bc.ca/roverforu ... =15&t=4790

and I'll be back around the house next week :)

Well I FINALLY got the 153t Stagger bolt pattern Starter in from Summit after a 4 month backorder. Small issue cropped up right away in that the adapter plate that gives you a stright across hole to bolt the starter to fouls on the flange of the oil pan. It SEEMs like I should be able to cut a little notch in the oil pan without disrupting any bolt holes or the groove that the gasket fits into.
If anyone care to weigh in I'd love to hear your thoughts before I start cutting.

In the attached pic the are marked with white chalk is the part that needs to be notched away. I could also probably shave a tiny bit off the adapter plate as well if needed

I was able to cut out the 1/4" x 1" notch needed without issue. it seems to fit back in place correctly. I managed to get a good bit of metal shavings into the oil pan and the gasket groove so I've given it a good cleaning and will work on test fitting the starter over the next few days as I get a few free moments.

Well that 'seemed' like a simple enough thing.. until i realized that I was using the holes in the starter block for the 168 t flywheel :oops:
with the starter mounting block in the correct position I am able to clear the flange with what I already cut out but I need to cut out a bunch of extra structure and supporting ribs beneath the starter nose and between the starter and the main part of the oil pan. Still seems like it will work though I've gone about as far as I can with the hacksaw and now need to borrow or buy a dremel to clean up the rest without damaging the pan itself

Well progress has been slow! I'm in the process of getting an estate settled so things should start moving along more rapidly by the summer.
I've finally got all the bits i need to mate the transmission to the engine but it seems like I need to shim between the crank and flywheel to put everything in proper position. I need to move my ring gear away from the starter by about 5 mm but If I do it all at the crank it will leave my flywheel alignment spigot with only 5 mm left in the crank. I think I will try to shim it a few mm and use some shims in my starter to move the pinion engine-wards by a couple of mm as well. Then I still may need to do some spacing at the flexplate as well, my measurements make me think that it will have too much of a gap between the flexplate and the fully seated torque converter. Ashcroft recommended 1 to 3 mm. Unfortunately that means now waiting again for summit to get something in stock.. last time i was waiting fully 6 months!! hopefully this is better!

"Rapidly" turned out to be overly optimistic :( The estate I'm waiting on is still not quite settled and I'm still finalizing the details regarding my chassis from Designa who I have finally heard back from.
I managed to get some free time in the garage to tinker for the first time in a while. Nothing earth shattering but I was able to mock up the engine and transmission to take some measurements for the Chassis.
Unfortunately I'm not able to take the enough bodywork off to mock up the engine in the frame right now (nowhere left to put disassembled rover parts) but the front-most engine pulley sits a couple of inches behind the front cross member and there is a bit of room to spare ahead of the middle crossmember (for visual the T post line sup with the front of the middle cross member). The front of the seat box should sit just between the 2 sets of 2 bolts on the housing that just rear of the transfer case shift lever. I'm not sure that there is a ton of room to play but I'm optimistic things can be made to fit.

I still need to pull it all apart and get some machining done on my starter mounting block as well as get the flywheel balance matched to the old flexplate that came with the engine.

Well a bit of a change of direction on this one. After much grief trying to get a chassis ordered I ended up making a deal to buy a 1969 109 SW on a Rnage Rover LWB chassis. Its a way better starting point to my project and looks to save me thousands of dollars and about 2 years worth of work. It comes to me without engine, transmission or transfer case but otherwise in very good shape. I will most likely need to reposition the transfer case mounts to create a little more room at the front but not by much.

I'll be posting a for sale thread for the '67 NADA shortly. And will post picture of the new Rig when I pick it up at the end of October.

Just realized I never got around to Posting Pics.
and more in a following post as this board seems to want posting pics to be the most excruciating online experience ever

And one more because I think this one captures exactly the way I feel about it as well :)

Swapped out the defender manual steering box today in favor of a rebuilt power steering box that I've been sitting on. Also have some HD steering components but the stuff on the truck is an upgrade from standard as well(compared to whats on my disco) so I'll have to try to figure out whats the better gear.

Nothing wrong with the manual box if anyone is interested, includes 'straight' style drop arm.

Got my modifications done on the starter mounting block finally so ready to bolt that in and torque it up.

Expecting the wheels back from powder coating this week and tires should arrive the following week. Once I get them mounted I'll be ready to move the truck to where I will be getting the engine/transmission mounting work done.

Compared to the last truck this is moving along at a break neck pace!

Swapped in the HD steering rods and OME steering damper today. In honesty the stuff on the truck was probably fine for my use, but it never hurts to be even more robust. The more I play with it the more tempted I am to forget about bodywork and paint and just use the old girl the way she was intended.

New set of boots for the old girl!

8.25r16 xzls on wolfs, I thought they were meant to be equivalent to 33s but seem a little bigger than I expected. Now considering +2" springs, but will see how everything sits once the engine is in.

After much mucking about and the occasional expletive I got the transmission & transfer case in place. I've got 24" of clearance in front of the transmission which be a real squeaker to fit the engine in so I may need to do up custom brackets to move everything rearward by a few inches. The way it sits I have some likely clearance issues with the steering box and may need to get a different bracket for the PS pump to make it all work. I do have a few inches of clearance on the transfer case shifter in front of the seat box so I may get through this allright!

Been A while since I updated anything. Progress has been slow due to the rest of life getting in the way.
On the up side The easter bunny brough me some treats from the UK.

And a couple of weeks later I finally found time to fit the engine and transmission in together for the first time to test my location. Its very close to being OK by the looks of it. Feels like decent room at the front with some minor concerns for clearance at the back. Not sure how much space I need to leave between the exhaust manifolds and the Bulkhead but pretty sure as is is going to be too tight

Looking Good, nice progress being made...

I was just thinking, haven't seen this truck in action since 2013, hopefully it will make it out again this summer!
Here is some inspiration for you ...
Cheers,
Andy

That's awesome!
I'm just waiting on an extra set of hands and eyes to get the engine mounts lined square and with the right drive line angles and then I'll be into the meat and potatoes of getting it back on the road

I'm having some troubles getting the position of the engine in the chassis sorted out with regards to the height of the engine mounts and driveline angles and such.
I'm striving to get an equal angle on the engine/trans with the angle of the rear pinion flange. My problem is that the pinion flange angle changes when I let the weight of the engine sit on the chassis. I wasn't sure if this would be the case but I did test it and found it to be so. Unfortunately i'm not able to keep the weight of the engine on the chassis while keeping it in correct position to mark the location of the mounts. Another complication is that I'm not sure how much more weight will be added to the front end in addition to the engine. I haven't decided on bumper/winch yet and may or may not keep the spare tire on the hood (looks cool but seems like a pain in the ass).

Can anybody chime in on how much fudge factor there is room for in setting this up?
Or a good way to simulate the extra weight? (I thought about using ratchet straps on the front axle to frame to compress the springs a bit but I'm not sure if that's wise or necessary)

My other consideration will be clearance of the hood. It may be that I just place the engine as high as I can whilst still being able to close the hood and get DC driveshafts if it comes to it. (need to get my driveshafts shortened in the rear and lengthened in the front anyway). Not really much room to adjust the height of the transfer case to change the angle that way, at least not easily.

Thoughts will be appreciated

My first little bit of fabrication.. If you call simply cutting and drilling a piece of steel fabrication..
I decided to use the Land Rover PS pump instead of the GM one. I know the GM unit is a better part, but it seems to want to sit right in the way of everything! I also wont have to mess with fittings to hook the Rover ZF pump up to the rover PS box. This will give me some much needed room low on the drivers side and might allow me to mount the engine forward just a touch which will give me some breathing room around the bulkhead. Two of the holes in the Rover PS pump bracket match up in size, thread and location exactly with the Holes in the GM block to mount the AC/PS mounting bracket. I will still need to have some aluminium milled off the back of the Rover Bracket to bring the pulley into line with the rest of the accessory pulleys
The stud in the engine block is a little too long so it will have to be shortened or removed. I'll want to make sure it will all work before I proceed because is will be a bit of hassle to go back to the GM parts if I change my mind later on, though if you look at the third picture you can see another mounting bracket below where I have it set up, these two holes also match up to two of the holes on the Rover bracket so there are options.

If anyone has words of caution or advice on this feel free to speak up :)

And the PS pump is sorted! (Thanks Ian!) Next step will be to see about the exhaust. I should have enough clearance (barely) on the passenger side for the stock exhaust manifold and on the drivers side I will need to do something different with the throttle pedal as the linkage to the cable will foul on the exhaust manifold. I've still yet to see what the routing will look like from the manifolds. I dont think aftermarket headers will solve the fouling on the drivers side but if there is an issue with where the stock exhaust drops I may still need to go that route.

Looks like the exhaust manifolds are sorted. I took Tony's advice (thanks Tony!) and picked up a pre-vortec drivers side manifold and it looks like it will work for both sides. I've got an annoying little rubber bracket that holds the brake line in place that is making things challenging on the passenger side but once I dig that out it looks like it will go! I'll just have to route the passenger side exhaust around the front of the engine and put together a custom y pipe to mate it up the the existing range rover exhaust.

Next up is fuel. It currently has the efi rover hanger assembly in place without a pump.
My options seem to be to get a compatible pump for my engine and build it into the existing hanger assembly/sender, get an external high pressure fuel pump or use some kind of Sump system with a low pressure pump feeding a Sump and high pressure from the Sump to the engine.
My preference is to have an in tank pump but that will mean replacing all the fuel lines, where the Sump could run off the existing lines to the Sump. Im not Really sure on how much hassle and expense is involved in replacing all the lines with high pressure but I'm leaning in the direction of building a new compatible pump into my hanger assembly

Hi Rob, make sure you run the exhaust far enough forward that if you have a front crank seal leak it doesn't leak on to the exhaust and catch fire :)

so with no small amount of frustration and cursing I was able to wrestle the drivers side exhaust manifold into place on each side of the engine so I think i can call that sorted. Pardon the facebook text on the picture, screen grabs are the easiest way to get a picture size that the forum will accept. Will need to bend the dipstick tube into a more reasonable position but over all I think I can call the exhaust manifold situation sorted.

After much cursing and far more trouble than it had any right to be, I managed to get the air intake sorted out... it just did NOT want to fit! I ended up removing the little clamp that holds the resonator onto the throttle body to get the wiggle room required so i will need to sort a different method of holding it on securely

Taking a break from the engine compartment to fit second row seats. Mine didn't come with any but I have the set from my Disco1 parts truck. Fit looks to be pretty good. I don't have the mounting hardware from the stock seats so I cant say whether it could have been modded to fit. Being that my truck is not sitting on a stock chassis (I'm using a modified RRC LWB chassis) I also may not have the structural support underneath the body work for the stock mounts. I can identify a couple of points where the Tub section meets the second row floor where I have something substantial to bolt to they are just a bit wider apart than I'd like the mounting legs to be.

I decided to run a piece of 1.5" angle iron across the back of the rear floor/tub between the mounting points and secure or weld the bracket to that. I'm planning on constructing a mounting assembly of 1" square steel tube. I need the mounting points on the seats to meet the bracket at 5" forward and 7" up from the angle iron.
Once in place I'll have to add a support leg to the rear of each side of the 60/40 rear seats. I ground off the small rear foot from the outside each seat and they sit at a nice height/position on the stock seat support. I've pulled the catch that secures the seat backs in the disco and I should be able to mount that to the side structural components of the 109 tub.

If all goes well I should have decent rear seats that fold and tilt forward for extra storage as needed.
I'm still not sure what my plan is for front seats. I have defender front seats currently but I may look at swapping them out. I've never had a chance to ride in them so I cant say but I keep reading that they are lacking in comfort. I could try to fit the discovery front seats for a matching set, but I do have a friend who has helped me out a fair bit that may want them and I'm not sure I find them that comfy either. I'm not too concerned with matching the set as I plan to get knightsbridge overland seat covers for the rear (and front if I stick with rover seats). D2 seats look a fair bit more comfy than D1 and I understand that they aren't much different to fit. I've also read about smart car seats, rx8 seats or volvo/saab seats. With the defender front seats I find the steering wheel seems pretty tight so I'm reluctant to gain much height, though I would like to take the opportunity to shift the seat inward sightly If I do end up refitting seats, I definitely feel a little squished to the door when sitting in the defender seats so an extra inch or so there would not go amiss!

More messing about with seats today. Looking at fitting my D1 front seats. It'll match the set with the rears and I'll at least know what seats it is that I have. I find the current seats reasonably comfortable but I cant figure out what they are exactly which poses a problem for getting the Knightsbridge overland seat covers I want. The guys at knightsbridge can definitely make covers for whatever seats but It would be a bunch of mucking about to get them done with non-standard seats. The series seat box is at a fair steeper angle rearward than the base that the d1 seat sits on and the seat is a little thicker at the front. I haven't decided which way to go on this exactly but I wanted to sort out how I would go about fitting the D1 seats so I knew my options.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to picture how I would adapt the D1 sliders to the series seat box and whether the seat would fit at the correct angle and height or not.
After mucking about for a while I was moving the extra series sliding seat bracket that I had out of the way and ended up putting it down on an over turned d1 seat. Turns out it was a pretty good fit! It also sits in such a way as to self correct the mismatch in angles between the d1 seat base and the series seat box. It does sit slightly higher and the series seat bracket doesn't slide as much as the D1 sliders allow but there really isn't a lot of room to slide anyway.
I really like the seating position as it sits though I may take out the bar that runs behind the seats if I go the d1 seat route as it will allow a bit more freedom of recline if I want.

In the final image you can see the underside of the seat. I'm going to add some support material that will be bolted to the D1 seat but not the series bracket. It would sit in place much the way a series seat base does however I will want to come up with some means of securing the seat that allows for quick & easy access to the under-seat compartments. The red lines to the rear represent some 1"square tubing while the ones to the front represent a metal plate of some sort.

Seats are in and feel great! Currently leaving the bar in behind the seats which will allow me the middle seat if I choose. Seating position feels good for me with the bar in, but there is basically no room for the sliders to slide. The whole seat tips up to the center to access the battery/tool compartment. If I pull the bar then I will have to fashion a quick release of some sort to secure the front of the seat.

Only thing I'm not thrilled about is how high up I have to lift my feet to operate the pedals so I may investigate a change there.

Discovery brake servo cludged into place on the series pedal box. Will need to do up a little bracket/spacer to set the booster far enough out from the pedal pin. The disco booster also has tiny short little bolts so Ill make the spacer big enough to bolt to the stock pedal box holes. I'll need to bore out a couple of holes in the pedal box for the disco bolts/nuts to sit in and allow the unit to sit flat.

Thanks to Ian doing all the work, ( :) )I got the Discovery 1 brake servo & Master cylinder mounted onto the series pedal box today :)

Minor Mods to the pedal box to make way for the bolts that will hold the servo to the adapter/space plate Plate has holes to match the series pedal box bolt pattern. Holes in the plate were tapped as the part of the servo that bolts to the plate doesn't leave room for bolt heads or nuts to poke through.
Bolts up nicely! just need to disassemble everything and paint the adapter/spacer plate, apply some liquid gasket stuff between the parts and its good to go!!\

I got it mounted and all looks good! I have a snorkle plate on the wing top on that size which will need a trim of about an 1 inch x 3 inches.
I'm also going to have to re-work my air intake to the snorkle. Its going to have to go through the mudguard and back into the engine compartment through the inner fender. I was also told it was possible to replace the series inner fender with a defender one, but for the sake punching a couple of holes in the current body work I wont be looking into that unless i can find an defender inner fender pretty cheap and close by.

Finally got around to finishing this part of the project.. Or at least mostly.
I've got the discovery rear seats mounted up. 60/40 split and they tip forward for extra space in the back or access to the jumpseats if I get them.
Still need to get & mount seat belts as well as mount the latch that holds the seat backs in place. Also need to add a couple of feet or bumpers to the other side (and redo the foot from the installed side which I somehow made an inch short :( ) and it's good to go!
And just for cosmetics, at some point I'll do something to finish off the side of the construct that holds the seat frame.

Wow. Been a while since I updated this...
I took a bit of a break after fighting with the drivelines and transfer case position.
Early on I discounted the idea of keeping the transmission in Stock location but with a fresh look at it, I realized it would be less problematic to mess with options at the front end in order to make room for the engine to stay forward.

Ended up getting a new radiator and fit would have been better if the tanks weren't so thick but I did manage to cram everything in. I had to get a super thin cooling fan from cooling components Inc, as well as some (cheap) led headlights to save room behind the grill. I also had to switch to a remote electric water pump.

Looks like it's a go though. All bolted in place.

I haven't posted anything in ages... Mostly because i haven't accomplished much. Mostly screwing around and avoiding wiring!
Finally forced myself to get the ECU, fuse box and ascociated wiring installed.
Maybe not the cleanest install but I'm a bit out of my depth so just hoping for the best.

Looking good!

I agree with Jake. Looking good.

Hmmm. Although I wonder how you plan on getting at the fuse box once the wings are installed.

M

There is a panel on that wing for a snorkel. Not sure if ill use the snorkel or not but will have a panel regardless

Buttoned up the rest of the wiring today and put a battery to test. Promising so far. All the lights work as they should. Got all the loose wires figured out and labelled. EHPS pump mounted and wired but needs to come back out for engine install.

Tested out the electrohydraulic power steering pump today. Seems to work well. No leaks in the hoses i assembled so thats good.
I'm not familiar with the feel of regular rover power steering but it turns the 8.25 r16 xzls with minimal effort.
Makes a bit of a whirr but i dont think it will be audible over engine and rover noise from within the cab.

Good progress! You have to be comfortable when your bouncing about in the mountains :bounce:

The brown seats look like Range Rover Classic to me. I remember when this vehicle was originally getting built it evolved from a RRC and a Series 109 so its all Land Rover as far as I know :blackeye:

Keep up the good work
-Andy

Been working on a shifter for the auto trans. The stock shifter for the transmission is too big and bulky and will require a full custom center console.
I repurposed a cable driven transfer hi/low shifter to actuate the shift lever on the transmission. This should fit in the existing transmission shifter opening.
I had to cut back the cable sheathing slightly and make a custom linkage to the shift lever to gain the required range of motion to hit all the gears.
There is no lockout to stop shifting from drive to reverse so I added a spring loaded lateral movement and will make a shift plate to offset the reverse and park positions from the D, 3,2, and 1 positions.
Im still batting around how to set up a gear indicator. Maybe some sorts of contact switches?

I like your shifter solution. I did something a bit different on my build, but with the same transmission indicator issue. I’m likely going to go with a 2-1/6” round gauge/PRND321 indicator from Autometer.

https://www.autometer.com/catalogsearch ... e=products

Looks like it will work, not look too out of place in the dash, and has other functions I can use.

M

Yeah i looked at that one... Maybe in the future as i have 3 dash holes to fill... Its a bit pricey for my dwindling funds right now

Mocked up the transmission tunnel with shifter installed.
Only possible fouling between the two shifters is in D1 and transfer case locked and high, though im not sure i have the transfer case linkage quite right..
Anyway.. Fairly promising for minimal expense

Mounting the zf4hp22 shifter to the transfer case shifter support was too flimsy so i redid it to mount to the transmission tunnel.
Im trying to decide how to finish it off neatly.
I mocked up a rough coverplate for the trans tunnel hole thinking of securing shift boots to each lever to that plate.

Would still like some visual cue as to transmision gear selection. I've incorporated a simple shift gate to bar slipping into reverse from drive and visa versa. Selecting the correct drive gear may take a bit of finesse as the lever positions are quite close together, too close to incorporate a more complex shift gate.

Thoughts?