V6 Auot FWD conversion.

I was on here with a different username but for the life of me cannot remember what, so I've signed up again.

I have a Freelander 1 V6 auto. I bought it cheap a couple of years ago with HGF. As an Ex MG-Rover tech (now run my own garage) it was a walk in the park, soon after the VCU seized up and the rear diff bearings went along with the mounts. I mainly use it as a load-lugger, I have a '05 Grand Cherokee for off-road duties so the prop (blanking plate fitted to IRD) and rear diff were thrown in the bin, as were the rear driveshafts, with the outer CV outer carriers left in place to support the rear wheel bearings. With a new set of road-spec tyres the difference was immense, far smoother and better mpg (good job with the V6!).

Lately I'd noticed the knock from the front IRD when cornering, and a slight drop in MPG. Seem's stupid replacing/rebuilding the front IRD when it is essentially doing bugger-all, so the engineer in me thought about a true FWD conversion. Lose the weight of the front IRD and hopefully gain a bit more MPG, I'm convinced I can get over 30mpg eventually! I could just throw in the towel, but I've sunk some money into it and I like a challenge.

With the IRD off, it reveals the double-spline diff arrangement in the box, so that scuppered my original hopes of using some modified Rover 75 V6 auto shafts and retaining the original gearbox. So, I've sourced a Rover 75 V6 auto box and a pair of 75 V6 auto driveshafts. The outer section of the original FL O/S outer driver shaft will require some machining and mating to the O/S 75 shaft once it has also been machined down to match. Also, as the splines are different, I can't just plop the N/S FL driveshaft into the gearbox, and the inner joint is different so today I need to press-off the inner tripod bearing and see if it has the same spline as the 75 shaft, which fingers-crossed will mean I can just plop the complete inner joint assembly from the 75 shaft onto the FL shaft, thereby saving time machining it.

All I need to do is check the wiring diagrams for the boxes, as the only difference is the fact that the 75's don't have the manual sequential option like the FL's do, the wiring plugs are the same though so hopefully it's all controlled by the gearbox ECU.

The other thing I've done is fitted MG ZS180 front manifolds and cat. My cat was mullered so it got the innards taken out and welded back up, it's MOT time soon though and I had the parts anyway. They also more free-flowing than the OE FL parts, which are restricted by the fact they have to wrap around the IRD. It has necessitated changing the sump to the ZS item, which means some small modifications to the lower steady bar and oil cooler. The exhaust system will need some slight lengthening but nothing too major.

My other slight modification is having the springs rewound. I'm looking for a drop of about 60mm. This is not for the purpose of looking like a chav, it's because I have 2 red setters, both with hip problems so reducing the ride height makes it easier for them to get in and out. I've tried those ramp things but they just will not use them!

FWD may not be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe this may be of help to some. I found it pointless to replace all the 4WD gubbins with replacements, which is still expensive 2nd-hand as the V6 auto stuff seems stupidly priced (and the reliability of the replacement parts will be a niggling issue), and I have a Grand Cherokee anyway. The car with the heads done, belts, gearbox, shafts, a set of tyres and the reworked springs will stand me at less than a grand, including buying the thing. Not bad for something with AC, leather, heated seats and plenty of room.

I shall upload some picture today when I spend a bit more time on it.

Auto not Auot!!!

thats a hell of a lot of work and i doubt many would bother for a v6 f.l 1. would prob have been easier to just buy a 1.8 non runner and do the head on that and turn it into a mondo. the rover parts as you prob already know from working on them arnt much better made than the landrover stuff. i used a 75 diesel as a cab for a few years and the engine was bullet proof and the only things that ever broke were the rover bits.

I always thought the ird geared down the Freelander by 1.6. If thats the case, then how will you get round this wiv the conversion?

Also could you make a wooden box for the dogs to help them get in? 60mm drop will mean the wheels will be close when body roll kicks in.

why not fit the LSD Rover 220 Turbo box? - tiz a lot easier than wot yu describe ?

I want to keep it auto hence why sticking with a Jatco box, also saves doing any potential wiring. It's actually turning out to be quite an easy swap. The gearbox is a straight swap. Took the shafts to my engineers (bang opposite my workshop and really good!), the N/S shaft requires the inner end of a 75 shaft swapping onto it, so the 75 inner joint can be used, but retaining the majority of the FL shaft so I'm retaining the FL outer CV with it's reluctor ring intact so not ABS issues. On the O/S shaft it's an case of swapping on the FL outer CV end onto the 75 shaft. This is being done by male and female threading, braze paste on the threads and induction brazed, and then a channel machined in at the joint and a weld putting in. Cheaper than new custom made shafts and should still be rock solid.

As I'm running a car gearbox I will have to see how the gearing is with the Freelander wheels and tyres, but I've been wanting an excuse to fit some other wheels anyway! It's quite a simple conversion really, only like changing the gearbox just on the wait for the shafts but they should be done this week.

Yes, I could have bought a 1.8 FL, but I didn't as this one came up unexpected (a customer couldn't afford the initial HGF repair work so
I made an offer for the car). I wasn't looking for a 4WD as I have a new Cherokee, which is superb off-road and for tugging work, so this was more a car for the dogs and load-lugging at work for engines and bits and bobs, the boot-opening is ideal for the obscure bits I pick up sometimes! as it stands me bugger all there is no point selling, after all I probably make a loss selling a V6 auto FL1 with no prop or rear diff and a buggered IRD!

I've been looking for a while for a FL Commercial, in black, preferably an earlier Di as I do a lot of L-series tuning and think the M47 is a turd of a motor, or a 1.8 model and FWD that with a T-series turbo and box set-up. I'm into my van things with motor swaps, I'm currently building a Montego-fronted Maestro van with a tuned L-series and a Rover 100 with NOS Metro van rear window blanks and a tuned L-series, should be fun with 170hp in it! I just like fiddling with things really!

Taxii, bad luck with the 75, I do a lot of 75/ZT work, and am prominent on the OC for them, it's 90% of the time the BMW bits that ****-up as there isn't many Rover parts on them anyway!

Hippo, the springs are being rewound lower and stiffer, there is 110mm arch to tyre clearance so 60 shouldn't be to much of a problem it's a rolly-polly old thing so reducing the bodyroll may help as it's a bit tiring on the winding streets of Sheffield! With some of the cars I've built arch clearance has never been on my agenda anyway, the less the better in my book! Can't build a box for the dogs, as once they are in there will be no room for the box itself as to fit the fat gits in, the back seat has to be folded up!

I know a FWD swap isn't exactly the norm on here, but the FL is such a diverse and adaptive car I thought it was the best option rather than chucking it on the scrap heap or selling it on for a loss. You never know, if I do sell it may appeal to a small market of buyers wanting the space without the 4wd component issues or added thirst.

Also, the sump and manifold swap isn't necessary for the FWD conversion, I'm just doing that as my main cat was buggered and I have a set of ZS180 manifold which feature the cat in them. It just requires the ZS sump for the room need for said cat in them, so will only cost me a couple of laser cut-flanges to mate them to the FL system and re-working the lower engine steady.

Incidently, don't know if anybody is aware of this but Poly bushes available for the ZS lower engine mount are a direct fit for the lower engine steady and upper engine steady on the V6 FL, I've not cross-checked them with other FL's but might be of use to people with baggy bushes.

An interesting fred. Can yer take some pic's along the way for us?

I have some I will add later today of work so far

Thought I'd better update this! Been busy with work but the Xmas wind-down is starting so I might have it finished next week!

Picked up my custom driveshafts this morning. Basically the N/S/F driveshaft is the same length as before, but has had the inner spline for the inner joint welded in from a donor Rover 75 driveshaft. The O/S/F outer driveshaft has been lengthened 100mm and had the inner spline from a donor 75 shaft welded in to mate it to a 75 V6 auto intermediate shaft.

The shafts were machined with a male a female spigot, reamed, pressed together (a flat was filed on the male spigot to let air out, that's how tight the machining tolerance is!) Then a groove was machined at the joint down to the centre, welded in there, heated in a hot-brick oven, trued-up, then fully welded around the joint, machined, re-heated, trued-up again then a lick of paint. not bad for £75 each IMO. The guy that did them runs a business building racing jet-ski's and builds the props for them the same way, so should be fit for a FWD Freelander! Just waiting for my CV boots to come any minute now then I'll build them up. Chucked in some new front wheel bearings whilst it was all apart.

The only other modification require to fir the box was to separate the two halves of the gearbox mount, a weld it back together at a different angle. This is because the 75 box bolts to the block using a second set of bolt holes, so turns the box clock wise a few degrees. You can bolt it up using the other set of bolt holes as it was with the FL box as then the intermediate drive shaft would line up, but it's simple work really.

Pics below. Just to note this will all work with the original FL sump and exhaust manifolds, I've just swapped mine for MG ZS 180 manifolds which meant changing the sump also. Apologies for the poor under-car pic, the clouds have come over and the flash wouldn't come on!

Well it's been back on the road for 3 weeks, no problems to report (apart from a clanking front ARB link, ****ty FAI parts that are only a few months old).

All went together fine and dandy. I did make a bit more work for myself as I put in MG ZS180 manifolds, which required changing the sump, oil cooler and pipework etc. You could retain the FL manifolds with no problems, all you'd have to do is the custom driveshafts, modify the gearbox mount slightly, and sort the pipework that would have gone down to the IRD cooler. There is no wiring involved, plug in a play.

Parts wise I paid £200 for a 75 box and a set of donor 75 driveshafts, £20 on gearbox oil, £20 on new coolant, and the machine work to the driveshafts was £150. Gearbox prices vary so you could possibly pick up a box and shafts for half of what I paid. So not including my labour I've spent, just shy of £400, certainly cheaper than a rebuilt IRD, new prop and and rebuilt rear diff. After some long runs and brimming the tank I'm doing around 28/29 urban, calculated 41 on a run down to Essex, so an average in the 30's isn't bad in a V6! I struggled to get 25 on a run to Bogner-Regis even with a blanked-off prop! That is with road tyres with 36psi all round. I know it defies the purpose of having a Freelander, but if you need the car but have a fully shagged 4WD system and don't want to plough a heap of money replacing a known weak link it maybe the way forward. I have a Jeep for 4WD needs, the FL is a load-lugger for me.

The process on a diesel auto will be much the same with the donor diesel auto 75 box and shafts. A diesel manual would also be pretty much the same, too. I did do mine with the engine out to check all my measurement properly and because I was doing some check on the cam belt and replacing some camshaft seals, but it's fairly simple to do with the engine in if you have an engine crane to heave the box in and out, or a proper ramp. Or I can do for a fee

Rich