HELP,
i want to fit a v8 engine into my series 2a swb has any one posted a step by step guide to doing this inc what parts i need?
i have three series 2s one station wagon and one van back but i want a v8 as a toy , its currently stripped to a bare chassis for welding.
any help would be great fully recieved, i can weld and fabricate but would rather buy mounts etc and make this conversion as easy as possible, thanks in advance .

Not easy to do right but very doable if you can weld and have a conversion kit or similar.
You need to decide on an engine; anything over a mild 3.5 will eat a series box, especially a 2a box. An sd1 flywheel bolts straight to a series clutch or drill and tap an rrc flywheel at a local machine shop.
You need a bellhousing ring, usually milner phillips make, spigot bush, mounts (can make your own), throttle cable and pedal from defender (or bodge the series bar linkage), custom exhaust system (try steve parker), and good brakes! You can use a stubby r380 gbox instead but dunno what trans case you could use.
You need a bigger rad ideally but not essential. Remote oil filter or your front prop will smash it off. You need to cut footwell on drivers side and ideally passenger side too. Exhaust manifolds just find something that works. Fit a leccy fan too.
Dont expect a series box to last if you cane it, dont expect halfshafts to like it either, hence I would choose a carbed 3.5 low comp and be happy with 135bhp.
Imho, either its to be done properly with an r380, or jyst buy a defender v8. It would be an investment then. Converted series vehicles are not really sought after too much so youll never get your investment back, unless done to v high standard.
Good luck v8s are awesome but myself having collated all the kit to do a conversion on my 88, I sold the lot plus the 88 and bought a 3.9 rrc. Much easier and still v8 fun. I couldnt get over the gearbox dilemma and the weakness of the series box.

Oh yeah, pm v8jon for advice maybe?

many thanks think i will stick this on the back burner and get my other ones sorted first , and the wife has said i can use the v8 block as a coffee table !!!!!! in the house too lol

Contrary to the above, I've been running a 3.5 V8 Series 3 with series gearbox for the last 14 years with very little hassle. It's not like it's used lightly either as it gets hammered pulling heavy trailers about the place. The only repairs I've had to do to the gearbox is replace the bearings and bushes, and fit new 3rd/4th synchro hub, in 14 years I'd consider this standard maintenance anyway. I've even got a Fairy overdrive sat at the end of all this as well.

I think the key here is not to accelerate hard from a standing start, just be gently with the box, it's a heavy old 1970's truck not a small hatchback.

I'm now running a 3.9 V8, we'll see how things last with this, but the series box is a solid old thing, and capable of a lot more power than people give it credit for. Take one apart and you'll see what I mean.

Nice! 14yrs is a decent whack.
I say what I say not from personal experience but from doing a lot of research. Others report different experience s and you can never be sure how people drive or how much oomph an old rv8 puts out! Naff all in most cases
Land Rover clearly thought the series box had its day with the stage 1 hence they moved to the old rrc unit. It's a similar story to 300tdi conversions in that some are ok and some eat boxes and axles. I know that a late s3 box and a mild v8 should be ok if thd box is a good one. You just dont want to find out your box is weak after a 6 month build project I guess.

I think your right, driving style has a lot more to do with it than anything else.

This is my old V8 86". It had a 2A box with the bigger lay shaft bearings, no syncro on first and second which made for a very fast change. engine was a SD1 on su's, also had an overdrive and 6 cyl brakes.
I raced it, used it as a daily and moved write off cars at the weekend. I broke plenty of half shafts and rear diffs, usually snatching second on the road but never had trouble with the box. I know they do fail but they arn't as bad as some make out.