Off-Road Ranger I
And here a ~6min compilation of the process of building it up after painting:
Off-Road Ranger I
Because I always get carried away with projects
Original plan was to chuck in whatever greasy 4BT engine donor I could find into the Disco & get rolling before snow... here now after a month of going to town on this engine... uh yeah, in the wise words of Rooster Cogburn: "Well that didn't pan out."
Off-Road Ranger I
Couldn't agree more! Future me will certainly appreciate all the extra work.
Off-Road Ranger I
Man I get distracted easy...
The shop space a friend hooked me up with for the winter has been largely uninhabited for a loooong time, & so the clutter of random old farm mishmash has taken me days to organize to a level that doesn't give me a twitch every time I see it. But boy am I happy to have this vs my tiny carport!
Just yesterday I started the process to clear the way for evicting this busted old V8. Also trying to think of interesting ways to do so as I film the process... which led me to a conversation I've had a few times in the past: "So uh, if you hear an explosion from the shop today, or see fire for a second, don't uh, don't worry too much about that."
The shop space a friend hooked me up with for the winter has been largely uninhabited for a loooong time, & so the clutter of random old farm mishmash has taken me days to organize to a level that doesn't give me a twitch every time I see it. But boy am I happy to have this vs my tiny carport!
Just yesterday I started the process to clear the way for evicting this busted old V8. Also trying to think of interesting ways to do so as I film the process... which led me to a conversation I've had a few times in the past: "So uh, if you hear an explosion from the shop today, or see fire for a second, don't uh, don't worry too much about that."
Off-Road Ranger I
Most everything's now cleared out of the way for plucking the ole V8, & there was no shortage of smashing... you know, for gravity testing the old components... not at all for cathartic purposes.
Getting creative to get the aluminum hood off:
Tubes for spinning the gears & pipes for moving the engine gases gone:
Draining coolant is ALWAYS a mess! Hope I can remedy that when I come up with a radiator replacement:
Very close now, but need to poke around the radiator core support & see if it's worth drilling out spot welds & modifying it to become a bolt-in part:
And here a ~2min mashup of the parts flying:
Getting creative to get the aluminum hood off:
Tubes for spinning the gears & pipes for moving the engine gases gone:
Draining coolant is ALWAYS a mess! Hope I can remedy that when I come up with a radiator replacement:
Very close now, but need to poke around the radiator core support & see if it's worth drilling out spot welds & modifying it to become a bolt-in part:
And here a ~2min mashup of the parts flying:
Off-Road Ranger I
...aaaaaand it's out! WOO!
Hoisted out relatively easy, after I wrestled with the transfer case for hours:
The snafued drivetrain in the foreground & the newcomer lurking in the background:
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Plenty of space to take advantage of, time to get to measuring & welding:
Hoisted out relatively easy, after I wrestled with the transfer case for hours:
The snafued drivetrain in the foreground & the newcomer lurking in the background:
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Plenty of space to take advantage of, time to get to measuring & welding:
When I had my disco 2 this is exactly what I wanted to do except I wanted to use the new crate motor from cummins. The new 2.8L turbo diesel electronic engine. Though I had too many bad experiences with my disco and got rid of it. When it ran I loved it and was a great offfroader. When it ran. I never had any engine issues and as far as I know it still hasn't, I sold it locally and still see it driving around a lot. It was a 2000 model. You have a very cool build going here and I cant wait to see it with the new power plant.
Off-Road Ranger I
Off-Road Ranger I
Thanks all :)
Sadly I was so focused on the engine pulling that I let the camera's battery crap out halfway thru, but I put together what I did have & tried to make up for the lost footage by throwing in some nonsense:
Sadly I was so focused on the engine pulling that I let the camera's battery crap out halfway thru, but I put together what I did have & tried to make up for the lost footage by throwing in some nonsense:
Off-Road Ranger I
My Disco had been plenty more reliable than all the standard jokes associated with Rovers. Several years of nothing more than a few minor engine leaks & a melted crank sensor. All of that of course before the block decided ~100,000 miles was a good run.
That 2.8 "Atlas" from Cummins was a tempting option for sure, just can't help being attracted to the mechanical everything B-series engines. Even seriously entertained a Detroit Diesel (2-stroke) engine, & all your usual suspects: TD5, LS V8's, S/C 4.6L, etc.
Off-Road Ranger I
Yeah the Detroit 371 & 453T were what I did some research on. Those super modular Deutz air-cooled diesels would've been a unique choice too I think. One big problem though... good grief those are HEAVY engines! More than twice the weight of my 4BT if you can believe it!
I love the Detroit Diesel heritage too. Not just General Motors first foray into diesels back in '38, but all the war effort through the 40's, & then the first generation of hotrodders converting the Detroit engine's blowers from derelict military equipment to fit all their V8's.
The ingenuity they had back then, in the early days of car culture is a big source of motivation for me.
I love the Detroit Diesel heritage too. Not just General Motors first foray into diesels back in '38, but all the war effort through the 40's, & then the first generation of hotrodders converting the Detroit engine's blowers from derelict military equipment to fit all their V8's.
The ingenuity they had back then, in the early days of car culture is a big source of motivation for me.
Off-Road Ranger I
Off-Road Ranger I
Oh, and shame on me for nearly forgetting to capture the quintessential "celebrate in the engine bay" photo:
