Land Rover Series 3 V8 Conversion
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Land Rover Series III V8 conversion.
350 Small block Chevy, NV4500 5 speed Transmission, P38 power steering, Disc Brakes, 2003 Discovery 2 axles, 33" tires.
Please note, nine minutes in, I stated 88 degrees when I meant to say 188 degrees.
Thank you YT algorithm! This is gold to me.
The gas struts on the hood are genius! What length struts did you use? Great job!
Hi Neil, thanks for your comment. They are 15” with 100 pound capacity each. I first attempted to use 25 pound capacity but they weren’t strong enough. Of course neither one of these will work if you have a spare tire on your bonnet. If I were to do it again I would probably use 75 pound capacity. The hundred pound units are slightly too strong.
@@emicroengine1 Brilliant, thank you! This will be perfect for my series v8 project.
@@seriesv8 Neil, just FYI, I Purchased the special bell housing between the engine and the transmission from Advance Adapters out in California. I also purchased the adapter between the NV 4500 and the Land Rover transfer case from them as well. They are experts at this type of conversion and they were very helpful. You’re going to need double cardan driveshafts custom-made for your new transfer case position. In my case I bought them from Tom Woods. They told me I couldn’t get one any shorter than 18 inches unless it was a very special made unit. I was lucky because my center to center distance was 18.5 inches.
Nice work from Tasmania Australia 👍
Thanks Peter, nice to hear from Tasmania
Helpful hint, I had to move the rear axle back 1.75 inches to allow for the 18 inch minimal length double cardan driveshaft. I ended up with 18.5 inches. It was close 😬
that’s a fantastic job for sure I just love it 👌 I had a 1976 serie3 109 diesel and now i have a 1982 serie3 stage 1 V8 so I completely understand the need of power 😁😉
Nice work. I am in the process of looking for a new/rebuilt engine. Thinking of ACR but shipping has got very expensive. What did you do with your original engine?
Hi All, a little update that may help you. It’s been very hot in Connecticut this year. It has been as high as 95 deg. F. a few times. There were a few occasions when my intake manifold temperature would get up around 200 deg f. I ended up moving the radiator in front of the fan and blocked off all other air passages in the grill area. The goal was to keep all the head pressure in front of the radiator, not allowing any of it to bypass the radiator. Objective is to keep A low pressure zone inside the engine compartment, keeping the pressure differential between the front of the radiator and back of the radiator very high. This reduced my intake manifold temp by as much as 15 deg. F. Things are much better now. I love this truck…it puts smile’s on so many faces!
Yes very hot summer, my MGA does not hills and sweltering days.
Many years ago I put a 283chev into a 52 80inch with FJ40 running gear. Keeping it cool was a challenge. I bought a tornado fan which was very powerful but like what you experienced the issue was it blocked too much air flow. A far more basic fan worked a lot better. What solved the issue for my application was stamping a row of gills on each side of the bonnet. Not as clean looking but looked cool all the same.
@@bairdotv I ended up moving the fan behind the rad and it drastically improved cooling. It only seems to climb above 190 on 100 deg. Days. I think if I lived out west, I would need to wrap the headers and add the louvers as you did. I would love to see pictures if you have them to share.
About nine minutes in, you will notice I stated 88° but I meant to say 188°.
Very nice work. You are the homo habilis and homo sapiens. Great video. Thanks a lot. Juan from Colombia not Columbia.
That is just perfect 👌🏻
Hi my name is Tim I like what you did with the swap.
Did you make your own adaptor from the transmission to the transfer case
Hi Tim, try going to advance adapters and ask them for a catalog. They will have everything you need including a transmission. I made most of the interfaces for the engine and transmission mounts. Have fun! I had a blast doing the conversion and driving it is awesome!
www.advanceadapters.com/search?q=Land+rover&orderby=0&pagesize=6&viewmode=grid&pagenumber=3
Update: The body minus the rear cab is in the shop getting painted. Tom Brainard in Colebrook, CT has a great reputation. I kept the 2.25L, she is rebuilt, along with Ashcroft stubby R380 and 5 speed adapter for Series transfer case. All has been installed into galvanized frame. Axles are in but need adjusting, then weld bump stops and axles brackets for springs. Looking at Tom Woods web page, recommendations for rear drive shaft.
Thank for the videos. I have a couple of questions for you. The first is how does the carburetor work off road at steep angles? The second question is on your previous ACR engine you used SU carburetors. Are there some benefits to using SU carburetors?
Hi. I like what you are doing/have done to your landie. One question… what did you end up doing with your old 2.25 motor? I have a series 1 that I am restoring and do not have a motor. If you still have it perhaps we could chat?
Great conversion, excellent vid too - could have really done without the music over the V8 music though. Hope it's still in the collection!
Hi what did you do for suspension I’m doing something similar I have a series 2 88 but adding an ls2
What did you do for suspension steering etc?
Would it work with a turbo 700 with rear tail shaft length
Regards Michael
Wow! Beautiful
How tidy is that engine bay. ?Good job. Love the body roll on the blip of the throttle
Very nice indeed. If you’re going to deviate from original, why not go mental.
Im after a good 2.25 engine what did you do with the old engine ?
Hey Ed, there are many 'similar' conversions on TH-cam, but this is my favorite: simple, clean and uncluttered under the 'bonnet'. Beautiful Job John 3:16
Thanks Roger, it’s still running perfectly and my favorite every day vehicle.
Hi mate. What diffs were those? Discovery?
Just saying hello from Ireland , I think you did an absolutely fantastic job . Beautiful
Hi Darren, it’s good to hear from Ireland. Visiting Ireland is on my bucket list :-). I was in England when I was in the US Army back in the early 80’s.
Great build. Perfect conversion in a country where fuel is cheap(ish). In Europe you would go broke. If you gone so far why not change the bumpy leaf spring setup to coils from the donor discovery.
There comes a point where you might as well just buy a defender.
I was really expecting a South African accent
wow.... kudos to you for the excellent work.... I'm curious about the transfer case...any modifications to the gear ratio?
Thanks. I used the stock gears in the transfer case. It worked out nicely with the five speed NV4500 and disco 3 difs. At 2,200 RPM, I cruise at around 65 mph
This is amazing. One of the best S3 rebuilds, so clean and well thought out. Where did you get those wing flares?
Hi Aye Run, thanks for the kind comments. I found the flares on Amazon.
@@edbittner480 do you by any chance have the item number? Would love some for my series. Thanks!!
@@Deckardrick007 i’m sorry, it was actually eBay. Look this up: Land Rover Wheel Arch Protector Set (BA019) for Series 3
@@edbittner480 Excellent! Thanks again, Im obessed on how this series sounds. Beast!
@@edbittner480 So I picked up these Arch Protectors, (BA019), didn't come with mounting hardware or instructions. Did you just fasten them to underside of fender edge? Curious
Mint.
I've had four, one i made Auto😁😁
This is one incredible project. I just trailered home a 74 Series III. Body is off. It has the old 4 cylinder set up on a new galvanized frame. A perfect time to consider this approach. So many questions, just how the axles were modded for this set up. I'm in Connecticut.
Hi Mark,
If I had to do it all over again, I would have started out with the conversion. It was nice to drive it for a while with the original stock set up, but there’s no replacement for displacement as they say :-).
Wonderful work. Congratulations on making a useful Series 3. I plan to go more in the Land Rover direction. Series 3 on 300tdi Defender chassis. Cheers 🍻
Thank you Al. Due to these mods, the Series 3 is now my preferred daily driver. I also have a 2020 Jeep JT but the Land Rover, while not as comfortable as the JT, is more fun to drive. There is something about it’s simplicity and rawness that puts it in a class of its own. No shortage of smiles and onlookers everywhere it goes. Good luck on your project!
@@edbittner480 Thanks I do drive Land Rover Defender. Enjoy your series.😉
I had a S.3, Station Wagon fitted with a Holden, GM, 253 V8. In Australia. It had the standard gear boxes & a Fairey overdrive. It was heaps of fun, got great gas mileage & plenty of go. It would sit on, no joke, 70 mph all day. It had a 2" twin exhaust, sounded great. Minuses, wrong torque for steep off road tracks & registration charges got too expensive. Sold it on after a couple of years,but, fun car. cheers.
Well almost completed the project. Maiden voyage yesterday. I followed your example somewhat. New galvanized chassis, Ashcroft R380 5 speed, Discovery II axles, Tom Woods drive shafts, parabolic springs, Old Man shocks, Defender seats, Paint and Coach works completed in base coat /clear coat, Brainard Classics, RT 8, Colebrook, CT. I left the 2.25 engine as stock.
We had a Series III 110 with a 3.5 V8 lump from a range rover back in the day. Loved it
Hello love your build! Just wondering what transfer case you are running and if there was any conversion kit needed to run it on the NV4500?? Thanks !!
Hey mate I have a sbc landrover with an lt95 transmission I'm interested in what transfer case you used with the nv4500 and if your happy with it
The Chevy engine looks great, what happened to your ACR performance engine? Did it last or did it brake? Interested to find out why you changed it. J
Where did you get the little corner diamond plate for rear fenders or did you just cut them out yourself? Curious. Tim at Brainard Classic Restorations is getting ready to paint the 88.
I've got a series 3 landrover, running a 350 small block chev corvette rocket covers, just took it of gas, runs a 9inch ford ls diff. It eats
I love what you did here and was thinking of doing something similar on my S2. This question may be too much to ask for but seeing how organized you are you may have it. Do you have a parts list for this conversion that you could send?
Hi Jamie, sorry, I do have a list but it’s rather unorganized. And I wouldn’t want to share it without making it presentable which would take some time. Advanced adapters can help you quite a bit if you were looking to do something similar.
@@edbittner480 thank you Ed, I appreciate it!
Question, What size shackle U bolts did you use with the Discovery II axle?
Stunning
Silly me, I was thinking of a 215, V8 transplant.
Omg😮
Love the gas strut idea, what vehicle are they from and their lift rating, great vehicle and conversion you have there.
What became of the ACR four cylinder?
Hi, I really admire your build. Would you consider building a second one?
I am in awe....this is not a mixed bag of part bins, it has a philosophy behind the build
Just picked up Disco II axles for the project. The Disco had only 65,000 miles on her. May have to change gearing since these are pretty steep. For the present sticking with the 2.25L. It's in the shop at Lieferts in Torrington. Thinking of a R380 transmission as well.
Ha Mark,
Yes, if you stick with the original transmission and transfer case, you it would be best to change the dif ratio. With the NV4500 and stock LR transfer case, the disco dif works perfectly.
@@edbittner480 I have both Disco II axles stripped. New perches need to be ordered. Engine still in shop. I haven't made my mind up yet which way to go.
@@edbittner480 Would love to checkout your engineering work. If you ever go to a show. As stated I'm in Barkhamsted, CT.
@@edbittner480 What adapter was used between NV4500 LR transfer case?
@@ramp7t give a call to Advance adaptors in Ca. Tell them what you are doing and they will set you up.
I wanna do this when the 2.6 conks out, if it ever does.
Nice job😘 Might want to drive a bit slower😬
i love how you painted the engine the landy green/blue
Very nice Land Rover! Quite an inspiration for mine 😀
gm sir as we say in jamaica sound wicked great job
Hi... great job done on your build. Quite an inspiration for mine. Just a quick question, did you have to mod the suspension from leaf spring to coil springs to accommodate for the new engine and disco differentials?
Hi Captain, thanks. I adapted the disco axles to work with the original springs. You can see the new spring mounts that i welded to the disco axles in the video
The military series land rovers run dual tanks and have a mechanical switchover of the supply and sender units mounted on the seat box.
Thanks Andy, I had one of those but it leaked and parts weren’t available. I’m sure there are better ways than my method but it’s been working well for a while now. Thanks for the comment.
That’s a good looking Landrover well done
I like this vehicle very much
Inspirational
love it
Very very nice indeed. For years now I've been trying to figure out what I would do with my 83 SWB pick-up. What you have done ticks the boxes! Especially the transmission choice, as you know its hard to find one short enough, especially here in NZ. Looks and sounds bloody good too. Well done! Who made the adapter from Nv4500 to LR transfer case? Cheers Callum
Thanks Callum. Advance adaptors out in California makes the adapter and sells the rebuilt transmission.
@@edbittner480 Thanks I'll get in touch with them. Another question.. were you tempted to go coils? I'm leaning in that direction to get a far better ride, but would prefer not to. What suspension did you go with? How much more supple is it from stock (which as you know is bloody awful).
@@bairdotv Not really tempted because it would have been a good amount of work on the new frame I already had. If I were to do the whole truck again, I would have gone the coil rout. So my ride is rough but the Disco axles really help reduce the body role quite a bit. It’s very fun to drive and gets a good amount of attention. I also purchased the clutch housing from advanced adapter as well as the clutch parts. Get their catalog, there’s a whole section on series Land Rovers
@@edbittner480 Advance Adapters only seem to have two products for landrover. Both are transmission adapter kits . I assume this is what you got? 50-9001 : DODGE 29 SPLINE TRANSMISSION TO LANDROVER T/C