Very brave Shade Tree, and the fruits will be sweet.

 

The general consensus around here is that I'm a little insane!

 

Just thinking out loud here, I may have figured a way to clock the transfer case where it needs to be without a thick adapter flange that would require a longer input shaft from the transmission. If I support some of the weight of the TC, then the connection between it and the transmission tail housing would not have to be as beefy. Therefore; a thin flange or maybe only external plates to move the location of the holes that can't be drilled and tapped.




My wife sez my mind is like a steel trap, too bad it's rusted shut!

 

that would, surely, seem to simplify

 

I have shifted attention to some other parts of the build for now, (put the transfer case on hold). I may be able to get a new donor vehicle that has all 4x4 electronics and driveline intact. This will give me better chance at making the electronic transfer case install actually work. (The one I have is incomplete). So, I started working on the hundred other things that have to be modified hooked up and installed.


1. Relocated the radiator forward about 2" to make room for the mechanical fan. The GMC fan is WAY to big in diameter to work. It hits the front cross member. The Rover fan is a much better fit, although it will never move as much air. It barely scrubs the bottom of the lower shroud, I think it can be clearanced enough to work. (Pictures of lower mounts included)


2. Relocated the transmission cooler in front of the stock electric fan. (See picture)


3. Working on modifying the transmission cooler lines. The GM are 3/8" and the Rover are 1/2". Flare reducers should work nicely.


4. Land rover fuel line is 5/16", all LS(x) motors use a 3/8" line. I will adapt the original line to the larger size and hope it delivers enough fuel. Fuel pressure may also be an issue, Rover pressure is about 50psi, this is in the range of the LS motor but the recommended is 55psi.


5. Still working on the power steering pump lines. Return line will be a shortened version of the Land Rover original, the pressure line however has been a little harder than I hoped. The fitting is the same size but I just cannot get the line pointed in the right direction to make it work- It's too close to the inner fender. Gonna need to make a transition to get it turned the right way to install it.


6. Air intake is another huge problem. LS swaps are completed with electric radiator fans most often because of this problem, I.E. The mechanical fan location and size consumes all the space in front of the engine. In my case the alternator is right in the way of where the air inlet hose would travel to meet up with the original LR air box. I am looking into swapping the battery to where the original LR air box is, and ditching the jack storage compartment, then routing the air intake to the right side of the engine compartment. This may be too much work for too little gain. My original plan called for a mechanical fan just to simplify the whole swap, but it looks like that route may make it more complicated. I also normally have the ECM completely control the fan operation - high ,low, on, off with AC off above 50 mph etc. but I am not sure if those programming functions are even available since the original GMC truck had a mechanical fan. (see attached pictures)


7. Also working on radiator hoses, it may be possible to make the original LR hose work for the upper, lower hose will be a hybrid of two put together.


8. Intake is installed without any trimming, turns out the whack on AC lines was enough.


9. Right side exhaust manifold from GMC truck works fine. Truck manifold will not work on left side. I am in the process of butchering an F-Body manifold to try to stuff in there, but that pesky frame is in the way. I will cut all I can from the cast iron, but I may need to notch the frame rail about an inch. That would not be so hard if the engine were on a stand instead of installed with the transmission hooked up. More to come..................

 

Nice job,but where are the beer cans and sawsall? In my experience those two things seem to be required for an engine swap.

 

Looks like feeding the air in from the passenger side will be tough also.


Too bad you'll have to lose that awesome LR external thermostat.


I'm sure you can get this to work. If it fit here: E30-LS1 (357): Beach Photoshoot, Short Vid, and Finished Buildup CD Info!
it can fit in a Disco!

 

Nothing about this has been easy! Thanks for the link to that build, that divot in the plastic intake tube going around tensioner pulley is some real shade tree engineering! I might just borrow that idea.

Thanks for the kind words.
Merry Christmas!

 

Two air die grinders, a 14" chop saw, a 4-1/2" Milwaukee grinder, two welders, assorted sledge hammers are all working overtime to get this done. The sawzall will get some use on the finish work!

 

Is it me or do those fittings look an awful lot like Ferncos?