| Author |
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nigel
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 01:55 am: | 
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planning to do the long distance thing. '64 2.25 IIa station wagon. i was thinking that either an overdrive or an high ratio transfer case would be good investments but i have heard some people say otherwise. the high ration transfer case i have heard makes it hard to start on hills even in first. with both i have heard people saying that a 2.25 is not strong enough to pull even on the flat. any comments or thoughts? personal experiences welcome. |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 07:11 am: |
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From what I've heard, unless your 2.25L is very strong you will have difficulty with the high ratio transfer case. Swapping to RR diffs (3.54's) will present a similar problem.
The o/d gives you the greatest amount of flexibility by providing the equivalent of a fifth gear (fouth with o/d engaged) as well as usable half gears (second or third with o/d engaged) for dealing with long inclines. I have a Fairey o/d and am very satisfied with it. I also have a Brel MOD block with a Turner H/O head. While this setup is a far cry from the ACR units that are now available, it is capable, with 235/85/16 tires, of doing 65mph for prolonged periods (even up moderate inclines).
My recommendation is to check out o/d's for your road trip. Rovers Down South has anything you might need if you decide to go with a Fairey. Alternatively, the Roverdrive from Wise Owl looks like a pretty interesting unit employing a different approach to design. You should give them a call to get more details. |
Jaime (Blueboy)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 11:56 am: |
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another possible alternative is to drop in a R380 5 speed transmission.
go here for information: http://www.eastcoastrover.com/5speed.html
Jaime |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 12:12 pm: |
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I've got to believe that ECR charges a pretty penny for the 5 speed conversion. Heck, if you're going to go down that road you might as well dump the 2.25L and find an old 3.5L V-8. Balls, chuck the whole truck and get a Stage One...oh, never mind, they only had the LT-95 4 speed in them and you'd still want an o/d. |
Jaime (Blueboy)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 12:23 pm: |
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yeah, if you have them do it. the article is about buying all the necessary stuff and doing it yourself. probably a few R380s around from their Tdi conversions. or source one from anywhere.
Jaime |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 12:45 pm: |
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There was a guy on the Rovers North Board selling a low mileage R-380 with the adapter for a 2.25L awhile back. He was in Paramus, New Jersey if I'm not mistaken. A friend of mine drove down to buy a seat box from him and from what he said it seemed like the guy had some good stuff. He was looking to bring a container of parts over from the UK. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 01:36 pm: |
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If you go the overdrive route, you need to carry the bits needed to remove the overdrive and go back to normal just in case it takes a dive on you... and, be able to swap it on the roadside, too... or at least, have your AAA membership up-to-date... 
I'd consider the diff swap, IF, you swapped engines to something like Robert Davis' engine, or a really strong Rover engine.... on an older, somewhat tired Rover engine, I wouldn't.....
-L |
Max Thomason (Lrmax)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 03:32 pm: |
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I have an overdrive and my 2.25 is kinda weak. The Overdrive usually lets me go down hills faster. I did reman. the head and that added some hp but not enough to pull the overdrive past 60 mph. Before, I would go slower with the overdrive engaged (!).
FWIW, I drive my 109 everyday. I do not think changing the diffs is a good idea as well as a high ratio box unless you have a rebuilt 2.25 with goodies or possibly a Robert Davis engine.
I once drove through the mountains with my overdrive engaged (my mistake). The truck didn't want to climb the hills and I thought I had a major engine problem. This is why I would not get a high ratio transfer or 3.54 diffs.
Max T. |
canada eh
| | Posted on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 12:09 am: |
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your cheapest and easieast route to go is with an overdrive! it can be installed in about three hours... i had a 109 with chevy 250 and a muncie •••••• using rover transfer box with oredrive advance adapters has the conversion plate... it could easliy move at 80 mph ... stick with your 2.25 and get the over drive it will be easist in the long run ... and will keep the rover orignal ... buy a new one! they usually onlly last 60,000 miles and put strain on transmission bearings so use it sparingly.... if you have free wheeling hubs make sure to engage them at least once a week and drive for 10-20 miles... this will ensure oil lubrication to ralkio bushes... skip high ratio diffs as you will loose your low range! cheap and easy; overdrive. or cheapest, nothing all stock remember that your rover was designed for desert conditions and speed was not at all in the enginers's minds. longitivity and reliablity was. and yes i have been stranded with a rounded overdrive gear before so remember if you go this route to take the required parts to rectify this delima. |
eric
| | Posted on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 03:23 pm: |
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Unless you have a Rob Davis engine or better, get a Roverdrive from Wiseowl. It's built MUCH stronger than a Fairey unit. If a Fairey makes it to 60K, it's rare. They whine and complain long before. |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 03:40 pm: |
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Eric,
I beg to differ with you regarding the longevity of the Fairey O/D. I have put well over 40,000 miles on mine and it was in the truck when I bought it. The truck had over 118,000 mile on it when I bought it and the PO said it was in the truck when his family bought it in the late 1970's.
My personal experience is that the Fairey will last and doesn't have to be overly noisy as long as you take care of it. Maintain the oil level and change it regularly (I do it every 3,000 miles) and the o/d will last and perform as it was designed.
Unfortunately, most of the o/d's out there are very old and the care they've received is, more often than not, suspect. Hell, the same could be said for most 2.25L engines after all RN, RDS, BP, AB ect. do a brisk business in MOD rebuilds!
It is my belief that an o/d from either Fairey or Wise Owl is the way to go for this particular instance. I'm not going to try to get into a "which one is better" argument. Howevever, I'd be curious to see how any o/d 25 years down the road is performing whether its a Fairey or Roverdrive especially if it hasn't been well cared for! |
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