After the tarp covering my 200tdi blew apart in strong winds recently, I realised it was too far gone even for me to bother rebuilding. We've been through a lot together over the last 10 years and I'll be honest, I was pretty down about it. I must have spend hundreds of hours tinkering, fixing, welding and cursing the old girl. I've probably spilled the entire volume of my blood into it or under it over time, not to mention the gallons of sweat and tears into the mix. I was totally gutted when I finally admitted to myself it was the end. Fortunately I found a suitable replacement within about half an hour...
Same year, same body shape, same interior trim, but critically, absolutely rust free! I could strip all my upgrades and modifications and build them across with no extra complications! 😀
It's a Japanese import. It also happens to be the Camel Trophy Edition, which is basically the 3.5 V8 EFI with an auto box and a few extras.
When I bought it I thought I'd just swap it over to the diesel lump out of my of 200tdi, but despite the shocking fuel economy, I'm starting to like the V8. I'm definitely not getting on with the gearbox thoguh!
The early manual V8 disco's were originally fitted with and LT77 gearbox, as was the 200tdi and I've got one of those going spare, so an easy swap right? I'm guessing not, so I'd like to pick a few brains before I begin.
Are there differences between the LT77's fitted to a 1993 200tdi and a 1993 V8? Are the gear ratio's the same? Are the input splines the same and the input shaft the same length? I've read somewhere that the LT77 'G' was oil cooled in the EFI disco's...
What about the transfer box? The unit on the V8 definitely looks different to the 200tdi, but is that because it's an auto or because it's a V8? Do I want to use the complete assembly off the 200tdi, or just the gearbox, but keep the original transfer box from the V8?
What Bell housing will I need? There are various V8 - LT77 bell housings on ebay at the minute, but are they all the same length for disco, defender or RR?
What about the flywheel? Assuming I can't find one for a V8 disco (which I haven't yet) will this be the same as the RR Classic?
Anything else I should be aware of?
Should I just take out another mortgage and go to Ashcroft Transmissions for the full works?
Thanks in advance.
Pete