cartoonhead

cartoonhead

Active Member
Mornin all,

Well.. My 90 was getting lonely so I went a got a classic, I have wanted one since a child I absolutely love it :)

It's a 1989 3.5 EFI Vouge, in Colorado Silver - Never seen another in this colour I think it looks good though. Pics at the weekend when I can take them in daylight.

Anyway my plan was always to do a engine swap and fit a 300tdi and manual gearbox, then fit roof rack, compressor, split charge system, HD suspension and additional water and fuel tanks and use this as a expedition vehicle - Hopefully sleeping in the back, as my next planned destination is Nordkapp in the arctic circle and then on to Finland and Russia.

Only one problem with that.. I absolutely love the V8 and the auto box.. I have never driven a petrol car before or a automatic.. It's amazing! :D

For the UK LPG would be fine but I would be worried to go away and I don't think it will be easily available over the world? It does have a overdrive that kicks in about 55mph which might make it a bit more economical, at the moment I cant help my heavy right foot though so who knows what I will do!

Lastly on day two of ownership I had a warning light come on the dash (surprised it took so long :p) it's a circle with dashes around the outside, a google search leads me to believe this is brake pad wear?

Cheers
 
Last edited:
Oh, also forgot to ask if anyone has lowered the height of the seats beyond their lowest setting? Struggling a bit for headroom in the Rangey!

Also would like to fit some nice leather seats in the front and rear, are D1 seats a straight swap or any ideas where I can buy some nice ones?
 
Get some leather range seats they drop right in. On a 89 classic there are some spacers under the seat base to adjuster track. Not sure if you can run without them.
LPG is good..... Plan your trips to where you can get it and keep the v8 does it still have the full fuel tank.
Brake warning lights only work off drivers side.
 
Congrats on buying your RR, the 3.5 is the best V8 option by far. Being the smallest capacity engine it's not the most powerful but it is the original (before LR f....d it up by boring it out) & incidents of the dreaded liner slip are very rare. It's also the only RV8 that I would ever consider converting to LPG, although the cost recovery of the conversion has to be considered but it has to be preferable to retro-fitting a bloody diesel. I'm not sure that anyone so tall as to need the seat lowered will be comfortable sleeping in it though!
 
pete1987RRC said:
Get some leather range seats they drop right in. On a 89 classic there are some spacers under the seat base to adjuster track. Not sure if you can run without them.
LPG is good..... Plan your trips to where you can get it and keep the v8 does it still have the full fuel tank.
Brake warning lights only work off drivers side.
Click to expand...

Yeah Rangey ones would be preferred, I will have a look must be able to lower the seat box somehow just by a inch so my head doesn't touch the roof!

LPG is the probably the route I will take, yes it has a new stainless steel 90 litre fuel tank, and LPG tanks will have to be underslung ones as I need all the space I can get.

I am going to mount the spare wheel on the back to free up boot space has anyone done this?

norseman said:
Congrats on buying your RR, the 3.5 is the best V8 option by far. Being the smallest capacity engine it's not the most powerful but it is the original (before LR f....d it up by boring it out) & incidents of the dreaded liner slip are very rare. It's also the only RV8 that I would ever consider converting to LPG, although the cost recovery of the conversion has to be considered but it has to be preferable to retro-fitting a bloody diesel. I'm not sure that anyone so tall as to need the seat lowered will be comfortable sleeping in it though!
Click to expand...

Cheers! Good to know that I inadvertently picked a good engine :) It's a good point, I had just assumed a LPG conversion would be worthwhile for me but perhaps I need to do some googling and calculating to work out the real saving, with the overdrive if I stick to 70 it's not horrendous.. As it's just me the plan is to remove the back seats completely and push the passenger side front chair forward and fabricate something to make a bed down that side of the car and use the other side and roof rack for storage :)
 
cartoonhead said:
Cheers! Good to know that I inadvertently picked a good engine :) It's a good point, I had just assumed a LPG conversion would be worthwhile for me but perhaps I need to do some googling and calculating to work out the real saving, with the overdrive if I stick to 70 it's not horrendous.. As it's just me the plan is to remove the back seats completely and push the passenger side front chair forward and fabricate something to make a bed down that side of the car and use the other side and roof rack for storage :)
Click to expand...

As is often the case in life the original is best, certainly from a longevity standpoint. When you do your maths don't forget to factor in the cost of an yearly LPG system service & remember that fuel consumption is higher on that fuel. I'm not sure that simply sliding the front seat forward will give you enough extra length, but you are the one who will be sleeping!
 
cartoonhead said:
Yeah Rangey ones would be preferred, I will have a look must be able to lower the seat box somehow just by a inch so my head doesn't touch the roof!

LPG is the probably the route I will take, yes it has a new stainless steel 90 litre fuel tank, and LPG tanks will have to be underslung ones as I need all the space I can get.

I am going to mount the spare wheel on the back to free up boot space has anyone done this?



Cheers! Good to know that I inadvertently picked a good engine :) It's a good point, I had just assumed a LPG conversion would be worthwhile for me but perhaps I need to do some googling and calculating to work out the real saving, with the overdrive if I stick to 70 it's not horrendous.. As it's just me the plan is to remove the back seats completely and push the passenger side front chair forward and fabricate something to make a bed down that side of the car and use the other side and roof rack for storage :)
Click to expand...
Not sure if it was 996turbo, but someone proposed an external swinging mounting for the spare.
 
cartoonhead said:
Oh, also forgot to ask if anyone has lowered the height of the seats beyond their lowest setting? Struggling a bit for headroom in the Rangey!

Also would like to fit some nice leather seats in the front and rear, are D1 seats a straight swap or any ideas where I can buy some nice ones?
Click to expand...

just take extra bracket off end of runner on d1
 
truckerkev65 said:
you better off lookin 4 p38 or td5 if its black you want td5 fit apart from 6 7 seat
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan, don't want electric though I know the p38 are all electric so hopefully some of the disco td5 ones arent otherwise old disco or rangey it will have to be.. Worst case I will just get seat covers or something I just can't stand the old grey fabric in mine it makes the inside look so dated!
 
cartoonhead said:
Sounds like a plan, don't want electric though I know the p38 are all electric so hopefully some of the disco td5 ones arent otherwise old disco or rangey it will have to be.. Worst case I will just get seat covers or something I just can't stand the old grey fabric in mine it makes the inside look so dated!
Click to expand...
P38 are not all electric, only height is electric on mine and that would be easily rigged to work if needed or just locked in the desired position:)
 
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