Series three with new enigne

[The Suffolk Ram]

Hi

Forgive me if this is repetive, i have found similar topics but none which answer my specfice questions. i have both a series 3 and an old dhastisu fourtrak with a 2.8 diesle engine. i am getting the 2.8 put in the series 3 (was a 2.25 petrol but now has either leakly seal or cracked casing, and also fuel problem). what i would like to know is i am planning on using this as a workhorse vechial (pulling livestock trailers etc.) and it may well end up going sort of "off-road". should i keep the exsisting gearbox or put the fourtraks one in instead?

At the moment the vechial is tax-free due to age, will this change with the new engine? and what happens regarding q-plating?

finally the series has drums all round, would the disks of the dhastisu fit the series, in which case would it be worth having them put in as well?

anything else i should consider regarding this type of swap?

i not very techie, i know the basics but the in-depth stuff. so if possable keep it simple or explain it

Thanks

TSR

P.S. forgive the spelling Micro$oft word has decided to delete all it dictonarys so untill i re-install it i have no spelling ability. lol

[sotal]

The engine swap won't affect anything. You just need to fill the relevant bit in on the V5 and send off to the DVLA. It will still be tax-exempt and won't need a Q plate.

You will need to inform your Insurance Company though.

If you are scrapping the fourtrak it might be worth keeping the documentation as sometimes the DVLA decide they wnat proof of where you got the engine from (to make sure it's not stolen)

Disc brakes - I would very much doubt you've got any chance of fitting them without extensive engineering work. Stick with the drums

[RPR]

Sotal pretty much covers it. Setting the SIII up with well tuned 11" twin leading shoe brakes from a 109" on the front axle will give you a lot of stopping power. Granted, you still have the issues that plague all wet, muddy drums, but it's plenty of braking.

You will be very happy with the Daihatsu 2.8. I have a friend here in NY who put the Daihatsu in his SIII late last summer and it is a great engine. Not as efficient as the tdi's, but with the addition of a small intercooler (his came from a Saab), it is torquey, manages well on long steep hills, and will tick over virtually any obstacle. You should be able to use a good condition 4 core or tropical Series radiator without issue.

For your intended uses, this seems ideal. He put a late Santana Series gearbox behind it and an Ashcroft high ratio t-case. There is some debate about whether the Santana box is stronger than the comparable Series box. I doubt there is much in it. I would have thought that trying to mate the Daihatsu gearbox with the Series T-case would be unnecessarily arduous. Put the SIII gearbox in there with the larger diesel clutch and pick up an SII-A crash box when you can as your back up. The crash box has no synchro on 1st and 2nd which takes some getting used to, but the general consensus seems to be that it is a stronger box than the SIII box. You will also want to pick up a few spare halfshafts and maybe a rear diff to be sure.

You will really like the Daihatsu 2.8!

[Les Henson]

I did the clutch on a FourTrak not long ago and it seemed that the transmission is quite a bit longer than a series item. If that's the case, then propshaft length might be a problem - especially at the rear if it's an 88".

Les.

[The Suffolk Ram]

Hi

thanks for everyone for their replys, really cleared a lot of things up.

these Santana gear-boxes, i assuming their third party manfacturer, whats a good place to get them?

Also forgive my ignorance, but i never had a land rover before, driven other 4x4s but not landys. i have got two controls in the land rover i cant identify near the gearlevel (yellow knob and red knob) i have no manual with which to consult. i guessing one if for the 4wd engagment, however someone once told me that landy are alway in 4wd so not sure if this is right. i assuming the other one for high-low range, am i close,? also is there and easy way to tell when they are engaged? (i.e. is up high/disengaged and down low/engaged) i assuming being quite 'clunkly' machines you would know when they were engaged?

Thanks for this

TSR

[Les Henson]

Red lever is High range - rear wheel drive only (stick forward), or Low range 4-wheel drive(stick backward). Yellow knob is 4-wheel drive when down and rear wheel drive only when up. If you need 4-wheel drive in High range, then press the yellow knob down. To go back to rear wheel drive in high range, then pull the red lever backwards and then forwards again. As you do this, the yellow knob will pop back up.

Les.

[Coddy]

I have done the 2.8TD Daihatsu swap myself, good engine and a fairly easy swap, though you will need to cut away some of the passenger footwell and refabricate it a bit to take the Turbo, plus you will need to fabricate an exhaust system..

I used a new series clutch on it, but make sure the conversion kit you get has a piece of brass like a tube, this fits in the 2.8 flywheel to take dia of the gearbox shaft, you will also need to drill and tap new holes in the flywheel to take series pressure plate.

You will need to use the series gearbox, as this has the handrake on the propshaft, to fit a Daihatsu box means trying to fabricate some sort of handbrake system.. and also totally redesigning the floor of the cab as gearlever would be in a different place.

To date Ive had no issues with it, I dont thrash mine, she is happy to cruise at 50, does not drink fuel and pulls well, the weak links are the halfshafts and the series gearbox, but so long as they are in good nice with fresh oil in etc, and you dont try burning off Chavs at the lights you will have a good set up.

[FridgeFreezer]

Red lever is High range...

And remember not to drive on hard surfaces like tarmac in 4WD mode or you will grenade the transfer box as there is no centre differential.

A user's manual isn't expensive either from ebay or Paddocks etc.

[88inchthing]

Hi

thanks for everyone for their replys, really cleared a lot of things up.

these Santana gear-boxes, i assuming their third party manfacturer, whats a good place to get them?

Also forgive my ignorance, but i never had a land rover before, driven other 4x4s but not landys. i have got two controls in the land rover i cant identify near the gearlevel (yellow knob and red knob) i have no manual with which to consult. i guessing one if for the 4wd engagment, however someone once told me that landy are alway in 4wd so not sure if this is right. i assuming the other one for high-low range, am i close,? also is there and easy way to tell when they are engaged? (i.e. is up high/disengaged and down low/engaged) i assuming being quite 'clunkly' machines you would know when they were engaged?

Thanks for this

TSR

Just to clear up the other bit of your question, series Land Rovers are RWD in normal use. However all coil sprung land Rovers are full time 4WD with selectable diff lock.

[The Suffolk Ram]

Hi

thanks for everyones advise and help. cant wait to get this swap done!

Cheers

TSR