Phill S Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Ok - next stage of sanity checking for my conversion 1987 2.5 NA diesel to V8 conversion planning... I'm pretty stuck on going 3.5 or preferably 3.9. Mainly because I have a bay in my racking full of bits for these engines. Yeah, I know, I know, but 3.5/3.9 it's going to be. So to the questions: 1) Engine mounts: Any recommendations on suppliers for the mounts to be welded to the chassis welcome, also of course brackets to bolt onto the engine itself. Seems a straightforward job, or am I missing something? The aim of course is to get everything to line up as per original factory version 2) Exhaust: Am I right in thinking the V8 downpipes will use the same mid and rear sections that are already on the vehicle? The parts book seems to suggest that. I have standard manifolds on my shelves. Somewhere. Think I know what I'm doing with the radiator and oil cooler. I assume I can get hoses for the power steering pump circuit Anything else I ought to be thinking about engine wise? Phill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 I went from 2.25 petrol to 3.5 and love it. Here's a good thread on v8 exhausts: I think I bought my engine mounts from designa chassis, but this was waaaaaay back in like 2008/2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill S Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 Wew - that looks brilliant. Thanks - I hadn't checked for exhausts specificallly. Will study in detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Engine mounts were done from steel plate and welded up in-situ to suit the stock gearbox & transfer box mounts and the stock V8 engine mounts bolted to the block - trust me, with conversions you want to keep as many parts as possible completely standard or it gets messy and a pain to maintain; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill S Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 Nice job and sound advice. I can make those 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 9 hours ago, Phill S said: Ok - next stage of sanity checking for my conversion 1987 2.5 NA diesel to V8 conversion planning... I'm pretty stuck on going 3.5 or preferably 3.9. Mainly because I have a bay in my racking full of bits for these engines. Yeah, I know, I know, but 3.5/3.9 it's going to be. Anything else I ought to be thinking about engine wise? Phill Yes. Fit something else ! However, if you must, engine mount brackets bolted to block are all the same on 3.5 and 3.9 RRC, Disco 1, and 90/110. Chassis brackets from same vehicles. Cut off an old chassis if you can, or buy them in if you can't. Making them yourself is an option, but more difficult to get exactly right. For exhaust, use EFi cast iron manifolds. Early RRC EFi downpipes and Y piece will go over the top of the existing gearbox crossmenber. If you use the Disco downpipes and Y piece (non cat) you will have problems. You will need a different gearbox crossmember for a start, and the pipes will need altering slightly. Also the exhaust then runs UNDER the crossmember, which I have always thought a silly idea, even more so if you are going to off road it. You do NOT need a oil cooler, unless you are racing it, or towing really heavy stuff. You CAN get power steering pipes, but there are so many "standard" variations. Easier to get a hydraulic hose specialist to make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 5 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said: trust me, with conversions you want to keep as many parts as possible completely standard or it gets messy and a pain to maintain; Said the man with Portal axles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill S Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 Ok - lots to get my head around there. I'll go through all that in slow time, but sounds like that is all excellent information. 33 minutes ago, smallfry said: You do NOT need a oil cooler Wanting to keep that because I'm planning to be driving it to some hot places. And back, hopefully. Going into deep thought mode now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 This might provide some additional guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill S Posted December 19, 2021 Author Share Posted December 19, 2021 1 hour ago, ThreePointFive said: This might provide some additional guidance How did I miss that? I need to get at the search thingy on this forum. Lots for me to consider over the Christmas break now, nothing so far that seems beyond what I think I can do. Lots of detail that I'm very grateful for. Just have to find the right engine now, see wanted ads 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 19 hours ago, smallfry said: Said the man with Portal axles ...that could be un-bolted and swapped back for Land Rover axles rather than major chassis mods to accommodate them. And no, you don't need an oil cooler - spend a couple of quid on some temperature tell-tale labels and they'll let you know if it's ever got hot enough to worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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