How are the brakes getting that tank to move so fast? I added the crower cam and ported my heads and exhaust on my 4.0 liter and she moves much faster. I cross drilled my rotors and use ceramic pads but feel that they are still inadequate for the vehicle of this size and weight. They stop much, much better but the disco is heavy. How are your brakes and do you plan on upgrading or frankensteining from another car?

 

Haven't really had time to even think about brakes. I don't have any plans for a swap right now, but I do need a parking brake setup. May need to replace the rear calipers with something that has built in parking brake provision.
Just cause the truck will go faster, doesn't mean you have to.
Lots more low end torque is the big benefit reaped from an LS motor.

 

Shade Tree, this is a great thread. I am picking up a D2 soon and I am looking to go the gen III SBC route also. I will be looking for a 4.8/5.3 all-aluminum motor also, if nothing else, but to demonstrate what a proper aluminum V8 runs like, plus the weight should pretty much be the same so less concerns about springs and shocks. I am planning to adapt the LS motor to the ZF transmission, like the guy who did the Gen II SBC conversion. I don't know if I would try getting the rover computers to run the chevy engine though. Who knows.

 

Good Luck! That will be huge step in the right direction to make the Rover Transmission and transfer case work behind the LSX motor.


1. I Suggest you try to locate the motor mounts so that the transfer case (and transmission) stay put right where the are now. This may require an electric fan setup. It will be way easier to move the radiator than all that other stuff. May also require a LS1 intake, at the expense of some low end torque. I am using the truck (high rise) intake.


2. I would strongly suggest NOT trying to use the Bosch computer to run any LS motor, unless you want to keep having random trouble codes set off when you turn left with your right blinker on or go up a hill with HD turned on. (You get the idea...codes popping for no real reason other than to let you know the Rover is your master and you WILL yield to it's every whim)


3. If you are going to use the Rover transmission, then DO NOT permanently remove any wires when you take out the engine. Lots of stuff is tied to the transmission in ways you would not believe. You will probably need to trick the computers into thinking the 4.0 engine is still hooked up.


4. I do not remember if GM made a 4.8 Liter all aluminum motor, I don't think so but I will have to check on that.


5. You have a great advantage over me in that I have plowed the new ground ahead of you. I hope I have made you aware (in this thread) of some of the problems you will encounter, and roads not to take.


6. I never found an adapter plate to mount the ZF to the LSX motor. Maybe there is one available now or soon, if not you will need to be cozy with a good machine shop. You also need a hybrid flexplate/Torque Converter setup.


Let us know how it goes!

 

could you simply use a line-lock as an emergency brake?
i see several new cars advertise electric emergency brakes, same thing.

 

I have no idea if that would work, but it sounds like a super idea!
Thanks for the idea, I will research it some. Kinda sounds like something drag racers would use (line lock on front calipers). Add in some "Shade Tree Magic" and another problem solved.

 

exactly use on the front or the rear,

 

1. I Suggest you try to locate the motor mounts so that the transfer case (and transmission) stay put right where the are now. This may require an electric fan setup. It will be way easier to move the radiator than all that other stuff. May also require a LS1 intake, at the expense of some low end torque. I am using the truck (high rise) intake.

That is the plan. I will try to get the silverado fans and let the ECU control them, maybe make a custom fan shroud / radiator setup.

2. I would strongly suggest NOT trying to use the Bosch computer to run any LS motor, unless you want to keep having random trouble codes set off when you turn left with your right blinker on or go up a hill with HD turned on. (You get the idea...codes popping for no real reason other than to let you know the Rover is your master and you WILL yield to it's every whim)

Yeah I won't be doing that. For the reasons you said and also all the gen III motors (except some vans) used fly by wire. So I will be putting a chevy truck gas pedal in the Rover.

3. If you are going to use the Rover transmission, then DO NOT permanently remove any wires when you take out the engine. Lots of stuff is tied to the transmission in ways you would not believe. You will probably need to trick the computers into thinking the 4.0 engine is still hooked up.

Good to know.

4. I do not remember if GM made a 4.8 Liter all aluminum motor, I don't think so but I will have to check on that.

They didn't make one. If the price was right I would get an iron/aluminum 4.8L and deal with the weight issue.

5. You have a great advantage over me in that I have plowed the new ground ahead of you. I hope I have made you aware (in this thread) of some of the problems you will encounter, and roads not to take.

And I really appreciate that!

6. I never found an adapter plate and output shaft to mount the ZF to the LSX motor. Maybe there is one available now or soon, if not you will need to be cozy with a good machine shop.

I plan on making it (with a machine shop). I will probably either do what Captain1976 did and make a custom adapter plate to bolt to the back of the chevy, or I also had another idea I'm toying with. Cutting the rover bellhousing and chevy bellhousing in half and welding them together somehow, possibly with another piece of metal sandwiched in the middle to fill any holes. As long as it clears everything it should work just fine. Who knows. I want my truck to be reliable so that leaves either a chevy swap or top-hatted rover motor. I think the chevy option will be much cheaper and having an extra 60-100 hp with the same or better fuel mileage will be nice. Did you get your AC working? I read your thread in one go and it was a lot to take in. I was wondering how you could get the Chevy compressor to play nice with the rover electronics.

 

I'm totally not sure, but I think my Jetta uses Line-lock somehow. Whenever I put the parking brake on with my foot on the brake pedal, the pedal moves. Weird.

 

So far, the limited research I have done on the line lock solenoids reveals that some if not all of them have a fragile bypass built in so that if you apply the brake pedal while the line lock is engaged, the unit will bypass and act crazy (i.e. weird) Probably not a good thing if it is intended to be a parking brake.