Hey everyone, I want to buy a discovery 2 to Ls swap, I’ve always loved this platform but I don’t love the reliability/power.

does ACE still make swap kits or is there another company you guys recommend?

thanks!

 

Their website is still up. Call them up and talk.

Have you driven one much? It seems like lots of folks are down on the poor Rover 4.0, but it's issues are well known and avoidable. Inline thermostat, a quality head gasket job (possible including ARP studs), and a PCV valve update will give you a pretty solid engine for WAY less than the labor and cost of an LS refresh and swap kit.

When I bought mine the engine was a question mark as it came no keys or cats. I didn't get to hear it run so I had no idea what shape it was in. I assumed I was in it for a swap and even was searching Copart for a suitable GM product with an LC9 engine. I was (and still am) happy with the LC9 in my suburban and figured having the same engine means less to learn.

In the end I am so far very happy to stick with the 4.0. It was in good shape other than needing cats and a MAF. I still have the inline thermostat mod to do, but best I can tell the head gasket was recently changed before it was abandoned. And power wise it drives about like my Suburban. Makes sense. The LC9 is 1/3 larger engine and the LT1500 4WD is a 1/3 heavier vehicle.

Fuel economy could be better, but in reality it is about what ought to be expected from a 4.0 V8 in a 4,500 lb car. It is better than my suburban by about 2-3 mpg in like for like comparison. Looking at Fuelly.com data that seems to hold for most drivers. A 5.3 swapped Disco probably will be a little worse in daily, and a lot worse if I were to actually use a 5.3's power. And when looking at the 4.0 from torque/liter perspective, it actually outperforms an LC9. It doesn't rev as well so horsepower is off, but torque is pretty good. And rev's aren't the best off-road if you have the right gears, which the disco mostly does.

One final consideration; The rest of the Disco 2 drivetrain is overbuilt for the Rover 4.0. You don't hear of a lot of guys here fixing U-joints, axles, t-cases or transmissions that died from anything but neglect/age. That is mostly because you don't see a bunch of guys here running 37's with an LS. I don't think the added 80 lb-ft of torque is going to grenade your diffs. But it is pretty easy to take a Gen IV 5.3 to 450 lb-ft, and an added 200 lb-ft is going to show you weaknesses and opportunities to stimulate the economy.

If you find a engine-less Disco 2 in good shape I would love to see it with an LS rather than in the scrap heap. But if you find a runner I would suggest you live with it with an open mind before dumping the 4.0 V8. You might find there are better places to smiles per mile from you dollars than an engine swap.

All that said, ACE was going to be my choice if I had gone ahead with an LS swap. Others can add their 2¢.

 

Hi,
I'm in the middle of my ACE swap, this is my 5th Land rover I've had 2 classics and 3 discovery's. it is not hard finding one with engine issues. Everyone I have seen has head gasket or liner issues.

 

exactly and if they don’t people want outrageous amounts for them. I saw a 2004 Disco here in AZ that needed the head gaskets done and they want $4500. That’s ridiculous.

I found one in bad shape mechanically for $1500, and I’d much prefer the reliability of an LS over the Land Rover engine. Only problem is I sent an email to ACE and they responded “Thank you for your interest in our D2 kits. Due to rising coast and
supply chain issues kits are no longer available, you should look
elsewhere for your Discovery 2 needs.

This email is monitored for questions by customers who have purchased kits.

Sincerely,”

so this is pretty much as straightforward as it gets they’re not making kits anymore.

 

 

what is this?

 

Also, not to butt in or sidetrack...but...you might wanna research the BMW M57 swap, has some pretty big advantages over the LS...primarily reliability, and huge torque numbers. Just a thought...

 

I'm not sure what the issue with ACE is, I'm guessing they are backlogged and/or just dealing with builders and shops now. Took about 6 months to receive my kit. Most of it was very straight forward but I would not recommend it for a novice. Good Luck.

 

I would guess they had some dependencies on computer parts that are still not available to the aftermarket post COVID. And they probably aren't working hard to come back to this as they have replaced the revenue stream with something else.

 

Ace is the only off the shelf kits you can get

BUT they are not the only company that has done this and there is a shop in Cali that told me he would sell his kit he developed for customer builds…not sure about price and I gotta dig up his info cause I met him 2 years ago in Moab

when this engine goes in mine, I’ll probably buy the ace kit

I would like to see a 4.4 from lr3 swap though. Not sure why no one has done it.