Range Rover V8 engine swap from an auto into a '73 manual

[gn3dr]

Hi

I've decided to swap the engine in my '73 Range Rover (Stromberg carbed V8 engine) for a 3.5 89 V8 with EFI (The 73 engine is still good but I want to convert to EFI so decided rather than just swapping inlet manifolds to swap the whole engine to avail of the higher compression on the 89 unit)

Once that is done I will then be converting the EFI to Megesquirt.

I've just started the process of removing the 89 engine.

My questions are related to the engine swap. The 89 is an Auto and the '73 is obviosuly a manual.

1) Will the 73 flywheel just bolt straight onto the 89 engine?

2) Will the 89 twin outlet manifolds and downpipes clear the LT95 gearbox?

3) Are there any other gotchas that I might be missing?

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

1) Will the 73 flywheel just bolt straight onto the 89 engine?

Yes

2) Will the 89 twin outlet manifolds and downpipes clear the LT95 gearbox?

Downpipes will need possibly minor tweaking but will fit

3) Are there any other gotchas that I might be missing?

You'll need the EFI wiring loom, most of the brackets will fit with minor mods, you'll need the whole efi exhaust as IIRC the twin downpipe one and Y piece won't just "Bolt up" to the single rear bit

Other bits are fairly minor - PAS unit on the old V8 is prob a cast unit efi tin pump, swap the bits off the old to the new etc

[sheltie50]

Did auto engine into manual 5 speed long lever last year, no problems but I did fit the spigot bearing from the manual engine.

[geoffbeaumont]

Strikes me that with all the work to fit the hotwire EFI it would make much more sense to install megasquirt right from the start?

[gn3dr]

Strikes me that with all the work to fit the hotwire EFI it would make much more sense to install megasquirt right from the start?

Thanks for all the helpful replies folks.

Geoff - I probably will be converting to Megasquirt straight away once I get the mechanical swap done. It's actually a flapper system so just in case there are any delays with the Megasquirt I can always do a temp job to keep me on the road as fitting the Lucas loom I believe isn't too much bother.

[Shackleton]

Swapped my '73's 3.5 for a '90 3.9EFI last year keeping my LT95.

Exhaust doesn't need any tweeking to get past the gearbox - mine was the non lambda type. What you do have to do is fit the later trucks gearbox chassis cross member. It's err vaulted to clear the exhaust. It's bolt pattern differs by one bolt if you get me. You've a choice - drill the chassis to suit or just go with 3 bolts like I did or my preffered option, let a little plate into the cross member to allow the 4th bolt hole to be drilled and match the chassis. You'll know what I mean when you see the two cross members.

Theres feck all work to get the injection in, get a hole saw to get your loom through the bulkhead. If you've never used one I'll tell you what I could have done with knowing - a hand held (as in on a drill) hole saw can be hard to control so best use a size slightly smaller then the rubber boot on the loom as the hole invariably turns out a mil or two wider then the actual blade.

You'll need the later rad, cause if it's the same as the 3.9 it has oil coolers in it. And the two lower tabs on the body work to support the original rad will either need to be cut off to give clearance or bent back like I did. (I've notions of restoring my '73 to original someday )

Other little fiddlys is the throttle cable connections are of opposite types. I can't remember how exactly but I found it easiest to use the later cable and modify the pedal end with a little fab'd bracket so it talked to the pedal.

The trickiest thing I came across - and never got the solution to was the engine idle control. As in there was a wire (think it was orange) from the ECU that had to go somewhere to tell the engine to idle when you came down to the lights. No one could tell me where to put it so whenever I came to a stop the engine would take a few seconds to realise it was supposed to be idling. This was a key factor to me looking to another engine. (I give it 20mins before the answer is posted here, BIT LATE NOW FELLAS )

Oh and as said make sure you get a new spigot (3.5) if you're using the LT95. Gotta say the 3.9 went very well with the LT95. I do think maybe my LT95 is in above average nick cause everyone bitches about the gear change but I never found it a problem. Anyway I have great memorys of overtaking at 80mph and getting stunned looks from car drivers on the inside as this beat up old 'heap' suddenly jumped from 70 to 90mph and blew past.

Unless my 3.5 had been put sitting on gearbox mounts the later trucks use slightly shorter mounts. What I mean is my original engine mounts (we're talking about the rubber bits here) were the same as the gearbox mounts. I didn't wanna upset the apple cart so I reused my originals rather then use the later ones.

Can't think of anything else right now but ask away and I'm sure the memory will be jogged...

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

The trickiest thing I came across - and never got the solution to was the engine idle control. As in there was a wire (think it was orange) from the ECU that had to go somewhere to tell the engine to idle when you came down to the lights. No one could tell me where to put it so whenever I came to a stop the engine would take a few seconds to realise it was supposed to be idling. This was a key factor to me looking to another engine. (I give it 20mins before the answer is posted here, BIT LATE NOW FELLAS )

....10 minutes later

Sounds like you didn't fit the roasd speed tarnducer , which from memory has 2 thin wires that go into the loom, and then a speedo calble to the drive out on the gearbox, this means road speed, and sends the signal saying "Its staionary" so the ECU Maps properly, without it most HWs will stall from deacceleration to stationary type driving

Nige

[Shackleton]

Oh yeah - that was it exactly. Cause, well two reasons. Someone initially said I could just ground it out. I'll bet it was you Plus I would have had to had a short drive cable made up to link between the LT95 and the speed transducer and I just didn't get into it.

So it was my laziness in the end. (and Hybrids bad advice)

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

And now you have a squeazle

So, alls well that ends badly then ?

Nige

[Shackleton]

DON'T FECKIN' JINX MY JAMMER!

Don't worry the 3.5 is safely tucked away in the corner of the garage, it will rise again breathing fire and - ah who am I kidding, the bottom end is hanging out of it.

[HoggyN]

An excellent thread.

I'm just about to do virtually the same thing - and I didn't even have to ask!

I'm keeping the SUs though - for that period look.