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86 110 LS Build and Restore

38K views 173 replies 51 participants last post by  Davis 
#1 ·
I have always wanted a Defender and have been "looking" for a few years now. After finishing and selling my last project (55 Willy's Wagon on a 2nd Gen Toyota 4Runner frame and drivetrain) I had a little bit of $$ to play with.

After searching for a good deal on a proper candidate I found this 86 110 rust bucket across the pond...

She was a "blocker" looked good from a block away but up close not so bueno...

But, the frame was solid and she ran great. After getting her home and driving her around for several months I decided I needed to get her ready for the big move as we are moving from Phoenix to Alaska in a year and I needed to get her rustproofed and ready for colder weather.

The 2 inch gap where the windows are supposed to meet the body works great in Phoenix but I don't think it will be as nice in cold, snow and rain....
 

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#2 ·
Plans...

After driving around town and attempting to drive on the Phoenix freeways with my 56 horsepower 2.5 diesel I decided she is in a desperate need for more power. I researched several options and really like the diesel. I was very close to deciding on the Mercedes OM617 but for me the LS swap was the best bang for the buck.

I plan on mating it to the 6L80 6 speed auto with Nick's adapter and will probably Line-X the entire truck black. Underbody, interior and exterior.

Phase one:

I started out the project with the time consuming and unrewarding phase of tear down/sweep up rust, take apart/sweep up rust, throw away/sweep up rust.
 

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#3 ·
Surface Rust

While dismantling her, I did find some minor "surface rust" and figured out why the front door windows were 2-3 inches away from the body...

They were added to the scrap metal/garbage pile out back.
 

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#5 ·
I plan on repairing the items I can salvage. I have purchased new 2 piece front doors, floor pans, bulkhead repair panels, and rocker panel supports. I looked at buying a new bulkhead but it would cost me almost as much as I paid for the entire truck so looks like I will be putting a ton of labor hours in instead.

The LS RHD swap will work. Only issue you have is if you want AC the compressor on the 5.3 will hit the steering box. You can relocate the compressor but since I am building this truck for Alaska I think I will skip the A/C....
 

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#6 ·
Tear down mode continues....

Still taking this beast apart, found more areas that need rust repair (big shocker I know). Got the drivetrain out, if anyone is interested she was running great when removed. 2.5na diesel with LT77 and 1.4 LT230 all have 92,000 miles.
 

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#7 ·
Hi Jesse, Thanks for sharing the photos of your build. I just subscribed to this thread and look forward to updates. Curious to understand why one would not convert the 110 from RHD to LHD? Would that be too costly? Or is the LHD conversion too involved in terms of labour? Cheers.
 
#13 ·
Body off

Still taking this thing apart....More bolts break than come loose it seems. Got her pretty stripped down and the rear body off now. Gas tank removed, getting ready to blast the frame and see what it looks like underneath that 30 years of crust (hopefully the frame wont need too many repairs)!
 

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#19 ·
You may want to research getting it acid dipped instead of blasted....it is a much cleaner and better process. PLUS, after it you can really see the parts requiring repair better. And it is something that needs to be done anyway prior to galvey dip.
 
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#25 ·
The Frame Survived!

Got the frame back and I am very surprised how well it looks after being blasted! There are only a few places that will need repair. I was expecting swiss cheese everywhere and was pleasantly surprised to see I wont have to spend $$$ on a new one or a ton of hours on this one.

Worst spot was the rear crossmember for the rear passenger footwell which is a removable piece.

Cleanest spot was under the manual steering box after I removed it....
 

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#26 ·
4 Days Off...

I was able to make decent progress this weekend over the New Year's Holiday. Spent four days in the garage....Patched up the frame where it needed work, got the new engine mounts on, put two coats of POR 15 on the frame except for the very front end where I still need to do some work and fabricate brackets for my bumper.

Took apart the rear end and got it all cleaned up. Have all the parts to convert to rear discs, just need to find them!

I also need to decide if I want to splurge on the ARB locker or get a Detroit...I have already purchased heavy duty rear axle shafts as I am going from 55hp to 325hp...
 

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#27 ·
New Bushings and stuff...

Wow, spent about 3 hours on what I thought would be a half hour job of putting new poly bushings in the link arms to the rear axle. The old rubber bushings at the rear axle and thin steel sleeve were pretty much welded in over the last 30 years! Had to drill out the old rubber bushings and then chisel/hammer out the metal sleeves.

Finally got them out and the new poly ones in with lithium grease. Hopefully the other 300 or so bushings in the kit don't go like these two! The new springs and shocks only took about 30 minutes to install, go figure.
 

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#28 ·
Ls3 lc9

Started getting the LC9 ready to go. Even though it has only 30k on it I am putting on a new belt, tensioner, idler pulley, plugs etc...

Took the A/C compressor and mounting bracket off. Removed the manifolds (they will be good paperweights). Removed the intake for the install and to rotate it 180 degrees. Will get the 6L80 and Disco 1 LT230 bolted up this weekend hopefully.
 

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#29 ·
Moving Along

This weekend I found a Trans and Transfer Case from a wrecking yard in Phoenix. 6L80 Trans came out of a 2012 4x4 Silverado with 29,000 miles and the case is from a 97 Disco with a 1.2 ratio. Got them home and started getting them ready. Pulled the pan from the trans to check the fluid and change the filter and fluid. Bolted up Nick's shiny adapter and them did some work on the case.

The speedo cable attachment and the hand brake cable were different along with some of the mounting holes for the hand brake. To make things easier I decided to swap out the housing from my 1.6 case. Except for cleaning everything up to get a good seal this was not too bad of a job.
 

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#34 ·
Oh yes, good call, thanks for the reminder! I hope to get the motor, trans and T-case all installed into the frame this coming weekend.

------ Follow up post added January 11th, 2016 02:08 PM ------

Ahh, I see that the 6L80E is a two OD trans, with that 1.2 transfer case and 3.54's that's an awesome gear setup! I'm not a huge auto fan but this looks like it will be a nice build!
Yes, it should cruise along nicely on the freeway at low RPM's. Thanks
 
#32 ·
Brakes

Had a little time left this weekend to start working on the rear brakes. Going from my crusty drums to discs in the rear using Disco 1 rear calipers. Swapping to vented discs and new calipers in the front. Also bought a new brake line kit and 2" extended braided lines for the front two calipers and valve on the rear diff.

All the parts I purchased new from LR Direct. They have great prices, shipping across the pond is not cheap but still beats any US prices by a lot!
 

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#33 ·
Had a little time left this weekend to start working on the rear brakes. Going from my crusty drums to discs in the rear using Disco 1 rear calipers. Swapping to vented discs and new calipers in the front. Also bought a new brake line kit and 2" extended braided lines for the front two calipers and valve on the rear diff.

All the parts I purchased new from LR Direct. They have great prices, shipping across the pond is not cheap but still beats any US prices by a lot!
Did you do the later style sals disc brake conversion? or did you get early 110 front hubs and do the conversion that way? I believe the latter one makes the rear track 23mm narrower than the front.
 
#36 ·
This stuff is nasty!

So have been trying to remove the insulation from the interior of the truck so I can get it sprayed with Line-X....

I have tried sandblasting, grinding, adhesive remover etc....

Nothing works that well. Goo-Gone does ok after numerous applications and letting it soak overnight then scraping, scraping, scraping, makes a nasty mess though!

Anyone have a better method of removing this glued on insulation? The seat boxes are covered, trans tunnel, rear cargo area, etc..

Been trying to enlist my wife to help with this part but she's not having it!
 

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