Potato potaato.....

 

well there is wear on the cam so now i can add lifters, cam and pushrods to the list of parts to replace and added to that will be the timing chain and gear so there will not be many old parts left

 

dont forget rockers and shafts

 

Sounds like you are on the right track. I probably would 't touch the cylinder walls if they look good. The honing needs to be done at a certain angle. You might call to the local Land Rover service department and see what local machine shop they send their stuff out to ...then go to that shop and talk to the rebuilder or machinist there.

Other thoughts:

Heads - The heads are the 'lungs' of an engine. The better they function the more efficiently your engine will run. Who knows what, if anything, was done to them? A good 3-angle valve job is vital. Now that you have taken it down to this far, why not invest some money in the most critical part of the engine and have them cleaned and inspected? I always do when I have heads off an engine. At the very least, have the guides checked and seals replaced.
Oil passages - Be real sure you clean them with solvent and a brush and compressed air. I know a guy who looks a lot like me, who had a buddy 'rebuild' an engine for him once and skipped one vital step. Guess which one? We found out after about 20 minutes of running. Or should I say not running after the bearings loaded up with crap!
Water pump - My L/R water pump went at 145k miles. I'd consider replacing while it's on the engine stand.
Viscus fan clutch - Again, mine went at about 135k miles. They often lock up. It's easy enough to replace later that you could wait till it does go bad.
Lower radiator hose - Hmmm, the lower radiator hose for a L/R V8 is kind of expensive but I have a story about a guy I know really well (...foot tapping), this guy got an 'opportunity' shall we say ...to straighten and redo the head of a newly rebuilt Toyota 22R because the lower radiator was crap and this certain guy actually knew it but wanted to hurry the job along and save a couple bucks. (Dang, I knew that SOB was weak too!!). That $15 radiator hose cost me $450 and a crapload of time!
Alternator - look in the back of the alternator with a flashlight (um ...torch, battery operated of course) and see if you can see the condition of the brushes and armature. You could extend the life of your alternator a lot by just replacing worn brushes. A slightly worn commutator can be trued up pretty easily on a small lathe or even in a slow drill press and a wide file. Easy to do later too.
Belt - Be carefull to quadruple check you have routed it correctly when you reinstall the motor -- a lot of people route it incorrectly and have problems that make them scratch their heads for weeks. (and not because of dandruff)
Radiator - What's the radiator look like inside? Might consider removing and cleaning ...even if you just put cleaner in it and shake the heck out of it could help a lot. Use filtered (not distilled) water when you put coolant back in. No tap water.
Oil pump - What are you going to do there?
Oil filter - Please don't tell me you are going to put a FRAM filter on it when you go to start it up??
Transmission torque converter seal - You shouldn't need to touch it, but if you happen to think you dinked it up in the process of removing the engine, NOW would be the time to replace. When they leak (and I've had it happen), the go 'whooosh' and blow fluid all over the place in a hurry. Makes for a bad day.
Power Steering Hoses - They're notorious for leaking on Discoverys. Might check yours and weigh what they look like. I need to replace mine one of these days.
Starter - If your rear main was leaking, it probably means your starter was working in an oil bath. It's easier to take apart and degrease now than to be stuck along the road in a couple months.
O2 Sensors - If you have a bottomless wallet, new O2 sensors can have a positive impact on performance. Their days are numbered given the miles. Easy to replace with the motor out but can do it later of course too.
Clear Computer - What's the proceedure?... leave the batt unhooked and leave the key on, or hold the pos/neg batt cables together (unhooked from the battery of course). So when you go to restart, you're starting fresh.

I know it's getting expensive. Not trying to flood you. Just throwing out ideas of things to check.

 

heads have been taken to the expert for re seating etc
water pump has recently been changed
will be getting a new lower radiator hose to hard to change later and it doesn't look that good
radiator and fan clutch can be done later as you can get at them
oil pump???
oil filter was just going to put on a new one and then change it and oil in 1000k (600 miles)
torque converter was not removed and no sign of oil leaks so hopefully ok
power steering hoses and heater hoses will get changed if the look like they need it
starter ? hadn't thought about it but it is hard to get at so will have to at least look at it
o2 sensors well i don't have a bottomless wallet so no change there unless a problem arises.
alternator looks good and is easy to get at so no change there

what do you guys think about extractors any thing to be gained is it worth getting some?

 

If you're going to replace the rear main anyway, there is no problem pulling the cap and replacing the crucifix seals. The guys that suggest not replacing the crucifix seals are saying that you will disturb the rear main seal, which rarely is the leak. So if you're going all in, you might as well replace them.

Or at least that is the way I interpreted the advice when I've seen it given.

 

who's idea was it to look at the starter motor which seemed to be working fine? on removing the main body to check for oil inside the plastic part which is inside fell into about 100 pieces so its off to the auto electrician to see what he makes of it


the question now will be can we get new parts for it

 

not sure which the crucifix seals are

 

Is this the part (back of the solenoid??
Starter Solenoid Landrover Defender 110 90 Discovery Rang Rover 3 9 4 0 4 6 | eBay

What did the brushes and commutator look like?

I've got to take mine off and have a look at it. Starting to act funny.

 

Could you please explain this? If the rear main is "rarely" the leak, what is USUALLY the leak? Are you saying the leak is usually the Crucifix seals, not the rear main??

Thanks