The Rolling Restoration & Customization Of My 88' Range Rover Classic

LuckyHenriksen

New member
Hey Jon and guys,


Jon when do you think you'll be tackling the installation of the 6.2l you bought? I'm especially curious what/if you're thinking about a turbo, and the big one is A/C is a must.

-Ken

I am also keen to watch you put the engine swap together. With your attention to details and good photo documentation of projects I think it will be a big help to me
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Thanks for the welcome. As far as my Rover goes, I want to totally rebuild the brake system (including parking brake), along with the steering components and bushings. I just want this truck to feel solid on the road. I also need to do some rust repair in the front footwells, along with a few layers of insulation like you did.
The biggest project will be the diesel conversion I am planning in my head haha. The whole reason I bought the Rover last year (other than for its good looks and capabilities) was to convert it to diesel. After reading tons of info on TDI, Isuzu, etc engines, I have come to the conclusion the the most cost effective option is the GM 6.2. I scour CL daily for old CUCV's with the mil spec diesel to use as a parts truck. At this time I would most likely swap to an LT230 case. And of course I would really like some nice bumpers and a roof rack, if money allows

Sounds like it is going to be a nice Rover when you finish! A small tip that makes a HUGE difference to a Rover feeling solid on the road is to tighten the nut that attaches the pitman arm to the power steering box. I believe the torque specification is 150ft lbs and I highly recommend going in stages, such as 30, 60, 90, 120, 150. If that nut is not properly tight it will feel like there is play (a loose feeling when steering from one side to the other), which leads to having to make a bunch of little steering corrections just to keep it going straight down the road. Some Rover shops go until they feel it is tight, not until it is up to proper spec, so I would check that out when you get a chance. Best part is, it makes a huge difference to the overall feeling and it is free, so you will win on both sides. If yours is already at proper spec then you'll have one less thing to worry about when you go to rebuild your steering components and replace the bushings.

As for the brakes, make sure you study the proper procedure for bleeding the brakes if you don't already know it, because there are multiple bleed screws on each caliper and they have to be bled in a certain way. Bleeding the brakes is a pain, so if you do a quick refresher on the procedure it will ensure you only have to do it once.

I would also recommend that if your going to lift your Rover, you buy a set of extended brake lines when you rebuild the system because then you can install them along with everything else, and then just bleed the system one time. I haven't bought extended brake lines yet and am dreading having to re-bleed the brake system when I do buy them. Oh and make sure to have plenty of brake fluid on hand to keep the system topped off while bleeding it.

I cannot remember if the CUCV is 12 or 24 volts, so you may not be able to use some of the brackets and accessories. You could look for old Chevy pickups, blazers, and suburbans to snag brackets and accessories from though. Going that route, you might be able to just search for the 6.2 mil spec motor by itself.
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Hey Jon and guys,

I too bought mine with intention of diesel conversion. Having had a Merc OM617 based diesel car I thought that would be a great candidate, but there are some issues with it fitting. I also have an OM606 based Merc which is an awesome diesel engine, but haven't seen much about that and it's rather limited in availability. So unfortunately those aren't looking too good at the moment.

Which brings me to the 6.2l diesel that you bought and have been successfully put into Range Rovers (like RedRover).

Jon when do you think you'll be tackling the installation of the 6.2l you bought? I'm especially curious what/if you're thinking about a turbo, and the big one is A/C is a must.

I'll be putting in an entry at some point will all the stuff I've done to my '93 RRC LWB, some of which are the same areas that you have tackled although my capabilities are more of the "bolt-on" variety than doing any fabrication. Nonetheless I've learned a few details on how to do things that don't seem to be mentioned much that at least I found I had no answers to until I dug into things myself.

Thanks a ton for all your posts, learned a lot of stuff - you're leading the charge!
-Ken

Ken,

I started my build thread for similar reasons as you mentioned, because I was not finding answers and had to do the digging for myself. The researching for stuff seems to take longer than the actual project itself haha.

As of right now I am still gathering parts, I have a good amount of parts stocked up but I don't have all of them yet. I did manage to snag a great deal on a used ZFHP22 automatic trans and Borgwarner transfer case out of a 94' Classic for $75 but as I don't need or want the Borgwarner t-case, I am still on the lookout for a good deal on a LT230.
The idea being, when I make the adapters between 6.2 and the Land Rover trans I want to have a spare trans right there so I can fit everything and work as many of the issues out as I can before I actually put my rover down for the swap. My Rover is my daily driver and I want to have minimal downtime.
The other benefit is, if I have a spare trans and LT230 sitting around, I can then have those rebuilt and strengthened while I am still using my Rover as a daily driver, but when it does come time to do the swap, I can quickly put in a whole new drivetrain all at once and basically "zero out" the odometer.

I am aiming to tackle the 6.2 swap this spring, I am teetering on whether or not to tear apart the 6.2 I bought to have it internally balance. The majority of the info I am finding is saying that the cranks snap and the main journals crack due to vibration or pressure, failure from vibration usually seems to be come from the lack of proper maintenance (not changing the harmonic damper at regular intervals); whereas, failure due to pressure usually comes from people who fit turbos to their stock 6.2 and then crank the boost up so they can get some more horsepower/torque out of it.
My thinking is that if I have my 6.2 internally balanced, then install a stud girdle and a Fluidamper. It should hopefully take of most of the vibrations that may cause cracking or breaking. The other potential issue is the flex plate, I am not sure welding the metal spacer to the flex plate is the best way to go about it, because it could cause more vibration if it is not balanced properly. So I am looking into modifying one or having one made...or just welding the spacer plate onto the flex plate and then having that balanced so it spins properly.

I am not going with a turbo because I want reliability and I am not sure I can get that if I go with the turbo. I have a 3.5 right now...it's not a race car by any means, if I can get a little more power with the 6.2 that would be great, but I highly doubt it could be less powerful than what I have already got. I couldnt even do the speed limit up many of the hills on the trip down here to Southern California haha. I am not looking for a race car or adedicated towing rig, just something that allows me to do the speed limit, get good fuel mileage, is cheaper to run, and is a little bit torquier low down.

Air conditioning on the other hand is an absolute must! It shouldnt be too difficult to make it work with the 6.2, but even if it is difficult....I will make it work.

Thank you very much for the kind words, I really appreciate them and I am very glad some of the things I posted have helped you.
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
I am also keen to watch you put the engine swap together. With your attention to details and good photo documentation of projects I think it will be a big help to me

I will do my best to document the process from start to finish and then post it up here. I am going to be doing as much of the machining, fabrication, and head scratching as I can manage to do by myself, to help keep the quality up and the costs down. I hope it will help you and everyone else out when I am done. Thank you again for the kind words :)
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Jon when do you think you'll be tackling the installation of the 6.2l you bought? I'm especially curious what/if you're thinking about a turbo, and the big one is A/C is a must.

-Ken

Ken,

Here is a post from earlier on in my thread. Post #223 I found a guys website in Africa and he put a 6.2 in a Classic and did a wonderful write-up. I am also pretty sure he also has the A/C in and hooked up, because his compressor has a belt on and hoses hooked up. All that is really needed for the A/C to work, is to have compressor spun by the motor, so it is a matter of making or modifying a bracket and then just bolting it on. The A/C is pretty much a stand alone system, aside from being driven by the motor and powered by the battery.
Something else interesting to note is how he used the copper tubing to hook-up the factory heater core to the 6.2. Not sure I would use copper, but it still interesting the way he did it.

Hope this helps ease your worries about A/C.

Have a good one,
Jon
 

SupaRover

New member
Hi Jon, thanks for the link!I have a 4.2L right now which is actually pretty good power wise, but dog on mileage and from everything I'm reading these things just wear out easily. And of course I have leaks all over the place, next I have to tackle is head-gasket stuff just to keep this running.

Re: 6.2L I am now leaning towards this because it looks like the Mercs won't really fit (OM617 or OM606 isn't very plentiful), both of which are turbodiesels and I've owned and are awesome - I still have my 606 in '99 300 Turbodiesel at over 230k miles and runs like a sewing machine.

What you say about the turbo makes sense, but having a turbo vs. not having a turbo on slower engines is like night and day, at least on the Merc engines. I had a turbo hose leak a couple of weeks ago and when the turbo boost went out of the engine, it was okay on the flat but a DOG going up a grade. Turbo fixed and you can floor it up hill : )

Looking at 6.2's I've seen a lot of talk about what you mention - girdle, fluidamper, also stuff like putting 6.5 heads on. Then there is the Banks turbo setup for these engines but they are too expensive really.

Re: radiator, did you see the posts from RedRover on this forum and how he had a 4-core radiator made? Do you plan on doing the same?

I'm starting to look around, I think when I finally get one I'm going to take it apart just because I want to learn about this stuff I don't know how to do, plus I figure I'm not going to want to take it out again, so fix it once up front and that be the end of it : )

Anyway thanks for sharing/responding!
-Ken

Ken,

Here is a post from earlier on in my thread. Post #223 I found a guys website in Africa and he put a 6.2 in a Classic and did a wonderful write-up. I am also pretty sure he also has the A/C in and hooked up, because his compressor has a belt on and hoses hooked up. All that is really needed for the A/C to work, is to have compressor spun by the motor, so it is a matter of making or modifying a bracket and then just bolting it on. The A/C is pretty much a stand alone system, aside from being driven by the motor and powered by the battery.
Something else interesting to note is how he used the copper tubing to hook-up the factory heater core to the 6.2. Not sure I would use copper, but it still interesting the way he did it.

Hope this helps ease your worries about A/C.

Have a good one,
Jon
 

SupaRover

New member
Hey Jon,

Just checking back if you ever got around to hooking up the 6.2l? I'm assuming you got busy with other stuff unless you moved that discussion to another thread.

Thanks!
Ken
 

SupaRover

New member
BTW guys, here is my '93 RRC LWB. I need to do a write up as well as I've taken pictures of mostly everything, but off the top of my head here is what I've done. My plans are to make it an expedition rig:

SUSPENSION:
2" EMU LIFT - springs and shocks
(5) new OEM steel wheels bought from Atlantic British
(5) 235 85/r16 Cooper Maxxis tires. Pretty quiet considering the tread, I like them so far
*Air-suspension was already removed, but had crappy parts. I still hear pumping noise, not sure if they completed the conversion or not re: electrical stuff
Adjustable panhard rod - Terrafirma
Front Radius arms - Terrafirma.
Alignment - had this done at a shop, did some finer adjustments with adjustable panhard rod so now it doesn't pull
Bushings - Polybush kit, Blue. Seems good
Rear Radius arms - I'm going to replace these and fit with my Polybush. Haven't decided yet. I like the design of the RTE ones, we'll see

INTERIOR:
Generally great condition, not anything to do.

STEERING:
PS Pump - replaced (2) times because of faulty used ones I bought, last one I bought works and doesn't leak. What a pain.
Steering Gear Box - replaced (2) times because the first Meriden one had so much slop in it even at tightest adjustment. They replaced it and the 2nd one works fine. What a pain.
Steering shaft - replaced
Steering wheel cover - I cracked this thing trying to take it off to adjust steering wheel - it blew into pieces. Have it glued back together and seems okay for now.


BELTS/PLUGS:
Replaced all belts
Replaced plugs and wires
Replaced cap & rotor - used genuine Lucas as I read/got advice that other than Lucas will screw things up
Distributor - Some plastic bits were disintegrated inside this. I replaced the part with a piece BIC ballpoint pen which I saw someone do on the Internet. Couldn't figure out what the spacer did but it works.

ELECTRICAL:
Dual-Battery - moved stuff around (PS reservoir, air-filter) to mount the 2nd battery, but don't have the actual dual-battery electrical stuff put together yet.
Side view mirror switch - replaced
Tank lid switch - I broke the original one, had to replace it.

FLUIDS:
Radiator - drained and replaced fluid
Engine Oil- Drained when doing Oil pan gasket and replaced
Differential Oil - drained and replaced
Transmission/Transfer case - not yet

GASKETS:
Oil Pan Gasket - was leaking, fixed with kit from Atlantic British
Valve Cover Gaskets - leaking, fixed with kit from Atlantic British. When taking covers off I found that the bolts were so loose, probably if I tightened them the leak would have stopped : ~
Heads - they LEAK oil externally, no antifreeze/oil internally far as I can tell. Contemplating doing the Head Gaskets (I don't know how), or wait for my mythical 6.2L diesel swap : )

EXTERIOR:
Mud Flaps - Atlantic British. I think they look cool
Body Panels - two that I want to replace, not necessary, maybe if I come across some already in white
Snorkel - need to figure this out, but may be dependent on if I do an engine swap


BODY ARMOR/ROOF RACK
Haven't put any on yet, I bought welding equipment and I want to make as much as I can. Still figuring it out.

LIGHTING:
I replaced the headlights with high-intensity (forgot the part), but I'd like to put LED technology on the old battlehorse

ENGINE:

I want to do a diesel swap as I want "RANGE" in my range rover, I also love diesel (have had two diesel mercedes and RAM truck). Mercedes won't easily fit, all roads pointing to the 6.2L which RedRover used and Jon bought and will install in future.

STILL BROKEN:
GAS TANK - leaks if I fill the tank, apparently can't be fixed needs to be replaced. Trying to get a Brown Davis type tank but they don't export to US. Need to fix this.
Cruise Control - I fiddle a little bit checking hoses, but need to go through a full troubleshooting process. I need this to work.
Seat Warmers - I saw somewhere that to fix you have to take the seats apart. eh...

There's probably more stuff since I seem to be fixing a lot of things, but covers most of the basics for now. Having fun though, the truck looks great (in my opinion) and is fun to drive around town.
-Ken

Ken's RRC_1024.jpg
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Hey Jon,

Just checking back if you ever got around to hooking up the 6.2l? I'm assuming you got busy with other stuff unless you moved that discussion to another thread.

Thanks!
Ken

Hello Ken,

I have been taking a bit of a break from working on the Rover to do some traveling, as well as, enjoy time with family and friends.
No I haven't swapped the 6.2 in yet. I have been going back and forth over whether I should tear down and rebuild the 6.2, spare trans, and spare lt230 to help me sleep a little easier at night while camping, or...just check to make sure they are all in proper working order and swap them in. I have also been agonizing over gear ratios, tire sizes, stall speeds for the torque converter, rev ranges vs desired cruising speeds, and how they will effect my mpgs/range. Just doing what I normally do, over thinking everything and trying to decide whether to go all in now...or later.

I have been working on quite a few other side projects as well. I am really trying to finish the projects before I post them, so I can put it all up at once, instead of having you all wait for results halfway through project; however, I have some cool projects going in progress right now, so I will see if I can post some progress reports later on tonight.

Thank you very much for hanging in there with my progress!

Have a good one!
 

rwhitmo04

New member
I am in the middle of the interior right now and have it completely stripped out. So figured I would show you a few in-progress pictures. As well as the pictures of where the leak was coming from. It turns out that the vent door foam was perished and was letting in a lot of water. If you are curious about your Rover, check under the front floor mats for signs of water, then pop out the outside vents on the cowl and you be able to see the vent door. I took it a step further and removed my cowl entirely to redo the seam sealer and check for rust. BEWARE! Removing the cowl is a careful two or even three man job, do not attempt it by yourself!

View attachment 62683

Jon,

I have water coming in my fresh air intake seal, and I saw that you figured out how to remedy that situation. Hopefully I've included the correct picture from post #11, but how does the fresh air intake (or vent door) into the heater unit keep water out while it's operating? Does the vent door open and close based on input from the AC/heater circuit, or is it controlled some other way?

I saw that you figured out how to reseal it - were you able to change out the seal by pulling the cowl, or did you have to drop the heater unit?
 

SupaRover

New member
Jon, actually the planning and scheming is part of the fun : ) At first I was thinking I would just buy something and put it in if it worked. But actually a lot of what I'm getting out of this is the chance to learn how things work. What I listed in my previous post was the first time for most of that stuff, figured it out by trial and error and looking on the internet!

That's why for the 6.2l, I'm somewhat leaning towards building up a 6.2L/6.5L hybrid engine - from magnafluxing block on up. As noted various places on the net, then use the strong parts from the 6.2L and the heads from the 6.5l. I like the idea of that girdle to keep the case from cracking, headers and/or turbo, serpentine belt conversion and a couple of must have's for me if I'm going to use this for long distances in hot climates - A/C, and cruise control. BTW found this link of a guy who successfully fitted CC on the 6.2l in his hummer:

http://www.redhummer.com/myhummer/cruise_control/

As for transmission I read the information on that link you found from the guy in (South Africa?). I definitely want full transmission lockup, but I don't know enough to know which is best way to go - was kind of thinking I might piggyback off you : )

Regarding ratios, my 235/85 r16's are just a hair under 32", let's say 32". With the 4.2L and stock gearing I can definitely feel the slight lag from bigger tires, though still cruise around fine enough though it's mostly flat here in LA - haven't done any big grades. I want to put Tru-Trac's diff's front and back as I think best compromise for expedition and fixes the weakest part, if I go with the diesel maybe this tire size/standard ratio works fine because of the low end torque, I don't know.

A lot of thinking to do, looking forward to seeing what you've got cooking!
-Ken
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Quick status update....

Hello everyone,

I have been taking a break for a while now to catch up on work, do some traveling, and spend more time with family & friends. I have been working on quite a few projects, a couple of them being for the Rover. Unfortunately I won't be able to post everything because I just flew down to Southern California to go for a couple weeks of camping and hiking, so I don't have all the pictures to be able to post; I will post more info when get back home.

The first project is tailgate storage, I have seen the Toyota Landcruiser guys cutting into their tailgates and installing storage doors. After seeing them do it, I started looking at my tailgate and decided to buy a spare tailgate to experiment on because after going to the trouble of spraying mine with LizardSkin I don't want to potentially wreck it if I make a mistake. I have since been able to cut 5 holes that will provide a fairly good amount of storage space; however, there is one temporary catch that is holding up progress. I have to figure out a way to actuate the tailgate latches without interfering with items in being stored in the tailgate. Here are some of the pics I do have with me. Hopefully they will tide you over for now.

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

The second project is....more involved. I have been trying to fit a winch to my Rover. I have hit quite a few snags, but on the whole I am winning. I am modifying a winch tray so my winch will be tucked up and concealed nicely, while still being accessible.

image.jpg

I also made my own synthetic winch line.

image.jpg

Like I said, I will post more when I get back home, but it is pretty hectic right now because we are getting all our gear ready to leave tomorrow. I am sorry I can't do more of a write up for you all, but I will try to answer your questions either tonight or tomorrow on route.

Have a good one! :)
 

rrclassicbt550

Farmer Jon
Ken,

You have done quite a bit of work to get your Rover looking so nice! I like the wheels and the fact that it is a LWB, if I had it to do over again I would go with the LWB over my SWB.

When you do decide to do the dual battery thing, i would recommend a bit of investigation, because things change a little when going to a diesel. However, I am loving my IBS dual battery system and definitely recommend it. Also I am finding that for my future plans I want more leisure time than just one auxiliary battery. I am scheming on how to get more than two batteries under the hood.

The cruise control usually is a vacuum leak at the ends of the hoses or in the vacuum diaphragm attached to the throttle linkage. Beyond that you can check to see if your fuse is blown. If the fuse is good then check with a volt meter to see if you have power at the fuse and if you have power there, check to see if there is power at the switch. If you have power at the switch check if you have continuity in your switch (make sure it has not broken by setting the volt meter to make an audible noise when the switch makes contact in the on position and the noise stops when you break contact by turning the switch off). If it gets beyond that point, you may be looking at replacing parts that may be costly so hopefully it is one of the easy fixes.

What is going with your gas tank? Where is it leaking from? It's not a hose or a gasket? If you are looking for a long range tank you can get the Safari Equipe tank like mine shipped to you through Lucky8, be sure you order the right tank though, they have many kinds. The one i have would more than likely be an easier fit in a later model LWB like yours as your tank is bigger in the first place and it is your style fuel hose and pump.

Seat Warmers are a pain, if you have to takenthe seats apart just replace them or go for aftermarket. I gotta say, I just did the Land Rover experience over in Carmel, CA and the seats in the big daddy HSE are so nice and they have back massagers too. Lol some people may scoff at seat massagers but after a long day it would sure be nice to have back massage while sitting in traffic.

Have a good one!
Jon

BTW guys, here is my '93 RRC LWB. I need to do a write up as well as I've taken pictures of mostly everything, but off the top of my head here is what I've done. My plans are to make it an expedition rig:

SUSPENSION:
2" EMU LIFT - springs and shocks
(5) new OEM steel wheels bought from Atlantic British
(5) 235 85/r16 Cooper Maxxis tires. Pretty quiet considering the tread, I like them so far
*Air-suspension was already removed, but had crappy parts. I still hear pumping noise, not sure if they completed the conversion or not re: electrical stuff
Adjustable panhard rod - Terrafirma
Front Radius arms - Terrafirma.
Alignment - had this done at a shop, did some finer adjustments with adjustable panhard rod so now it doesn't pull
Bushings - Polybush kit, Blue. Seems good
Rear Radius arms - I'm going to replace these and fit with my Polybush. Haven't decided yet. I like the design of the RTE ones, we'll see

INTERIOR:
Generally great condition, not anything to do.

STEERING:
PS Pump - replaced (2) times because of faulty used ones I bought, last one I bought works and doesn't leak. What a pain.
Steering Gear Box - replaced (2) times because the first Meriden one had so much slop in it even at tightest adjustment. They replaced it and the 2nd one works fine. What a pain.
Steering shaft - replaced
Steering wheel cover - I cracked this thing trying to take it off to adjust steering wheel - it blew into pieces. Have it glued back together and seems okay for now.


BELTS/PLUGS:
Replaced all belts
Replaced plugs and wires
Replaced cap & rotor - used genuine Lucas as I read/got advice that other than Lucas will screw things up
Distributor - Some plastic bits were disintegrated inside this. I replaced the part with a piece BIC ballpoint pen which I saw someone do on the Internet. Couldn't figure out what the spacer did but it works.

ELECTRICAL:
Dual-Battery - moved stuff around (PS reservoir, air-filter) to mount the 2nd battery, but don't have the actual dual-battery electrical stuff put together yet.
Side view mirror switch - replaced
Tank lid switch - I broke the original one, had to replace it.

FLUIDS:
Radiator - drained and replaced fluid
Engine Oil- Drained when doing Oil pan gasket and replaced
Differential Oil - drained and replaced
Transmission/Transfer case - not yet

GASKETS:
Oil Pan Gasket - was leaking, fixed with kit from Atlantic British
Valve Cover Gaskets - leaking, fixed with kit from Atlantic British. When taking covers off I found that the bolts were so loose, probably if I tightened them the leak would have stopped : ~
Heads - they LEAK oil externally, no antifreeze/oil internally far as I can tell. Contemplating doing the Head Gaskets (I don't know how), or wait for my mythical 6.2L diesel swap : )

EXTERIOR:
Mud Flaps - Atlantic British. I think they look cool
Body Panels - two that I want to replace, not necessary, maybe if I come across some already in white
Snorkel - need to figure this out, but may be dependent on if I do an engine swap


BODY ARMOR/ROOF RACK
Haven't put any on yet, I bought welding equipment and I want to make as much as I can. Still figuring it out.

LIGHTING:
I replaced the headlights with high-intensity (forgot the part), but I'd like to put LED technology on the old battlehorse

ENGINE:

I want to do a diesel swap as I want "RANGE" in my range rover, I also love diesel (have had two diesel mercedes and RAM truck). Mercedes won't easily fit, all roads pointing to the 6.2L which RedRover used and Jon bought and will install in future.

STILL BROKEN:
GAS TANK - leaks if I fill the tank, apparently can't be fixed needs to be replaced. Trying to get a Brown Davis type tank but they don't export to US. Need to fix this.
Cruise Control - I fiddle a little bit checking hoses, but need to go through a full troubleshooting process. I need this to work.
Seat Warmers - I saw somewhere that to fix you have to take the seats apart. eh...

There's probably more stuff since I seem to be fixing a lot of things, but covers most of the basics for now. Having fun though, the truck looks great (in my opinion) and is fun to drive around town.
-Ken

View attachment 224443
 

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