Santana/Defender 110 Overland Build Cummins R2.8
- Thread starter spikemd
- Start date
gabrielef
Well-known member
He’s gotten a lot done. Engine is in, radiator, evap, condenser all in. Needing to run some of the piping.
Coming along nicely! How you doing Gabriel?
Still daily driving the Timmy swapped 130!
spikemd
Explorer
Making major progress. Need to document....
Found an early engine R2.8 through Uncle Douglas and his contacts. Cummins is backed up right now so I got lucky.
Got the 300tdi from a truck from Brazil that Scully had. I think a cooling channel plugged up causing the overheat. It's gone to be rebuilt by Zombie motors.
Unpacked the Cummins and started working on. Chad at QuickDraw sent me the bellhousing adapter and kit for the long R380 I just installed. My biggest fear was distance to the steering box as it is Santana and not Defender and based on measurement we had 1 inch to spare.
Found an early engine R2.8 through Uncle Douglas and his contacts. Cummins is backed up right now so I got lucky.
Got the 300tdi from a truck from Brazil that Scully had. I think a cooling channel plugged up causing the overheat. It's gone to be rebuilt by Zombie motors.
Unpacked the Cummins and started working on. Chad at QuickDraw sent me the bellhousing adapter and kit for the long R380 I just installed. My biggest fear was distance to the steering box as it is Santana and not Defender and based on measurement we had 1 inch to spare.
spikemd
Explorer
Shes running!
Havent been updating this forum in awhile. Will try and summarize and get pics uploaded.
Engine with QuickDraw kit thankfully fit and we didnt need to change the main driveline. Got a radiator and intercooler from Kraig Mackett who did one of the first D90 R2.8 conversions. But it got messed up in shipped. We bent the tubes back out and looks like the radiator doesnt leak thankfully. Made some brackets to get it mounted in place and clears A/C. Lots of room in front of engine without the mechanical fan.
Got a set of 2.5 inch aluminum tubes and silicone adapters off Amazon and fitted them up for the intercooler. Got the radiator plummed in and lines to Ministry of Defender and overflow tank.
I had a Ministry of Defender heater/AC box combo installed with the 300tdi. The ports came our the front of the unit which isnt ideal for the Cummins or LS swaps. Thankfully, Scully had a spare one at the shop and we swapped the two without much issue.
Made up the AC lines, fitted the condensor and receiver/dryer underneath. Rewired the new unit but still needs a charge.
Havent been updating this forum in awhile. Will try and summarize and get pics uploaded.
Engine with QuickDraw kit thankfully fit and we didnt need to change the main driveline. Got a radiator and intercooler from Kraig Mackett who did one of the first D90 R2.8 conversions. But it got messed up in shipped. We bent the tubes back out and looks like the radiator doesnt leak thankfully. Made some brackets to get it mounted in place and clears A/C. Lots of room in front of engine without the mechanical fan.
Got a set of 2.5 inch aluminum tubes and silicone adapters off Amazon and fitted them up for the intercooler. Got the radiator plummed in and lines to Ministry of Defender and overflow tank.
I had a Ministry of Defender heater/AC box combo installed with the 300tdi. The ports came our the front of the unit which isnt ideal for the Cummins or LS swaps. Thankfully, Scully had a spare one at the shop and we swapped the two without much issue.
Made up the AC lines, fitted the condensor and receiver/dryer underneath. Rewired the new unit but still needs a charge.
spikemd
Explorer
Went from 10an to 8an to 6an lines to remote cooler. Got them tightened up but then once I started the engine, it was leaking pretty bad at the remote oil cooler plate. Tightened the nuts up more, still leaking. Took plate off and inspected gasket. I had changed the bolts since the plate was thcker and maybe went too big. Measured the depth of the hole and changed out bolts. Retightened, still leaking. Took off again, checked again...tightend hard, and seemed like bolts were stripping...ugh...took off again, cleaned threads, tightened...leaking...off again, drill out 3 holes and retap...still leaking...losing my mind now...try the old original oil cooler and it clears steering pump by 1/4 inch...STILL LEAKING! Used the RightStuff gasket maket and still leaking...******?! Took a slow-mo video on startup and noticed tghe oil leak is coming from right next to the oil cooler, not the oil cooler itself...what?...must be something internal...time to take to whole front cover off...ugh...
So off comes oil cooler, pulleys, belt tensioners, water pump, oil pump and everything on the front of engine. Sure enough, the front cover is cracked inside! Look at the remote oil cooler plate from QuickDraw and sure enough, it overlaps a casting crease and cracked the front cover when I was tightening it down. The part was manufactured wrong. Uncle Douglas had a new/used front cover and sent it out. Same casting on the new cover. I milled the remote oil cooler plate so it clears the casting now and spoke with QuickDraw about the defect.
Got the new front cover installed, bolted up remote oil cooler, new gaskets everywhere. No leak at the engine front cover, but oil line slightly leaking. I wasnt happy going from 10AN to 6AN. New fittings order and swap out 6AN lines for 8AN and refit everything.
NO MORE LEAKS!!! Finally, after 3+ weeks of tracking down this issue, refitting, waiting for parts, engine is finally leak free.
So off comes oil cooler, pulleys, belt tensioners, water pump, oil pump and everything on the front of engine. Sure enough, the front cover is cracked inside! Look at the remote oil cooler plate from QuickDraw and sure enough, it overlaps a casting crease and cracked the front cover when I was tightening it down. The part was manufactured wrong. Uncle Douglas had a new/used front cover and sent it out. Same casting on the new cover. I milled the remote oil cooler plate so it clears the casting now and spoke with QuickDraw about the defect.
Got the new front cover installed, bolted up remote oil cooler, new gaskets everywhere. No leak at the engine front cover, but oil line slightly leaking. I wasnt happy going from 10AN to 6AN. New fittings order and swap out 6AN lines for 8AN and refit everything.
NO MORE LEAKS!!! Finally, after 3+ weeks of tracking down this issue, refitting, waiting for parts, engine is finally leak free.
spikemd
Explorer
Mounted fuel filter in the driver side rear under 2nd row seats to the frame. Ran 6AN lines with aluminum fittings along the frame to front of the engine.
Dropped the gas tank and put new pickup tubes as the original tubes were quite small. Cummins needs more fuel. Cleaned tank, cut new hole and all new fuel lines.
Mounted large oil filter to front frame. Not the best, but no room next to the engine and even the large filter doesnt hang down too far. New engines are coming with the smaller oil filter connected to back of front cover without any remote lines. May be cleaner, but would be very tight and my oil filter is 3 times the size of the small filter.
Mounted ECU to firewall. Had to offset it as there wasn't much space. Lots of extra wire to all the sensors. Fed other wires through the firewall to the Murphy gauge and ignition wires.
Dropped the gas tank and put new pickup tubes as the original tubes were quite small. Cummins needs more fuel. Cleaned tank, cut new hole and all new fuel lines.
Mounted large oil filter to front frame. Not the best, but no room next to the engine and even the large filter doesnt hang down too far. New engines are coming with the smaller oil filter connected to back of front cover without any remote lines. May be cleaner, but would be very tight and my oil filter is 3 times the size of the small filter.
Mounted ECU to firewall. Had to offset it as there wasn't much space. Lots of extra wire to all the sensors. Fed other wires through the firewall to the Murphy gauge and ignition wires.
spikemd
Explorer
Sorry I haven't updated this thread in so long. A lot has happened, including finishing the engine, driving it to Expo in Flagstaff 2023 after just a few 100 miles on the engine. When I first drove it home, I had a major issue with the alternator wire dropping too close to the exhaust manifold, melting the insulation and shorting out! It was causing the start to turn over while the engine was off, so I had to disconnect the battery immediately. Always double checking wiring/sensors/everything that you have proper clearance and lots of zipties to keep things in place.
She was getting hot (225 is cut off from computer) on steady inclines in 100+F degree heat driving to Flagstaff. Once pulled over, she cools down quickly, but I had to a few times in the drive out and back. Due to my power steering rack, doesn't look like I can fit a mechanical fan. Will need to upgrade my electric fans and build a good shroud. The shroud can increase airflow by like 30%. I have never felt electric fans work as well as mechanical fans.
She was getting hot (225 is cut off from computer) on steady inclines in 100+F degree heat driving to Flagstaff. Once pulled over, she cools down quickly, but I had to a few times in the drive out and back. Due to my power steering rack, doesn't look like I can fit a mechanical fan. Will need to upgrade my electric fans and build a good shroud. The shroud can increase airflow by like 30%. I have never felt electric fans work as well as mechanical fans.
