Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

TIL Honda used to sell a rebadged Land Rover Disco in Japan in the 90s.

vctrrs5l.png
 
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CraigB said:
Based on an old GM design, too. Right?
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Correct. The Rover V8 dates back to a Buick 215 (IIRC) design from the '50s, but redesigned by Rover in a way only the British could ruin it. The cylinders were originally sleeved with top hats, but the Brits removed the top hats, which lead to liners dropping. The motors like to eat head gaskets as well with no real predictable time table.

It's an aluminum motor that eventually grew from a 3.5 (?) to a 4.6. In that era of Honda Disco, they were 3.9 and 4.0, producing in the neighborhood of 188 bhp lol.

And yet, I still see V8 Discos running around with some regularity. I'd love one, but would hate the ownership experience.
 
Der Stig said:
Correct. The Rover V8 dates back to a Buick 215 (IIRC) design from the '50s, but redesigned by Rover in a way only the British could ruin it. The cylinders were originally sleeved with top hats, but the Brits removed the top hats, which lead to liners dropping. The motors like to eat head gaskets as well with no real predictable time table.

It's an aluminum motor that eventually grew from a 3.5 (?) to a 4.6. In that era of Honda Disco, they were 3.9 and 4.0, producing in the neighborhood of 188 bhp lol.

And yet, I still see V8 Discos running around with some regularity. I'd love one, but would hate the ownership experience.
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LS swap wouldn't go amiss on one then. :devil:
 
Disco 1s could be had with an R380 5 speed manual stateside. But they're rare-ish. @argatoga can unsell you on the ownership experience ?

I'm an idiot that lusted/still lusts after one and even I bought a Toyota product as I liked the concept of my daily being reliable and offroad capable.

And I breezed through that LS swap thread.

Lots of work to be done on the wiring harness, vendor stopped offering the kit due to shade tree mechanics not being experienced enough. One dude ended up over $10k into the swap. Lots of work on the refining end after the swap is done.
 
Now might be an ideal time to remind people that my V8 Disco 2 is for sale, does anyone want to keep up the FinalGear tradition of buying cars and taking them abroad (or more specifically, buying Land Rovers from me and taking them to the US)? :LOL:

180hp from a V8 is pretty rubbish I have to admit but they are tune-able. I always said I would go for an LS swap if the engine failed but it's still going strong, I think it would work well with something like the Sloppy Mechanics Winnebago. If diesels are forced off the road I'm still putting a V8 in Bob.
 
To me, a Honda is a finely tuned precision instrument of a car. Even a lowly civic with a diesel fits that bill.

That’s not something I associate with an old Land Rover.
 
CrzRsn said:
TIL Honda used to sell a rebadged Land Rover Disco in Japan in the 90s.

vctrrs5l.png
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IIRC, Honda ended up pretty much rebuilding them after they arrived from the UK.

Der Stig said:
Disco 1s could be had with an R380 5 speed manual stateside. But they're rare-ish. @argatoga can unsell you on the ownership experience ?

I'm an idiot that lusted/still lusts after one and even I bought a Toyota product as I liked the concept of my daily being reliable and offroad capable.

And I breezed through that LS swap thread.

Lots of work to be done on the wiring harness, vendor stopped offering the kit due to shade tree mechanics not being experienced enough. One dude ended up over $10k into the swap. Lots of work on the refining end after the swap is done.
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Shortly after I sold mine, the liners went. The engines aren't particularly torquey nor powerful. By the 4.6 era the tooling used to make them wasn't in the best of shape either.

The clutch replacement is a 10+ hour job as you need to drop the 10 billion pound transfer case.

The panel's are AL, but everything else is rust-o-rific steel. You'll find holes in the sills and door frames. The frames are beefy, however. There isn't enough oxygen on this planet to rust those things out. :)

There is an AU place that sells SBC kits, but your better off with a Jeep.

https://www.marks4wd.com/landrover-engine-conversions
 
I did consider Disco TD5s with coil conversions before settling for the XC70 for fuel economy reasons among others.
 
argatoga said:
There is an AU place that sells SBC kits, but your better off with a Jeep.
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I actually never quite understood the love for LRs as pure off roaders, they are certainly capable but there are plenty of other choices that are just as capable if not more so and are not going to cost a ton to keep running.
 
Matt2000 said:
Now might be an ideal time to remind people that my V8 Disco 2 is for sale, does anyone want to keep up the FinalGear tradition of buying cars and taking them abroad (or more specifically, buying Land Rovers from me and taking them to the US)? :LOL:

180hp from a V8 is pretty rubbish I have to admit but they are tune-able. I always said I would go for an LS swap if the engine failed but it's still going strong, I think it would work well with something like the Sloppy Mechanics Winnebago. If diesels are forced off the road I'm still putting a V8 in Bob.
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If you want to send that to us you're going to have to wait another 6 years :p
 
@Matt2000, It's not the LR's that excite me, it's that Smart Roadster. :D
 
thevictor390 said:
If you want to send that to us you're going to have to wait another 6 years :p
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Bollocks, I forgot about that. Bob is old enough but you would need to prise the keys from my cold, dead hands.

93Flareside said:
@Matt2000, It's not the LR's that excite me, it's that Smart Roadster. :D
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Can you sneak it in as a Fiero? :ROFLMAO: I love the roadster but it has cost me far too much in two short years. I've been bitten by the convertible bug anyway and it won't be my last rag top.

prizrak said:
I actually never quite understood the love for LRs as pure off roaders, they are certainly capable but there are plenty of other choices that are just as capable if not more so and are not going to cost a ton to keep running.
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Beats me, I can't put my finger on what it is but they do it for me in a way that others just don't. There's obviously a sense of pride in them being British but as a Brit I'm obligated to point out that most LRs are objectively shit. I have warmed to the new Defender though...
 
Matt2000 said:
Can you sneak it in as a Fiero? :ROFLMAO: I love the roadster but it has cost me far too much in two short years. I've been bitten by the convertible bug anyway and it won't be my last rag top.
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I wish!
 
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