Conversion Kits – Ford 2.3 – 2.8 V6 for Series 2A and Series 3 four cylinder Land Rovers

This kit is no longer available for purchase. The following details are for information ONLY   

This conversion is designed to fit on the standard Land Rover 4 cylinder chassis mountings. No welding is involved. The kit is a comprehensive kit and usually on the shelf. The engine will give the vehicle excellent performance and an improvement over the 2.25 ltr. petrol engine.

Some customers are removing Diesel engines and fitting the V6 with LPG! (See below). The conversion is designed to fit the Land Rover with minimal alterations, the only conversion to give this performance with out major chassis or bulkhead mod’s. You will need to inform your insurance company of any alterations to the vehicle, you may have to move insurance companies as some companies do not allow major alterations. To identify 3ltr v6 engine, the distributor is situated at the front of the engine, whereas the 2.8ltr v6 is at the rear.

Basic Conversion Kit contains:

• • Cast Aluminium Alloy Flywheel Housing
• • Special Spigot Shaft Adapter with Oilite Bush & 6 bolts
• • Clutch Hydraulic Pipe with Clip and Bush (S3 gearbox only)
• • Clutch Pipe Securing Bracket (S3 gearbox only)
• • Three Engine Mounting Brackets
• • Oil Pressure Switch
• • One Alternator Drive Belt
• • One Alternator Adjusting Stay Spacer and Bolt
• • One Set Radiator Hoses with Cadmium Coated Steel Connecting Pipe
• • Six Radiator Hose Clips
• • One Wiring Terminal Post and Bracket (Key start models)
• • One Accelerator Cable and two Securing Clips
• • One Accelerator Cable Plate for Bulkhead
• • One Tube of Hermatite Torque Seal
• • Full Fitting Instructions inc. Wiring Diagrams
• • All Special Bolts and Washers etc

2.3 V6 and 2.8 V6
Nearside (LH) exhaust manifold up to 6/79 will fit but manifolds after 6/79 will have to be modified by cutting and welding or change to early type manifold. (We can do this for you) Exhaust systems:

SWB models:
Full system contains:

• • Front pipes (3 pieces)
• • Intermediate silencer
• • Intermediate silencer
• • Two exhaust manifold gaskets
• • Four stud nuts
• • Intermediate mounting brackets
• • Tail pipe mounting brackets
• • All fixing bolts

Tail pipe exits behind R/H road wheel in standard location and mounts on your original Standard mounting rubbers.

LWB models:
Full system contains:

• • Two exhaust manifold gasket
• • Four manifold stud nuts
• • Front pipes (3 pieces)
• • Y pieces
• • One intermediate silencer
• • One rear silencer
• • One tail pipe
• • Six C clamps and all fixing bolts
• • Tail pipe exits at left hand rear corner

Exhaust to chassis brackets will have to be screwed to suspend exhaust system. Otherwise brackets will have to be made and welded onto the chassis. Use your original mounting rubbers. Original brackets could be used on some models

We can supply a device for engines that are set up to run on leaded fuel, that is fitted into the fuel line. This is called Fuel Saver. It helps with fuel consumption, performance, emissions as well as converting to unleaded fuel.

Summary of Installation:
Only three or four (depends on model) minor structural modifications are required, these are:-

• 1. Shorten the long chassis engine bracket by 1″ (25mm)
• 2. Remove the air cleaner support bracket from the battery tray
• 3. Form a small indent approximately ¾” (10mm) deep x 4½” x 3″ in the left hand (passenger side) footwell side panel

S1, S2, and S2A, only: cut down the web on the flywheel housing crossmember, to allow for the exhaust pipe. This is not required on S3 models.

All models will need an electric cooling fan, as the fans on both 2. 3 and 2.8 V6 engines are too low to be effective and also there would be clearance problems.

Use the Land Rover radiator; see bottom neck details when ordering. Models fitted with S3 radiators (with small rounded top tank) may require the pressurised expansion bottle kit, to allow the coolant expansion to take place in the bottle as the expansion of the coolant is greater than the capacity of the radiator top tank. The effect of this is, when the vehicle has been running at normal operating temperature for any time, when the engine is cold and the coolant will have contracted, the radiator core fins will be exposed, usually one pint of water will bring it up to level again, by fitting our expansion bottle kit, this will get round the problem. The expansion bottle kit comprises of a blanking cap for the radiator, a 13 psi cap for the expansion bottle, the expansion bottle and a length of hose to connect between the radiator overflow and the bottom inlet of the bottle, complete with hose clips.

Auto Chokes and Heater Valves:
Two types of automatic chokes have been used

• 1. Water operated type fitted up to June 1979
• 2. Electrically operated type, fitted from June 1979

We can supply a heater valve kit only for the electrical type, the heater valve kit is simple, as no bypass is required with this type. This kit comes with hoses cut to length, assembled and ready to install, complete with hose clips

Clutch Details
S1, S2, and S2A (up to 1970) Models: Use the 2.3-2.8 V6 flywheel, a Borg + Beck HE4948 pressure plate will have to be used, the clutch release mechanism fitted inside the bellhousing will require adjusting.

Late S2A 1970-1971 models: some of these gearboxes have been fitted with sealed clutch release mechanisms, which is only identifiable when the engine or gearbox is removed. These are not adjustable. We can supply a special clutch adapter to get over this problem. Use the Borg and Beck clutch pressure plate HE4948.

S3 models: use the 2.3-2.8 V6 flywheel, and Borg and Beck HE4948 pressure plate, also the standard clutch release bearing is used. All models use S3 clutch friction plate (diesel type preferred).

We have always recommended the use of Borg and Beck clutches as some inferior clutches have caused problems in the past.

When buying your V6, all 2.8 V6 use electronic ignition systems, 2.3 V6’s have all electronic ignition systems from June 1979.

Parts required with the engine: You must obtain the transistor pack (alloy box 5″ x 5″). This is fitted on the inner wing of the Granada behind the battery box. Also obtain as much of the engine wiring as possible and most important; make sure they have the multi plugs on the ends. Make sure you connect the distributor to the transistor pack. This is most important. You will need the high power coil. You will also need the accelerator bracket on the inlet manifold but not the cable. You will need the alternator and starter motor. You will also need the flywheel and the backplate.

Two types of exhaust manifolds are used on the carburettor type of engines. The early type must be used on the left hand side to clear the bulkhead. The manifolds changed at the same time as the autochokes, June ’79 To identify these manifolds, the early type has the outlet flange in line with the engine, also a loose cone must be fitted between the outlet flange and the exhaust front pipe. Late manifold could be fitted to the right hand side, the left hand manifold will have the external cone cast in the outlet flange, and the outlet flange will be on an angle to the engine. The manifold should not be used, as it will foul on the chassis & bulkhead.

S1 86-107″ wheelbase onwards 2ltr petrol The bellhousing will require changing for a S2 one, as we do not manufacture a S1 pattern flywheel housing adaptor. S2 bellhousings have the same small layshaft front bearing as S1 gearboxes. If a S2 bellhousing cannot be located, a S2A bellhousing could be used, but so the layshaft would have to be used also. However this must come from a suffix B or C gearbox. Suffix D gearboxes have a different layshaft, so these would not easily interchange. The clutch release mechanism from the S2A gearbox will be required, as the S1 housing will not fit over the layshaft bearing retainer screw heads

S1 80″ models would need different chassis engine mountings from a S2 SWB model, so welding would be required.

Exhaust systems

These are specially made for both LWB and SWB models

SWB: using existing exhaust mounting rubbers, the kit comes complete with all brackets, fittings and instructions. The tailpipe comes out behind the right hand road wheel in the usual location. Two silencer boxes are used to keep noise levels down to a reasonable level. The system is of a larger bore than the standard system designed for the V6 engine but to hang on the Land Rover standard chassis mountings.

LWB: the system is suitable for all the 4 cylinder chassis including rear mounted fuel tanks and ex MOD types. It will be necessary to fit two or three (depends on model) exhaust mounting brackets to the chassis, use your existing rubbers and mountings. The exhaust kit comes complete with fixings clamps, bolts and instructions. Two silencer boxes are used to keep noise levels down to reasonable levels. The system bolts together similar to the existing Land Rover system.