OM606 Range Rover Classic Restoration and Build

[retropower 32]

Hi folks! Been a while since I’ve updated! Been a lot of non Range Rover stuff going on. Work is ridiculously busy and we’ve been on a long journey towards having a baby too, which is hopefully a step closer. This has also prompted a slight change of direction in on the build!

while I was being sensible power wise and going manual box and r380, I’ve now bought a whacking great holset he341ve variable nozzle turbo, fit for 450hp, and I have my 7.5mm injection pump which will fuel that without a problem. I now have an amg ml55 transmission which I will be fitting an om606 type front housing too (bolt on from the e300 722.6 auto box) and using a red winches adaptor to fit my uprated lt230 transfer with atb centre diff. I will be using an Ofgear controller to operate the auto box and the boost control via the vnt turbo. Will either use a cruise control rangey steering wheel to do the “paddle shift” or make a joystick setup near the wheel to supplement to remote electric merc shifter which will be on the tunnel top! 

Will post some pics soon!

looking forward to broken axles lol

[retropower 32]

Rear bowl om648 sump cleaned up and oil pump fitted, then sump fitted. Dieselmeken 7.5mm element pump with external Alda fitted and timed up. Waiting for cam cover gaskets in order to fit cam cover and injector pocket o rings then can fit injector lines

[retropower 32]

Bodywork wise progress is slow, been building doors for what seems an eternity!!!

[retropower 32]

Got a fair bit of interior back in now. Seats need a clean but are in really good nick. Would like leather but I want manual seats not electric so may address that in the future. My wife prefers cloth seats so they might just stay as they are! 

Im going to reinforce the rear seat mount area underneath (bit flimsy the original design lol)  and add isofix points now and also will be fitting a brand new genuine alloy boot floor.

[retropower 32]

Finally I still have my suffix L r380 box, all stripped down in a crate, with bead blasted modified rear housing machines for big bearings, painted main case, brand new tdi input shaft, full rebuild kit incl synchros and the large rear bearings, plus loads more stuff, after £500 the lot which is a bargain!! Also would include my sprinter single mass flywheel which bolts to the om606 and the sprinter pressure plate which can be uprated by clutchfix to take the power, and these then accept a dimensionally standard 300tdi friction plate with uprated linings again from clutchfix 

Edited June 16, 2018 by retropower
Add clutch

[Snagger 290]

Leather seats not only burn bare legs in the summer and make you slide as you corner, but they crack and tear after less than a decade.  Cloth doesn't.  Leather only looks good for a short while.

[SteveG 59]

3 hours ago, retropower said:

Hi folks! Been a while since I’ve updated! Been a lot of non Range Rover stuff going on. Work is ridiculously busy and we’ve been on a long journey towards having a baby too, which is hopefully a step closer. This has also prompted a slight change of direction in on the build!

while I was being sensible power wise and going manual box and r380, I’ve now bought a whacking great holset he341ve variable nozzle turbo, fit for 450hp, and I have my 7.5mm injection pump which will fuel that without a problem. I now have an amg ml55 transmission which I will be fitting an om606 type front housing too (bolt on from the e300 722.6 auto box) and using a red winches adaptor to fit my uprated lt230 transfer with atb centre diff. I will be using an Ofgear controller to operate the auto box and the boost control via the vnt turbo. Will either use a cruise control rangey steering wheel to do the “paddle shift” or make a joystick setup near the wheel to supplement to remote electric merc shifter which will be on the tunnel top! 

Will post some pics soon!

looking forward to broken axles lol

You can give Dave at Ashcrofts a ring if the axles don’t last.

I expected to see a brace bar underneath for the rear seats too, rather than just the bolts.

Glad to hear the business is going well and good news on the family front too.

How’s Gordon Murray’s escort coming on?

cheers, Steve 

[retropower 32]

Thanks Steve! Gordon’s car is getting very near the end of metal fab work now. Plan is to get it “dry built” over the next week and a half in time for his next visit. I don’t think I will have time to get it seam brazed before then so will have to do that after it’s stripped back down, before we blast and zinc metal spray it. Fingers crossed I can get everything done in time!

[landroversforever 363]

Brazed rather than welded? Less distortion? 

[Snagger 290]

I have a RRC that needs a lot of the same work.  How much do you think it'd cost to what you did to the shell?

[retropower 32]

3 hours ago, landroversforever said:

Brazed rather than welded? Less distortion? 

Less prone to cracking. I've seen a lot of seam welded shells crack from the ends of the welds. I tig braze them 1 inch every 3 inches using copper/silicone rod (sifsilcopper 968) which is very strong but crack resistant and copes well with the inevitable dirt in the seams 

[landroversforever 363]

Interesting stuff! 

[Blanco 42]

Just watched that Gordon Murray dry build video, its impressive stuff. I think what is astonishing though is the number of builds that are visible around the workshop and yard. I know its beyond most of our budgets (if not our dreams) but the Retropower guys have obviously tapped into a serious vein there. Good stuff lads, and thanks for sharing, .. look forward to seeing something on the door builds here soon.

[Snagger 290]

Any update on this piece of art, or are you maxed out on the business?

[Ozzy50 19]

Just read the tail end of this thread then went on YouTube and hey presto , what should pop up but a retropower video of the Gordon Murray escort , I have one word , WOW 😮 

[Santa 4]

On 17 June 2018 at 1:11 AM, retropower said:

Rear bowl om648 sump cleaned up and oil pump fitted, then sump fitted. Dieselmeken 7.5mm element pump with external Alda fitted and timed up. Waiting for cam cover gaskets in order to fit cam cover and injector pocket o rings then can fit injector lines

Great project retropower!  Wondering how you will bolt the ML box to the om648 sump, I'm doing a similar motor/ trans conversion into a Volvo 6x6. The om648 sump has a different bolt pattern to the Om 606 where it bolts to the trans

[landroversforever 363]

My plan for the 648 sump holes is to fill the appropriate pockets in the casting with weld and then drill and tap to suit.

[retropower 32]

Sorry for lack of updates!! Engine and box in now, still got to make transmission mounts! Work stupidly busy no not got much done.

Awaiting a pair of water to air charge cooler cores from BMR so I can fabricate a charge cooled inlet manifold. Have all the parts to make a tubular exhaust manifold now so need to crack on with that too.

re. Sump to gearbox. Was going to weld up and redrill and may still do, but equally there’s no shortage of bolts in the block itself and compared to something like a Chevy LS3 for example which has no bolts at all in the lower 3rd of the mating area I would be happy running it without the sump to transmission bolts.

 

[retropower 32]

Some other things I’ve been putting together. One of two Mercedes 250sl pagoda mech injection petrol engines. Delivered the w116 s class to its final home, purpose built house for it. Busy engine room and the chevette did it’s first couple of rallies

Edited 12 hours ago by retropower

[landroversforever 363]

Interested to see what you do with the exhaust manifold. External wastegate? How are you transitioning from oval to round? And what size primaries? Can’t remember what my calculations came to for the diameter!

[retropower 32]

1 minute ago, landroversforever said:

Interested to see what you do with the exhaust manifold. External wastegate? How are you transitioning from oval to round? And what size primaries? Can’t remember what my calculations came to for the diameter!

Transition are schedule 10 concentric 2” to 1.5” reducers, stretched to oval over a tool in the flypress. Not perfect yet but ok. Pipes are all 1.5” nominal schedule 10 316 stainless pipe. 6-1 collector. Internal gated turbo but will put port for external just in case