Range Rover gearbox into a Series Landy?

First thing first. Does it have the heavy-duty salisbury rear axle? It ought to but you can sometimes never be sure with a landy that may have been a "bitsa". If not, I'd seriously reconsider doing a lot of towing with it.

You can drop the complete engine and box in (easier with body off the chassis for a major conversion like that, as you can lower it into place in a one-er) but you then have 3 issues.

First, the 'box is longer and the handbrake drum may well foul the small chassis crossmember behind the gearbox. Not a major problem, just cut it out and re-weld it where you can! (You'll only be moving it rearwards by about 5 or 6" max.)

Second, the propshafts will need sorting as they'll all be different lengths, and the handbrake linkage will be different.

Thirdly, someone will be along soon to tell you that you need a stage-one v8 front axle as it has cv's in it - to allow for the fact that it will now be permanent 4-wheel drive. Rubbish! It'll work fine with the std front axle, although you may feel the steering "kicking" slightly at low speed/full lock.

All things considered, it may be a better option (assuming the gearbox fitted is a good one) just to get the correct adapter plate and fit the engine. No mucking about with props, the speedo cable will still fit (and indicate correctly!) and no hacking/welding of chassis crossmembers. As you say, you can always sell on the bits you don't use.

Hey, you could crop all the outriggers off the rangie chassis, remove the (no doubt) rusty rear crossmember, weld on a set of landrover outriggers and crossmember and cut the landrover body tub down to 100" and build a coil-sprung hybrid...... I'll get my coat! Badger.

Yes. And new looking leaf springs all round.

The pickup back's already off, so there's not an awful lot to remove.

Except that mine has free-wheeling hubs, so I'd have to flog them and fit standard ones.

Yes, I'm gradually coming to the same conclusion. It means I can keep my overdrive too (assuming it works). The only place I've found on t'web selling conversion plates for the Pug are charging 495 quid, which is well out of my league unless I can flog the existing one for loadsamoney or persuade them to do a swap. At which point I start thinking I may as well just sell the engine + conversion on eBay and buy an NA engine from a 90 instead.

This is just sooo tempting! It'd need some serious subterfuge to avoid losing the tax exempt status of the Landie, but it wouldn't be the first time that's been done.

->Except that mine has free-wheeling hubs, so I'd have to flog them and

->fit standard ones.

No you don't, just keep them locked, unlock them when parked in a dodgey area ;-)

->the existing one for loadsamoney or persuade them to do a swap. At which

->point I start thinking I may as well just sell the engine + conversion

->on eBay and buy an NA engine from a 90 instead.

Has sir driven a NA90 ?

Doh! Why didn't I think of that?

unlock them when parked in a dodgey area

And then forget to lock them again...

Not knowingly, though a Land Rover we had at work once may have been one. Bit sluggish are they? I'm not planning on doing any motorway mileage, so thought I could live with a plodder. As long as it can haul a car trailer reliably and without costing 30 quid in fuel every time I start the engine, I'll be happy. I think.

->Not knowingly, though a Land Rover we had at work once may have been

->one. Bit sluggish are they? I'm not planning on doing any motorway

->mileage, so thought I could live with a plodder. As long as it can haul

->a car trailer reliably and without costing 30 quid in fuel every time I

->start the engine, I'll be happy. I think.

They are both sluggish and thirsty, the ideal engine is a 2 or 300 TDi but they are not cheap, Diesel from a Transit or V8 ?

Hmmmm... methinks you'd be unhappy. My 110 (ok, so it's slightly heavier than a 109) had a NA(naturally Asthmatic)2.5 in it and it was a complete gutless wonder, struggled on hills when empty, top speed of around 65ish on the flat and only did 22mpg due to getting thrashed everywhere. Cured by fitting a 4.7 V8 and autobox!! On LPG of course! Badger.

Ah, sluggish _and_ thirsty would be a problem! I was contemplating a Transit engine as they're so easy to come by. That's the main thing that worries me about the Peugeot lump. If I paid for a proper adapter plate and then the engine went bang, would I struggle to find a replacement?

I'm told that a 2 or 300 TDi would be hard to fit to a Series Landy, but can't remember what reasons were given...

Thanks again. That's certainly one to avoid then! I do have a V8 sitting in the garage, but it's a bit of an unkown quantity and would still need an adapter plate. I've also been offered another for 100 quid as a complete comversion, so LPG could be an option. Decisions, decisions...

No-brainer in my humble opinion. The sound and performance of a V8 versus the rattling, slow disiesel........ Oh, and of course the cheap-as-chips parts prices for the V8 engine as well. Got to have the LPG though, or it'll frighten your wallet in the same way that a P38 rangerover's electrics does! Having said that though, a V8 might frighten your gearbox - they have an uncanny knack of destroying layshafts if the power is fully unleashed, especially in low range! Badger.

Why on earth would you? Put the Landie body on the Rangie chassis.

Or just save a _lot_ of trouble and drive the Rangie as it is (or pickuped, which is dead easy).

The reason I'm getting the Rangie for 150 quid, is because there's not a lot of chassis left. Not according to the fellow working at the garage, that is - the nettles surrounding it were to vicious for me to look for myself.

But then I'd have to pay road tax. And the Landy's already a pickup. Mind you. it now looks as though the Rangie's going to be surplus to my requirements anyway, so I could well end up turning it into chopped down bob-tail thingie.

Funny how these things go, I've just heard of a friend of a friend with a Transit engine for sale complete with coversion kit at a price I can afford. So I'll go for that. May as well buy the Rangey too for a bit of fun as long as I can hear its engine running before I bid. Thanks all for your advice.

->But then I'd have to pay road tax. And the Landy's already a pickup.

->Mind you. it now looks as though the Rangie's going to be surplus to my

->requirements anyway, so I could well end up turning it into chopped down

->bob-tail thingie.

Provided the rear part of the chassis is not rotted out !

A bob-tailed Rangie loses door frame, the most rot-prone part of the whole thing.

You can also take Rangie running gear, an old tax-free Landie shell, buy a brand new hybrid chassis for not a huge amount and register the thing legitimately as an old and still tax-free Landie with a repaired chassis.

->->

->>Provided the rear part of the chassis is not rotted out !

->

->A bob-tailed Rangie loses door frame, the most rot-prone part of the

->whole thing.

That depends on the bob, mine both retain the rear doors, the real rot is usually from the rear sping mounts back, all the oil leaks will have protected the front ;-)

Given the choice I'd probably start with a 2 door (old doorhandles) and make a ragtop pickup.

Now to shorten the tail overhang usefully you have to remove (or at least replace) the rear crossmember of the chassis and the frame of the tailgate frame. You've also got two tailgates, both of which are rusted to pieces.

So I'd probably go for something brutal but effective involving the old lower door on entirely new hinges, hung on a new crossmember fabricated up and welded directly to the chassis. Ditch the troublesome old frame and make sure its replacement doesn't dangle as low.

->->

->>->>Provided the rear part of the chassis is not rotted out !

->>->

->>->A bob-tailed Rangie loses door frame, the most rot-prone part of the

->>->whole thing.

->>

->>That depends on the bob, mine both retain the rear doors, the real rot is

->>usually from the rear sping mounts back, all the oil leaks will have protected

->>the front ;-)

->

->Given the choice I'd probably start with a 2 door (old doorhandles) and

->make a ragtop pickup.

Each to their own, I prefer the hard top, keeps the original lines and still has four seats.

It's going to be another week until I get the Range Rover that started this thread, so I'll hold off on any decisions for a while. Until checking via Google, I seem to have been under a misapprehension about quite what comprised a Bobtail. I'd assumed they were bare bones machines using the minimum of the original bodywork - which is what I'd want if I keep it in a useable (though perhaps not road-legal) form. I scrapped a Rangie last year and was staggered just how unnecessarily heavy they are, so would be looking to lose a ton if possible. Keeping the original doors, seats, etc., would make that impossible.

->Geoff wrote:

->It's going to be another week until I get the Range Rover that started

->this thread, so I'll hold off on any decisions for a while. Until

->checking via Google, I seem to have been under a misapprehension about

->quite what comprised a Bobtail. I'd assumed they were bare bones

->machines using the minimum of the original bodywork - which is what I'd

I suspect you are thinking of a hybrid, a bobtail is basicly chopping the arse off to make either a pickup or a Range Rover with no boot.

->want if I keep it in a useable (though perhaps not road-legal) form.

->I scrapped a Rangie last year and was staggered just how unnecessarily

->heavy they are, so would be looking to lose a ton if possible. Keeping

->the original doors, seats, etc., would make that impossible.

Just taking the doors off will save you about a ton !