Series 3 LR Hybrid

Post by **mike** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:12 pm

Finally started the hybrid so thought I better put some info up.

Project - Series 3 body on a 96 discovery chasis and running gear, powered by a mitsubishi canter 5 speed diesel. Turbo and intercooler to be added

EDIT Project engine is now a 3.5 rover v8, will look at supercharging it later :shock:

This is the current state of the old girl:

and this is what I am aiming for but with the same camo paint to keep the rugged look.

Current stage:

I stripped the roof, doors and back tray off. I found that tank no 1 has had a cracked filler and leaked diesel everywhere. The pump in between the tanks has siezed and needs to be fixed. I will keep the twin tanks for the long range ability, although this means fitting two tank mounts to the disco chasis it is well worth it in the long run. Without jerry cans the two 50l tanks can get it from chch to mount ruapehu without stopping for fuel.

You can see all the diesel soaked dirt everywhere. It was really caked on and hard to get at the bolts!

Next is the firewall, and the front panels to go. then comes the engine and gearbox. Stay tuned.

Mike

SupraLux · Post by **SupraLux** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:34 pm

That looks like fun

Cool project indeed. Why the Mitsi diesel? I have always believed any diesel starting with 'M' wasa bad choice... have you already got one or is it a common mod for the Landy?

Keep us posted, and good luck

Steve

DieselBoy · Post by **DieselBoy** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:47 pm

Cheap comercial duty diesel motor???

Post by **mike** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:58 pm

Its the one already in there with a 5 spd box attached. It works, it's reliable so I won't change it and plus its really cheap to run, way cheaper than my 3l td surf. I wonder if that will change after I turbo and intercool it though :?:

Mike

dctecho · Post by **dctecho** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 7:04 pm

Hi Mike,
Great to see another Hybrid project under way keep us all posted with the progress. If you are working off the measurments on ashleys web site for shortening the chassis you may find they are incorrect as I did, but it is easy enough to work out for your self. I have just recently mounted the bulkhead outriggers and rear tray out riggers and Im in the process off fabricating the new rear bumper,If you need any info or measurements to compare with just let me know.
cheers
Scotty

Post by **mike** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:21 pm

Will take you up on that offer of measurments no doubt.

So your at a stage where big things are happening, it's always good to SEE progress :wink:

Due to the diesel tax going up I think i will repower with a 253 v8 with a three speed slush box.

Mike

lowbox · Post by **lowbox** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 6:11 pm

Get a cheap 3.9 rover v8, auto and t/case from a wrecked disco, easier fit and not so pig heavy...

Post by **mike** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:33 pm

Hmmm another option, lighter is good. How much do these complete units go for usually? 253 can get for around 500 running with slush box, I can make adapater plates so no probs there. Anything over 1500 i think i wouldnt go down that path.

Mike

Post by **mike** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 7:03 pm

Made a little progress over the weekend. pics in the album
here -> http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/modules.php?set_albumName=album75&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=3

Also been thinking and talking with a few people about what lowbox mentioned. Decided to go rover v8 with slushbox due to wieght, age, availability of parts etc. I would like to have a transfer box with a rear pto for the hydraulic winch. Would my series 3 transfer bolt straight up to the disco slush box? as I presume they do not have pto take off points anymore.

They may have bolted LR's togeather, but in 30 years the bolts have rusted into rivets :shock:

oh I wish I had a gas plant :idea:

Mike

humvee · Post by **humvee** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:53 pm

What you forget mike is petrol is going up at the same time as RUC charges go up. But really you just want a V8 dont you :-)

Post by **mike** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:59 pm

Well after driving with the performance of the 3.0l turbo diesel of the surf I just know I wouldnt be happy with anything less performance wise in the landrover. Plus the 8's sound so nice

Mike

Post by **mike** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 10:48 pm

Bit of an update:

Sourced a Range Rover 3.5 V8 for $500

So got the front axil, powersteering, 3.5V8 and 4 good hankook tyres for the surf.

So the specs so far that are sitting in the shed:

Series 3 body, jeep in summer and HT in winter
3.5 V8 wouldnt mind supercharging due to all the talk of it lately

full time 4wd with centre diff lock
4 wheel disc brakes
24 spline rear disco diff
coils all round with solid front and rear axils

Things still left to acquire:

hydraulic winch
supercharger
bucket seats
33" tyres of some sort

here is a pic of the doner being disembowed :shock:

sorry about the quality of the pics, they are off a phone camera

more pics here-> http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/modules.php?set_albumName=album89&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

Now the chopping of the chasis starts

Mike

Post by **mike** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 6:20 pm

Got rid of the rangie body, took it to sims and whoa it was like war of the worlds, driving in a valley of car bodys with gigantic cranes with grab hooks lifting mounds of steel and scattering it like popcorn :shock:

I felt very small and vulnerable :oops:

On the weekend decided to attack the 96 disco chasis with the grinder and cut out 12.3 inches.

I have borrowed some Lengths of railway line from work and will lay these down in the garage and level them off to create hopefully a true floor to work with when rejoining the chassis. Will order the plate for bracing the join tomorrow and start preparing the chassis for joining on Wednesday.

Mike

Sorry guys the stickers and stuff will have to wait till my motivation for being in the garage has died a bit

D1HARD · Post by **D1HARD** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 7:22 pm

Damn looking like a great project.... :shock:

And a Rover V8 for $500... :lol:

Post by **mike** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:18 pm

SupraLux wrote:That looks like fun Cool project indeed. Why the Mitsi diesel? I have always believed any diesel starting with 'M' wasa bad choice... have you already got one or is it a common mod for the Landy?

Keep us posted, and good luck

Steve

Not to sure, it was quite a good reliable engine in the landy. 5 speed and with the twin tanks it could get to mnt ruapahu from christchurch on 100L of diesel ie without filling up :shock:

I now have one with a 5speed sitting in the driveway if anyone wants one due to the rover 8 going in :wink:

Post by **mike** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:33 pm

And it all turned to custard because the stupid marketing guys at LR marketed the disco and RR classic at 100 inch wheel base. So now I have an 87 inch hybrid instead of a 88 inch hybrid because the actual wheel base of the RR classic and discovery is 99 inch!!!!!! :evil:

Why oh why didnt I check the chassis instead of assuming it would be what it says in the specs :roll:

Mike

lowbox · Post by **lowbox** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 7:16 am

To get a hydraulic winch going well you need a decent pump. If you had an LT230 transfer case they have a plate on the back to take a maxidrive PTO and pump. If you're staying with a LT95 (4 speed rangie gearbox and t/case) I think you;re probably forced to run the hydraulic pump off the motor belts - either from the power steer pump (which doesn't pump enough fluid to move a winch anything but very slooooowly) or a specific belt and pump.

If I was building up your truck I would use a donor disco - find a 3.9v8/ZF auto/LT230 combo and bolt a PTO pump on the back of the LT230.

If you stay with the LT95 (very strong) you may just have to use a decent electric winch.

Post by **mike** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 2:20 pm

Hi Lowbox,

thanks for the heads up with the pto. I was wondering if that rather large plate on the back of the rangie combo would yield a pto but guess not :cry:

I think in about a years time I will go down the 3.9 auto path and put the hydraulic on it. This was the original spec, just lack of money and a cheap rangie had to take its place for now.

Do you happen to know if the crown wheel and pinion out of the series diffs bolt straight into the disco/rangie diffs? I have 3.54 in them now and I will be running 33 or 35 inch tyres and wouldnt mind putting something a bit lower in there.

On a note with the missing inch in the chassis I have decided to make it 88 and fill in the gap with some 3/4 inch cut offs. the plates over the top will hide it anyhow. Not bad going being out by an inch when everyday I deal with sizes down to the old thousandth of an inch. Man I'm going to get some stick at work :roll:

Mike

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 9:16 pm

Hey Mike before you throw the LT95, I went down this road with my RR and before I decided to bin the motor and box I was offered a PTO attachment for the LT95 from a guy in Iceland he said there are heaps of them up there as they came standard with them
Might be worth trying a few to sorce one over the net from Northen Europe
Just another option to look at

Cheers Reece

Post by **mike** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 9:19 pm

phew that sounds good Reece, here I was surfing the net for ages on some sort of cheap solution. Maybe I can make one :shock:

I might pull the lid off and see whats under there. Or get some of my german m8s to have a hunt around.

I hear doors opening.

Mike

Post by **mike** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 9:50 pm

anyway bit of an update.

This weekend I put the chassis up on my rail way line jig for welding togeather only to find the chassis is an inch out. A Whole inch short of 88 inch wheelbase. I couldnt believe it!! It turns out the disco and RR chassis's are 99 inch instead of 100 as stated in their specs. Never mind........ these things happen. So up in the jig :

I have this gap to fill in :

Nothing for my boilermaker m8, the topgun of welding, the maverick of all positions cant handle. I can just see the hammer flying my way when he sees it :shock:

I have pre-welded all the edges and tomorrow will make up some 15mm inserts to put the whole way around and then weld those in and my welding m8 (with the ticket) will weld all the plates over. The plates on the chassis must be welded with no vertical welds running across the chassis rail, this introduces stress points where the weld would be. All welds should run with the chassis and then on a diagonal towards the center of the rail.

another update in a couple of days.

Mike

Post by **mike** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:02 pm

Another update:

I have welded the chassis togeather and will get my welder m8 to plate the chassis up at a later stage.

Preparing to remove the v8 from the doner vehicle.

Engine fitted in the new chassis, all mounts lined up. 18 years between chassis years and exactly the same mounts and holes :shock:

Front axle removal from doner vehicle and is now sitting under new chassis.

tomorrow will bolt up front axle, fit struts, and maybe look at mounting body out riggers.

Mike

this weekend.

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:06 am

Awsome work, :lol:

and I thought the hilux was a handfull, You had any luck with the pto attatchment for the LT95?

Cheers Reece

Post by **mike** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 12:29 pm

No I havnt even had a look yet as been far to busy. To be honest I dont even know where the time goes!! :evil:

Another small update:

Got the front axle under and bolted in. Have one complete rolling chassis now. Started to size the front guards up for mounts etc and I'm really liking the look of it!! Might have a few pics today with guards in location. meanwhile here is the rolling shortened chassis. The back will be cut to just after the cross member near the axle :twisted:

Mike

Post by **mike** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 5:23 pm

Another short update:

Spent a couple of hours today transforming the series 3 front into an almost defender front end. But I will keep the original grill just to confuse people.

The v8 radiator slides in the gap with about 1/2mm spare on each side. Have to remove all the webbing/cowling from the old radiator just to get it to fit. Might have to remove the old water pump/fan and go electric and remove the fan drive off the old water pump.

As it stands now on the 29inch tyres it is 1.2m to the top of the guard :shock:

once the 33's or 35's go in with the two inch suspension lift I'll be adding the step ladder in for the GF :lol:

Next step Firewall strip and fit for position to fit outriggers. That will be over this week for that job.

Mike

Post by **mike** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:02 pm

Another update:

Lifted the firewall on to see where the outriggers should go and ran into a few space problems which were soon overcome.

After mounting the firewall it was time to put the guards and back tray on and roughly get it all positioned with doors etc so mounts can be fabricated. This is what the finished result should look like, minus a descent coat of paint :wink:

I put a high-lift jack as a height reference. The jack is 1.3m tall so you can see with 33,35 inch tires and maybe a suspension lift it will be getting up there

Still a long way to go....... :roll:

Mike

matwelli · Post by **matwelli** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:44 pm

Hi Mike,
The progress is looking good.
While you are doing all this work, have you thought about modiying the radius arms for a bit more articulation.

I only bring this up as I found the following link surfing the net for a similar problem with the pajero rear end

http://www.d-90.com/prod/hinge.html

wjw · Post by **wjw** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 12:17 pm

looks good, bet it'll look even better towing a land rover trailer

dctecho · Post by **dctecho** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 8:19 pm

Hi Mike,
I have just incounted a problem that might be of interest to you,as you know I had tack mounted all my outriggers and I was planning to modify the rangie steering coloumn to suit ,but I just recieved the 90 defender steering coloumn I bought off trademe and although this bolts directly to s3 bulkhead I have had to move the outriggers forward.If you are going to use the 90 steering coloumn the bulk head outriggers need to be mounted 54mm forward of the front of the radius arm mounts and the top of the outrigger is 62mm higher than the top edge of the chassis.There is a lot of work involved in modifying the rangie steering coloumn and I believe you can not cut and weld them if you want it certed???

Hope this helps
cheers scotty

Post by **mike** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 10:24 pm

I'm going to have to adapt something up I guess as my outriggers are actually mounting the bulkhead on the reverse side(wheel side as opposed to footwell side) because the bulkhead would not go far enough forward to get them mounted where they should.

It will be interesting by the sounds of it at the least. I will have a good look this weekend at the steering and see what sort of mission lies ahead.

Mike