V8 and LT77 conversion

[muddy]

A lad at work has just bought this conversion and as you can see either the engine or transmission mounts do not line up. Can anyone advise on positioning and possibly if the kit is a proper one?

Will

[Mudmonkey]

Pics on Will's behalf.

[mcc1979ian]

That looks more like an old series box of some type by looks of the levers. My v8 lt77 box is nothing like that

[muddy]

It looks like every lt77 main casing I've ever seen, and all the gears are in the right places.

[Bowie69]

did it come out a 109 and going into an 88, or vice versa?

[missingsid]

Looks like a late gbox, an adaptor and a series transferbox.

Not sure why you woold expect it to match the series cross member?

Non series gearboxes are not the same lenght as a series one plus the adaptor length.

Either extend the mounts on the transfer box, move the engine forward or move the gearbox crossmember back?

Have you got prop shafts for it? If not they will be out by the same ammount as the gearbox mounts!

[Jon White]

That's a v8 Sherpa gearbox bolted onto a series transfer box, via one of the very early Ashcroft conversion kits.

You will need to modify the transfer box mounts, or move the crossmember in order to get them to work as the Lt77 as about 4" longer than a series gearbox.

I used to run one of these. However imho lt77 and lt230 conversion is the way to go, they are far nicer and stronger.

[muddy]

After doing some more digging I think it's come out of a early series one so hence the longer spacing between mounts.

We are thinking moving the engine forward and modding the front panel and rad as this is hopefully the lesser of the evils vs modding floor plates, props handbrake ect ect.

Will.

[Gazzar]

Do you mean series 1 as in the 1950's type? It isn't. All non-V8 series have essentially the same 4 speed box, and that ain't it. And there never was a series 1 v8 in production. Despite LR america begging solihull to build one!

I'm amazed that the gear change is through the transfer box, is that part of the kit, does anyone know, or are they all like that?

Moving the lot forward isn't entirely straight forward, either, exhaust, radiators, etc. Depending on the eventual use of the truck, it might be worth more if you put an original box back, and bought an overdrive.

[missingsid]

I'm amazed that the gear change is through the transfer box, is that part of the kit, does anyone know, or are they all like that

If you look closely it has a remote change unit on the transfer box but the output from it goes forward over it and into the rear of the adapter and hence to the gearbox.

[daslandroverman]

Now that's a proper relic.

True an LT77/LT230 combo is a better idea for the job, but that's genuinely rare, and a real bit of history.

Sitting the seat box and bulkhead on the chassis would give a clue as to where you want the engine and box to sit, either using the series brackets on the original mounts on the crossmember, or making up some fresh ones to suit where it hangs now.

I'd wager that as it's likely an early Ashcroft kit that someone thought it through well enough that when it was built up in a vehicle the selectors etc would come up through the appropriate holes in the floor/tunnel.

As an aside, the remote selector linkage almost makes the IIA FC setup look uncomplicated.

[daslandroverman]

Looking at it again, I'd say from the position of the main gear lever and that of the red lever for the transfer box, that if the kit is designed to utilise the existing holes in a series tunnel, then the gearbox mounts are right, and it was intended for the engine to be moved forward in the vehicle.

[Jon White]

As I've already said, and I used to have one of these.

The transfer box in the pictures has standard, un modified mounting brackets on it. They require extending by approx 4" then it will all bolt up.

You do not need to move the engine forward.

It is indeed an early Ashcroft conversion, and uses the old prop shaft flange turned round and bolted to an input gear inside the transfer box.