Parts interchangeability

[Gab250]

Hey, I'm just wondering if some stuff is interchangeable between the newer defenders and stuff right back to the old Series IIA's and things like that? For example, could you get a defender motor and box and bolt it straight into a Series IIA? Will the doors off a series IIA fit a late model defender? what about diffs? things like that I am interested in. Any info would be appreciated.

Gab

[Leroy_Riding]

dont take my word for it but I think SIII and early defender parts are relatively interchangeable, I don't know enough about SIIA to tell you there though. but I have seen a lot of defender bits used to repair old SIII's

Leroy

[jimr1]

Hi Gab , I'ts a good question but not an easy answer ! First the wheels there ok. , I think wheel bearings ? Then you start to scratch your head , lights , doors , cappings , some ? If you have the time and inclination you can make all sorts of things , fit all sorts of things . Getting back to your question Land Rover have been changing for the last 50plus years !.:) jimr1

[Offender90]

Hi Gab,

There is a lot of parts interchangeability between Defender shaped Land Rovers from about 1983 onwards. Stage 1 (79 to 83 ?) was the "in-betweener" sharing elements of both earlier series vehicles and later 110's and Defenders. Interestingly, Stage 1 referred to the first stage of investment by the British government into Land Rover that would lead to the design of 90s and 110s. So it was a leaf sprung vehicle with a 110 like body and running gear.

Series 2a doors would fit Defenders, but that's about the extent of the interchangeability I think. Engines were in a different place (further back) and had less torque, meaning smaller gearboxes. Wheeltrack was narrower on Series vehicles, so no axle interchangeability.

Drivetrain and running gear underwent a design change in the early 80s, and in 1983 they went to a coil spring design, borrowing from the range rover classic experience. There are drivetrain commonalities between range rover classics, 90's, 110's and discovery 1's, but often with some notable differences.

Range rover diff / axle design was used on the early LR 90's and front axles of 110s (known as Rover diffs). 110's had a Salisbury rear axle (essentially a US Dana 60 based design manufactured in the UK under licence). Coincidentally, this was standard fitment to Series 3 long wheelbase vehicles (1970 onwards?). In 1990 LR redesigned the axles again to "improve them" and shave some unsprung weight off, using thinner axle tubes, shorter stub axles and weaker CVs while at the same time incorporating stronger 24 spline half shafts instead of 10 splined ones used previously and adding disc brakes on Salisbury rear axles (instead of drums previously) so two steps forward and three steps back.

Gearboxes and transfer cases were shared across most models of the same vintage, but with different gear ratios in some cases, or different gearstick locations in others, so you often couldn't directly fit a Defender gearbox into a Discovery or vice versa, but could if you swapped over the right bits. Engines were mostly interchangeable across the different models of the same vintage, although a different tune was often used for different models. Defenders were often detuned for some reason (to better cope with crap fuel perhaps?), especially once they went to ECUs.

Bodywise however most major parts are interchangeable (or can be made so) from about 1980 onwards.

I hope my brain dump helps - expect it to be about 80% accurate at best. :angel:

[JDNSW]

Most body parts on the lwb are more or less interchangeable from Series 2 to present - but coil spring versions have the axles further back as well as being 110 rather than 109" wheelbase. Swb, the story is less happy - the rear body on a 90 is about 4" longer than on an 88, so most panels behind the seats are not interchangeable. Changes in door locks require the striker plates to be interchanged as well.

The firewall (bulkhead), transmission tunnel, and floor panels are different with different engine/gearbox even for the same date and model.

Apart from body parts, there are many other parts are interchangeable, but it is difficult to predict which ones.

John