"Nanuuq" my Land Rover Discovery 2 diesel swap, ...forever a project!

58-fc170 said:
Then add the propane injection just for those muddy trails and hill climbs. :sunglasses:
Click to expand...

Now that would be a proper way to finish off these Rover axles haha! At first I'm aiming for a balance of reliable & simple. That being said.... a compound turbo setup is SO tempting.
 
This is one hell of a build and a really stunning Disco overall. Look forward to seeing more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tinker
InsertAliasHere said:
Also, how are those 35’s workin out? I put in 4.11s and am back and forth between a tall 33 and 35s.


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
Click to expand...

The bigger 35's have been great, rub very little after trimming for the flares. I think 37's would be the largest I'd ever go, was part of my plan when I picked up these big 16.5" beadlocks. Getting to 37's opens options for cheap used military tires.

It may go without saying, but these stock 3.54 gears are pretty terrible with my 35's. Surprised I haven't broken a shaft or ring gear with them. But even with jacked gearing they've managed to drag me thru just about everything I've thrown at 'em --well... with the exception of the tallest dune in an ORV area over here on the Lake Michigan coast. Took an embarrassing number of tries :laughing:

I was holding out changing gears in anticipation of going diesel eventually, back when I wasn't sure between a Euro TD5 swap or a 4BT swap. Weirdly enough, the stock 3.54 gearing in combination with the new manual transmission will be dead-on perfect with a 4BT's rpm range.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scarab
Making good progress, plenty of parts are showing up as I finish stripping the engine down.

Trans stuff arrived!
hFyjzEO.jpg


Engine's torn down as far as I'm going, now to scrub it down for paint:
y79RY5H.jpg


LT230 internal locking transfer case now in hand as well:
cMfNMT3.jpg


Old turbo's in pretty good shape, not much play, but I'm still probably going bigger/better:
z8Tf3xu.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DanR, khorsa, Scarab and 1 other person
Ha, things rarely work out in a positive way like that. And I don’t think the shafts are a delicate as the interwebs make them seem (which is they break as soon as you put on bigger tires and take it off jack stands.)

I’m curious to see how you keep the computers happy with the new engine and tranny. Granted I don’t know too much on the subject but it seems like the bcm, idm, and tcu all need to communicate with each other for anything to work. Would the SLABS unit work with stand alone everything else you think?


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
 
InsertAliasHere said:
Ha, things rarely work out in a positive way like that. And I don’t think the shafts are a delicate as the interwebs make them seem (which is they break as soon as you put on bigger tires and take it off jack stands.)

I’m curious to see how you keep the computers happy with the new engine and tranny. Granted I don’t know too much on the subject but it seems like the bcm, idm, and tcu all need to communicate with each other for anything to work. Would the SLABS unit work with stand alone everything else you think?


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
Click to expand...

I'm going deep on that aspect... rewiring the whole truck. Any wire that gets in my way as I pull the old drivetrain out is getting the axe. I'll leave some of the exterior lighting wires in case I need to test drive it during the swap, just until I get the drivetrain swap done & get to a different shop for the in-depth side of the wiring job. I've done rewires on race car stuff before, but I'm going to have a go at taking it to the next level. Not just new upgraded & simplified wiring, also eliminating fuses for mili/aircraft style breakers, updating bulbs with LED's, & getting setup for a solar/house battery system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: k9sar and MS_Disco
Tinker said:
I'm going deep on that aspect... rewiring the whole truck. Any wire that gets in my way as I pull the old drivetrain out is getting the axe. I'll leave some of the exterior lighting wires in case I need to test drive it during the swap, just until I get the drivetrain swap done & get to a different shop for the in-depth side of the wiring job. I've done rewires on race car stuff before, but I'm going to have a go at taking it to the next level. Not just new upgraded & simplified wiring, also eliminating fuses for mili/aircraft style breakers, updating bulbs with LED's, & getting setup for a solar/house battery system.
Click to expand...
No doubt!! Rip all that computer stuff out, simple as possible... ignition switch and lights..nothing else to leave you stranded.

OB#3799
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tinker
What Motor mounts will you use? Lock tight every bolt on that timing cover too. I might be saying 4bt stuff you already know. Cool build you just doubled the torque and fuel mileage.
 
Tinker said:
I'm going deep on that aspect... rewiring the whole truck. Any wire that gets in my way as I pull the old drivetrain out is getting the axe. I'll leave some of the exterior lighting wires in case I need to test drive it during the swap, just until I get the drivetrain swap done & get to a different shop for the in-depth side of the wiring job. I've done rewires on race car stuff before, but I'm going to have a go at taking it to the next level. Not just new upgraded & simplified wiring, also eliminating fuses for mili/aircraft style breakers, updating bulbs with LED's, & getting setup for a solar/house battery system.
Click to expand...

Yeah that is going to be quite the undertaking as everything is controlled by the BCM down to the door locks at some point I think. It will feel good once done though knowing that it is simplified and streamlined. The only thing I would try to keep would be SLABS functionality for ABS/TC even though not vital. Fuel delivery for diesel as opposed to gas may be another hurdle but that should be simple enough.

I’m using the IBS for my house battery which is similar to the National Luna system with a difference being its solid state, can also manage solar but something like the Redarc products out in Australia would be sweet.

I’m interested in seeing how that Cummins 4 cylinder crate engine can potentially be adapted to a D2. I think it has similar HP, a bit more torque with a much better curve than the V8 lump. For MPG, it would make a D2 practically be an economy vehicle. It comes with its own harness and ECU and its not much more expensive than a reman-ed long block rover V8.


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: burlehaggard
InsertAliasHere said:
Yeah that is going to be quite the undertaking as everything is controlled by the BCM down to the door locks at some point I think. It will feel good once done though knowing that it is simplified and streamlined. The only thing I would try to keep would be SLABS functionality for ABS/TC even though not vital. Fuel delivery for diesel as opposed to gas may be another hurdle but that should be simple enough.

I’m using the IBS for my house battery which is similar to the National Luna system with a difference being its solid state, can also manage solar but something like the Redarc products out in Australia would be sweet.

I’m interested in seeing how that Cummins 4 cylinder crate engine can potentially be adapted to a D2. I think it has similar HP, a bit more torque with a much better curve than the V8 lump. For MPG, it would make a D2 practically be an economy vehicle. It comes with its own harness and ECU and its not much more expensive than a reman-ed long block rover V8.


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
Click to expand...
That's been my thoughts ever since Cummins announced that crate motor.

OB#3799
 
Motohead1 said:
What Motor mounts will you use? Lock tight every bolt on that timing cover too. I might be saying 4bt stuff you already know. Cool build you just doubled the torque and fuel mileage.
Click to expand...

The mount itself will be something custom I'll be fabricating & welding up. For the rubber isolator I'll pick up either the fluid filled mounts they have in the step vans, or use a rubber sandwich style they use in the Dodge trucks.
 
InsertAliasHere said:
Yeah that is going to be quite the undertaking as everything is controlled by the BCM down to the door locks at some point I think. It will feel good once done though knowing that it is simplified and streamlined. The only thing I would try to keep would be SLABS functionality for ABS/TC even though not vital. Fuel delivery for diesel as opposed to gas may be another hurdle but that should be simple enough.

I’m using the IBS for my house battery which is similar to the National Luna system with a difference being its solid state, can also manage solar but something like the Redarc products out in Australia would be sweet.

I’m interested in seeing how that Cummins 4 cylinder crate engine can potentially be adapted to a D2. I think it has similar HP, a bit more torque with a much better curve than the V8 lump. For MPG, it would make a D2 practically be an economy vehicle. It comes with its own harness and ECU and its not much more expensive than a reman-ed long block rover V8.


-2002 Disco with heavy things bolted to it.
Click to expand...

Will be a fair bit of work to simplify to the level I have in mind, but well worth the effort in the end. Already been in the midst of it by building manual windows & eliminating traction control, emissions, ABS, cruise, etc. Going to run new brake lines eventually as well to fully be rid of the ABS components & build in adjustability (proportioning valve, line locks).

That or something like the Redarc systems (fairly $$$) is what I've been eyeballing. I imagine I'll end up with a hybrid of different components. I'm so envious of all the options they have for the aftermarket in Australia!

Me too! I was really happy to see Cummins come thru with that Atlas 2.8 protoype. If it wasn't for my goal to heavily reduce complexity then the 2.8 or the TD5, with all their computer bits, would've been a good fit.
 
Managed to find a salvage power steering & vacuum pump combo that fits right into the front cover, will keep me from having to convert to hydroboost brakes:
QECl2Zk.jpg


I love how many parts from the Dodge trucks & myriad of industrial applications fit this engine! Found a salvage oil cooler plate that mounts the filter vertical instead of horizontal (messy oil changes!) like the step van had:
jSgvGyg.jpg


I'm coming to the realization that I may need bigger/stronger tools... everything on this engine is HUGE. Broken a few things already:
fTm7xXM.jpg


And I discovered this terrifying "Killer Dowel Pin" (a known Cummins issue) that I found halfway wandered out into the timing cover:
IElxyby.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: khorsa, Jimmy P and MS_Disco
What are you going to do for motor mounts?

4BT's are known to jerk pretty hard when you go to shut them off. Even my 200Tdi rocks my Defender pretty good.
 
xathor said:
What are you going to do for motor mounts?

4BT's are known to jerk pretty hard when you go to shut them off. Even my 200Tdi rocks my Defender pretty good.
Click to expand...

I'll be custom fabricating the engine, trans, & divorced xfer case mounts.

Yeah that's for sure, fairly shakey lil buggers in general, then I guess any larger displacement 4-holer has that issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom