I can't remember ever working on a D1 auto - it must be a rare beast! All my LR's have been manual 'box except the current one and the previous L322.
I see the point of having an engine oil dipstick as the oil is a 'consumable' by several means...
That has had some crap go through the oilways, I would not scrap it until you have no need for it, even then someone somewhere might need one, and a scored cam journal will be the least of their concerns.
If I were you at this stage, I would unplug everything from the engine harness except for those components needed to give you a baseline configuration, just enough to turn the engine. Off the top of my head, this would include the ECU, the...