Back to the Range Rover
Section
Please be aware that ECR is now a Defender repair and modification shop only.
We no longer work on Range Rovers, Discos or Series Rovers.
These pages are from work we did in the past and left up for your enjoyment.
1993 Range Rover LWB
EAS to Stage II suspension, Pursuit 4.6, Paint and more
This Range Rover has come to us by way of MA for a customer in CT. It is
a new purchase for the customer and he wants us to go through the Rover
and trick it out. The plans for this nice, but somewhat neglected LWB include
new paint, a new Pursuit 4.6, Safari Gard Stage II suspension, ECR ROX
equipment and much much more.
The first step in the process to make an LWB (Long Wheel Base) "a
lot better" is to make it "a lot worse". So we will be gutting
the EAS (Electronic Air Suspension), scrapping the weak factory bumpers,
taking off the running boards and yanking the dead 4.2 V8. For more information
about an EAS to coil spring conversion for your Range Rover
go here.
In the rear of the LWB you can see that we have removed the old dry rotted
air spring bags in favor of a new Stage II set up. This set up uses an
Old Man Emu spring and a set of Fox Racing shocks for great off road ability
and a nice on road ride. We also replaced the trailing arms with a set
of Stage II/III HD units to correct the bushing angle and maintain the
correct ride and bushing flex. Don't worry about those rusty rotors in
the picture, we'll be tossing those in favor of some new Brembo cross drilled
units along with new SS brake flex lines and new calipers to assure excellent
stopping power.
In the front of the Range Rover we have also removed the EAS system parts
and have installed the new springs and Fox racing shocks. As this was originally
an EAS Rover, we have removed the EAS shock mount and installed the Defender
style shock tower in the engine bay. This will give the Rover all the articulation
possible with the Stage II set up and also protect the shock from off road
hazards. Next we will remove the radius arms and correct the caster of
the front axle with ECR ROX radius arms and get to work getting the old
brake parts off.
At the rear of the Range Rover we have taken off all the weak factory parts
and have started to strip the LWB down for paint. There are some dents
and dings to correct, and the customer has decided to go with no logos
on the Rover, so we need to remove all the old lettering. Now that the
bumper is removed we will fabricate an ECR ROX rear bumper for the LWB
so that it can have a better departure angle and no plastic end caps to
leave out on the trail when you brush a tree.
Back at the front of the LWB we have removed the rusted and weak front
brush bar and the really nasty wiring for the old Hella lights. We have
also started to take off some of the lights and trims for the upcoming
paint job. A new coat of base clear black will be applied shortly.
Now that the rusty old rotors and calipers have been removed we can start
to get the brake system up to snuff. To achieve that we have installed
new Bremdo vented rotors, new calipers and longer Earls stainless steel
brake flex lines. The LWB is getting bigger tires, a lift and a Pursuit
4.6... the last system you want trouble with is the brakes, and this Rover's
brakes will be top notch.
As the stock and damaged pieces come off the Rover, we are hard at work
fabricating new ECR ROX parts to go back on it. In the images above you
can see that we have modified the radius arm's caster so that the lifted
Range Rover still steers easily and won't get "twitchy" at speed.
The modified arms have been blasted to white metal and will now be primed
and painted with PPG epoxy paint. In the top image you will also see the
ECR ROX heavy duty drag link. This will take a hit in case a rock gets
put in the wrong place and is much stronger than the stock link. The image
on the bottom shows the freshly fabricated ECR ROX tie rod guard. This
unit, combined with our steering stabilizer relocation kit and HD drag
link, will make the steering system on the LWB bulletproof and able to
tackle any trail the truck points at. The tie rod guard will now be blasted
to white metal and all the pieces will be primed and painted and made ready
for front end assembly and alignment.
You have heard us talk about the weakness of the 4.2 V8 being crankshaft
deflection. The engine in this LWB is the definition of the problem. At
high miles and under stress the crankshaft can flex and break and as you
can see from the image above only the front of the crankshaft remains in
place in the block. In this case it broke in numerous places as you can
see above.
Check out those main bearing surfaces and the twist in that connecting
rod. Yikes.
This image shows the rest of the crankshaft bits. This is common with the
4.2. and yet believe it or not we still here of other Rover shops in the
USA selling their customers hopped up 4.2 engines to replace their 3.9s
and 3.5s. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot. This is why we will
never replace a 4.2 with a 4.2, nor will we upgrade a 3.9 or 3.5 to 4.2.
Always go 4.6 with the cross bolted lower end to cure this crankshaft issue.
Now that the old 4.2 is out of the Rover we will start setting up the new
Pursuit 4.6 for install into the 1993 LWB.
Underneath the Rover the news is better. In this image you can see that
the freshly fabricated ECR ROX parts have now been primed, painted and
installed. The modified radius arm, the tie rod guard and the Stage II
suspension are all in place and looking good.
The Range Rover LWB now has a new off road stance thanks to the new suspension,
some new rims and tires that the customer sent to us, and it is now starting
to look like an ECR Range Rover.
Here you can see that we have pulled the badly damaged 4.2 and have started
to clean up the engine bay and make it ready for the new Pursuit 4.6.
This image shows the new Pursuit 4.6 being set up and made ready to drop
into the Range Rover. At roughly 275 HP this will make the Range Rover
LWB drive like it should and have power to spare for passing and climbing
hills. A nice touch on this Pursuit is that we sent out the exhaust manifolds
for the customer to Jet-Hot Coatings for a special coating. The manifolds
now look great and will also help increase performance.
On the intake side of this Pursuit 4.6 you can see the difference between
our intake system (left) and the stock 4.2 intake system (right). The custom
ported intake and heads along with the velocity stacks all mean more air,
and more air means more power. The intake system is just one of the many
tricks we do to the Pursuit to be able to make smooth and reliable 270
plus HP from the 4.6.
The body of the Rover is also getting a new paint job in the factory Black.
There are some minor dings and dents to take care of, and we ran into some
typical rust on the rear quarter sections that hold the tail lights. These
corner pieces are made out of steel and are prime to rust in the seems
near the tailgate. We will be taking these panels off in order to media
blast them back to white metal and prime them inside and out. This will
cure the rust issue and mean that it won't come back anytime soon.
This images sow the body work being done on the Range Rover. The parking
lots dings are removed and spot primed, then the entire body will be sanded
in order to apply the first coats of primers surfacer.
While work continues on the body, we are finishing up the Pursuit 4.6 install.
Part of doing a 4.6 install is upgrading the computer system, without that
modification your new 4.6 would be worthless. This new computer chip (shown
installed above) lets the computer know that it has a Pursuit 4.6 under
the hood and improves performance, efficiency and still retains all the
correct diagnostic codes and serviceability. Most chips from UK suppliers
eliminate your warning light diagnostic codes. This means you can drive
for years without knowing your engine is not running correctly, or at top
efficiency, and with gas prices on the rise, efficiency is the key. The
ECR chips retain all your stock functionality and also increase performance.
Here you can see the LWB just out of a bake cycle with its last coat of
clear applied over numerous coats of primer and base coat black. The Range
Rover now shines better than the day it was new and the new paint will
last longer than the factory paint. The next step will be to paint the
new hood and the roof section to match the body in the deep Black.
In this image you can see the new hood for the Range Rover after the final
paint process. The gloss is deep (check out those reflections) and the
paint is perfect. Now we will move on to installing the hood and lining
up all the body lines to make the somewhat neglected Range Rover look new
again.
Here you can see we have installed all the body parts and completed the
paint aspects of the Range Rover LWB. We will now move it back to the fabrication
side of ECR where it will be getting its off road and ECR ROX equipment
installed.
This image shows some of the off road goodies going on. The ARB bumper
and Warn 9000 winch have now been installed, along with the PIAA driving
lights. This combined with our ECR ROX stabilizer conversion and tie rod
guard make the front of the Rover ready for the trail. Next we will install
the ECR ROX sliders and the new ECR ROX rear bumper to finish off the perimeter
protection of "Black Beauty" as the customer now calls it.
Here you can see that the stock rear bumper has been removed to get ready
for the ECR ROX rear bumper. As you can see above, no modifications are
required to the Rover to fit and ECR ROX rear bumper, they are a direct
bolt on, ultra rugged unit the eliminates your hassles with plastic bumper
end caps for good.
Another ECR ROX product that this Rover will be getting is sliders. These
will protect the sills and the doors from harm by off road obstacles. The
ECR ROX sliders differ form the cheesy mail order sliders because we actually
make your Rover strong enough to work well with the sliders. Above you
can see one of the many strengthened plates we attach directly to the sills
of the Rover at key points along the body. The points allow a strong and
secure connection to the vehicle, and give us peace of mind as we guarantee
our sliders for life. Most sliders just sandwich the body tin of the Rover,
and those likely don't have a lifetime guarantee either.
Here you can see the ECR ROX rear bumper and sliders in raw fabrication
form. These will now be media blasted to white metal, then treated with
4 coats of PPG 2 part epoxy primer And 3 coats of stain black top coat.
This will prevent rust, and unlike powder coating, when these do get scratched
up off road, you can simply touch them up instead of getting the powder
coating peeling off like on most mail order units. Why do they powder coat
them? Because it is cheaper. Also notice that the ECR ROX sliders have
front and rear Hi-Lift jack points so that you can change your tires easily
off road by just jacking the side of the vehicle up, no more fooling with
bottle jacks under the vehicle on a muddy trail.
On top of the LWB we added a Brownchurch roof rack for a nice low stylish
look, and the ability to carry gear on top of the vehicle during extended
trips.
The exterior of the Range Rover is now nearly completed. The sliders and
rear bumper are in the paint booth being coated still, but the small details
of the Rover are going on. The door rubbing strips have been installed
and everything has been tested and tweaked outside.
Inside the Rover is another story. The stereo had been ripped out when
it was stolen and electrical gremlins abound inside. Power seats do not
works, mirrors are not working, etc. The good news is that although chasing
all these gremlins down takes time, it can be sorted and we can make the
Rover reliable and fully functional again.
The bad news is that to correct all these problems that previous owners
just tend to ignore, means that the interior has to get worse before it
can get better, as you can see above.
Once all the glitches are corrected and everything works the way it should,
the interior goes back together with some new plastic bits. You can also
see above that we have added a new Alpine head unit with XM radio and changer
controls. We also added new Alpine speakers in the doors to replace the
equipment that was ripped off. Now that everything is back in place the
dash area looks clean and correct once again.
Now that the inside of the Range Rover is done, we can finish up the outside.
Above you can see that we have installed the newly painted ECR ROX sliders.
These units are tough as nail, come with a lifetime warranty, and have
Hi-Lift points front and rear for off road operations. They are sleek and
functional, a great combination.
Open any door on the Rover and the ECR ROX sliders look as good with the
door open as they do with it closed. The factory look trim piece we install
keeps mud out of this area and also gives a nice finished look to your
Range Rover.
This image shows the ECR ROX Range Rover Classic rear bumper. It is clean,
functional, tough and good looking. It retains the factory hitch point
so that you can still tow what you need to. Our rear bumper maintains a
good departure angle for off roading, and a clean look that doesn't stand
out. The best thing is that it bolts onto your Range Rover Classic with
no modifications of any kind.
The ECR ROX Classic rear bumper also replaces those cheesy plastic end
caps with heavy duty steel units that are all one piece with the bumper.
ECR ROX Classic rear bumper are available mail order for DIY install. Call
or email for more information.
At the rear of the roof rack we fabricated a bracket that holds the Hella
twin bulb rear work light and the XM radio antenna. The antenna can be
folded down for space to get into those low parking garages, or when off
roading where a heavy tree limb might damage it, and the light is placed
so that tree limbs will not harm it off road.
Here you can see the nearly completed Range Rover LWB with is full compliment
of ECR work and ECR ROX equipment that will make the Rover reliable and
functional on the trail and on the street. This dual purpose Rover really
is one "Black Beauty" as the customer calls it.
Under the hood of the Range Rover we have buttoned up the new Pursuit 4.6
install with all new tune up parts, a new alternator and anything else
the engine bay required to make for a strong performing LWB. The 4.6 install
appears as a stock 4.2 in the engine bay, but once you mash the gas you'll
know that the Pursuit 4.6 lurks under that 4.2 logo.
This is the completed Range Rover LWB. A great running and driving vehicle
that is at home on the freeway, or on any trail ride. The LWB has power
to spare with its Pursuit 4.6, full protection from mild to moderate off
road hazards with it full compliment of ECR ROX equipment, and much much
more. If your Range Rover needs some "tricking out" be sure to
contact ECR. We can make your Range Rover at home on the street and on
the trail. We'll be happy to help you make your Range Rover world class...
just like this one.
ECR