SERIES SERVICE.....

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The first thing to attend to was the dying 2.25 litre engine.  After much research he decided to go with a rebuilt 2.25 "Turner Engineering" engine from Rovers North in Vermont.  This engine is mildly tuned for more performance and is built by the highly respected shop in England.  Who better to re-man a Rover engine than the British....  The other pressing matter was the transmission which had developed syncro problems.  The solution was a rebuilt transmission and transfer case again from Rovers North in Vermont.  Henry did the install in the driveway, much to the dismay of the neighbors....

                   

And they say LUCAS is the Prince of Darkness........

On Henry, Michelle and Eore's last trip (the Honeymoon trip to Belize and Guatemala), Eore developed a nagging syncro problem.  It seems that 2nd gear was all the old machine had left to give, and without tearing apart the transmission (not something one wants to do on their honeymoon) Henry had no other option than to drive him home.  I heard it was a long drive from the Belizean Border to Laredo, Texas at around 35mph, but Eore pressed on and made the final trip to Houston on the back of a flat-deck.

So, it was again time to fix his transmission woes once again, and after 1000 miles of punishment in 2nd gear, a new transmission seemed the best route to take.  Henry found a Santana Spec. Series III transmission and t-case complete and ready to bolt in brand new still in the crate.  So a slow boat ride, and a dock workers strike later, the transmission arrived.  Here are some pics of us removing the old one.....  Anyone looking for a slightly used one????

                                  

      

Here's Innes the Shop Dog.....

             

This is a pic of the Santana unit we will be installing soon. 

Here's some pics of the Santana installed in the truck.  She bolted right up without complaint, and the rear PTO cover has been removed awaiting the installation of the "Roverdrive" overdrive unit.  If you look closely you can see the differences in the two cases.  The Santana has many upgrades, including a stronger case to minimize warping. 

                           

Finally some more Santana install pics.  Note the pics of the Roverdrive Overdrive unit mounted at the rear of the T-case housing.  This unit is extremely tough, quiet, and adds a lot more highway capability to the old machine.  Henry is almost done with the install since the weather has turned better, and I'll make sure to include some driving impressions of the new set-up.