I'm new here and wanted to thank this site for so much valuable information. I don't want to bore anyone, but I'm starting at the beginning. I went with my parents to the Auto Show in 1994 so my mom could look at Pontiac Grand Am's. And there, I fell in love with the Discovery. As a 15 year old, I knew someday that I would have that vehicle. It took 21 years, and 15 more vehicles before a Facebook post brought me my childhood dream vehicle. I've now owned a 2004 Land Rover Discovery SE7 for three years. I bought it from a doctor who bought it new, and had the engine completely rebuilt, new heads, cam, computer, every sensor, exhaust, ect. at 110k. Over $12k after totalling all receipts, and he said, "Get this thing out of my sight for $4k." A no brainer I thought with 113k miles on it. Check engine light on as I drove it home, sputtering every once in a while. These threads walked me through everything that i had for problems and it helped and ran better. But the check engine light never went out and no Autozone/ O'reilleys OBD reader could ever read the computer. Needless to say, I was getting pretty fed up with a missing, hesitating engine and didn't really have any other option. After two years of fighting and chasing problems I bought an adapter on Ebay from Montana that would couple the Land Rover transfer case to an NV3500/4500 transmission. Exactly 1 year ago yesterday, now, the damn thing wouldn't start so I started ripping. I took each piece of everything apart looking for an answer to my woes. I removed the aluminum bracket that holds the A/C pump and "Eureka", the dumb coax type cable going to the knock sensor was sandwiched in between the block and the bracket. At that point, I had to stop and seriously think about how far that I should go. I wasn't past the point of no return. It didn't take long,(I'm not an angry person), but, this thing is going to become reliable. I pulled an engine out of a '99 chevy suburban and freshened it up. I should also say that I'm not a mechanic but a lowly electrician. I had owned a '91 Jeep Wrangler and loved it too, so with internet research, an AX-15 transmission had the same bolt pattern as an NV3500/4500 so I bought a new one from quadratech. It didn't really fit. I had to sand down the transfer case with a 4"angle grinder and reclock the adapter holes. Advance adapters kit to couple the AX-15 to the L31 Chevy block. With that combo, everything lined up, (shifter is in the center console, distributor isn't in the firewall). I found a clutch pedal from a Disco 1 right drive on England Ebay. That was the worst part to source. My motor mounts are homemade out of a 1940 ford flathead. The radiator is for an '84 Blazer 2 with a V-8 conversion and electric fans (fit perfect). The '99 350 has a Holley 650 cfm carb instead of the EFI. Block hugger headers with no cats out to a single 3". 300ish hp and custom gauges with the the best part, no check engine light. Antilock brakes still work, climate control, windows, everything electric but cruise control.

350 mated to a Jeep AX-15

I have a video of the first start but it's too big for what the site allows. I have 2405 miles on it now. Its a head turner. Pure stock on the outside. Sleeper. It's kind of loud, though.

Getting all pinion angles were a pain. The transfer case stayed where it was at(clocked down on pass side). I have both factory drive shafts.

Pure reliability now.

 

Installing diesel engine in my 2004 Discovery. I'm using the same adapter on my transfer case that you used. I could not see where I could modify the transfer case at all. There were bolts in the way of clocking the transfer case in the clockwise position. I re clocked in the counter cw position and now I have to modify the floor and passenger side frame rail to get clearance and maintain centered drive line. Curious how yours fit. Did you take any pics of the procedure?

 

Awesome! One day, I’d like to do something like this. One day...

 

I'm partial to keeping things rover as long as possible but I love this frankendisco build! Nice and clean. Please post some pics of underside engine mounts and frame rails and tranny/transfer case.

As for video, upload it to youtube and add link in your thread.....

 

Thats a ****load of cabinets in that garage

 

Maybe it's his kitchen. That's where I do all my builds....