'71 3.1 Isuzu swap with ZF build

Hi all,

Whilst researching doing this, I couldn't find much info on this swap so I thought I'd do the good thing and detail it all here!

Firstly I'm starting with my Rangie. It's a shortened and bobtailed '71 2 door classic with 4 wheel steering. Currently running a 3.9 V8 on Strombergs with a 4 speed ZF Auto.
The truck is totally rebuilt with a galvanised (somewhat altered!) chassis and stainless steel tub, not to mention a few other mods such as the steering.

Due to the chassis being galvanised, I wasn't prepared to move the engine mounts. I also wanted to keep it auto. The only conversion I could find to retain this box and the original engine mounts is the Isuzu 2.8/3.1

And so we begin...

:nopics:op2:op2:

Take loads of Pics - Zen is a good forum member to talk too, he has done an amazing conversion in his Classic he can offer pointers where necessary no doubt...

Good Luck .....

op2:

First thing was to remove the boat from the workshop to make a bit of room! Once this was done we only had an hour.

He she is waiting for work to start, also a couple of pics of the engine bay 'as is'. It's pretty bloody tidy in there.

And this was the evening's progress... Front panels are off and a lot of the wiring etc that attaches to the wings is now detached.

Also found an incredible tyre inflator... You remove a spark plug and wind this little chappy in. It's got a valve so that cylinder only pumps clean air and can be used for anything from tyres to air beds etc!! Awesome!!

Big day tomorrow, spending all day on it so planning to have the V8 out!

James

Why that engine..its pooh.no power.not enough cylinders..
Any engine can be made to fit without cutting chasis.just abit of creativity required..

Toyota 4.2td is so much better..

Well, I did put a post on here asking what to use etc and no one replied!

Anyhoo, I'm not looking to set the world alight. It's used mainly for towing and as my daily driver, so i wanted reasonable economy. It's also a readily and cheaply available engine which can be tuned a little if I so wish.
Last but not least, I wanted to stay on the safe side with the transmission etc. Last thing I want is to be spending on upgrading the drivetrain all the time. I've driven 3.1 troopers before and found them powerful enough for what I want.

I'm happy it's a good choice and I got a good deal on a motor complete with all the conversion gear.

Cheers, James

larby said:

Well,

I'm happy it's a good choice and I got a good deal on a motor complete with all the conversion gear.

Cheers, James

Click to expand...

ahhh..theres the answer..fair enough..

go on..aussie sites..pirate 4x4 for example..i think(THINK) they use that engine as standard in lr over there..(110 military versions etc)

Pirate 4x4 is Aussie?! I though it was a US site! Were you referring to the toyota or the Isuzu they use over there though?

Cheers, James

they run isuzu diesel engines as standard in land rovers..

yeah they have it in the special forces 6x6 landy derivitive they use

fett said:

yeah they have it in the special forces 6x6 landy derivitive they use

Click to expand...

There we go then, can't be that bad!

So today I was on a mission to have the V8 out and on the floor. Thankfully we succeeded!

First up was to disconnect all remoining wires & hoses, an amazingly simple job! I cut a few here and there that couldn't be easily disconnected. I wire all the local powerboat fleet so have a range of waterproof connectors. I'd rather be able to split wires off the engine easily in the future just in case, than have them hard wired from the dash to the engine!

Next up involved bending into all sorts of positions to undo the bellhousing bolts and flex plate. Well, my (mechanic) friend who was helping me tought he'd undone the flex plate till we removed it all with the torque converter attached - and the ring gear fell off He won't be let off that one for a while!

There were 2 bolts left on either side of the bellhousing that we couldn't reach at all from above or below! I lifted the carpet inside and found an access panel in the passenger footwell opposite the ID plate on the gearbox. With my friend inside and me on the engine guiding the socket, we had those two undone in a jiffy!

No such luck with the driver side though! I considered removing the whole tunnel, but all the hydraulic controls for the rear wheel steering and the battery box are in a cuddy in the middle so it would've been a major ballache to remove them!
I've got a range of 1" grommets such as used in the bulkhead so I took a good guess and hole sawed a 1" hole in the side of the tunnel allowing me to get a socket to the two remaining bolts using the same technique, worked a treat! With a grommet then popped in the hole, you'd never know it wasn't meant to be there!
For the fitting of the Isuzu motor I'll be taking the whole tunnel out, I'm relocating the hydraulic controls and the battery to behind the driver's seat anyway so I can put a small seat in the middle for my daughter's child seat anyhoo.

With all these bolts undone and a lot of exhaust wiggling, the motor popped off. It then instantly fouled on the tubular manifolds where they hit the engine mounts! Removed these (the manifolds that is!) and the motor just popped out!

Next up is to clean out the engine bay and sort other jobs till the Isuzu motor and conversion kit turns up!

So, while I'm waiting for the motor to arrive I've got a few jobs to sort...

• Change front seats from existing 'orange' efforts to very comfy grey honda ones.
• Change 'orange' carpet to grey too.
• Trim & sort headlining & door cards to match
• Make hub to change steering wheel from truck sized standard item currently fitted!
• Re-spray in (proper, not rattle can) satin black to match boat colour scheme (graphics will come at a later date!)
• Sort rear steering controls. This will involve changing to a mechanical control joystick for better control and fabricating and auto centering system with a mechanical centre lockout.
• Fabricate stainless rear bumper & towbar mount
• Fit a set of 33" tyres I've acquired onto some 10x15 rims I've ordered to replace the Anacondas currently fitted. I'll order 33 or 35 BFG's when I've got the money waiting!

Think that's about it. 3 weeks till I need the truck back on the roads!

James

larby said:

There we go then, can't be that bad!

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Agreed, ive one in my trooper and it just works without fail every day without needing any work doing to it as does the rest fo the car. opposite to a landy really

Sounds like you are making good progress mate , keep it up!

It ought never to pass the new MOT especially with the rear steering. Be interesting to see what happens when an MOT is due.

it will pass..one can get anything through if one knows the right person...(lol)

At present a non-standard car can apply for an SVA (or the other one whichever it is) - will this no longer apply when the new rules come in??

Datatek said:

It ought never to pass the new MOT especially with the rear steering. Be interesting to see what happens when an MOT is due.

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That's an easy one... We don't have MOT's in Guernsey! Nor road tax, or VAT...

Seriously though, it does have mechanical lock out bars which totally remove the rear steering. No problem for an MOT, not that it'll ever need one!

James