v8 84 110 which is best gearbox

[01gue5t]

Slighly tuned v8 110 has lt95 at present just about to fit the engine which is best box to fit ?

family 110 33 inch tyres roof rack winch 5 seats 5 door winch etc thanks Dave

[need4speed]

Some will no doubt say auto...... Me? I like the idea of changing gear when i want - not when the gearbox wants....

R380 all the way.

[Raggylad]

LT95 is bombproof (if a bit agricultural); why not stick with it ? You can play around with the ratios if you need to.

[bill van snorkle]

A modified LT95 with taper roller bearing intermediate gear and one piece centre diff cross shaft is hard to beat.

They seem to survive reasonably well with 3.9 litre turbo Isuzu diesels in Australian military 2 ton Perentie 6x6's with Squaddies driving them !

[Ash.Witty]

I had an R380 behind a 4.2 Rover v8 on 38" creepy crawlers, seemed to take the power well.

[mickeyw]

You don't say what capacity V8 you have.

V8 110s built a little later than yours had the LT85. This had the benefit of being 5 speed and strong, not as strong as the LT95 but still very good. The gear shift is rather agricultural compared to a modern R380, but certainly an improvement on the LT95.

They came in two versions, the stronger one piece case, and a split case 'lightweight' design. Both types had a tendency for mainshaft bearings to become noisy, but they keep on working fine. These units were built for the V8 models so gear ratios should be ideal.

Finding one now could be the issue though.

[Challo]

To be honest I would not go with R380. Had my 300tdi 110 about 4 years now and it's on it's 2nd R380 and 2nd LT230 also 300tdi isn't too healthy.

When these finally give up the ghost my thoughts are Mercedes OM605 Mercedes Manual 6 speed gearbox mated to an Ashcroft LT230.

The point I'm trying to make is the earlier gearbox is probably less likely to be built to a price.

I know this from personal experience as I worked at the Foundry in Leeds that cast 300tdi heads, 200tdi, TD5 heads, V8 heads and block and TCIE heads and Freelander V6 blocks.

The V8 block and head and 300tdi head dies were all badly worn so when the die closes there was movement. This led to a percentage being out of tolerance and also issues with wall thickness. We requested new dies or re-furbing of dies to rectify this but they would not release funding. So we requested more testing, larger percentage x-rayed and chopped up to examine internal structure. Unfortunately same answer.

Disappointing to say this but I will be getting rid of engine and gearbox when they expire, even though the head has my stamp on it!

Hope this helps

[Retroanaconda]

So what are the viable alternatives to an R380/LT85 for a V8 fitment? Challo, what attracts you to the Merc OM605 box?

I ask as I'm going to be putting together a 110 with a Mazda 3.5 diesel lump which is supposed to fit V8 gearboxes and I'm foreseeing the same problem of munching gearboxes, though perhaps further exacerbated by the rougher power delivery of a big 4-cylinder diesel. My engine was supplied with a very broken LT85, and I know the previous owner has killed an autobox or two with another engine he is currently running in a 110.

Apologies for the quasi-hijack, but our aims are similar

[Challo]

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I think it'd be much easier to use a mazda gearbox if possible.

Otherwise it means Fettling input and output ends in order to fit.

The gearbox I was referring to is from a Cdi 220 and this mates up to the OM605.

By the way your website is very useful, used it loads. If ever we meet up I owe you a few beers!!!

[Retroanaconda]

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I think it'd be much easier to use a mazda gearbox if possible.

Otherwise it means Fettling input and output ends in order to fit.

The gearbox I was referring to is from a Cdi 220 and this mates up to the OM605.

Yeah that would probably be best, but I think the box that originally mated to this engine is a bit big for a Land Rover coming from a light truck, and the ratios would likely be a bit off. I will likely chuck an uprated R380 in with an oil cooler and see how it gets on, but spec the chassis to have a few different mounting points front and back to allow for future modification to the driveline components.

By the way your website is very useful, used it loads. If ever we meet up I owe you a few beers!!!

No problem, glad it helps.

[tacr2man]

I would go with the solidcase lt85 , mines handled a V8 in a heavy 110 for 200,000 miles with one stripdown , and a couple of bearings . its not been babied , towing upto 54tonne on occasions, Im happy enough to be hanging a 3ltr BMW TD on the front of it , for the next part of its life!

Its had Redline synthetic oil in it for a good part of its time, starting in Australia , due to the extreme temperatures there, JMHO

If you want a beefy box not much bigger than the LT85 ZF in a leyland daf 45 are quite compact !!

[smallfry]

I would go with the solidcase lt85 , mines handled a V8 in a heavy 110 for 200,000 miles with one stripdown , and a couple of bearings . its not been babied , towing upto 54tonne on occasions, Im happy enough to be hanging a 3ltr BMW TD on the front of it , for the next part of its life!

Its had Redline synthetic oil in it for a good part of its time, starting in Australia , due to the extreme temperatures there, JMHO

If you want a beefy box not much bigger than the LT85 ZF in a leyland daf 45 are quite compact !!

Yep. If you want a five speed, then its LT85 all the way for me too. Personally I think it has a nicer gearchange than the LT77 or R380.

Just out of interest tacr2man, what grade of Redline are/were you using ?

[tacr2man]

Yep. If you want a five speed, then its LT85 all the way for me too. Personally I think it has a nicer gearchange than the LT77 or R380.

Just out of interest tacr2man, what grade of Redline are/were you using ?

Redline MTL 70W80 GL-4 Gear Oil , in main box and Heavy ShockProof® in the LT230 , with 75W90 GL-5 Gear Oil in the diffs

[Retroanaconda]

See I've never driven an LT85-equipped Defender, nor even seen one. But all I've heard about them is that their gear change is not pleasant and a lot less refined than the R380 and LT77 boxes. I know they're supposed to be stronger than an R380, or so I've been told anyway. But the one I have in my garage that came with the engine is very broken thanks to it!

Will have to try and find one to have a drive of.

[tacr2man]

See I've never driven an LT85-equipped Defender, nor even seen one. But all I've heard about them is that their gear change is not pleasant and a lot less refined than the R380 and LT77 boxes. I know they're supposed to be stronger than an R380, or so I've been told anyway. But the one I have in my garage that came with the engine is very broken thanks to it!

Will have to try and find one to have a drive of.

Ive never found the LT85 change to be a problem , but they are a "heavier change " compared with a 380 , but then its bigger bits your moving about . They are not that common , as were only used in V8 110 . That said you dont need to do alot of gearchanging with a V8 unless you are really heavy towing or needing to get a move on . I found 2nd to fourth , and in fifth down to about 25 perfectly usable.

[mickeyw]

They are not that common , as were only used in V8 110 . That said you dont need to do alot of gearchanging with a V8...

Er, and 90s :-)

The gate on the LT85 is wide and agricultural, but rather less so that the LT95. Fast gear changes will not be on tap, but hang on... this is a Landrover!

It is true the V8 will trundle along in top at very low revs, beautifully smooth.

[tacr2man]

Er, and 90s :-)

The gate on the LT85 is wide and agricultural, but rather less so that the LT95. Fast gear changes will not be on tap, but hang on... this is a Landrover!

It is true the V8 will trundle along in top at very low revs, beautifully smooth.

My apologies should have put "and 90" in .

also forgot to say pre 88 solid case is best version split case went from 88 to 91 .

[Retroanaconda]

Best option I guess is probably just to ask Ashcrofts really! Since they're the experts and all, and would likely be the ones building the thing.

Decent oil and the provision of an oil cooler will no doubt help prolong life whichever box one ends up with.

[Mike Jenkins]

My apologies should have put "and 90" in .

also forgot to say pre 88 solid case is best version split case went from 88 to 91 .

My 1987 90 has the split case one.

Is it any worse than the solid case?

[mickeyw]

I believe the general view is that the split casing itself doesn't offer the support to the shafts that the solid case can provide.

My 1986 model had a solid case

[bill van snorkle]

I believe the general view is that the split casing itself doesn't offer the support to the shafts that the solid case can provide.

My 1986 model had a solid case

Mick, have you made any modifications to the 85 to improve the bearings. That appeared to be their main weakness in OZ. Aside fro occasional 5th gear issues that is.

Seeing as how the join in the split case version is down through both the main and layshaft centre line, I don't see how that would reduce support to the shafts.

[Landrovernuts]

Another vote for LT85. Handles my tweaked 4.2 well enough along with towing. Just change the oil (engine oil) regularly and have had not issues. One other difference between the split and solid case boxes is that the solid case has a pump and filter. My old split case leaked oil out the bottom joint before I upgraded to a solid case. The old split case which was just noisy went into a V8 buggy and is still going strong.

[mickeyw]

Mick, have you made any modifications to the 85 to improve the bearings. That appeared to be their main weakness in OZ. Aside fro occasional 5th gear issues that is.

Seeing as how the join in the split case version is down through both the main and layshaft centre line, I don't see how that would reduce support to the shafts.

Bill i never made any mods to mine. I rebuilt it circa 80k miles because the bearings had become noisy, but tbh the insides looked like new, as did the mainshaft bearings. They had just got a bit rumbly, and the noise was amplified through the box. I used genuine bearings (£50 each!), although as specials it seems no general bearing manufacturers were licensed to make them. It was quieter after the rebuild, for perhaps another 40k miles before it begun to get a little noisy again. This does make me wonder whether as James suggests some fancy oil would have been beneficial.

I've seen a couple of broken split case versions. In both instances the casing had fractured and allowed the gears out of mesh, or maybe it was the other way around?

I run auto these days, and enjoy it most of the time, but I still had the manual moth balled away in case I fancied swapping back.

[01gue5t]

Sorry for not replying earlier been mad at work mrs mad n kids nuts

thanks for replies

may stay with rebuilt lt 95 easier than prop swaps etc

and im lazy lol

phnd Ashcrofts about lt 95 and lady practically hungup on me "Don't do em"

Thanks again

[bill van snorkle]

phnd Ashcrofts about lt 95 and lady practically hungup on me "Don't do em"

Thanks again

Surely they would offer at least a centre diff remachine/rebuild service ? The LT95 is not quite as long obsolete as some may think, because LandRover had to keep supplying transmissions and replacement parts to the Australian Military for their still in service, but a bout to be sold off 4x4 and 6x6 Perentie series.