The engine in the prototype is making about 335 ft-lbs. An early LS1 is rated at between 350 and 365 ft-lbs, so it's really not that much more torque. We are putting a bigger cam for the engine in my off-road rig, so that will probably be approaching (if not exceeding) same torque as a stock LS1.

 

 

 

The website is up: www.lsdiscovery.com. The products are not visible right now, but there are some more pictures on there, as well as an FAQ section.

Right now, we are aiming for early December for non-emission kits. This is subject to change, but if everything continues to go well, I think December is feasible. Emission-ready kits should follow up a few months afterwards. I appreciate everyone's patience up to this point. I just want to make sure what we send out is reliable. We're mostly waiting on electronics at this point. Most of the other parts have been fabricated.

We just acquired a new '99 Disco 2 which should serve as a general walkthrough and 'budget build' example. Probably going to go with the 4.8 and the stock 4HP22 transmission.




Runs good, but sounds a bit like a lawnmower with an external head gasket leak.

 

 

 

This. I know alot of guys want 5.3 power, but there are a few of us that want that 4.8.

 

So my plan for the 4.8 budget build is to do basically everything myself, which should significantly save on cost.

Since we’re on a budget, we’re looking for the most complete engine we can find. Junkyards tend to take most of the accessories off the engines and sell those separately. They also charge for the ECU separately and cut the wiring harnesses. If you can find a junkyard that will give you a ‘drop-out package’, then perfect, but most in our area don’t do that. Therefore, our best options for finding an engine are Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Getting a whole engine complete with all accessories, starter, throttle body, intake, coils, ECU and wiring harness is best. There are deals to be found.

On Craigslist right now is a local listing for a 4.8 with all the accessories, the GM ECM, and wiring harness for $350. I'm probably going to go take a look at it this weekend and if it looks okay, buy it. The risk to this is I can't return it, but for the price, I'll do it.

Instead of buying a premade wiring harness, I'll modify a used GM LS engine harness. It is time consuming and tedious to modify, but it is not overly difficult. There's a lot of videos about it online -- I'll find some to post here. The premade harnesses are great and there are a number of companies that build them, but they can be the priciest part of a swap. Another budget option is to search Craigslist to see if any local people have harness modification services. There is a local guy here that will modify your GM harness for $300.

Once I've got the GM harness done, sending off the ECU to be flashed is no big deal and costs less than $100. After that, all you really need is our kit and a couple weekends to do the physical swap.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes. Should be a lot cheaper than buying a harness. The GM 4.8 has almost the exact power stats as the Rover 4.6 so it should be fairly easy what to expect power-wise. I also think the 4HP22 could handle the 4.8, since people swap the 4.6s in with the 4HP22 all the time. Should be a fun project.

 

 

Will this conversion kit fit the european version of the D2 V8? Mine is a 2003 4.0 but not sure about the auto box if it's 4H22 or 4HP24. I'm very interested in swapping the 4.0 with an LS.