series 3 engine\gearbox swap

hi,we have a series 3 2 1\4 diesel 1980 safari and want to upgrade engine and gearbox to disco 300tdi.has anyone done it yet!!!!!!!!!

we are not short of engineering and mechanical ability and will apreciate any advice given.hopefully someone can help our dream come true.

OK, S3 box wont take the torque of the TDi motor. Couple of people have tried them, with motors out of scrap discos, and all have reported box failure within hundreds of miles. Means that you will have to use Disco/Defender box. That means that you will need major chassis surgery to line the combination up on the rails and clear crossmembers etc, and probably propshaft mods too.
THEN, you will have aquired permenant four wheel drive, which will mean that you ought to have CV jointed front axle, rather than UJ jointed series affair. Can be remidied with Stage One front axle, if you can find one, Chris Perfect / TI Console / Zeus CV conversion (Expensive), or Range Rover / Defender /Disco Axles.
Last rout means addition of suspension mods to either convert chassis to coils or axles to leafs, plus hassles with the steering being back to front.
And of course, you'll need to do something with the brakes.........
NO small job by any stretch of the imagination
Whatever way you do it, at the end of the day, you will be spending a lot of time effort and money to make something that is neither one thing nor the other - it will be a long way from being a series and no where near being a defender, and the end product will probably be worth less then either and probably have cost more.
Personally, I'd strongly recomend choosing an engine that will match the S3 box; 2.5TD is about as much as it can handle reliably in oil burner form, Ford V8 about as much in petrol - early RR V8's are just about do-able, provided you dont abuse them too much. Some people have run big perkins or Dihatsu diesil lumps through them, but reports sugest that these high torque motors do give the gearbox a hard time, often harder than a V8 would, and becouse they have such a low rev ceiling need either 3.5:1 diffs and or Ashcroft high Ratio transfer box to be able to get them to do the same road speed as a two and a quarter.
Any way, see my site:-
Modifying Your Land Rover
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/williams73/30_01_Body_02_ModRev.htm
Managing your 'Project'
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/williams73/30_01_Body_01_ProjMan.htm
Engine choices - what works well in a Series Landie
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/williams73/40_00_Body_03_Workshop_LandRover_EngineOptions.htm
Engines 'At a Glance'
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/williams73/40_00_Body_03_Workshop_LandRover_EngineList.htm

Id like to get get a 3.5 rover v8 into my lightwieght, wat sort of cost is involved and what are the logistics of feeding the power through the gearbx?

Reply to both questions I have '68 (ex-mil) 100" with 220bhp through LT77s (think that's the right number- 4spd RR 'box with oil cooler take-off points) - slight play now in one front axle uj but that's to be expected after about 20,000m of abuse including fairly serious trialling, lots of fast road miles and traffic-light 'races' with quite unsympathetic gearchanges. Release bearing & 'basket' (benelli/bernoulli? spring for pressure plate) finallygave up but they'd been making occasional noises from day I got it (other LR/RR jobs always got in the way of fixing it at time but I finally 'parked it up' before it threw flywheel into a hedge .Axle internals standard but I've always been meticulous about oil levels, changes and greasing uj's in propshafts. Hardy-Spicers last longer than QH equivalents in my experience. Friend ran '58swb with 280bhp through IIa box noprobs (RRdiffs but otherwise 'standard') for same time but believe IIa bellhousing stronger and can take more punishment. Engine finally went 'bok' so he's got some ex-Pilgrim Sumo (Cobra lookey-likey) extremely high-spec to replace it (and a pixie to sit under the bonnet with a bucket pouring go-juice down the inlet caverns!). It eats gearbox mounts (standard rubber) but box is ok. Seems some 'boxes are better than others (luck of the draw?). Also have SIII with Perkins 4203 (trialled,used to shunt other vehicles, driven flat-oot (55 and a 1/4 mph (it all counts!)) and generally abused/used/loved(it's getting a galv. chassis rebuild and will be kept forever by way of repayment!) and no 'box probs. Possibly worth a thought but cost of rebuilding s/h axle not too onerous (especially if you can afford 300tdi+'box)- why not buy s/h front axle, keep in reserve (make sure it's good/rebuilt) and see how long original lasts? If it breaks,you have a spare to 'keep you going' until you get St1 or conversion. I bought 7 axles (told some are "heavy duty" - they look it!) for a rather nice £20 and enough to build 3 1/2 complete from them from a friend who paid £10 at local "roup" ("farm displenish sale") so I'm sorted in this regard (just in case- and I have time to rebuild axles but am presently so poor I had to pawn my "pot to p*ss in") but I've been lucky so far and have had no 'box probs, axle probs but do keep a supply of propshaft uj's handy (worn out a few of these!).
Low compression V8 seems okay on SIII 'box (some friends have these) but personal V8/diesel/SIII/SIIa-'box interfacing (sorry - went a bit 'mission statement' there!) experience as listed above. For V8 fit, if you can get RR/disco 'box as well, reckon that's the way to go.

I've just taken on a similar project, but maybe slightly easier as this Series III Station Wagon already has Rangie Axles on a galvanised Coiler chassis - I believe it has the holes for the Defender Gearbox mounts already. The bit puzzling me at the moment is where do we find the space for a rad and intercooler behind a Series grill?


Ever considered a Jap conversion? I run a Nissan TD27 2.8litre n/a diesel in my shortie and love it, you would probably want the turb'd version in a LWB.
Jay

Hi.Either fit military rad or modify front end. My 100" used Volvo 264 (V6)rad with Nissan fan. I've posted elsewhere about using 205 diesel van (twin fans) setup and if you can fit 2.7 engine, you can make thermolectric fans fit. My only problem is changing it from 25a '78 Fiesta (MkI) alternator to 75a Golf MkII alternator....