Ex MoD Defender 90 engine & rear axle thoughts.

[Lionhound]

Ok, so got some good advice from you re my electrical woes so will take on next problem now.

Being ex military its original engine was N/A. A previous owner has swapped in a 300tdi presumably from a defender as no viscous fan or cowling (looks wrong but thats what it has). Anyway, have chance of 300tdi plus R308 box from a defender at decent money so a swap is on the cards. Also available is a salisbury rear axle from a 110.

Now questions. Should I go ahead with the engine & box swap?

Should I leave my current engine and Lt77 in and go for full recon of other engine and box first?

And finally, I'm not an off roader as such but frequently drive off road through mud etc so would prefer to have rear discs (self adjusting, power wash clean, less hassle) could do without the expense but axle appears well priced. Is it a simple swap? Is there another way to change to rear discs that's more cost effective?

Thanks in advance people. ☺

[Eightpot]

300tdi engines are no different between disco/defender.

Lt77 gearbox has a shorter bellhousing than R380. When 300tdi is fitted to an Lt77 it sits further back than the factory installation which was fitted to an r380- hence the fan cowling won't fit and the viscous fan will hit the steering box. Just use an electric fan.

Rear axle swap is kind of easy but can be a struggle if nuts/bolts and the 'A' frame ball joint is rusted up. Rear drums are fine to be fair, if you're on a budget I'd leave as is, you won't notice much if any difference.

[Lionhound]

Thanks Eight pot.

So are you saying that the 300tdi coupled to an r380 out of a defender won't have room for a viscous fan?

Other than that it would be a straight swap?

Presumably you'd advise a rebuild if possible before fitting?

Thanks again.

[Eightpot]

If you put a defender r380 in, the fan and cowl will fit, though you will need to move the engine mounts forward on the chassis. But you're fine as is - you can live without the fan 99% of the time in the UK as there is enough cooling anyway. For the infill an electric fan is more than enough to suffice, no need to swap gearboxes just so you can have a viscous fan.

The 300tdi is a pretty long lived and sturdy engine, so unless there's an actual problem you can leave it be, just do regular oil/filter changes.