Jeep/Land Rover 109 hybrid

I took apart the stock front axle to give it a look-see and the u-joints are the size of a newborn baby's fist and being 10 spline, I kinda lost interest with even considering using it.....

I tossed around the idea with using newer LR Discovery axle's, but it looks like the steering would be a pain with leaf springs.

The biggest hangup is the rear axle since it needs to be off set to the right side of the truck.

Right, right, mmmmmaybe....

Call Keith Kreutzer at Rovertracks. He may have some solutions for that front axle. I know he's got rear Salisbury's available. www.rovertracks.com
 

Root Moose

Expedition Leader
If you aren't married to the stock t-case, get a NV241C, a set of 8 lug full size axles and some H1 wheels. Make sure the rear is FF.

 

BBCchris

Observer
There's certainly an appeal to a reliable vehicle with the classical safari looks. And all the series landrovers that you pass on the highway will wonder what's up...



My quick google shows that a stock 109 weighs about 750# more than a stock XJ. About 3150# for the XJ and about 3900# for the 109. So the 109 weighs almost 25% more. That seems significant to me.

Personally, I would have guessed an even bigger difference, due to the heavier-duty frame and running gear. Even the different style of body construction seems like it would weigh more.

Having driven more than a couple miles in each, the 109 'feels' much heavier to me. But I certainly could be wrong.

I agree with you, it is heavier than an XJ. The frame is a lot heavier than I expected it to be when I took it to get blasted. The 109 in stock trim is 200# heavier than a WJ. I wont be able to get an exact number until I get further along in the build. Even with a 700# difference it's still going to be a hell of a lot better than the stock setup. Worse case I'll do stroker if I cant live with it.
I'm not looking to build a rock crawler or anything that would be considered a hard core anything. I really like the vintage feel to it and want to keep with that vibe but it's got to be able to do what I want it too and be comfortable as well as reliable, but make no mistake I'm not afraid to cut it up a bit. :) Its not going to be a restoration by any means. I have to use the parts that either I already have (jeep stuff) or can get reasonably.
 

CZDiesel

New member
I know this is a very old thread but what ever happened to the build? I hope it was completed and maybe with some new pics :D
 

BBCchris

Observer
Sorry not a ton of updates to report. Went though a divorce, built 2 Discoverys and a RRC. but now the garage is open again I'll start putting her back together. Frame is all done just needs paint, I ended up using some old FJ40 axles I got on the cheap. So when I get something picture worthy I'll be sure to post it.
 

X-plorenow

Adventurer
Well, I didn't exactly know where to post this since I'm a long time jeep fan slash hoarder. I've been building XJ's for years now and wanted something a bit larger in the back side for camping and cooking ect. It just so happened I stumbled across a fairly decent '68 Land Rover 109' RHD in Seattle that somebody shipped over from Australia and never got around to fixing up. The Rover had a swapped in Holden 6cly bolted to the stock transmission and t-case. So after stripping it down to see what I'm up against and to find what areas need to be replaced due to common rust issues... I came to the conclusion that I wanted to use my favorite and always available motors, the Jeep 4.0 and to use a AX15 mated to the Rover case. I want to keep it "stock" looking but have the reliability and power to keep up with traffic in todays world. I would love to get a hold of a newer rover diesel but due to the fact they are expensive and hard to come by it just makes sense to use a motor that I'm very familiar with good parts availability and seem to last forever. The reason why I'm posting it here is because some people get kinda weird when you change stuff from stock (not saying there is anyone on here like that, but from my experience it makes for a messy thread) If it needs to me moved, I'll move it.
So here is what i picked it up looking like.
1968LR109.jpg

The mighty Holden 6 Red Motor
DSC00840.jpg

Simple interior needing some love
DSC00844.jpg

Interesting project but completely backwards from what I would have ever expected. The weak link in the Jeep is the powerplant. Also a good deal of folks would kill to put a diesel in a JK. You can do just that with the 109.

Will be following to see how it turns out. Best of luck.
 

Jim K in PA

Adventurer
You must be talking from the perspective of a JK, not a TJ/LJ/YJ/CJ. The 4.0 inline six is a lot of things, but it certainly is NOT the "weak link" in a Jeep. The mini-van 3.8 V6 put in the 2007-2011 JKs certainly was the weak link in that series.

Interesting project but completely backwards from what I would have ever expected. The weak link in the Jeep is the powerplant. Also a good deal of folks would kill to put a diesel in a JK. You can do just that with the 109.

Will be following to see how it turns out. Best of luck.
 

BBCchris

Observer
I'm sorry that I'm terrible about posting status updates on my little build. I ended up getting a little side tracked and it had to take a time out for a bit, which was good because it gave me some time to get a good mental picture of what I wanted...... So, if anyone is still interested, here's some pics.

I painted the frame and got the fuel tank all modded with the Jeep fuel pump and ran the fuel lines up the frame.


I initially had the motor sitting way too low in the chassis, so I raised it up and switched to Cherokee motor mounts and installed the Range Rover power steering box while I was up there.



I didn't want to remove the cross-member with the hole in it, so I ended up making it oval to keep with the factory vibe as well as give some needed clearance.


Also, finally got around to stripping down the Toyota FJ60 rear axle, replacing the seals, brakes/lines and laying down some fresh paint. I also rebuilt the Stock springs that came on the truck. It already had new poly bushings throughout the truck.... so it was pretty much a strip, clean and repaint. I did end up cutting an angle on the end of every leaf to make it a bit smoother.


And finally I made up my mind on the wheels! I really like the look of the NATO or Wolf wheels that Land Rover offers, so I ended up finding something similar. Toyota stock 16x7" Steelies (which will be power coated white and wrapped in 235/85-16's)

I ended up getting educated on these wheels too. These have a 4.75" backside setting (note all the holes are round) The Hollander number is 69392. They came on the 01-04 Tacoma, Tundras and Sequoias. There is another wheel that has one oval hole by the valve stem that looks almost identical but it has a 5.5" backside (Hollander number 69482). These came on the 05+ stuff. Not that anyone cares, but it was something that I didn't catch at first.

I'm also in need of a left side Late 2A fender/wing if anyone has one they'd like to part with. Mine is just not salvageable.
 
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jscusmcvet

Explorer
Awesome idea and build so far. I have agreement with my wife that when some of our more "adult responsibilities" are completed (2 more to go through college) I will be able to do something similar. That is years away so for now I will be vicariously following along with your build. Great work so far and great choices in drivetrain and running gear, IMO.

John
 

Jim K in PA

Adventurer
Looking good Chris. I meant to ask way back when, but forgot. Why are you using the Rover t-case? You could run a twin stick D300 in there. It is passenger drop like the Rover case. With the 109 WB you could even run a doubler.
 

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