how have you even neared $10k??
including the cost of engine, kit, fluids and extra parts I accidentally ordered I’m still well below $5k in total cost.

 

I have not done the swap, I was just going off of what Greg had mentioned.

 

It's certainly disappointing that Ace is shutting down but I understand his reasoning behind it.
I would be very interested in continuing this process with a core group of people as I am already invested ~$4k.
Disco, LS and ECU (from Speartech) have already been purchased and are in my garage.

If anyone has a kit and is looking to sell it as Ace is shutting down please reach out to me.
I'd love to finish this swap instead of putting in a diesel or a 4.6.

 

I'm sorry, I'm including a $3500 of a vehicle and I opted for a aluminum block which besides being a few hundred more to start with, demands quite a few other parts be sourced. The point is for that kinda total cost, I'd simply choose a Jeep wrangler. ha

 

I'm assuming you're not complete though.... I imagine you'll be over that before you're done, unless you went with a LM7 that happens to be within the preferred year range.

 

ahhh, that makes much more sense lol. I bought a running but slipped liner Disco in good condition otherwise for $1500. And yeah, the aluminum blocks run 4-500 more in my area

 

yeah, all complete and running. Including the cost of a true dual exhaust for $700. And yes, I did use the LM7 block. Even went through and replaced oil pump, water pump and all new gaskets of course.
Just didn’t want people to be scared away from the swap by a $10k number figure as it can be done properly for significantly less (with the swap kit of course)

 

yea but a running disco is soooo much better than wrangler in all situations minus serious crawling and even then the disco does a better job than one might think. I'm also not biased at all

 

It doesn't take bias to know that a Wrangle is NOT a Disco nor ever will be. They're just two different vehicles entirely.

I think what some dont appreciate (which is fine) is that you cant replace a Disco 2 with a modern equivalent. So if you have a really nice D2 but the engine is shot, what modern equivalent are you going to buy for the same price as a swap?
There is nothing.........
Everything mechanical outside of the motor is very well overbuilt and durable. The room inside for a vehicle that has an overall size that it does is incredibly nice. Theres no fluffy wasted space inside like a modern SUV.

 

I have taken a further look at the articulation and tested it with a jack. This test is not perfect and obviously does not represent all off-road conditions or consider all factors that would only be present at speed, but shows that after a 2-inch lift this does not appear to be a major issue.

I have two LS Discovery’s to test. Both had an earlier, prototype version of the kit, so there are some differences. Both trucks had aluminum-block LM4 engines and 2” medium duty Old Man Emu lifts. One also is equipped with a significant amount of extra gear including a metal front bumper, winch, roof rack, roof tent, and other offroad gear (which is sagging in the front slightly after the conversion and probably should have a heavy duty lift kit installed). Both have 31.5 in tires.

In addition, I was able to use one bone-stock 2003 Discovery with stock suspension, stock tire size, and stock 4.6 engine. With all the trucks, I lifted the passenger side of the front axle until the drivers-side wheel also came off the ground. Since the other wheel was lifting, I figured that was about as much as the axle would flex without disconnecting the sway bars and other modifications, unless the weight was shifted forward, or other circumstances. I looked at the bumpstops, and clearance from the driveshaft to the bellhousing.

On all the Discovery’s (even the stock one), the driver’s side tire lifted off before the axle hit the bumpstop. I tried to take some pictures, but the lighting wasn’t great.

On the 2003 factory setup (at liftoff of driver’s wheel):



On the LS Disco with lift:



During the test, even without clearancing, on the LS Discos the driveshaft was not contacting the bellhousing or adapter and had a small amount of room (can be seen in background of the second photo above). Both the LS trucks responded similarly. The factory spring compresses a bit more than the Old Man Emu, as expected. The two setups seemed to have similar amounts of flex before the driver's wheel lifted off (maybe a little more with OME lift). Also, the driveshaft does not seem to move all that much despite the axle flex.

That being said, I can see how some people may want more room around the driveshaft or to extend the bumpstop if they are concerned. As shown in the photo above, there is a lot of metal in that area of the adapter and bellhousing that can be ground down or cut off.

Therefore, I cut one of the bellhousings as shown in the picture below. This was way more than I probably needed to cut or grind, but it should give plenty of room and I could have taken off more. A custom driveshaft would allow for even more room.



Again, this was just a test and is going to vary depending on vehicle, engine, suspension setup. I'd suggest to take a look at everything before offroading with the LS. I may look further at results with Terrafirma lifts and the Tom Woods driveshafts. If someone has a better idea to test the suspension setup, I’d be happy to try it. I wish I had a forklift or ramp – that would be the best tool for the job. I hope this helps clarify the concerns that some had.