Thread: 110 County engine upgrade

Certainly can maintain the natural county engine bay look with even a 5.2 upgrade....��.

Make sure that you get/ build an engine with high compression (your 3.5 has 9.35:1) and even more importantly that the carb needles get changed to suit engine capacity. You will be amazed at how much torque an SU fed engine can produce when they are set up right!!!
My pick would be a post 2002 4litre d2 or a 1999 on p38a 4.6 as they are 9.23:1 compression ratio.

Jc

The best upgrade to a 3.9 is ....... Isuzu
I put a second hand truck engine in mine back in the 80,s and its never given any trouble. Best thing I ever did.
But then I am a bit deaf

Good luck.
Keith

Originally Posted by 123rover50

The best upgrade to a 3.9 is ....... Isuzu
I put a second hand truck engine in mine back in the 80,s and its never given any trouble. Best thing I ever did.
But then I am a bit deaf

Good luck.
Keith

I drove Bearman's 3.9 Isuzu county and it's no louder than my 2013 D90. I would love a 3.9 Isuzu....

Sorry Mustlust, I don't have anymore than that

Originally Posted by 123rover50

The best upgrade to a 3.9 is ....... Isuzu
I put a second hand truck engine in mine back in the 80,s and its never given any trouble. Best thing I ever did.
But then I am a bit deaf

Good luck.
Keith

AFM (through Grey's) auctioned off several 4BD1 (n/a and t) motors this week.
May be worth bidding next time.

While the diesel is clearly an excellent motor, I'm trying to keep costs down and having sunk $ into the elec ignition system and carbie overhaul, trying to stay on the good side of the wife.
Will keep an eye out for a later model donk....and the attempt to rebuild. Last engine I rebuilt was a Renault 12 nearly 30 years ago when the engine died the day after I finished uni. How hard can it be to marry an early intake manifold to a later block?

Q: why a high compression engine? What's the difference?
Would a 3.5 rebuild be ok, if budget limits my options?

The 3.5 is the most reliable version of the land Rover V8, because the block is that much thicker around the smaller cylinders. So for a rebuild on a budget, I'd stick to the basics and redo your own motor. Rings, bearings, a quality towing camshaft and timing chain should set it up for another 300,000km. The bigger capacity motors, especially the low compression ones, are as thirsty as hell and not that much more powerful (excepting the 4.6 of course). Best of all is that you can do most of the work with the engine block still installed, unless you have a badly leaking rear crank seal.

If you do end up finding a later engine in excellent condition for not much, all your accessories will fit with minor modifications only, some of the bolt holes in the block and heads did change over the years.

High compression is an advantage in Australia as our fuels are generally good quality, low compression motors were introduced for world markets where fuel quality was poor, and also for emissions reasons. Which don't really matter unless you live and commute into the inner city with it.

Found a cheap D2 engine with a liner problem that could make for a possible project build. Can the serpentine belt pulleys be taken off and replaced with my original v belt auxillary items? Would also put on original intake manifold. Does this work?