After much research and deliberating, I’ve decided to ditch the 4.6 for a less needy power plant. Sadly like a dummy I purchased tophat liners before weighing out how easily I could get the work completed… the only local shop who said they’d do them quoted in the ballpark of $1500 to install, bore and hone the liners, deck the block and do cam bearings. Granted that isn’t a terrible price, but at the end of the day I’m still left with a decent but slightly lethargic engine which can leave you stranded at the drop of a hat when a sensor takes a dump. (Been there done that) I’ve considered the AC LS route, a td5 swap, pretty much all of the options and I’ve landed on a dodge 5.9 magnum. I realize the LS is a great engine, but as far as preference I come from a background working on mopar stuff and I’d rather deal with what I understand and enjoy. Also… on a budget. Can’t afford a drop in replacement 4.6 or honestly the easy kits.

All of that out of the way-
The factory transmission is ~ 26.75” from bellhousing to t-case. As far as automatic transmissions go, the factory zf is decent, but I’d rather bypass the factory computer as much as possible. Chrysler offered the 727/904 transmissions but they are a 3 speed and that isn’t on the menu. There are modern transmissions which are great, but require a ~ $600-1k controller to operate. This leaves the 46RH/A518. This can be run with very little wiring. The only hookups needed are for the lockup torque converter. The problem with this is the 4x4 case length is 31” before any adapters. A 4l80e (Chevy) would be a short enough length but now I would need to purchase a bellhousing and a controller and makes it cost prohibitive.
As far as manual transmissions go there are quite a few options. Right now the option which is in the lead is an AX-15/AR-5 as there is a factory bellhousing which bolts on and would work very well. Case length is 24” and I have seen a couple members who have modified the LT230 case to work. The only drawbacks I can find is the case is too wide for the LT230 to bolt on without modification, and the shifter placement is a few inches forward of the factory location. The NV4500 would be a great option with bolt on adapters available but the transmission alone is ~ 1k-1.5k and very heavy. The last option would be a factory r380. From what I understand it is a decent transmission which could be adapted to fit the new block, but has torque limitations.

Sorry for the dump of information but I’m open to any and all suggestions and comments. Also, wanted to post what I’ve found this far for anyone else who was interested in doing other swaps.

I already picked up a decent 5.9 magnum on marketplace for dirt cheap, and have many of the parts ready to setup the EFI (megasquirt, etc.) Did a frame swap a year ago and I have the old one available for mock-up before swapping in the new setup. Once I land on a final setup and things start moving I will start a build thread to track progress.

 

@Minty.Disco I suspect you are going to find this route not much cheaper than rebuilding the V8. There are as I recall, only 2 sensors that can leave you stranded, the CPS and cranks case sensor. Both are small and easy to replace and can be carried in truck as can a spare brake light switch. The tools to replace are small and easy to keep on board too.

Best of luck with it.

 

It's the little stuff that adds up quick. I bet there's $1k-2k in just "while I'm there" and other misc little parts on my LS swap.

If you can figure out the injection system then I could see any option besides the LS being viable. That's the allure of the LS. The computers and wiring aren't hard to find info on and there are still decent pull out engines. If you can overcome those with you 5.9 then you have something there.

 

What about an NV3500? Came in tons and tons of Dakota's and Ram 1500s. Plenty strong enough for a 5.9 in a D2 and relatively cheap because they're all over the place.

I agree that this is not going to be any cheaper than rebuilding the Rover v8, but I'm all in favor. Mopar small blocks are great motors and the likelihood of being stranded due to sensor failure leaves me likewise uneasy with the RV8.

Now, I'm not sure about transfer case compatibility between pre-93 and post-93 Dodge equipment, but the pre-93 Dodge transfer case is also passengers side drop like the lt230. NP208s are everywhere, dime a dozen, and also plenty strong for the D2 with a 5.9. Then you'd just have to have driveshafts adapted and reconfigure the shifter linkage setup.

I feel like that's a real possibility as you could get the NV3500 in a 1st gen as well, though not as commonly. Something to consider.

 

How are you planning on making the rest of the truck play nice w the BCU? Part of the allure of buying the LS kit is that it fools the BCU into thinking it's still running a Rover engine.

 

I'm going to be using a Mercedes diesel in my Disco conversion so there are a few elements questioned here I've thought of and many raise more questions than answers.

As far as the bcu goes, I plan to install a CDL switch. ABS braking should shill work fine but there's a chance the traction control will not. Will be nice to be able to engage 4wd when needed.

I'm not sure what other components the bcu controls. I'd like to find where the ECU for the Rover gets it's tach signal. Does the ECU get the feed from the engine and then feeds the cluster or vice versa. For me the main thing is the climate controls/stereo still work. I'd rather have 4wd engagement manually controlled anyway. If I really want to get serious I can add lockers later but lockers and 33s on a Rover mean you want to do repairs as much as you want to off road.

If I can figure out how to feed the tach signal to the ECU there are many companies out there that will enabled you to take the pickup signal from one engine and make it communicate properly with the other.

On my 4runner diesel swap I kept the VW gauge cluster because it was easier to make the Passat cluster read the Yota fuel gauge and for the speedometer I used a universal pick-up running off the drive shaft, an adjustable converter box got it dialed in closer than any lifted rig with 33s I've ever owned.

 

After taking a month or so to research and move further into this project, here’s where it stands.

I’ve torn the engine down and it seems like it’s in great shape. The cylinders have zero scoring and the factory crosshatch is just shy of perfect. I’m planning on replacing all of the gaskets, cleaning it up, and unless I find something terrible in the bottom end it will be a relatively simple factory rebuild.

I considered megasquirt and several other EFI systems, but none of them have any of the OBD emissions checks that many places require to pass inspection. My plan at this point is to utilize the factory computer from a late 90’s ram to run the engine and basically trick the factory computer into thinking the engine is still connected and running. The only thing I’ve yet to figure out is the cam position sensor. (As the cam runs at 1/2 the speed of the crank) The LR factory crank pattern is a 60-2 which is a common pattern and is available in a steel cutout to sandwich between the crank pulley and the harmonic balancer. I would just wire the harness with properly sized resistors to mimic the injectors, coils, etc. the MAF can be installed in the pre-throttle body intake tract as in the LS swap. To wire it so it doesn’t freak out and the dodge computer would actually be running the show would require the fuel pump relay and the “main relay” which I believe is equivocal to the auto shutdown relay typically found in other vehicles to the new engine wiring harness.

With the world as unstable as it is, even Ohio may start requiring the emissions checks again, and I don’t want to rework the entire EFI system if the winds of that realm change.

As for a transmission I’ve landed on the NV3550 out of a Jeep wrangler. More or less it is the internals of the NV3500 with a modular front end to accept different bellhousings, whereas the NV3500 had the front case and bellhousing as one. I purchased one as a core for cheap and plan on rebuilding. I also have a set of RHD pedals from England which just showed up today.

There was a Chevy 350 (LT) swap done on here a few years ago and that swap utilized a AX-15 but after researching I didn’t want to mess with driveline geometry, and the rear case of the NV3550 appears to not require clocking the LT230 to some weird angle to make it work.

Also, I am planning on purchasing the adapter the fore-mentioned swap used. There are several on the market, and all but one cost more than I paid for the truck. I understand people need to make a living and they make some beautiful parts, but their offerings don’t seem to have enough of a value proposition for me to splurge on them. The one I’m planning on using is the one offered by diesel conversion specialists. They have a good article about the different Dodge/Jeep transmissions and which ones will work the easiest. From what I measured the NV3550/Ax15 was 3 inches shorter than my autobox, and the adapter is about 2 inches. I may need to work with the mounting setup a bit but I should be able to retain the factory driveshafts (for now until I get some Tom Woods shafts made up)

I know this may not be to everyone’s taste, but the mopar small block and the Buick small block which was the rover v8 precursor are very similar, even to having the same firing order. Only my opinion, but I think it is fairly close to the original and will be much easier to source parts for As we plan on taking the truck on extended trips in the future.

As far as the BCU and such are concerned, from diving though the FSM the traction control should work even if the factory PCM(ECU) isn’t necessarily seeing an engine running as SLABS looks for the wheel sensor input and controls all of that. The only thing I can see being an issue is hill decent. That being said I will probably still need an ECU and BCU from a manual truck. From other manual swaps I’ve seen on here that seems to cure the dash of having the gear indicator and the associated errors. The real trick is going to be having to wire in the second OBD port as the two systems use a different standard for OBD diagnostics.

I will try to keep this updated and maybe throw up some pictures next time.

As always feel free to fire any comments or things you all may see that I may have overlooked.

 

Looking forward to seeing the continuation of this.

As for emissions, you shouldn't need to fool the Rover ECU... Won't need it at all in that regard. Since you're swapping the engine, you will be held to the emissions standard of the engine you swap in, not to the factory standard.

Now, I'm not 100% as far as SLABS and BCU if the ECU were removed. On one of my rigs I had the ECU and instrument cluster removed, all the door locks and windows still worked as normal, but of course I couldn't drive the truck to check ABS/Traction Control/etc.

I've got a similar swap planned with a TBI 305 Chevy into a Discovery 1, but of course there will be electrical differences. I plan to make up my own instrument cluster and be done with it. Actually plan the same in the two D2s I've got slated for LS swaps.

 

So, it’s been a while since I have posted on this thread. I have been busy with house work and now is the time to start getting down to business after taking the spring to purchase parts.

I did purchase the DCS adapter. The guys there are awesome and the adapter was top notch quality. Got to mock up the swap today to take some measurements. See pictures below. Have the old frame we swapped out two years ago for our reference.

Land Rover to Jeep/Dodge Transmission Adapter

I have most of the engine parts ordered and the build planned out. The bottom end is going to be stock (~9.0:1CR), I have new heads with pressed in valve seats, an air-gap intake manifold and a good torque cam (Howard’s cams .496” lift 209/217 duration at 0.050” and 112LSA). The guesstimate of what this should make with block hugger headers is right around ~345-350hp and 415-425tq. Perfect for a truck that I plan on actually using and not really caring about “peak” hp numbers.

The transmission I have is an NV3550 as previously stated. I tried to purchase a bellhousing out of a 3.9 Dakota with an AX-15 but alas everyone with one wants your firstborn, so I went out on a limb and purchased a bellhousing from a 2001-2004 Jeep KJ Liberty 3.7 manual. It fit perfect. You will hear on Mopar and Jeep forums that one bolt is off, and that is false. The center bolt hole at the very top is not cast in, but all of the bolts align and both dowels. This isn’t an issue because many mopar transmissions do not have this bolt hole (904,727). The biggest difference is you must use the 4.7/3.7 starter. You can’t run the 5.2/5.9 starter.

First step is to get the motor mounts figured out then after that we will build the engine, as the short block is far easier to wield without the iron heads on it.

Hopefully we will end up with a fairly reliable yet fun and capable truck with most of the weak points taken care of… (until I start snapping axles when we take it on the trails) All of the fun quirky Disco stuff without the heartbreaking tap tap of slipped liners.

I can go on for ages, but I will post pictures of where we are for now, and hopefully will have some more updates in the near future as we have time to work in the project.


Mock up for measurements

Liberty 3.7 bellhousing

Liberty 3.7 bellhousing

Dcs adapter to LT230

DCS Adapter to LT230

 

I had hoped to be finished at this point, but we are at least pretty close. Here are some pictures of where it stands.



Engine in place

Shifter location (in third gear) - will fab up new plate for tunnel cover and move high-low shifter. Will post pictures when complete.

Hope to have it running by the end of September. FYI I need to re-name the thread… definitely not as much of a budget build as I had hoped. Granted, most of the cost was in rebuilding the engine and transmission. The actual parts required aren’t that crazy expensive. If I had it to do over, I would definitely consider more heavily the ACE kit. There is something to not having to fix a ton of problems of your own making. Just hopeful that it will ready the truck for another 150k miles.