Hello everyone, It has been a while since I have been on here. FAIR WARNING: This will be a fairly long first post.... I own a 2003 Disco II that was my first car. I knew these motors had issues from the get go so it wasn't a huge surprise when I had a rod hanging out of my block the literal instant I hit 200k miles. I was thinking of just parting out the car as it was a gift from a family friend and the only money I had in it was mainly suspension and tires. I pulled this car out of a family friends yard, I could keep the car as long as I got it running. Well I did it was a really cool experience. I had a lot of attachment to this car, I couldn't bring myself to part it out or sell it so it sat at my grandfather in-law's shop for the past 2 or 3 years.
I read about engine swaps and was prepared to do an LS swap. Easy right? Many have done it and I liked that. I could just watch a YouTube video and do it myself. Well I want something that very few if any have.... So I went to a local junkyard that I frequent and talked to the owner about what engines he had. The goal was to get a long block for under $750. It had to be fairly reliable and have a decent amount of aftermarket support. We talked about 351's, 4BT Cummins motors, Toyota V8's and the 300 I6.
We settled on the 300. I looked through forums and couldn't find anyone that had done it. A lot of talk but no proof it had been done.
I bought one of the 300's he had, it was a industrial model that came out of a trailer mounted sprayer. Full engine with alternator bracket, alternator, power steering pump, and vacuum pump off a 80's F150. The motor will be backed by a 4 or 5 speed manual trans and a 4wd transfer case. I wanted to keep the AWD system but in the interest of keeping this simple and cheap for future people wanting to do this I will go with a standard 4x4 transfer case.
I will keep this thread very well updated as I go through the process of doing the swap. I will be making all custom parts myself and will post exact dimensions and "blue prints" for everything. I want this to be the cheaper, easier, and more reliable LS swap for the Discos.
This swap will take a decent amount of time but IT WILL BE DONE. I plan to have it done by the end of the year.
Right now my next step is to pull the whole front clip off the car. Pull the stock motor, trans, and transfer case. And get the new motor mached up in the engine bay.
The next post should be withing the next couple of weeks. Post any questions here please as it will defiantly help the next guy

 

Looking forward to watching your progress. Definitely an interesting pick. What transmission are you using, C4?

 

I'm not completely sure yet. I do know I want to go with a 4 or 5 speed manual. If I can get an adapter for an NV4500 I may use it. I pulled one out of a K30 I sold last year as the guy who bought it couldn't drive a manual. M5R2 is also an option I have looked at since it came in most of the trucks with a 300. But at the moment I think a NP435 with a NP205 transfer case is the way to go.

 

If you want overdrive it instead of the granny gear the ford RTS 4 speed overdrive is an option. It fits wherever an np435 fits and being an aluminum some 10" long transmission it will save you a good deal of the weight the I6 adds.


Came in 85 to 87 (iirc) f150 and full sized broncos matched to the i6, 5.0 and 5.8 engines in 2wd or 4wd.

Came in three different gear ratios with up to some 40% over drive. Very easy to gear swap the counter shaft and associated main shaft gears to complete the swap. Simple hand tools and good snap ring pliers are all you need to do a rebuild along with a cut off 1 inch broom handle or weed eater shaft to install counter shaft/needle bearings. No press needed.

My only gripe is they do not have an oil drain plug, one can be added during the very very easy tear down.


Advance adapters used to sell an adapter kit to match the ford RTS top loader overdrive to the land cruiser solid 3 speed transfer cases. If they still have the parts on the shelf that would give you rear passenger side drop and a true part time 4wd H/L transfer case. It would also allow your to retain a drum transfer case parking brake. A rear propeller shaped mount would need to be added to the back of the transfer case to allow mounting outside the original fj40 application.

The transmission weighs so little it can be picked up by the shifter handle once the transfer case is skid off.


The gear drop is pretty big on that transmission but then again so is the nv4500 and nearly every granny gear 4 speed I've driven. Not that bad V8 torque but will drive like and old pa pa truck with an I6.

 

My vote is the GM NV4500 if the length works. The early GM version had a really deep granny gear at 6.34:1, while still having a 0.73:1 overdrive. It's the perfect trans for a torque engine in my mind. It's a three speed + granny on the bottom and overdrive on the top. With a granny that deep even something shallow like an NP205 and factory ring and pinion gives you a respectable low range. And with 33's you should be at freeway speeds below 2k rpm.

 

I agree bullet. The NV4500 was an awesome trans in the C30 for the short time I owned it. The cool thing about this one is it has the factory PTO... Could put a hydraulic winch on the disco LOL.

 

If pto option is a make it break it for your swap the LC 3 speed case will also came with dealer optioned pto.

 

I tried to post this earlier but my hotspot wasn't working but anyway. I have pulled factory motor and trans, interior and some factory wiring. I am pulling some of the factory wiring because I am running an old school "drag" switch panel for ignition, starter, fans, and accessory lighting. I am going to reuse the factory turn signal switch for headlights and turn signals. I am 3d printing a new gauge bezel for the new cluster setup. I have also started working on mounting the engine and getting is centered and leveled. I will post pictures and file of everything in a week or two when I get back from vacation.

 

What's the status of this project? I'm very curious about how much room there is for the six inside the engine bay

 

I apologize for the major lack of posts but I figured if I was going to make a thread and try to teach (and learn) along the way I should just do it right instead of having to constantly go back to correct things I’ve said along the way that may contradict other posts.
I learned the hard way that there isn’t enough room whatsoever I’ve decided to go with a set of custom fenders since we had to cut then extend everything 5 inches forward. (5 inches wasn’t necessary only 3 inches was needed but i decided to extend my cage into the engine bay as well so I needed the room).Custom oil pan was a must which I also didn’t account for. I also had the terrible idea that in the middle of this project I was going to move an hour away and build my own shop lol. I’m going to get back to it in a couple of months but so far it has been a VERY long and difficult process. I am going to post a FULL parts list and all CAD files needed though when everything is done.