Swapping out LT85 for R380. Anyone done this?Any issues?

**clive22** · 12th October 2011, 07:51 AM

The current LT85 (full case) in my '85 V8 has a stripped mainshaft due to lack of lubrication into the transfer case.The transfer end is all fixed/rebuilt with new parts from Ashcroft.

Looking at putting in a R380 bell housing to suit instead rebuilt from Ashcroft, has anyone done this?

I have read & heard but not experienced that these are a much nicer 'box with shorter throws, lower 1st and as strong if not stronger.

Any tips or advise who be appreciated before I make the call on whether to rebuild

Thanks

Clive

**TimNZ** · 12th October 2011, 09:10 AM

I'd be asking Aschrofts... Looks like thy do fit them to V8's:

Ashcroft Transmissions - R 380

Cheers,

**Bush65** · 12th October 2011, 09:19 AM

If you read about the R380 on Ashcrofts web site, the early suffix ('J' from memory) has a weakness that was corrected in the next suffix, which also got stronger gears and bearings (again from memory).

Some people with the LT85 behind the Isuzu 4BD1 engine have replaced them with an R380 which have so far held up OK (the LT85 is known not to be long lived behind a 4BD1). The retain the LT85 bellhousing because no Isuzu to R380 bellhousings are available - a well known Land Rover specialist (name escapes me at moment) in Sydney area has done many of these conversions.

Remember the R380 for the 300Tdi as well as different bellhousing has a different input shaft compared to the V8 version.

**abaddonxi** · 12th October 2011, 10:53 AM

KLR at Kingswood do R380 to LT85 bellhousing conversions.

**Lotz-A-Landies** · 12th October 2011, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by abaddonxi

KLR at Kingswood do R380 to LT85 bellhousing conversions.

They wanted both the R380 bellhousing, the LT85 Isuzu bellhousing and $900 dollars for the job.

Makes for an expensive conversion.

**abaddonxi** · 12th October 2011, 08:28 PM

Oops, and that was Isuzu, not V8.

**Terrain Vehicles** · 12th October 2011, 10:10 PM

I have done a V8 with LT85 to Tdi with LT77 conversion, and one thing I didn't expect was I needed a new rear propshaft as the original was too short.

**Bush65** · 13th October 2011, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by abaddonxi

KLR at Kingswood do R380 to LT85 bellhousing conversions.

Thanks for that - they are the people I was referring to and couldn't remember their name.

Originally Posted by Terrain Vehicles

I have done a V8 with LT85 to Tdi with LT77 conversion, and one thing I didn't expect was I needed a new rear propshaft as the original was too short.

In that case (needing a longer rear propshaft) as both LT85 and Lt77 use the LT230 transfer case, wouldn't the transfer case and gearbox mounts have been out of position as well as front propshaft being too short?

**Terrain Vehicles** · 13th October 2011, 07:55 PM

Bear in mind that this was all done with an engine conversion, so it's possible that the whole lot has moved.. But they did use the original gearbox mounting points.. They probably used the prop off the donor 110 I had. I will need to ask the oily people that did the hard work in the workshop.

Peter Logan · 11th November 2011, 02:37 AM

Here in the UK Isuzu 3.9s are hard to find, but after many years ive found one. Fed up with lack of power from 200 and 300 tdis, so the susies going in. The Isuzu came from another defender and had been mounted to a V8 bellhousing and LT77 box. Needless to say the box is scrap so I am fitting it to the R380 already in my defender. Because the existing bellousing is for a 300 tdi it wont fit the Isuzu engine so I find what I need to do is use a bellhousing from a V8 R380 defender, which I now have. I also need to change the spigot bearing from 19mm to 22mm to suit the R380 input shaft. After repostitioning the engine chassis mounts everthing else is plain sailing, I hope.

Thread: Swapping out LT85 for R380. Anyone done this?Any issues?

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Swapping out LT85 for R380. Anyone done this?Any issues?

R380 onto Isuzu 3.9

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