Auto transmission into County 110 V8

[billnus]

Hi there - I've done quite a few searches and find conflicting info. So... I decided to start a new thread.

I've got a County 110 V8 w/ the 3.5 engine.

I want to put an automatic transmission into the truck.

Wondering if anyone on here has real life experience in doing so - can you please point me into the right direction for what this involves.

I would like to look into the options of either:
1. Keeping the current 3.5 in her and putting an auto trans in.
2. Replacing the engine w/ the 3.9, 4.0 (disco) or 4.6 (p38) if I can find a good donor and an auto trans.

thanks in advance.

[justinc]

I would be using the 3.5 if it is in good nick as it is a high compression engine and torquey for a 3.5. Only problem is sorting the correct kickdown cable leverage ratio and bracketry etc. Otherwise you could transplant the complete engine trans and efi computer etc into the 110.

Jc

[bee utey]

I would treat the job as two separate issues, the engine conversion and the transmission conversion. The 4 speed auto could be sourced from any wrecked V8 Discovery 1 or Range Rover 1986 onwards and bolted in to your vehicle as it stands. You can either keep the County transfer case or use the Discovery one. The Range Rovers from '89 to '94 used a viscous t-case but the trans is the same.

As for the engine, I agree with Justin and suggest you keep the 3.5. The bigger bore engines are a liability with cracking at their age unless thousands is spent on them for new flanged liners. Your 3.5 can be freshened up with a new cam and a few odds and ends. If you want some more power just fit up the hotwire EFI off a 1991 to 1993 Rangie or Disco. I did exactly that to a 110 a couple of years ago and it worked extremely well. If you acquire the EFI fuel tank from a '86 to '89 Rangie it is a bolt in fit to the County. Wiring up EFI to a county is quite easy as the loom required is self contained and only needs a few connections to the vehicle to make it work (battery power, ignition power, ignition coil negative, fuel pump and earth). I used a 1993 Rangie wiring loom as it was long enough to place the ECU inside the vehicle. I needed some new intake hose as the throttle body points at the heater box but there's plenty of room round the back for a cylinder air cleaner.

[Slunnie]

Not a County as such, but I have done a seriesII conversion from stage 1 to 3.9/zf/lt230. The engine and gearbox mounts with the same in the chassis, the tailshafts matched, but I think I already had a regular flange on the front of the Stage1 lt95 rather than its normal DC spec one, the exhaust needed the stage 1 manifold, the auto however connected to the setup on the 3.9. That said, a mate did butt a zf to his stage1 v8 but I'm not sure how he connected the kick down.

If you can keep the 3.5 however, it will be an easier conversion, the 3.9 is different in a lot of areas if you retain the efi setup, and you no further ahead if you don't.

[Slunnie]

Check these threads out. They detail my conversion. You will need to extract out the bits that are relevant to you as it is in a vehicle build.

This is the basics of the build:
www.slunnie.com :: View topic - Ute2 Reincarnation (http://www.slunnie.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php't=32)

These are the detailed pictures of the build so you can see any finer related detail
Ute2 Reincarnation - www.slunnie.com (http://www.slunnie.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=128)

[billnus]

thanks team. sounds easiest to just keep the 3.5 and do a straight trans swap. didn't realise it was that easy (famous last words...)

[lebanon]

A friend of mine installed the Autobox on his 110 since he has experienced poor braking.

Is the installation of the servo unit from the donor vehicle a must to have a normal braking power?

[BigJon]

Changing the trans shouldn't make the brakes worse. (OK, there will be some slight drive through the auto trans even when not on the accelerator, but I would have thought it would be small enough to ignore).

[Pedro_The_Swift]

If the trans is "in gear locked up" the engine braking should be the same,,

[Blknight.aus]

you will need 3 maybe 4 vehicles to do it easy.

1. your county with the 3.5
2. a rangie with the 3.5 auto combo
3. a disco 1 with the 3.5, preferably the 3.9 combo.
4. Tdi disco with the auto

you want the kick down cable gubbinary from the rangie, plenum, vally cover and carbs maybe the cooling gear and any other bits you might want to nick

the v8auto disco donates the auto (possibly tcase depending on what ratios you want if you have the lt85/lt230 combo behind the 3.5 definately the t case if you have the lt95) and is cut up for its chassis bracketry/mounts and any other bits you might want

the tdi donates its torque converter plus any other bits you want to nab

Done right it wont change your brakes unless as part of the setup the vaclines, in particular the one way valve and seals are not sorted properly as you will get vacuum loss from behind the carbs as the engine drops to idle as soon as you completely lift off the accelerator to swap over to the brakes

if its driving excessively from idle then your idle speed is too high and the TC may be dragging the lock up clutch.