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diesel v8's


jameslwt

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I think its like all things you here plenty of horror stories. If you look at all the trucks with them fitted in the states running to massive milages it must be OK?! I heard a lot of the "Samurai Conversion" engines were horrible with oval bores; but thats poor build, not engine design. A poorly assembled LR engine can be just as bad and there are plenty of people who will slate anything they've had a bad experience with.

Mines not done much milage; it was built in the states by a company that knows the engines inside out. What I like is it has loads of torque, sounds good for a diesel (has the V8 noise), no off boost issues, no electrics. But I don't want to tempt fate too much!!

Mark.

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They rarely kill the right gear boxes - the best being the LT95 with a change of final drive gear in the T box.

They do tend to munch up the OE starter motor (it's a petrol one) so need a mean green replacement. The injector pump is subject to leaks.

A mate of mine has run a couple over the years, both in RRC's one on a 3speed auto and one on an LT95. Not a bad lump all in but heavy and crude. There are better choices of lump but this is not the worst

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No first hand experience I'm affraid,but the three people I've spoken to that have them have all been very pleased with them.

The consenus was that the 727 3 speed auto was the only rover gearbox up to the job,but then none of them tried the lt95 as far as I know.

A bit heavy,but it is a 6.2 or 6.5 v8 made of cast steel.

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they are good engines, but the ones sold by samurai conversions were widely believed to be re-painted million mile scrappers.... :angry:

...oh and they shred gearboxes... they might be ok with an R380 though, as they were used behind some quite racey petrol V8s and survived... ;)

Be prepared to replace everything... front springs, halfshafts/CV's.... :rolleyes:

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My colleage has a 6.2 + GM auto box in a Disco I (it used to be in a RR Classic). Goes well but don't attempt to put that torque through any LR main gearbox. The LT230 and Rover diffs are fine.

Also we buy engines and spares direct from the US, much cheaper than local rip-off artists. There are a few guys here who resemble Samauri in their service and we don't use them.

ps we have finished a Defender recently with two others in the pipeline.

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No first-hand experience but I remember reading an article about the team of two ibexes who ran them and they did say in there that they go through R380's like most people go through half-shafts :blink:

Does seem a bit of a crude lump to want to fit these days.

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No first-hand experience but I remember reading an article about the team of two ibexes who ran them and they did say in there that they go through R380's like most people go through half-shafts :blink:

Does seem a bit of a crude lump to want to fit these days.

Just curious as there's a 110 with one in it on fleabay.

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If John AKA Bush65 reads this thread he can provide enough information to discourage most potential users regardless of what gearboxes or axles they have or vehicle they intend fitting the engine to. The only 2 LandRovers I have ever driven with the 6.5 litre versions were very ordinary and disappointing performers, and thats from someone who uses a lardy, clapped out 2 1/4 litre petrol engined Landy as a daily driver.

Bill.

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As is usual in such matters, pretty much all of the above is true. But what it boils down to is that a much better selection of good, lower weight diesels are available in the UK, so the GM 6.2/6.5, other than novelty value, isn't really a good conversion. In the US, where there are a limited number of domestically available 4 pot diesels, where imports represent some regulatory risk, and where big torquey domestic diesels are almost all out of capacious 3/4 and 1 ton pick-ups, they are not a bad choice....

Anyway, if you want cool and exotic, try shoe-horning a 12v Cummins Turbo Diesel (all mechanical with a VE Bosch pump for excellent tweaking) in a 110 with a 727 (straight bolt up OEM transmission) and tailshaft adaptor to the LT230. THAT would be most excellent.

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