66' R2.8 1BADRESTO

[amico]

Now she's looking PURDY !!!!
Should be driving her by Saturday ....

IMG_6912 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

Didn't you do a flash upgrade to the ECM, like 200 plus HP???
I will be very interested to see how it performs.

 

[rickpaw]

Good to see you're back Steve.

Truck is looking good.

 

[Sheck44]

Thanks Rick !!!

Almost there guys .... should be driving by Saturday ... details !!

IMG_6967 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6970 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6952 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


61715087520__2D3C39B7-45B9-4AC2-83E1-DC0810827521 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6964 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[amico]

Thanks Rick !!!

Almost there guys .... should be driving by Saturday ... details !!

IMG_6967 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6970 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6952 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


61715087520__2D3C39B7-45B9-4AC2-83E1-DC0810827521 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6964 by Steve Heck, on Flickr
I'm really anxious to get your feedback about performance after you upgraded your ECM. Also I'm curious about how the radiator cools. I used the exact same radiator and cooling system you did but your in Canada and I'm in Texas with 104 temp today.

 

[Sheck44]

Details ... details ...

IMG_6990 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6992 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6993 by Steve Heck, on Flickr



IMG_7001 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[Sheck44]

Update ....

Cleaned her up a bit


IMG_7106 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_7101 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_7109 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[Sheck44]

Going to move the beautiful seats into the grey 73', to be replaced with these ... these will complete the overall look and feel of this 40
Just have to wait 12 weeks !!

Screen Shot 2020-08-10 at 8.13.43 AM by Steve Heck, on Flickr


And this will be arriving today ...

Screen Shot 2020-08-10 at 10.44.20 AM by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[Sheck44]

So driving update ...

R2.8 review
Heating and cooling system is working great ... on the hot days she gets up to about 210 but mostly sticks around the 190 mark
She LOVES to cruise at 60-70 mph ... all gay long
The R2.8 is a little noisier than expected but its fine, its extremely nostalgic and a ton of fun to drive
My only gripe that will be fixed today is the diff gearing at 4:11's. 1st gear is completely useless and 2nd as well. The issue is this engine does not produce any power without the turbo, and the rev's are so quick in 1,2 and 3 that the boosted power is extremely short in duration ... its not until 4th and 5th that you can spend more time in the boosted power range. So any stop and go driving around town is not so great ... for now

This will hopefully all be fixed today as we are installing a new set of Nitro 3:70's

Few notes ...
bead the turbo piping as the pipes WILL blow off as the little turbo produces a lot of boost
Again, unless you are 4x4'in this thing all the time install the 3:70's before you finish the truck LOL
Actually VERY happy with the ride quality of these tires in combination with the 2" lifted OME springs ... tires set at about 28 psi
Though kind of expensive, the FJ60 steering conversion is fantastic
The dual tank system is working just fine, just need to sort out the rear tank signal / sender to the Dakota Digital gauge

Thats it for now ... let you guys know about the 3:70's

Cheers
Steve

 

[franklin40]

who makes those seats? such nice attention to details. i love it

 

[gmac]

Details ... details ...

IMG_6990 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6992 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


IMG_6993 by Steve Heck, on Flickr



IMG_7001 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

Could you tell us what brand/model the seats are?
Thanks

 

[Sheck44]

Of course guys ... I've used TMI on numerous projects
FYI ... they literally have hundreds of options for materials and colours, just select the colour material options link
Like I mentioned, wait time is 12 weeks currently

Pro-Series Universal Seats - TMI Products

Complete Pro-series seats with several styles. Comes with seat frames recovered with new foam and upholstery.

www.tmiproducts.com

 

[Sheck44]

GMAC ... these seats are from the UK

Browse our range of parts suitable for Land Rover Defenders from Lucari Solutions

Lucari Solutions formerly LRI Solutions based in Rye East Sussex on the Kent Sussex Border in the South of England specialise in custom made land rover defender interiors. We have are own fitting centre where we can turn your Land Rover Defender in to your ultimate luxury vehicle with a part and...

www.lucari-solutions.co.uk

 

[Sheck44]

Going to put the LSI seats into this one .... much more 'fitting'

IMG_9931 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[amico]

So driving update ...

R2.8 review
Heating and cooling system is working great ... on the hot days she gets up to about 210 but mostly sticks around the 190 mark
She LOVES to cruise at 60-70 mph ... all gay long
The R2.8 is a little noisier than expected but its fine, its extremely nostalgic and a ton of fun to drive
My only gripe that will be fixed today is the diff gearing at 4:11's. 1st gear is completely useless and 2nd as well. The issue is this engine does not produce any power without the turbo, and the rev's are so quick in 1,2 and 3 that the boosted power is extremely short in duration ... its not until 4th and 5th that you can spend more time in the boosted power range. So any stop and go driving around town is not so great ... for now

This will hopefully all be fixed today as we are installing a new set of Nitro 3:70's

Few notes ...
bead the turbo piping as the pipes WILL blow off as the little turbo produces a lot of boost
Again, unless you are 4x4'in this thing all the time install the 3:70's before you finish the truck LOL
Actually VERY happy with the ride quality of these tires in combination with the 2" lifted OME springs ... tires set at about 28 psi
Though kind of expensive, the FJ60 steering conversion is fantastic
The dual tank system is working just fine, just need to sort out the rear tank signal / sender to the Dakota Digital gauge

Thats it for now ... let you guys know about the 3:70's

Cheers
Steve

When you say Hot Days about how high was the outside temp those days. I'm in Texas and we had 106 degrees 2 days ago??? I'm just trying to get an idea for what I can expect from mine, I used same cooling package you did, hoping it's enough.
Also what size tires are you running and what was the RPM's at 70 mph on yours, I'm running 34" tires, I really don't want to change the gearing???

 

[Sheck44]

Amico ... hmmm hot up here is about 95-100 with high humidity

New wheel arrived ... so much better

IMG_7193 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[MOTOV8R]

Serious skills. You build really nice cruisers and make it look easy.

 

[1811Retired]

What kind of trouble was the 2.8 install?? I’m considering it for my ‘69?

 

[Sheck44]

BIG thanks guys !!!
Wish I could take all the credit but I have the vision and some skills, and my buddy (mechanic) has serious build skills.
Sometimes he wants to kill me because what I want done cane be troublesome LOL

The R2.8 was 'ok' but harder than the LS conversion for the following reasons.
- space is VERY tight with the al the extras
- adapters
- piping
- engine position
BUT that being said ... worth it

VERY different ride/drive than the LS, I'll make my final decision once we get the 3:70 gearing in it this week which I like better

I believe one of these is NEXT !!


Screen Shot 2020-08-21 at 7.24.04 PM by Steve Heck, on Flickr

 

[oakweb]

Great build! just started reading, would love to see the 2.8 in action.

 

[Borrego]

Any updates on the 3.70 gears? How about a video?