I for some reason find myself with not 1 but 2 3/4 ton Chevy Suburbans taking up space in my land. I have tried to get fired up about restoring one of them, but just can't. I have found a few links online about putting a Chevy small block into a RR Classic, and mybe even into a disco. Problem is - My two donor motors are both 454's. Does anybody know if ANY Rover product will swallow a big block? I think that would just be a super neat project. Range Rover snob appeal with a freight train bored and stroked 496 in there. Any experience???

Thanks - Peace

 

Too much weight, not enought room, too much torques for the power train, in general NO.
Mike

 

Admittedly knowing nothing about Rovers, and with 2800 posts - Im leaning toward taking your opinion as fact....But with Aluminum heads, manifold, a TCI rattler balancer, and a lightweight knifed crank I can shave maybe 200-220lbs off the fat block Chevy. Im probably more concerned about shock tower/engine bay clearance on the sides. I think I found one posting on one webpage from a guy in NZ or Oz that said he knew a guy who knew a guy who's brother in law had done it. Now - Im not even sure a kiwi knows what a Mark IV motor is and they might have mistook a 400 small block for a 402 big block. I guess this narrative boils down to this: In a small block conversion of a Range Rover classic - how much space is left on the sides of the motor to the body structure? Is a 350 already a tight fit?

 

I have heard of some 350's, only a couple. My concern, getting past the size and weight is the fact that the drive train won't take the torque.
Mike

 

Locally there is a 350 in a disco1 It was for sale but frankly it scared me looked very scary the way it was put together, maybe if it was done properly... but room wise the 350 was tight I'd not want to think about shoehorning the big block in there ...
On a test drive I noticed a lot of shaking/vibration ect not sure if it was due to poor workmanship or the drive train dying

 

Mike,

What parts of the drivetrain would you suspect being the weak links? After you've uprated the halfshafts and diffs.

 

I have no clue on the bhp rating of an LR slushbox but the R380 is good for 500-600 bhp and the axle is toughie as well..though likely not tough enough. Space-wise a 454 or 496 is likely impossible..though I know a LS2 (6L = 405bhp, the cheapest-out-of-the-box emission compliant horsepower on the planet at the moment) or a LS7 (7L = 505bhp) will go anywhere a LR V8 does and weighs about the same. Yet just the bellhousing for any block-swap project would cost a mint! I see more frustration than fun.

On the sad side, anything in a LR after a 3.5 (3.9, 4.2, 4.0 and 4.6) is a VERY dangerous candidate for power upgrades (outside of improved chipping).

The newest LR Comcast blocks, out in the last few months, are made from a much improved casting and are beautifully machined. They show great promise for big bhp lovers but patience will be necessary as they are only arriving in a trickle. I would not be surprised if a dependable 6 L version of your block is aftermarket-created over the next few years. (Rimmer Bros tried that and failed about 4-5 years ago using the existing 4.6 block as a base = cracked blocks & dislodged liners.)

James

 

There's an old hot-rodder saying about anything being possible with enough time and money. There are many here who know better than me when it comes to the Land Rovers...I've got a small fleet of Chevrolets myself (88 Suburban, 89 3/4 Ton and a 1957 Pickup).

The only way to know if it would fit is to measure it...From there you have to worry about whether the suspension can handle the motor and if it cannot then what options do you have for front suspension.

The biggest hurdle that I'd be concerned about is the rest of the drivetrain. Aside from the fact that a mild 454 will put out 300+ HP easy and that may have some detrimental affects on the transmission, transfer case and differentials...But aren't quite a few of the LR transmission electronically controlled (i.e. sport mode?) If so, you'd have quite the time trying to get your donor motor playing well with the rest of the LR gang.

There was another project where some guy was planning on replacing the entire drivetrain and dropping the frame etc. I'd suspect this would be the only way of going about this. It'd basically be a Landrover body and nothing else. It could be done...again with enough time and money.

 

Try www.marks4wd.com They have conversion kits for engine swap chevy v6, v8 and holden v8.