300tdi r380 install question

Hi everyone

i have a '89 130 hicap, im planning on installing a 300tdi with r380 .

It had a 2.5 na with lt77 as far as im aware, as when i got it the engine was out and engine mounts had been ground off. lt77 mounts are still there!

My question is, do i need to purchase a r380 cross member to mount the gearbox? i can get a disco one and wondered if i could use that? and remove the old tube cross member?

i have the chassis mounts for the engine and my plan was to line up the gearbox 1st then lower engine with mounts attached, tack them in then lift it out and re weld the engine mounts in?

will this plan work or am i totally bonkers?

any help really much appreciated

If you are using the r380 then you will need the cross member too.

You can also mount the 300tdi to your lt77 to save buying another gearbox, but that will require modified pipework for rad/intercooler/oil cooler etc.

Your plan of lining it up on the gearbox, tacking the engine mounts then pulling it out to weld fully sounds fine. You may have enough space around the engine to be able to leave it in so long as you remove the exhaust to access the nearside mount.

personally if i was fitting 300tdi plus box id move it to proper position but does mean changing tunnel floor plates and props (front prop becomes sames as discofront prop then)means all other parts become std then,disco crossmember can be used just needs modding to look like def one to clear seat box support,disco crossmember botls up to same 3 8mm holes and one of 10mm holes per side

Boris113 said:

If you are using the r380 then you will need the cross member too.

You can also mount the 300tdi to your lt77 to save buying another gearbox, but that will require modified pipework for rad/intercooler/oil cooler etc.

Your plan of lining it up on the gearbox, tacking the engine mounts then pulling it out to weld fully sounds fine. You may have enough space around the engine to be able to leave it in so long as you remove the exhaust to access the nearside mount.

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Many thanks for your reply

i got a complete unit out of a 2000 defender, engine, gearbox, rad, pipes exhaust, wiring, clocks. just need to fit into the '89 130 chassis. so if i get a r380 cross member out of a disco would that do it? (ok cut a little off the seat box mounts if i remember right).

cheers for your help

jamesmartin said:

personally if i was fitting 300tdi plus box id move it to proper position but does mean changing tunnel floor plates and props (front prop becomes sames as discofront prop then)means all other parts become std then,disco crossmember can be used just needs modding to look like def one to clear seat box support,disco crossmember botls up to same 3 8mm holes and one of 10mm holes per side

Click to expand...

hi James

how would i fit into proper position, i was going to use the gearbox cross member as a guide you see to try and achieve this, are you saying this is incorrect?

cheers, Dave

lt77 fits slightly further back than r380 hence tunnel needing changing etc , when r380 was fitted it was fitted as def v8 and disco , if you fit cross member in the holes in chassis it will put transmission in correct position so engine if you fit it ,but t/box should catch front of seat box till seat box is modded to fit r380 tunnel

so if im reading this right, if i choose to fit the disco cross member, it will align everything in the correct position, but id need to alter the tunnel, seat box, floor plates to accommodate it all.

Whats the alternative so that i don't have to mod the tunnel, floor and seat box.

really appreciate the help and advise

putting transmission where it is now using mounts of old box or drilling fresh holes for cross member, but then youll need to mod exhaust ,hoses etc , horses for courses though it does tend to look bodged compared to as lr fit them

i think as i got a complete unit with everything already in place as in hoses, rad, exhaust etc no point in modding any of that as in theory it will all just plug and pray after i have mounted it all.

Ok so ill get the disco cross member, shave off the bit off the seat bracket and then bolt it in. cut the seat box a little and cut a bit out of the tunnel and mod the floor. job done then (don't suppose anyone has a template of what needs cutting and where?)

I'll let you know how i get on. in about a weeks time.

cheers for your help

if you get r380 tunnel and bulkhead cover it will become apparent

i have converted my 110 v8 to a 300tdi r380 box, your seat box will need chopping the transmission tunnel and floorpan's will need changing and the front prop will also be different. an R380 gearbox crossmember is the same on a defender and disco

lr110 said:

i have converted my 110 v8 to a 300tdi r380 box, your seat box will need chopping the transmission tunnel and floorpan's will need changing and the front prop will also be different. an R380 gearbox crossmember is the same on a defender and disco

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your v8 should have had the same floor plates

i was saying what he will need to do; my front prop is the same but i had to cut the floor plates down, bolted in a 300tdi transmission tunnel and cut some of the seatbox. but i had a lt95 box not a little lt77

lr110 said:

i was saying what he will need to do; my front prop is the same but i had to cut the floor plates down, bolted in a 300tdi transmission tunnel and cut some of the seatbox. but i had a lt95 box not a little lt77

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that would explain it

You can bolt the gearbox mounts from the LT77 straight onto the R380 and fit it right back in where the 77 was. No need to bolt it to an R380 x-member.

The R380 is longer, and your engine will end up smack bang in the middle of the engine bay (pretty much exactly the position of a factory Defender 300).

I know, because I did the same conversion on my old 110



Fitted with all standard 300 Defender pipes etc.

right now i'm a bit confused.

I thought if used the r380 cross member this would position the engine in the correct position within the bay thus been able to use all the correct hoses etc etc, (as the engine rad and gearbox i have came out of a 2000 110 defender)

but now its been suggested that i can use the lt77 position and achieve the correct position?

im confused, sorry gents if im reading to much into this but as its my 1st project and the wife not too chuffed with me taking this on, id like to get it right.

cheers for all your advice.

Dave

cheethd said:

right now i'm a bit confused.

I thought if used the r380 cross member this would position the engine in the correct position within the bay thus been able to use all the correct hoses etc etc, (as the engine rad and gearbox i have came out of a 2000 110 defender)

but now its been suggested that i can use the lt77 position and achieve the correct position?

im confused, sorry gents if im reading to much into this but as its my 1st project and the wife not too chuffed with me taking this on, id like to get it right.

cheers for all your advice.

Dave

Click to expand...

the difference is about 50mm the hi/lo housing on t/box in lt77 position sits just behind seat box ,but in r380 form its sits just under hence the 300 having the tunnel wider at that point, the difference is one is standard lr fitting and you know everything fits including fan and cowl exhaust etc,but you do need to swap props as i said disco front becomes the same then, it depends on whether you want to get it running as cheap as possible or done properly , lt77 mounts arent as effective as the 300 ones on crossmember but will fit

Old crossmember gone, new r380 one installed, old seat box gone, engine installed last week, it went in like a dream. Thanks everyone for your advice. I have loads of photos if anyone is interested of the entire install. Just don't know where to post them.

here would do ,for the next one asking similar

Some photos of the conversion

Old mounts out, you can see the old crossmember still in place


Old crossmember gone



Note seatbox mounts have to be cut to make room for new r380 crossmember.



New one installed using existing holes from the old mounts and all painted up



Hope that helps anyone asking similar in the future.