willfromsussex

basically , I do a lot of towing a heavy trailer, I LOVE y60 patrols, mechanically i just cannot fault them, BUT they are getting to the age where they are really starting to rust now. You can't ring up some place and order in repair sections like you can with early rangies, and even if you could, the whole shell is welded like a late rangey. I want to build a vehicle that will LAST. Rangie body and chassis has the potential for many years use and parts replacement, (love the unboltable floorpan, inner wings, roof etc) but I have had a couple of Rangies recently and the mechanicals just aren't tough enough for my peace of mind especially with the kind of low down torque i would like to have at my disposal. And the standard Rangerover V8s are just abysmol on fuel, even on LPG. I considered a GMC diesel powered rangie but it's still going to be in danger of breaking things, and being full time 4wd , not as economical on the road as a Patrol. Thats why I figured the only way to get what I want is to build a one-off. I want this to last me a long time. That diff rotating conundrum made my brain hurt but after a quick sketch I came to the conclusion they do rotate in the same way when transposed. Assuming the bolt pattern is the same the rear diff should go in the front casing, but the operating solenoid would have to be fitted to the casing (might be tricky to get right) and would also be in a vulnerable position. I think a far better idea would be to get an LSD in the front. Hmm, wonder if i could get the GMC v8 to run on the Patrol gearbox, that would fix the engine length problem. I don't have a GMC lump to experiment with

Right.. to answer some of the questions. FRONT AXLE: The hockey sticks were so close in spacing that i figured 5mm a side would be of absoluetly no issue whatsoever, they are rubber bushed at both ends anyway. The spring seats are not suitable, they coil springs are different diameter so I was going to fit RR seats , and also build them up a couple of inches higher (on stilts sort of) . This is also necessary to utilise the RangeRover shocks . The advantage of using RR springs and shocks is that it will still be possible to buy upgrade packages of springs and shocks and there should be no problem with them fitting . However, the advantage of using the patrol design of shock absorber (not inside the spring like RR) would be one could lose the shock towers , gaining more engine bay room for things like air filters, batteries and the like. The Panard rods are of similar design and it would appear possible to make a custom one using the end of the RR one and the end of Patrol one. Steering rod is also same design and the RR trackrod end does plug into the tapered hole in the Patrol knuckle, but seems a little smaller so I need to check that it is safe to use it as-is ,or whether to do a similar thing to the panhard rod idea of using the correct ends of the respective parts and joining them up . There 3 types of hub used on Y60s depending on what country spec it is. All UK have free wheeling hubs with manual override . Imports sometimes have fully auto hubs, and in some rare cases (like on a LH drive Saudi spec car i have sitting here) have fully fixed hubs, great for offroad, not so for road. REAR AXLE Everything had to be modified to get this axle in, and I don't really recommend it if you were not using the kind of power train that I am using, which requires the diff to be in the centre. I had to cut the middle balljoint mount from the RR axle and weld this to the top of the Patrol Diff. This requires serious amperage as the metal is very thick, and this is such a critical safety item. The spring seats and shock absoorber mountings also need making, and the lower link arms are not really in the right place. I cut the Patrol brackets off, and welded them back on further round to make it go together right. An alternative way would have been to make custom lower link arms, but I wanted to keep as much of the standard Rangerover suspension as possible for (partly) ease of getting spare parts . As for the different diffs available: Talking ONLY about the Y60 model here (the coil spring wide arched patrols with round headlamps built from 1988 to 1997 ALL UK SPEC Y60s have airlock (vacuum) rear diffs. There is a capsule on the outside of the diff housing with 2 vaccum lines that run all the way to the engine compartment where they go to a pair of air solenoids, fed from the brake vacuum.. There is also an electrical switch which operates the light on the dash once the thing has engaged. These do not work as slickly as ARBs etc, there is often a very big delay before it actually engages. You need to flick the switch long before you need the lockup, and sometimes a little wheelspin is necessary to get the parts to click in , and the light to come on. They are however seemingly indestructible , even when used on dry tarmac. IMPORT Y60s . Imports can be spotted usually by the year letter of the numerplate, the earlist Y60 sold in UK was 1992 ish, so if you see E F G or H reg Y60 you know its an import. ALso they tend to have KMH speedo and no lights in the rear bumperettes. These can be Japanese or even from Cyprus, or other places. I have never seen the locking diff on any of these, but one often sees LIMITED SLIP DIFF. These work well in my experience, and I think are better for road use, snow / ice etc. Also I have seen Y60 with completely open diff. Import diesel Y60s also are sometimes 24 volt, bear this in mind if you are planning to buy a whole vehicle and use the engine as well. I do not know the axle ratios. The 4.2 engine is very long, and yes also tallish. I have had to cut half of the front crossmember away for the crank pulley to sit in it. I still may have to cut the bulkhead as there is very little radiator room. Hope the info is of interest.

thanks, but I'm using both Patrol axles, that article seemed to just be about ratio mismatches when mixing 2 brands of axles.

Thanks. If anyone has any links that would be most interesting.

Just thought i'd post a pic of my Range Rover hybrid project that I have started on. I want a reliable economical old Range Rover. I like Range Rover body design , but I like Nissan Patrols for driving, torque, reliablity and economy. So I am having to build a 'best of both' vehicle. The Rangerover will have the Nissans features including the factory rear air locker diff. Patrol engine,box,transfer is sitting in there and temporarily mounted. 4.2 Straight six diesel engine is not easy to get into a Range Rover. I will have to move the engine about a bit to find the best location. Patrol rear axle is mounted and is required for the conversion as the diff is in the middle instead of off to one side. It will be driven at gearbox output speed rather than through a reduction chain. The chain in the transfer case only starts moving when the box is put in 4WD. The front axle is in place but not mounted yet. The Patrol front arms conveniently are the same length and spacing apart to plug straight into the RR chassis, and the axle sits centred in the arch. Sticks out further than standard. Need to make front spring platforms, shock mounts and make a panhard rod . Steering looks like it might connect up UK. Diff (being larger than Range Rover diff) is very close to the bottom of the steering box shaft , going to have to run vehicle with fairly high ride height as I can't see an easy way around that clearance problem. Sump currently interferes with the long steering trackrod that connects the lef and right wheels together . Moving engine further back will hopefully solve that little one. I really didn't want to cut the bulkhead as I was trying to keep the shell completely unmolested but it's looking like I might have to.

Thanks. I have installed a wider than standard rear axle, the wheels hit the arches before the bump stop touches. I also built slightly taller spring seat perches. Also one bump stop is absent so I need to obtain at least one anyway. Heres a piccy

Hi all I've been getting stuck into my Range Rover project now that the summer has started. Some questions from a RR newbie. 1 Why is the left rear shock absorber IN FRONT of the axle, and the right side BEHIND the axle? I notice the later (86 ish? on) cars have both rear shocks behind the axle. 2 Where can I get extended bump stops? Saw some on Ebay but seller says 1986 on, what's the difference?. Paddocks seem to only list standard height ones. 3 Does anyone make adjustable rear lower arms (to alter pinion angle and wheel centering fore and aft in wheel arch. thanks!

Believe it or not, I did buy an unfinished hybrid SIIa / 1987 Range rover e few months ago, (shortened to 88 inch) it had no plumbing, or wiring done. I wired everything up (3.5 EFI) and got the thing actually driveable but I realised the Series Landrovers are just too small for my needs. Very narrow, cramped, and seem to be noisy and draughty. Also the engine bay is too small for my planned engine. Probably a nice thing for offroading though. Sold it on, and carried on driving my faithful 1988 Patrol 4.2 diesel. Basically what I want is a reliable , heavy , safe tow vehicle, with oodles of torque right from 700rpm upwards, 20+ towing MPG, will do 60 up motorway hills towing 3.5 tons, which is pre 1973 (as I object to taxing something at the full price that is only going to get used maybe once a month) good handling and ride, easy to get body parts for, and will last me for many many years with few repairs. I don't think such a vehicle exists, so I must build one. The closest yet is the Patrol. Its only really the rust (and the cost of the road tax ) that I have against it. Mechanically, I absolutely cannot fault it. Late RR classic is a close second, let down by rust and abysmol fuel economy (9 mpg towing) and an engine with no torque and a suspicious porus block problem.

Just to say, Densos are also my favorite plug. I have had NGKs fail for no apparent reason, but never had a prob with a Denso

I had a problem last year on a 72 Range rover where the inside of the fuel filter was loose, and the fuel flow would lift it up and it would push against the outlet and block it off. Turning the car off and restarting it would get it going again because the filter element would drop back down. Took me a while to find out what was going on! Worth checking the condensor though if you are losing the spark.

Hi. Thanks. I had better not tell mr 101 what I have planned for the drivetrain As for the rotten body in the pic, yes it is absolutely rotted, when you open the front doors they crash to the ground as there are no A-pillars left. HOWEVER I bought another 2 door, well, bits of a 2 door anyway. No engine or interior or brakes etc, but very solid body structure. Had some welding repairs but seem to have been done to a good standard.

Hi. I have only recently got 'into' Range Rovers, having always had Nissan Patrols for all my towing requirements . However I'm into old cars and want to build up an old Range Rover. So i've bought an abandoned project early 2 door, and two others for spares. I also bought a 93 (5 door) auto with LPG to drive about in to get a feel for the Range Rovers in real world application of towing my 3 ton trailer around. What I've discovered is, the car handles better than I expected (polybushed) its quieter than I expected since its not particularly aerodynamic, it uses more fuel than I could have ever imagined, and it rusts far worse than I thought it would. The rust problem is mainly what has made me look at the early models, the fact that so much of it is bolted together and therefore new parts can be put on it. So the plan is to make one good car out of the ones I've got and do a few mods to it in the process such as changing the engine.

Could be the wire from the starter (which tells ECU to enrich mixture on cranking) is disconnected, also check no vacuum lines (brake servo etc) are unplugged