2008 Land Rover LR3 on 35"s - Refurbish/Rebuild Thread

[soflorovers]

As some of you may have seen, I recently purchased a new-to-me Land Rover LR3. Many of forum members are familiar with the rig already and have shared some colorful stories about the vehicle's past; "Oh that truck? I've seen that thing beat to ****". As is immediately apparent by looking underneath, this particular LR3 has led a very hard life. I'll be documenting the maintenance and necessary repairs on here, in addition to any future modifications for the vehicle.

The first project on the list was to address a gnarly drivetrain vibration. While underneath the truck, I discovered a rear driveshaft that had seen better days (Center carrier boot and front boot where it meets the t-case were both torn). I ordered a replacement driveshaft from Lucky 8 and we immediately encountered a somewhat major setback. As is usually the case, we got 99% of the job completed prior to hitting the setback. Long story short, I managed to get both ends of the driveshaft and one of the center carrier bolts loose before the final bolt that holds the rear driveshaft in place decided to stay firmly in place. I will likely update this on 10/13/19 as I take a saw to the rear driveshaft to remove it. The joys of Land Rover ownership...

EDIT: Clarity and formatting

 

[soflorovers]

Unrelated, I finally got to use the truck off pavement. My local Land Rover dealers hosted their annual "off-road" event on a moderate difficulty course. The LR3 was nowhere near its limits, but it was good to finally do a shakedown run.

 

[JeepColorado]

Looks great!

 

[soflorovers]

Looks great!

Thanks! It photographs better than it actually is ?

 

[Victory_Overland]

Start the build page and reboot those old IG pics onto this page so we can see the details.

Nice!

 

[soflorovers]

 

[soflorovers]

 

[soflorovers]

Start the build page and reboot those old IG pics onto this page so we can see the details.

Nice!

Your wish is my command. Enjoy!

 

[Blaise]

I guess you just do the alignment to prevent negative camber at such tall heights? My truck has a little of it when lifted to off-road+25mm.

 

[soflorovers]

I guess you just do the alignment to prevent negative camber at such tall heights? My truck has a little of it when lifted to off-road+25mm.

My previous LR3 had positive camber at the rear when I was running Proud Rhino rods and 32" Duratracs on it, despite setting the rear to max negative camber. I'm sure this new one has some positive camber too, but the tire size hides it well. The rears are appear to be wearing closer to the outside edge though, so I imagine there's still is some positive dialed into this one.

 

[Jurfie]

Dat's one shexy LR3.

 

[Derel1cte]

What mods did you do to fit 35s? I assume cutting the front frame horns & folding the rear pinch weld. Anything more extreme than that? are you running spacers? Is your lift with just IID tool or are you also using rods?

 

[morrisdl]

I have seen this truck in person and its traction to climb is amazing!

 

[soflorovers]

What mods did you do to fit 35s? I assume cutting the front frame horns & folding the rear pinch weld. Anything more extreme than that? are you running spacers? Is your lift with just IID tool or are you also using rods?

The previous owner did all of the mods, so I'm not 100% certain. However, I can confirm it has a GAP tool, so I'm guessing the lift is done with the tool. I'll get under it and check the height sensors to see if it's also running rods. In addition, it has 30 mm Terrafirma wheel spacers, L8 SYA kit, front frame horn modification, rear pinch welds hammered, and I believe the rear AC lines had to be heated up and massaged for clearance. If you have sliders, you'll also need to cut those to fit the tires. The fender liners have been cut up so badly that I'm tempted to almost remove them altogether. She's currently sitting in my driveway awaiting that rear driveshaft surgery. Once I tackle that project, I'll probably take a good look elsewhere around the truck and document everything that's been done as a baseline. I know for a fact it will probably need new valve blocks sometime in the future because it sinks to the bumpstops after about a week of sitting. Frankly, for 171k on the odometer, I'm not disappointed or surprised.

 

[soflorovers]

10/20/19 Update:

The rear driveshaft finally got replaced. We wound up having to cut the head of the sole remaining center carrier bolt and then use an air chisel with a round tip to punch the remainder of the bolt through the hole. The threads of the hole were cleaned and re-tapped. We were then able to put the new driveshaft in.

Unfortunately, the drivetrain vibration still persists between 20-35 mph. Part of me is pissed for mis-diagnosing, but the reality is that the rear driveshaft needed to be replaced regardless. Next step on the list is to remove the front skid plate and give it an oil change. I'll check the front driveshaft while I have the armor removed. If the driveshaft is OK then I'll follow the previous owner's hunch and replace the rear CVs.