This is a friends 80" S1. He has owned the vehicle since he was 18 and the vehicle is the same age as him.

It is running a 3.5 RV8 on twin SU's. Witha few other mods, but it's still very much S1 Land Rover. It looks fab and he uses it loads still. We go green laning annually and with the V8 he has no issues keeping up with the 90's on the trip.





It also sounds unbelievable good too.

There is no issues with handling or braking, it's as good as any other Series Land Rover.


I have another friend with an 80", they put a Tdi in it. It went ok, but was a bone shaker. They have since pulled it and put a V8 in it.

If you want to go diesel, yes a Tdi (200 at least) is a very swap into pretty much any Series. Although I think the extra effort fitting a Td5 might well be worth while if budget isn't a concern. I'm not sure how easy if at all possible it is to mount a Td5 to a Series gearbox though. Swapping in an R380 and LT230 would be the obvious answer, but is a huge amount more work and will likely result in the need for custom prop shafts too.

And as mentioned previously, the L-Series is a lovely engine. Easily tweaked to 120hp+ and lighter, smoother and less noisy than a Tdi. You'd have to R&D it, but I think the way to fit would be to use the bellhousing from a Discovery MPI as the L-Series shares the same bolt pattern as the T-Series. But this would also mean R380 and LT230 swap.

Lots of options with the axles. I think S2 onwards are slightly wider so could be an option and lots of different disc brake upgrade options. Or go for coil axles, but you'll probably need to add Defender style wheel spats.


If you want really modern and a bigger project. A p38 Range Rover has a 108" wheelbase. It really wouldn't be that difficult to mount the 107 body onto the p38 chassis. With some thought I'm sure you could retain the air suspension and have the choice of 5 speed manual or automatic gearboxes and V8 for BMW 2.5 diesel engines. The only issue doing this would be the registration. The DVLA would likely see it as a body swap, so there would be no need for an IVA or a Q plate. But you should be using the Range Rover ID, so not tax or MoT exempt.

The P38 body conversion is an interesting thought, especially as I could leave the original chassis and engine sat at the back of the unit for the future if required?
Has anyone done this?
I’m trying to a avoid cutting the bodywork and would it be simple enough to keep the S1dash?
 
What those of you who want the Series 1 "look" without the Series one driving need is a Series 1 kit car, something like a jeep with a fiibre glass body. There are all sorts of these about, they allow people to the get "the authentic classic car experience" in the comfort of a modern vehicle. Who could criticise that?
 
I’ve had a good look at the P38 chassis with regards to fitting the S1 body onto buy, although the reduction of width and ‘loosing’ the extra inch is all achievable, the chassis itself looks very different, especially where the rear tub would fit?
Has anyone actually done this body change?
 
Look for the unsold S1 s on Q plates on e-bay, some are on original plates and claimed to be tax and MOT exempt but are probably for sale because they are over the DVLA points.
 
Look for the unsold S1 s on Q plates on e-bay, some are on original plates and claimed to be tax and MOT exempt but are probably for sale because they are over the DVLA points.

Hi, sorry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me?
If I put the body on the P38, it would be registered as the P38 with a body conversion?
 
It's a grey area.
Any modifications to a chassis is meant to be re inspected.

But in the log book you change body type to Landrover utility.
 
What I'm saying is the most every body has at some stage been put on something else, but by and large they are unsellable. People don't know what they are, they don't appeal to the fans of either vehicle and now days its likely to count as "major modification" for the DVLA and get a Q plate and no one likes those. Its unlikely to get tax exempt status which also puts people off as one of the great attractions of a series is that sooner or later you will save £200 per year. A coupe of weeks ago an S1 on a Rangy chassis was on e-bay at around £900 and I beleive it went unsold, it was an ex-trailer special and was an honest sale, but who wants one? In the past these vehicles were OK ish and there was a market, but now I can see them being increasingly hard to MOT.
 
I’m not really interested in selling it, it’s being built for me, for my needs, not with the intention of selling it on.

I spoke to VOSA a couple of years ago about a kit car which was a body conversion and it made no difference. The log book was changed to a Mazda 250 body conversion and that was it, one of most painless dealings I’ve ever had with government department!
 
What I'm saying is the most every body has at some stage been put on something else, but by and large they are unsellable. People don't know what they are, they don't appeal to the fans of either vehicle and now days its likely to count as "major modification" for the DVLA and get a Q plate and no one likes those. Its unlikely to get tax exempt status which also puts people off as one of the great attractions of a series is that sooner or later you will save £200 per year. A coupe of weeks ago an S1 on a Rangy chassis was on e-bay at around £900 and I beleive it went unsold, it was an ex-trailer special and was an honest sale, but who wants one? In the past these vehicles were OK ish and there was a market, but now I can see them being increasingly hard to MOT.
So much wrong with this post.

A body swap in the nature the op is suggesting would be seen as a body swap and as long as it retained the Range Rover ID would not be a major swap and not even need anything on the logbook updating. At most it would be body confit change and a couple of photos to send in.
 
I’ve had a good look at the P38 chassis with regards to fitting the S1 body onto buy, although the reduction of width and ‘loosing’ the extra inch is all achievable, the chassis itself looks very different, especially where the rear tub would fit?
Has anyone actually done this body change?
The Series 1 is a little narrower than a Series 2/3 but I think it will still work.

You might have to join this group to see the content. Chap putting a 109 onto a p38. They are also converting to a BMW M57 engine.
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/stor...=UzpfSTY1MzYxNTE2NjpWSzoxODMzNjAzNDgzMzkxMzUx

I have an old 109 that I’d like to do similar with. But would probably go for a V8 still.
 
The Series 1 is a little narrower than a Series 2/3 but I think it will still work.

You might have to join this group to see the content. Chap putting a 109 onto a p38. They are also converting to a BMW M57 engine.
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/stor...=UzpfSTY1MzYxNTE2NjpWSzoxODMzNjAzNDgzMzkxMzUx

I have an old 109 that I’d like to do similar with. But would probably go for a V8 still.

Unfortunately I don’t do Facebook.
So, apart from the link above to the Facebook one, can anyone remember this being done before S1 onto a P38 and if so, point me in the right direction, please?

I’m quite keen on this idea as I can have what I want and still keep the original S1 chassis and running gear stashed away!
 
If you use the LT77 how do you get round the permanent 4WD? Do you need to use a modified transfer box, that way you could keep everything else stock couldn't you?
you can get a kit that fits in the center diff ,it gives rwd until you engage diff lock then its 4wd
 
If you use the LT77 how do you get round the permanent 4WD? Do you need to use a modified transfer box, that way you could keep everything else stock couldn't you?
There are several options tbh.

Some people just run it as is, despite the front axle not being designed for it. But if it's only used for short distances might not be such a big issue. Not a route I'd recommend though.

You could fit axles from a coil sprung vehicle, or something similar to a Stage 1 setup (rare and expensive though). Or even look at axles from other makes of vehicles.

Or there is a kit to make the LT230 optional 2wd. Santana used to use the LT230 in the PS-10 in 2wd.
 
Some people just run it as is, despite the front axle not being designed for it. But if it's only used for short distances might not be such a big issue. Not a route I'd recommend though.

So as the OP wants to upgrade his old engine he could use the original axles and the UJ's at the front should hold up to the job OK with a 300 Tdi and a 5 speed LT77 as long as he's just cruising about and not caning the arse off it?

Just a thought would freewheeling hubs take a lot of the strain out of the system?
 

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