Cummins Repower ISF 2.8 for Defenders

85RED110

Well-known member
Cummins powered 90 we built will be @ MAR. Setting up/ challenge made for a drag race with the guy talking all the shit about a damn 292.

My only worry is that the 90 may spend all of its time airborne and the UPS truck engined 110 will have the traction advantage.


My truck cant make the journey, but I may have to come all the way down in the GTI just to witness that madness.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
You should also do a mpg challenge with Agent 292. Pretty sure you'll go twice as far on one gallon as he does.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
Steve mentioned something about Ca when we were talking @ Overland Expo but it was late afternoon & our group had been drinking.....

Shoot him an email - he's the head of the Cummins Repower Dept. Nice guy, very approachable.
He personally just put an R2.8 into a D2.
Stephen.Sanders@cummins.com

You moving to the left coast ?
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
After talking with the Cummins folks @ Expo I contacted Chad Mckinney, the owner of Quickdraw.
quickdrawbrands.com
Sent him a new r380 stumpy, clutch disc and pp, ashcrofts setup kit with HD fork and t/o bearing etc. Our plan is to cast a bell housing that will flare out to the Cummins and uses the cummins flywheel but flip the slave to the opposite side so it doesnt interere with the starter position. Hope is that this will be the ultimate and an affordable solution (sub $1k) and use all rover clutch components. Given the larger size of the cummins bolt patern and the size of the flywheel we should be able to simply drill and tap the cummins flywheel for use of the larger off the shelf rover v8 clutch components for greater surface contact/hold. Hope to have a casting in hand early January. Should be the silver bullet for those wanting to do their own conversion.
 

NPT90

Well-known member
After talking with the Cummins folks @ Expo I contacted Chad Mckinney, the owner of Quickdraw.
quickdrawbrands.com
Sent him a new r380 stumpy, clutch disc and pp, ashcrofts setup kit with HD fork and t/o bearing etc. I think the plan is to cast a bell housing that will flare out to the Cummins and uses the cummins flywheel but flip the slave to the opposite side so it doesnt interere with the starter position. Hope is that this will be the ultimate and an affordable solution (sub $1k) and use all rover clutch components. Given the larger size of the cummins bolt patern and the size of the flywheel we should be able to use the larger rover v8 clutch components for greater surface contact/hold. Hope to have a casting in hand early January.

Now you are talking!

every little thing that makes this swap more attainable is great for the LR community
 

Red90

Well-known member
I wonder if you could get Ashcroft to sell the stumpys without the bellhousing. Since that is a large part of the cost adder, it might make it even more affordable.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
Now you are talking!

every little thing that makes this swap more attainable is great for the LR community

Also shows the benefits of experience having someone whose built enough of these to see the challenges and figured out a better way forward.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
Would this work as well with the Puma MT82 6 speed?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

No, there is a world of difference between the two. Perhaps someone can try that down the road. Our focus is to develop what that works in the pre tdi 80's vintage trucks which are the ones in need of repower, ie keep the lt77 floors and tunnel etc.

There is considerable negative feedback on the Mt82's, and the modifications to fit it into and early truck dont seem prudent, so not realy giving it any consideration as a retrofit gearbox.
https://www.google.com/search?q=def...j69i57j0l4.10246j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
 

brdhmltn

Well-known member
If you need a tester, let me know. I'm ready to buy. I've gotten an adapter plate template made, but have fizzled on getting the flywheel work done. I was about to drop $600 on a block of aluminum to cut the final plate but this is a better overall solution.
After talking with the Cummins folks @ Expo I contacted Chad Mckinney, the owner of Quickdraw.
quickdrawbrands.com
Sent him a new r380 stumpy, clutch disc and pp, ashcrofts setup kit with HD fork and t/o bearing etc. Our plan is to cast a bell housing that will flare out to the Cummins and uses the cummins flywheel but flip the slave to the opposite side so it doesnt interere with the starter position. Hope is that this will be the ultimate and an affordable solution (sub $1k) and use all rover clutch components. Given the larger size of the cummins bolt patern and the size of the flywheel we should be able to simply drill and tap the cummins flywheel for use of the larger off the shelf rover v8 clutch components for greater surface contact/hold. Hope to have a casting in hand early January. Should be the silver bullet for those wanting to do their own conversion.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Overlander

Well-known member
Callsign: KM4BOR
Any real word feedback yet from the several runners out there with some miles behind them? Any lessons learned, impressions or things that need to be done differently?
 

13diamonds

Active member
Any real word feedback yet from the several runners out there with some miles behind them? Any lessons learned, impressions or things that need to be done differently?

For easier assembly I would say to use a bellhousing adapter from quickdraw or one of those guys. I used an AXIS adapter with the AX15 and also had to use a RW Engineering adapter to the LT230. Converted over to a cable shifter for the lt230 also so i could place the shifters where I wanted. Used what I recall is a PUMA radiator/intercooler setup I got from SAFARIHP. I'm not sure a discovery setup could also work but i've seen a post with one out there. Not too much miles behind it yet because of the addition of A/C and other creature comforts I want being worked right now.

This was a ROW D90 200TDI so not sure about differences to other models. The universal mounts from AXIS were close to the 200TDI frame mounts with modifications to move them closer. You have to modify the AXIS mounts anyway to use the Cummins A/C compressor. I used the Cummins A/C compressor with adapters from TORFAB to work with the defender under dash AC system. If you can piece all this together any diesel conversion shop near you should be able to put it in and do all the other little bits like modified driveshafts and exhaust.

Eventually i might move over to the metal oil pan if needed and better air filter.

Another thing to consider would be the transmission choice if you plan to mod this engine in the future. A few shops i've talked to, have flashed the ECM upto 500ft/lbs of torque and may have found ways to disable the EGR. Hopefully the aftermarket for this expands in the future so we see more improvements such as turbos and internals.

56691511_417138275729219_6981125652070006784_n.jpg
 

brdhmltn

Well-known member
Nice! Thanks for posting! I would love to see pictures of the radiator setup on your truck. Do you think the puma setup is adequate for heat control?
 

13diamonds

Active member
Nice! Thanks for posting! I would love to see pictures of the radiator setup on your truck. Do you think the puma setup is adequate for heat control?
So far have only been able to get it up into the 170's and it hovers right around there until fans kick on and it drops so it seems to be working. Will have to see once I can really push it in this New Mexico heat. Forgot to mention I am using a dual electric fan setup from the guys at SAFARIHP. i'll have to dig for more pics but most of the hoses lined up with slight modifications and adapters.


The shop who put mine in did make custom brackets to hold everything but you should be able to use off the shelf brackets for the Defender from later years. This thread was a huge help for ideas and ways to do things.

Also made a custom trans tunnel because of fitment issues with the LT77 tunnel but there are other ways to approach this, such as modifying the LT77 tunnel or switching to R380 tunnel. May also move to a R380 tunnel in the future depending on how I feel about it.

56806490_412456475981402_6905140349094592512_n.jpg56656127_576291136206550_776675750932643840_n.jpg
 
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