Fixing 3500 sd1
- Thread starter Matthew
- Start date
mikecoombs
Active Member
OZ SD1 and I think also SA used the 8.13 - 1 engines (or slightly higher). The LR engines have a higher water pump but the difference is in the timing cover not the pump (till later engines). On disc braked LRs the front disks/calipers may also be exchangable.
The main requirement is to get a V8 model LR/RR/Disco. Virtually any engine can be made to fit and the camshafts were the same up to near the end of 3.5L production but become tighter and tighter with each model after that. For a Low compression SD1 the last cam is probably the best for day to day city driving (4.0/4.6 circa turn of the century). Note they are fuel injected engines so you will need to find somewhere cool to put the computer (engine bay in SD1 gets very hot}. If yours isn't currently injected, the computer on injected cars is in the passenger footwell under a false floor/toeplate and the HP fuel pump is on the transmission tunnel down near the tank. You need plastic lines from late models as the steel lines vapor lock due to aforementioned heat.
Re gearbox choice The leyland P76 guys have that covered here: Technical - Gearbox Index "Leyland P76" P76 used Borg warner boxes and there are aftermarket housings for T5 available (Dellow?) and that site names buick/olds/pontiac cars with T5 box and the same bellhousing mating face as the RV8
The main requirement is to get a V8 model LR/RR/Disco. Virtually any engine can be made to fit and the camshafts were the same up to near the end of 3.5L production but become tighter and tighter with each model after that. For a Low compression SD1 the last cam is probably the best for day to day city driving (4.0/4.6 circa turn of the century). Note they are fuel injected engines so you will need to find somewhere cool to put the computer (engine bay in SD1 gets very hot}. If yours isn't currently injected, the computer on injected cars is in the passenger footwell under a false floor/toeplate and the HP fuel pump is on the transmission tunnel down near the tank. You need plastic lines from late models as the steel lines vapor lock due to aforementioned heat.
Re gearbox choice The leyland P76 guys have that covered here: Technical - Gearbox Index "Leyland P76" P76 used Borg warner boxes and there are aftermarket housings for T5 available (Dellow?) and that site names buick/olds/pontiac cars with T5 box and the same bellhousing mating face as the RV8
Last edited:
mikecoombs
Active Member
SD1 came with either Borg Warner 65 or GM180 (turbo hydramatic 180 now known as 3L30) however in the same year as SD1 was launched GM brought out the 200 which is a completely different transmission but also the basis of most of GMs more modern trans. Consequently you may also get parts from GM vehicles using your own bell housing/case. The 700 R4 talked about in the Leyland pages is now known as the 4L60. Most parts are still available new from various places. The common swap however is detailed in this forums Transmission section - the ZF 4HP22/24 from Land Rover vehicles with bits from Jaguars or BMW. Or you can just get your current transmission rebuilt but shop around coz they really aren't terribly expensive to rebuild
BW66 was also fitted to the SD1, but it didn't have the deep 66 sump, so didn't have the extra fluid capacity, so I don't know exactly how much of a true 66 it was. I never had one apart so I don't know if it had the adjustable kickdown bracket, or the larger input shaft diameter and the converter to match it.