Alberta Land Rover Enthusiasts Club Forum
General => Technical Discussions => Topic started by: B-Red on March 03, 2015, 05:57 AM
I am currently going through the upgrades on Tigger with a 1.4 ratio transfer box. During the process, it was discovered that the gear box rod had broken teeth on it. Fixing it would be a rebuilt job on the unit.
I was doing some reading on the net and came accross an article talking about using the R380 as a better upgrade. Has anybody done this on his Defender?
Bill put an R380 in his 110. You need to get the short bellhousing version.
See here: http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/manual-gearboxes/short-bellhousing-r380.html
Personally I've not seen that they shift better or are longer lasting. Your mileage may vary. What you need to watch out for with the LT77 is there are large difference in strength depending on the version of the box. Check the serial number. If your box does not have a "G" or "H" suffix, it really won't be strong enough for the 200TDI. "F" might be okay, but earlier than that and it is not worth rebuilding.
Lastly, there are options on ratios that you need to consider. Perhaps post up the serial number for the best advice.
When I had to replace my gearbox I spoke with Dave Ashcroft and he asked "do you want it for 10 years or do you want it the rest of your life?" He was referring to the LT77 vs R380. I have an R380 now. Not as low gear in first as I had with the LT77 but I like it. Moved first away from reverse too.
An R380 is what we got installed. Dave sourced out a used unit and got it for me. Thanks Dave.
The early warm weather will provide a good test run for it before the big trip.