R2.8 to Ashcroft HD R380 stumpy Conversions

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
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re-drilled flywheel
Clutch fitted
Drivetrain assembled

We have been playing with different tcase/trans mounts as they move the engine back and forth in the engine bay.
The lt77 mounts had the engine too close for comfort to the footwells on either side. Using r380 mounts move it forward appx 2 inches. This position has it so close that I'm working on a block side mount to match up on the 4 cyl frame mounts so that a diy install will not require any welding.
Moving it forward necessitated the use of r380 floors and tunnel, and our adapter as the transfercase linkage fouls on the seatbox, but still utilizes OEM components and allows the use of commercially available carpets and mats. I think utilizing the Exmoor/Wright sound matting is prudent behind a Cummins.

This engine position has the integral oil cooler well behind the steering box on a lhd truck. Currently working with a lhd 90.

Very happy with the modifications we made to the radiators and intercoolers. In order to maximize surface/core area, our design requires removal of the pre td5 mounts on the front crossmember of the frame and drilling the frame for the mounting grommet as was done on the td5 and tdci trucks. Once the mounts are removed and crossmember drilled the original radiator mount grommets are used in the chassis to mount the radiator. The radiator and intercooler bolt together as an integrated unit as was done on the td5's.
This enabled us to use stock td5 intercooler upper mounts that all the trucks are already set up to receive with no modification. Mounting is rock solid & is not reliant on the slam panel.

A/C will require the td5 style bump out grill surround to accomodate the condensor and fans.
 

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WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
UD, will a full kit (mounts, cooling, gauge requirements/wiring) be available from you or Quickdraw, or only what we have seen so far from them? I wasn't sure if you were sorting out components and fabricating mounts for in house installs, or the community as well. Thanks

That install is fantastic, way more room in there than I had imagined, but i guess the size is not much different than the 200/300.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
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Truck is as quiet inside as our gems v8 90. No more vibration than the v8 , think the lack of vibration conveys in the video.

Unfortunately it does not appear so. We had originally had a Rover parts purveyor who was going to take the bits Chad developed and the stuff we developed here and was going to offer it as a packaged kit with instructions and even a help line. He has apparently decided not to tie up the capital necessary to stock the kit, which is understandable as it would be quite a bit of money.

We aren't in the parts business and seemingly there aren't enough hours in a Virginia day for us as is so not going to be able to sell the parts we make or have made for the conversion.

Chad has around 60 of the bell housings cast and mills
The throw out levers when a kit is ordered. Chad is the go to on the basics. The wiring harness is self contained and provided by Cummins, the only gauge
Is the canbus Murphy gauge and I simply replace the original temp gauge in the binnacle with the Murphy. Total sleeper setup, looks factory installed but out performs all factory built trucks.
Customer drove her truck back to Seattle
cruising 80mph with throttle rolls up to 90 when road conditions allowed ( she's a licensed drag racer and has a need for speed). Just going to keep our heads down and do conversions for folks

Running I70 through Kansas and Eastern Colorado the Cummins 90 used 1/4 tank to ea each full 12.7 tank Trey used in the gems truck. Gems truck is on 35s and Cummins on 33s so not a apples to apples but economy spread was huge.
 
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WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
make sense. just something to consider for the driveway installer. im sure more will come out as other "weekend mechanics" do some of the installs. Anyone jumping in to this motor is likely open for some custom stuff regardless if they are doing or someone else. thanks for all the info and sharing the projects thus far.
 

Uncle Douglas

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So Chad Mckinney, the fellow I worked with to come up with the bell housings has signed up for a booth @ Expo East.

He asked if we could have a Cummins powered Defender there for him to display. Problem was when we finish them they leave. So.....

We had a brand new chassis ordered from Land Rover UK with our vehicles VIN stamped on by the factory. We had that sand blasted and galvanized. As of Sept 26th it was sitting outside on a pallet. We also had a 2000 model year lhd td5 5 door body that was imported for this build. So last week we frantically had new bushings pressed in & built a rolling chassis with 2000 model year axles and steering box. Last Friday we set the body onto the chassis and hooked up the brakes, pulled the wiring harness through, hooked up the steering and put all the body mount bolts in. While Trey was bolting it all down I built out the lump, Cummins R2.8, New Ashcroft 1.2 transfer case, Ashcroft HD long bellhousing R380, and Chad's new long bellhousing adapter.
Lowered it into the truck last night. Used Lt77 mounts for the trans/transfercase which mount the engine a couple inches further back than the mounts we used with the stumpy. Clears steering box, and allows use of stock lt77 length drive shafts.
We dont like the tube type front shafts so we used a solid rod type from a RRC.

Truck is assembled. We need to make and run power steering lines,remote oil filter lines, coolant and boost hoses, and run a clutch slave line. Wire up a relay for the fan, install the fuel lines, and Murphy gauge. Have an appt to have an exhaust made next Tuesday.

Y'all come by the Quickdraw Brand booth @ Expo East and check it out next weekend.
 
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WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
I needed to stop halfway through that and get a beer. Best of luck getting it done in time. Excited to see the results.
 

Brit Custom

New member
Doug, thank you so much for sharing your work so far. I was hoping to make it to Expo East but circumstances dictated otherwise. From your experience with both would you recommend the long bellhousing or stumpy R380 for this repower? For your most recent build did you stay with the stock TD5 radiator and intercooler setup? We are planning a 110 conversion starting with a standard 200TDi station wagon. The customer has requested that we start with a new galvanized chassis for the build and I am wondering whether to stay with the 200TDi chassis or if the 300TDi frame would provide any benefits in terms of engine mounts?
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
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For anyone looking @ doing this conversion yourself. Buy your engine through Chad @ Quickdraw Brands. For the same price you can purchase the engine from Cummins, Chad will supply the engine, the redrilled flywheel, the clutch kit, the slave cyl, block side mounts and motor mounts, and his bell housing. Soon he will include the frame side mounts Trey and I developed.

Trey and I offer the cummins conversion with a turn time of 2 weeks or less. We suggest a new HD Ashcroft transmission and 1.2 transfercase but these are not required to fit the engine. Lead time for the Ashcroft bits is several weeks so advance planning is required.

I have a Cummins powered 110 5 door here that isn't a customer truck that interested parties can come test drive. We are located 25 mins outside Lynchburg Va and can pick you up @ the Amtrak station or airport. For those not up for the drive, the Amtrak NE Commuter with service all the way to Boston starts and ends @ Lynchburg every day of the week. The Southern Crescent train that runs from New York to New Orleans also passes through.

Chad and I presently are working on a way to mate the Cummins to the MT 82 6 spd used in 08 up defenders. Stay tuned.
 
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Z.G

Well-known member
Excited to hear more about the Mt82 adapter, I love the way that gearbox drives.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
Hate me now. But since Ford also uses a version of the Mt82, this simpleton wonders if this will open up all the Ford engines you get to see on the Mustang.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
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Hate me now. But since Ford also uses a version of the Mt82, this simpleton wonders if this will open up all the Ford engines you get to see on the Mustang.

No on a couple of different levels.

If it were the same MT82 folks would already be bolting the Mustang engines into defenders.

The Cummins engine rear housing is vastly different than anything used by Ford so a solution engineered to mate the R2.8 to the Land Rover MT82 would not be a segway to bolt Ford engines to the LR version of the MT82.

The LR version of the MT82 has a one piece housing. Mates up only to that tdci 2.4/2.2 engine.
Ie the bellhousing is not removable. Further the appeture of the bellhousing opening is only 12 inches, designed for a small engine with a small diameter dual mass flywheel. Mating the two will take a special stepped flywheel with the large outer ring gear for the starter and then a small friction surface that will fit inside the bellhousing. We are working on engineering it primarily so we can utilize 08 and up body shells on our builds here without having to come up with a new floor/tunnel/shifter configuration that will work.

M&D Engineering have adapters to mate a V6 ford engine and a 300 tdi and Td5 engines to the tdci mt82.
 
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Uncle Douglas

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My Holy Grail is an R2.8 mated to an MT82 with a TDCI body!

We are into building Holy Grail Defenders.

Expect to be building just that as soon as we get the solution engineered.

Current tdci/ 08 model yr up body inventory to choose from:
LHD XS Santorini Black 90
LHD Fuji White 110 5 door
LHD Orkney Grey double cab 130 with black canvas
Also have one of the 100 or so end of production LHD Grasmere Green metalic HUE 166 Heritage 5 door 110's, but that is already spoken for.
All will be built on galvanized chassis.

Have a ready to go R2.8 Chawton White LHD 5 door on galv chassis but used a new HD Ashcroft r380 on that build. Had Safelite install new windshield and alpine window gaskets in that truck today. Body was from Spain and the rubber was a little sun damaged, so we replaced them.
 
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rherl

Active member
I'm hoping to go the DIY route in a few months when the adapter is done. I have most of the body parts waiting in my shop. Love the work you guys are doing on this.

Thanks
 

Norton

Well-known member
For anyone looking @ doing this conversion yourself. Buy your engine through Chad @ Quickdraw Brands. For the same price you can purchase the engine from Cummins, Chad will supply the engine, the redrilled flywheel, the clutch kit, the slave cyl, block side mounts and motor mounts, and his bell housing. Soon he will include the frame side mounts Trey and I developed.

I was able to view the QuickDraw site a few days ago but now it’s says account suspended?

Everything ok or browser issue on my end?76A3B2A6-864A-42D0-A591-DE69533D43CB.png
 
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