Thread: the time has come, i can dodge it no longer

Originally Posted by incisor

re the r380

most said they had seen enough problems with 5th gear behind a td5 so an isuzu which would have to put more torque thru it so it would be reasonable to expect a shorter life than with the td5 and that would bring them in about equal with the lt85, except for the smoother changes etc.

how much has it cost to switch to the r380 ?

I thought that was the main advantage, the R380 had a stronger 5th gear???

Mal Story rebuilt my LT85, shortly before I bought the vehicle (fortunately, as the bill came to almost $4200 and all internals were replaced). I called him when I bought the car. He said he only did one every few years, so he remembered mine. Though he had upgraded the 5th gear bearings/bushes, he recommended changing down to 4th regularly when on a long highway trip, as this would re-oil the 5th gear.

I assume the same still applies to R380s? Which may be why some people are wearing out 5th?

looks like i will be going down the lt95 route...

can do it for a couple of grand cheaper and quicker as well...

Originally Posted by flagg

... One thing that was consistent with the people who I would trust with gearbox knowledge (ashcroft etc) was that the late R380 was as strong, or stronger than the LT95. ..but I have no way of proving this one way or another - I'm simply not that knowledgeable.

...

This post is the 1st I have seen suggesting r380's are as strong as an LT95. IMHO they are not.

I have seen posts from Dave Ashcroft comparing the R380 strength to an LT85, but never to an LT95.

The following quote is from Ashcroft's web page for LT85

Whilst the LT 85 is renown as a very strong gearbox, they are prone to two problems, premature wear of the 1-2 selector fork and premature wear in the 5 main bearings, this is due to the fact that the LT 85 has helical gears which produce enf thrust but the bearings are all ball bearings as opposed to taper roller bearings.

Some customers upgrade to the R 380 instead of fitting another LT 85, The suffix L R 380 is similar in strength but is smoother to use and should last longer. A different diff lock linkage and hi/lo casting is required also you will need to trim a small section out of the seatbox but nothing too drastic.

Originally Posted by rovercare

How many kays in that 5 years?

Matt
Hard to say as I dont use a speedo. Its done 680hrs roughly. 40% off road and the rest getting there. Always towing

R380 pointers

a) Driving style
b) Driving style
c) Driving style
d) full synthetic 75/80ish oil. very regular change intervals
e) definatly change down to 4th for hills etc towing or not.

Maybe run an oil cooler as well. I dont as the offroad work this vehicle does would probably rip the lines off.

Also R380 parts and complete boxes are cheaper and easier to come across.

But you do have to factor in the conversion cost.

Justin

Originally Posted by incisor

hmmmm

been making a few phone calls to well rep'ed land rover specialists and it appears to be the general concensus that sticking with the lt85 is the lessor of all the evils behind an isuzu.

they tell me that generally speaking the opinion in the trade is

the lt95 is stronger in the gearbox and weaker in the transfer and has pretty much the same bearing setup it appears so unless you get an lt95a you gain very little and lose 5th

the r380 changes much nicer but really isnt that much stronger overall esp in 5th gear so the costs really dont justfy the change if you can cope with the way an lt85 changes gear.

decisions decisions....

Incisor

According to Ashcrofts in the UK the late suffix (K&L) R380's are considerably stronger than an LT85. I am very glad that I went the R380/1.2TC behind the Isuzu Turbo in my Defender. The ratios are better than either the LT85 or the LT95, and are very well matched to the engine. 5th in an R380 is much stronger than 5th in an LT85.

My vehicle has done almost 100,000 ks since the conversion most of which has been in the outback in very tough going (including 2 Simpson crossings this year). I travel solo in very remote parts of the country and built my vehicle for ultimate toughness and reliability.

In my opinion don't stuff around with the LT85 use a late suffix R380 and you won't be disapointed

CHT

LT 95.

its always going to get you home

may as well put the turbo clutch in.

do you already have the bell housing. i seem to thing that the isuzu to LT95 is different to the LT 85 so as these are a bit pricy etc. or you could grab the NSW county thats a thread around here then you have every thing for 5K and a donk to flick off.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

I thought that was the main advantage, the R380 had a stronger 5th gear???

Mal Story rebuilt my LT85, shortly before I bought the vehicle (fortunately, as the bill came to almost $4200 and all internals were replaced). I called him when I bought the car. He said he only did one every few years, so he remembered mine. Though he had upgraded the 5th gear bearings/bushes, he recommended changing down to 4th regularly when on a long highway trip, as this would re-oil the 5th gear.

I assume the same still applies to R380s? Which may be why some people are wearing out 5th?

The main problems with 5th gear are caused by lugging down too far in 5th. Change down at about 2000rpm and you shouldn't have any problems. THe R380 is pressure lubricated and doesn't appear to suffer from lubrication problems at all.

CHT

Originally Posted by incisor

looks like i will be going down the lt95 route...

can do it for a couple of grand cheaper and quicker as well...

Inc,
Its probably quicker but that wont mean quick !!
Have a look at my tutorial as I have just done this conversion. I need to finish off the thread as I have to post up the vacuum set up, high/low gear relocation & main gear lever boot/ transmission hump. ( all done & pics taken) You can't use a County 4 speed transmission hump cover as it sits higher, so you can put a plate over the lt85 cover housing & get yourself a 4 speed grommet.
I'll be home later in the week & try to post it up.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/isuzu-land...fferences.html

Regards,
David