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Defender 90 discovery v8 swap questions


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Hello everyone! I'm currently doing a restoration build on a 1992 defender 90 for my girlfriend. It is an ex military 2.5 NA Diesel with the LT77. I have been trying to find information on swapping 4.0 v8 out of a 1997 discovery. The transmission is a ZF-4HP22. The T'case is an LT230.

has anyone completed a write up on a build like this? I've been doing my best to look for one and haven't had any luck 

the questions I have are;

where can I get engine mounts to weld onto the 90 frame

what do I need to line up the auto shifter with the correct location in the defender

will the crossmember for the transmission line up

what is needed for the speedo and tach setup to work properly 

what wiring needs to be hooked up to get the v8 going. (I have the whole harness with ecu ) 

any help would be greatly appreciated! 

 

 

 

 

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My build is a 3.9 manual being fitted to a 110 if that's any help. Link is in my sig

 

as for mounts, bolt it all together and place it in the chassis using the transfer box mounts and that will give you rough positioning for the engine mounts. Make sure you measure the angle of the flange before and after

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Is the ECU setup flapper or hotwire type? I'd go megasquirt but that's just me. Remember you need a high pressure fuel pump for the EFI with a return line to the tank. I don't know if the Disco pump would drop in to the 90 tank. Our Defender V8 swap is here.

Speedo drive should remain untouched if you keep the LT230, or if you swap it for the disco LT230 you may need a different drive gear (see long LT230 speedo drive thread in technical archive)

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If you have the discovery that the running gear is being taken from. Then cut the mounts from that chassis and put them in the same place in relation to the spring mount as on the discovery.  Thats what i did and it puts it in the factory v8 position.

Wiring is relatively straight forward.  About 5 wires...

My discovery system has a speed transducer  in the speedo cable that tells the ecu when the vehicle is moving....... if not fitted it can stall when you stop at junctions etc.... 

The shifter can be fitted where ever the cable will reach..... 

 

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I don't have the disco that the engine was pulled from so I can't cut the mounts off of it. Is there any companies out there that produce weld on mounts?

as for the ecu I am a Landrover newbie so I'm not sure which system I have! 

Which five wires are needed for the v8 to run?

I really appreciate everyone's help.  I've done engine swaps in toyotas in the past but Landrover equipment seems to be it's own little world

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I'm assuming your in Canada so wouldn't know anywhere local there that does them and shipping would be a killer for you, considering your buying 2 pieces of bent plate with a slot cut in them. As your starting afresh why don't you make your self some captive engine mounts. They would be a bit better anyway

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  • 1 month later...

For the auto shifter, it should be cable operated, so you can put it wherever suits in the cabin. Ashcroft have a part listed that mounts the Disco shifter at the correct height (possibly from a NAS defender?):

http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/miscellaneous/defender-auto-conversion-parts/shifter-mount-bracket.html

However it's fairly straightforward to make your own mounting up. That's just easier if you are using the NAS centre console too. The Ashcroft site also lists some of the other parts you may need (clutch pedal blanking plate, larger brake pedal etc), which sometimes have LR part numbers listed or may give you inspiration for fabbing your own stuff up...

http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/miscellaneous/defender-auto-conversion-parts.html

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1 hour ago, =jon= said:

For the auto shifter, it should be cable operated, so you can put it wherever suits in the cabin. Ashcroft have a part listed that mounts the Disco shifter at the correct height (possibly from a NAS defender?):

http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/miscellaneous/defender-auto-conversion-parts/shifter-mount-bracket.html

However it's fairly straightforward to make your own mounting up. That's just easier if you are using the NAS centre console too. The Ashcroft site also lists some of the other parts you may need (clutch pedal blanking plate, larger brake pedal etc), which sometimes have LR part numbers listed or may give you inspiration for fabbing your own stuff up...

http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/miscellaneous/defender-auto-conversion-parts.html

Thanks Jon! I haven't decided if I want to purchase the Center console. I might just fab something up because the only LR parts supplier I have found wants 1800$ for the kit...

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On 2017-01-25 at 1:59 PM, Disco-Ron said:

If you have the discovery that the running gear is being taken from. Then cut the mounts from that chassis and put them in the same place in relation to the spring mount as on the discovery.  Thats what i did and it puts it in the factory v8 position.

Wiring is relatively straight forward.  About 5 wires...

My discovery system has a speed transducer  in the speedo cable that tells the ecu when the vehicle is moving....... if not fitted it can stall when you stop at junctions etc.... 

The shifter can be fitted where ever the cable will reach..... 

 

Which five wires are needed to run the V8?

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1 hour ago, Canadiandefender said:

Thanks Jon! I haven't decided if I want to purchase the Center console. I might just fab something up because the only LR parts supplier I have found wants 1800$ for the kit...

HoSS did the auto conversion on mine when he owned it - he made a nice centre console up from plywood with a cubby box, hole for the auto shifter / transfer shifter and a front panel that covers where the fuse box is (a bit more like a 'modern' 4x4) and covered it with trimming cloth. Looks pretty decent :) 

If you are handy at woodwork you could make something similar than much less than the crazy cost of the proper NAS part!

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