Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Best Donor Vehicle (in your opinion)

  1. 3rd February 2012, 08:01 AM #1
    bigdog's Avatar
    bigdog
    bigdog is offline Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    265
    Total Downloaded
    0

    Best Donor Vehicle (in your opinion)

    Hi

    The list of 'required' parts to keep my early 92 Classic on the road is growing, not to mention all of the electrical woes I have been through which are still not fixed. Mine is pre ABS & EAS, viscous coupling, 3AM MAF.

    So my question is, what would be the ideal donor vehicle to buy to scavenge parts for repair, and importantly improvement (body parts and interior trim are not a consideration)?

    I have been looking at 94/95 Disco's with rollover damage or blown cylinder head gaskets as potential.

    Importantly I need fuel pump, 14CUX sensors, dizzy body, amplifier, alternator, coil. Spare injectors, cylinder heads, hoses etc are usefull. For improvements I am looking at using the transfer case, the possibility of converting to 24 spline axles, 100amp alternator, larger radiator (?), electric fans (?).

    So in your view, what are the major considerations? Is it feasible to look at converting a V belt setup to serpentine belt using the 92 block, are the 14CUX sensors compatible across different model ECU's, should oxygen sensors be added or would this be of limited benefit? etc etc

    Just looking for ideas at the moment as going down this route will allow me a huge learning experience at a relatively cheap cost. I have been looking at a 4.6 conversion but this is out of my pricerange just now.

    Any thoughts?
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  2. 3rd February 2012, 01:33 PM #2
    bee utey's Avatar
    bee utey
    bee utey is offline AT REST
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Crafers West South Australia
    Posts
    11,732
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Fuel pump: buy a new VN Commy one.
    Dissy amp: Go Bosch BIM024
    Serpentine front end: Why? You need a longer keyway in the crank, I did it with a small angle grinder and slitting wheel last month but it's not a job for the faint of heart.
    Injectors: Ford, Holden, Ebay, Gen3 etc.
    Alternator: Bosch locally made alts for the vee belt cover easily.

    Other than that wreck a Disco if you find a suitable one.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  3. 3rd February 2012, 03:10 PM #3
    bigdog's Avatar
    bigdog
    bigdog is offline Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    265
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by bee utey View Post

    Other than that wreck a Disco if you find a suitable one.
    ...but now we are back to my question "what is the ideal donor vehicle".......if I go post 94 Disco I believe we are into Serpentine belts which means that I might condider converting the 92 to a serpentine to allow swapover of key electrical and ignitiion parts if not too hard.........if I go pre 94 Disco I think these were 3.5's???

    Quote Originally Posted by bee utey View Post

    Serpentine front end: Why? You need a longer keyway in the crank, I did it with a small angle grinder and slitting wheel last month but it's not a job for the faint of heart.
    Why indeed.........people I have spoken to say this is the way to go as it is much better setup......I am yet to understand the benefits.

    Nice idea to buy new parts, but so far, every time something breaks I replace it (very expensively) and something else goes. The idea is to have a source of second hand parts (which should be good if the engine still runs ok from the donor) so that I have a 'parts bin', can test a few replacement items as I go, and have plenty of spares leftover for future use.

    So again back to my original question, at what point (year) does the change between the 92 Classic and a more recent disco become to wide to allow easy picking of parts ? (when did O2 sensors kick in, is the 5AM MAF back portable to the 3AM MAF etc etc)

    Thanks anyway....
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  4. 3rd February 2012, 03:35 PM #4
    bee utey's Avatar
    bee utey
    bee utey is offline AT REST
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Crafers West South Australia
    Posts
    11,732
    Total Downloaded
    0
    No Australian sold D1 or RRC had oxygen sensors. I believe the US had them, you could search ebay US or ask on the forum on how to fit. Not that hard I believe.

    The 93-94 D1 has vee belts on a 3.9 V8 engine. Using a serpentine front end has minor benefits but you would need to extend hoses and wires as the accessories are all different locations. The serpentine belt is quieter and doesn't need a lot of maintenance as it has a self tensioner.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  5. 3rd February 2012, 10:03 PM #5
    POD's Avatar
    POD
    POD is offline ChatterBox Subscriber
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Drouin East, Vic
    Posts
    2,781
    Total Downloaded
    0
    A Disco with a slipped liner would make a good donor vehicle, they are worth nothing. I recently wrecked a 97 D1 that I had bought with a view to repowering but went off the idea (a Disco is not a Rangie, after all). Excellent source of otherwise expensive bits such as LT230, 24spline axles, dizzy, heads, gearbox, all EFI bits, pretty much anything in the mechanical line. Most of the panels were snapped up on eBay, I sold things like panels dirt cheap and then made good money on other bits that people decided they wanted while they were at it. I'm currently toying with using the dead Disco motor to do a serp conversion on another motor and transplanting it to my 1990RR.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
« i need some info on my 93 range rover | Barn Find (?) 93 RRC »

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules

Search AULRO.com ONLY!
 Search All the Web!