Well, it's probably about time I share this project with you...

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to purchase a brand spanking RPi 4.6L V8 engine, it was simply to good to pass up on.


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The engine came complete with the earlier (non 4.6) front cover which allows the use of a dizzy and 14CUX EFI system. It even came with the 4.6 loom. It was a little grubby from being stored for a few years, but out came the spark plugs and in went one of those Aldi inspection cameras.....



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But, what on earth would I use it for?

Speaking to a friend in the pub, I was reminded of the stripped 88" S1 in his field, a deal was done and I became the owner of a 1958 88" Series 1, albeit in kit form. It's a 'FUV' one of 500 or so 4x2 vehicles produced for the MOD under a special contract, they originally had a straight tube type front axle and were only RWD. Sadly the front axle had been swapped out (presumably because they were pants in 2WD). The original engine and box were still present but had been stored along with the rest of the transmission.

The body work had been removed and stored elsewhere (more on that later) and the rear crossmember had already been removed so I set about opening up the crossmembers ready for shot blasting;



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Chassis coming home from the blasters;



Click image to enlarge 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Last edited by Shroppy on 1st Jul 2020 7:20am. Edited 4 times in total

I'd pre-emptively placed an order for a load of chassis parts from the Radford brothers, this included a dumb iron, outriggers and a new rear quarter chassis. The chassis really wasn't that bad but I'm a perfectionist.

Closing up the sections I opened before blasting, the welds aren't my best but they'll be flatted down and won't be visible;


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Front dumb iron replacement and removal of the dreaded steering relay;


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Made a little jig to aid outrigger replacement;


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Fuel tank outrigger and body outriggers getting replaced;

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And the new rear quarter chassis going on;


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I really wish the old rear crossmember hadn't been removed before I got it, massive pita.

A view through the gearbox crossmember, I'm really happy with the condition overall;


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And this is how I tend to remove broken bolts/studs that are being annoying;


Click image to enlarge 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Unfortunately that's far as I've got with the chassis so far. I went in for a check up on a tumour found in my femur last year, turned out it had grown by 25. So, a date for the op was set and out it came in early October. Thankfully it was benign so I'm very lucky and have a gnarly scar. Chicks dig them right?

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I've now got a funky leg brace and can't really control my quads on the one side for the moment so I'm having to give the welding and spannering a miss for a bit. Hence writing this all up as I've got the time on my hands! 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Last edited by Shroppy on 13th Nov 2019 11:52pm. Edited 1 time in total

Whilst I love welding and fabricating, rebuilding a knackered bulkhead wasn't a challenge I relished. So along with the chassis parts I ordered a new bulkhead, ready made with footwells adapted for the V8 and pendant pedals.



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Blew the budget out of the water, but I'd been fortunate with the bits I had already so it was doable. just. 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

I decided not to use the original 4 speed gearbox, S1 boxes are getting rarer and they're not built for 4.6 power.

A stumpy R380 seemed the best bet, via a RV8 to LR conversion ring. They're available from Ashcroft but they're not cheap and I'm an apprentice.

So... a TD5 box from eBay;

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New shorter input shaft

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And with a little help from windy;


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I had a stumpy R380...


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The new input shaft was machined down to V8 spigot bush size prior to fitting too;


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EDIT

I also had to buy the following;
- Stumpy bellhousing and front cover from Ashcroft.
- New input shaft bearing, clutch release bearing and arm from my local parts guy.

The clutch release bearing slides along the front cover in the stumpy bellhousing hence the need to replace the standard TD5 arrangement. 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Last edited by Shroppy on 14th Nov 2019 6:35pm. Edited 3 times in total

Great thread good luck with your health problem bud  2015 HT XS 90
2008 SVX 90
2000 XS TD5 90

Sounds like a pukka tool.......bet its 'interesting' on power

This is a bit all over the place but until I make any new progress, you'll have to bear with me...


Standard Series axles weren't made to take the power of a 4.6 either, so I'm going to run a 109 Salisbury rear and probably a later series axle casing up front with Ashcroft internals.

My plan is to run discs front and rear. The rear should be the most straight forward as the 300tdi 110s ran discs on the rear so those bits should swap over.

The front is more of a challenge, current plan is to use RRC 6 Bolt swivels, hubs and brakes as they have the same PCD as a Series casing (albeit rotated 30 degrees). I'll need to have some spacers turned upon to correct the rotation and get the track width right. This will have to wait till my leg is better and I can haul an axle around.

I sourced a S3 109 Salisbury axle and a 110 disc Salisbury axle, the plan is to run 3.54 diffs to drop the engine revs and make cruising at speed more enjoyable.



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Salisbury axle cases are under tension so a spreader is needed to allow removal of the diff. I couldn't afford one, so I made one;



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If you're local to Shropshire and need to swap a diff, I'm happy to loan the tool or lend a hand if needed.


I need some callipers for the rear if anyone has any kicking about....

The TD5 casing is also spare if anyone wants one. 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

90 Dreamer wrote:

Sounds like a pukka tool.......bet its 'interesting' on power

Hello Shroppy, from Aussie.
Mate, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting threads ever. The project is perfect, and so are your descriptions & images.
I'm enthralled, can't wait for the next "episodes"!
Pickles.

Shroppy wrote:

90 Dreamer wrote:

Sounds like a pukka tool.......bet its 'interesting' on power

Which tool would that be? The impact wrench is only a 1/2" drive, does use quite a lot of air but not too bad if you're only using it for short bursts. My 1m long 3/4" breaker wouldn't shift that nut, but the gun made light work of it!

Sorry meant the truck when its finished, maybe should have phrased as "interesting under power"

This is the bulkhead that I decided was beyond economic repair. There are sections available, but they're not cheap and it would have been many tens of hours of work. The other side was worse.


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I did get round to making a sheet metal folder though, I had planned to fabricate all the sections I could to keep costs down. It'll get plenty of use when I start working on the body I'm sure.


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It struggled with this replacement bump stop bracket (3mm steel) but works well on 2mm and thinner;


Click image to enlarge 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Thank you for all the positive responses! It's motivating me to get back in the workshop and crack on!

I'm rebuilding the steering box at the moment, it's a nice indoor job whilst the leg heals and the weather is naff I'll post some photos of that soon... 1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread

Before I post any more random progress photos it's probably sensible to surmise the current plan;

Engine - My friend runs Tornado Systems and is helping me wire the ECU and large P38 Mass air flow sensor into a new auto sparks loom. The loom will then go back to Autosparks to be wrapped up and make it look 1950s 'factory'

Gearbox - The stumpy R380 will be mated to a Disco 1 LT230, I'll probably end up using the Ashcroft Kit to convert it to selectable 2WD/4WD so I can do donuts . I'd like to retain the original red and yellow levers so will need to fab up some custom linkages.

Axles -

Front - Series 3 casing, early RRC hub assemblies with necessary spacer. I'll need to go custom with the half shafts but it's cheaper and better (imo) than the disc conversion kits on the market. I'll run a later 3.54 diff too.

Rear - Series 3 Salisbury casing, Defender 110 internals and disc assemblies.

Props - I'm yet to mock it all up, but I'll probably end up using an 80" prop (shortest available) for the rear and use a custom front prop.

Chassis - I'm hoping the only mods will be the removal of the battery tray and making the gearbox crossmember removable. I'll make a custom gearbox crossmember to suit the LT230. This way it can be easily put back to original. Once I'm happy that everythng fits, I'll send the chassis off for galvanising.

Body - The panels are all straight enough but haven't really got any valuable patina, I'll treat them to a respray in RAF blue. The only real mod here will be to fab up a roll cage to replace the canvas hood sticks. I'm going for the sleeper look but want to be safe (ish) too.

Suspension - Parabolics, a decent set of bushes and some pro-comps. This needs to remain original really.

Steering - This will stay original too, when set up correctly there's little play and no power steering is only really an issue at low speeds  1985 127 V8 Build Thread
Series 1 80"
Series 1 88" 4x2 Build Thread