Thread: Specs for Factory Isuzu 110 please

IT had some modifications but not major redesign work, the changes were bolt on stuff.

the stock gearing was 3.54:1 although converting to 4.11 was done for people who fitted big rubber and didnt want to mess with the Tcase

the front diff was a rover single pin job (or 4 gear depending on how and the rear was a drum braked sals 8ha.

3 gearboxes were fitted. the lt95 the lt85 in the heavy duty and light duty varients both of those getting the lt230.

Power steering was an option to begin with and then became standard.

kerb is about 1.9T GVM is upto 2.9ish axle weights were about 50/50 depending on configuration.

It came in 3 door, 5 door and single cab ute that I know of but remember the shed class are all mecano so so long as you were willing to wait you could have almost any configuration you liked.

We made the perentie class, the poms still havent made a better one. (nor have Ze germans, The yanks or the indians)

you get a 4bd1 an lt95 and a sals and thats as close to a tractor as your going to get in an off the shelf 4x4


Hope that helps

Thanks Dave, that pulls together a lot of the bits and pieces I have read.

Yes, I am thinking 4BD1, LT95 and Sals. Good to hear they came with the Sals rear axle as standard. From redbook it looks like they changed to 5 speed in Oct 85 so there were only a couple of years with the LT95 in a coil sprung vehicle. Not that redbook is always accurate.

The major attraction of LR to me is the Mecano nature and being able to mix and match to make the vehicle I want. Just some parts sound harder to find like disc brake Salisburys and Isuzu to LT95 bell housings. Also starting with a factory Isuzu takes away the hassle of needing to get an engine swap engineered.

So it is looking like the weakest part will be the front end (just like the coil sprung Toyotas), but there is a massive after market dedicated to rover axles so that doesn't worry me.

So now the search begins for an unmolested example with an LT95.

Were all the Isuzu cab chassis 120" wheelbase? Was this a cut and stretch chassis like the early 127" in the UK?

All 4BD1 cab chassis' are 120" wheelbase, cut and stretch, plated on the outside with a ~85cm sleeve plug welded on the inside.

Some examples are supposedly prone to rust at the weld join, but mine is nearly 30 years old, with no apparent rust anywhere... fingers crossed it stays that way :-).

The biggest PROBLEM is they don't come up that frequently, and when they do, usually not THE greatest examples, so it's a matter of getting whatever comes up, so long as the chassis / firewall and are healthy, and fixing it up... at least it was with me.

The ones that are fixed up seldom come on the market... although in the last 6 months there have been three near mint examples that have changed hands that I'm aware of. One a 110, one a 120 and one a 130 extended cab chassis with a 4BD1T...

LT95 4BD1 bellhousings are rare, but not as rare as the LT85s, so you can usually swap a 5 speed for a 4 speed if you so wish... they also come up for sale in the markets... there's one on gumtree now

Isuzu conversion for land rover 4bd1 4bd1t lt95 landrover | Other Parts & Accessories | Gumtree Australia East Gippsland - Bairnsdale

The other gearbox option is an Isuzu MSA box with an adaptor kit from the_grubb on the forum. Few tractorlike options about.


Mine went from this



To this

I have read that some owners believe their Isuzu'd 110 has a stronger chassis than a 110 Defender, not sure if the 80's UK home market 110s also had the stronger chassis, or if it is wishful thinking in general.
The chassis were not galvanised on civillian vehicles. Only the typical body fittings were galvanised, and only on earlier 110s, later were painted over and still later not gal'd before painting.
'County' will get you more search results than 'Country'.
Front springs are different to UK spec vehicles.
The engine is the industrial 4BD1 not the light truck engine, at least on the earlier 110s.
There is also the Series 3 Stage 1 with 4BD1, cart springs might not be your thing but may be a good source of parts!
Some early 1986 models had the four speed (JDNSW's), whilst some 1985s had five speed gearboxes (Dinty's). These are the exceptions to the rule, mind you.
There weren't many, if any, 3 door (hardtop) Isuzu 110s sold, or styleside utes. I haven't seen one in the last 6 years I have been searching ebay at least! Only County SWs and 120 utes.
Air con, if fitted, is different to the UK spec vehicles.
The transmission tunnel is different between 4 speed, 5 speed and Defender models, as is the cut out in the firewall from what I gather.
Power steering was standard on all County spec 110s. Probably the only 110s delivered without PS were the army jobs.
There is of course the Perentie 6x6 with 4BD1T that'll be available from auction in the not too distant future to think about...
Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by isuzutoo-eh

<snip>
The transmission tunnel is different between 4 speed, 5 speed and Defender models, as is the cut out in the firewall from what I gather.
<snip>

Pretty sure the firewall cutout is the same, but there are definitely differences in seatbox trans cutouts between County and Defender.
Mine (original County firewall), had 200tdi/LT77 tunnel and seatbox fitted. When I replaced it with a LT95 tunnel I had to do some "adjusting" of the seatbox.

Steve

Thanks guys, that's all good stuff to know.

It would be nice to think the older chassis were stronger, perhaps they slipped through before "cost engineering" became the norm.

Will keep in mind the differences in transmission tunnel, I am not against fabricating but I would like to avoid messing with the bulkhead if I can. I am in no hurry so I can wait for an LT95 (4 speed) County to come up for sale.

Front springs are logical, there must be more than 100kg extra on the nose. I expect to replace the entire suspension anyway to run a rubber overdrive (35").

Have read some stuff on the Perentie but they look like they are designed for load carrying more than traction, in that weight range you really have to compare to Unimog, Oka, Canter, etc. And I suspect they will not be cheap enough to use for parts like a stage 1.

Cheers, Dan

Originally Posted by steveG

Pretty sure the firewall cutout is the same, but there are definitely differences in seatbox trans cutouts between County and Defender.
Mine (original County firewall), had 200tdi/LT77 tunnel and seatbox fitted. When I replaced it with a LT95 tunnel I had to do some "adjusting" of the seatbox.

Steve

Correct there Steve, The firewall was the same on all 4 and 5 speed models but there is a bolt on bit that goes between the transmission tunnels and the firewall that is different, as well as the hump. Also 4 and 5 speed seatboxes have different cutouts. Just to confuse us all!

My impression is that the County wagons were built (probably CKD) as V8 wagons, and modified locally for the Isuzu. In most respects all Isuzu engined Landrovers shouold probably be considered as modified V8s, starting with the Stage 1s.

The major drawback I see from twenty years of driving one is that the vibration literally tends to pop rivets. The N/A 4BD1 is not high powered by today's standards, but will ,aintain highway speeds without any problems, and is a comfortable vehicle for long distance travel - I drove to Perth and back a few years ago - total problems, two flat tyres and a starred windscreen. Not too bad for a twenty year old vehicle with about 400,000km on the clock.

John