2.3Eco in a Disco

[piekas]

How does the total length of this package (front of cranshaft pulley to, say, PTO cover on LT230) compare to the stock V8 drivetrain?

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[Av8or1]

How does the total length of this package (front of cranshaft pulley to, say, PTO cover on LT230) compare to the stock V8 drivetrain?

Excellent question.

Transmission - same length
Adapter - 8"
Engine - 8" shorter.

The front of crank pulley will be in the exact same spot as the V8 and I will be re-using the factory mounting points for the LT230 Tcase.

 

[piekas]

That's great! So no change to driveshafts needed.

 

[Av8or1]

That's great! So no change to driveshafts needed.

I am going to upgrade the driveshafts due to the longer travel suspension, but yes I can use off the shelf Discovery upgrades.

 

[Av8or1]

Engine is in!... well mostly. I ran out of time today to finish this up. But since my last post I had to build a couple iterations of adapters to get the shift lever installed for the transfer case. I also had to reconfigure and mess with the linkage for a while due to updated geometry. But after that was done I enlisted my dad to give me a hand lifting the Tcase back into place. After that, I had to do one more adapter plate to go from the old transmission/frame mount to the Tcase adapter.

Since that was successful, I got the engine into the engine bay! Right now the only issue is getting the transmission splines to mate up with the transfer case splines. The alternator is in the way preventing the engine from being centered, and I'm still cautiously optimistic that the alternator will still clear when it's all snugged up in place. but this weekend I will pull it off to get the transmission mated, then hopefully still have enough room to squeeze the alternator back on.

Worst case I'll have to pull the A/C compressor and put the alternator over there.

 

[Glocker]

I love this project!

 

[rang19ca]

Looks like a bit of massaging might help or maybe a smaller alternator case? You are getting very close though.

 

[Av8or1]

That took longer than I would have liked, but on round 3, I finally got made a trasfercase frame mount adapter that worked. Now the engine is in. I can conclusively say the alternator will not fit, like it's close... but not nearly close enough to make it work. So I'll pull the A/C compressor and throw the alternator over there with another custom fabricated bracket, then get new belts.

The rest of the engine clearance looks like it was made for the rover, PLENTY of axle clearance and no other interference issues.

Next steps are to get my engine mounts fabricated and welded in.

 

[Doc]

I like the 2.3 Ecoboost too. Great engine with great potential. Just stay away from the 10R80!!!!

3 Rangers now a 19, 21 and now a 24..no 10r80 problems at all including the 19 with 388 ft lbs of torque…13.6 1/4 mile at 102 mph …

 

[Doc]

That took longer than I would have liked, but on round 3, I finally got made a trasfercase frame mount adapter that worked. Now the engine is in. I can conclusively say the alternator will not fit, like it's close... but not nearly close enough to make it work. So I'll pull the A/C compressor and throw the alternator over there with another custom fabricated bracket, then get new belts.

The rest of the engine clearance looks like it was made for the rover, PLENTY of axle clearance and no other interference issues.

Next steps are to get my engine mounts fabricated and welded in.

Cool !

 

[Dereku]

3 Rangers now a 19, 21 and now a 24..no 10r80 problems at all including the 19 with 388 ft lbs of torque…13.6 1/4 mile at 102 mph …

Clearly trade them in before they go boom!

 

[Av8or1]

I ran into a couple snags with the alternator relocation, the radiator is too close for a rear mount alternator, and repositioning to the AC compressor won't leave enough engagement of the serpentine belt on the water pump. So I ordered the blackbird P38 steering conversion kit, and got the necessary parts I'm missing. Luckily I found a steering gearbox locally for a very good price.

In good news, I have the engine frame mounts in from the lasercutting facility. I got them welded in and painted. Tonight I will have the engine in and torqued down, for what I fully intend to be the last time.

 

[Av8or1]

Alright, this will be my last post in this thread for the next 6–8 months. The engine is fully installed and torqued into the Rover. It was VERY satisfying to see the suspension squat as the rover finally took the weight of the engine. While I had the hoist up, I also took the opportunity to install my front winch bumper and spare tire. I’ve wrapped up the engine for storage, since it's now time to transition my hangar from being primarily a shop back into a hangar, as flight instructing season kicks off.

I met my one-year goal—just a couple of weeks shy of the anniversary of bringing the Rover home. The entire drivetrain is complete. The full axle, suspension, and steering rebuild is done, with Fox 2.0 reservoir shocks, air lockers, chromoly axle shafts, and a lift. The Ford engine, Ford transmission, and Land Rover transfer case are all bolted together in the vehicle. And piles of rust and other delinquent parts have been replaced while also custom building the beadlock wheel/tire set-up.

All of this was completed while having a baby and working two jobs (Engineer and flight instructor). It’s been a huge push, but now it’s time to take a breather and plan to get back to hooking up the engine this fall. I’ll probably still do a few small things over the summer—like getting the steering and alternator installed, and maybe adding more of the armor.

Year 2’s goal: get the thing running and moving under its own power.

If anyone that is looking to do this conversion stumbles across this, send me a message, I'll happily share CAD and any other lessons I've learned in the process.

 

[Glocker]

AV8OR1 GOING DARK!

Nice work man!

 

[Av8or1]

Back to our regularly scheduled program. I am working through the range rover steering box kit. The kit is kind of meh, the drag link is super wimpy so I'm going to machine an extension for my heavy duty terrafirma one, and for being a "kit" it's extremely involved and was pretty pricey. I think if I had to do it over I'd just find a way to make it work on my own. I got their panhard arm bracket installed, which required drilling holes through the frame and welding crush tubes in. Now I'm working to clearance the shock tower so the steering u-joint will clear. I have it cut away (Bluetooth spring perch), and the next step will be to weld it back up, then reassemble the steering system. After that, the alternator can go on.

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