Luke Fitzsimons, Author At LOF Clutches

Rover V8 engine – Uprated Clutch kits

Here at LOF clutches, we offer a variety of different clutch kits to suit all forms of Rover V8 applications!

The Rover V8 fitted to Land Rovers typically uses a 10.5” clutch kit (267mm) This engine can be mounted with various gearboxes depending on application. These include the R380, LT77, LT95 and LT85 Land Rover gearboxes. The 10.5” clutch kit used in these applications is relatively universal. However you will need to know if your vehicle is a 4 speed or 5 speed gearbox. All Land Rover 4 speed gearboxes like the LT95 use a 10 spline input shaft and therefore require a 10 or ‘corse’ spline drive plate. All 5 speed gearboxes like the R380 use a 23 spline ‘Fine’ input shaft and therefore need a 23 spline drive plate. Here at LOF we offer both our ROADspec and POWERspec V8 kits with an option to choose a spline count.
Below is a rough illustration of which one you will need.
101 Forward control- LT95 4 speed > 10 spline clutch kit
Range Rover (1970-1983) – LT95 4 speed > 10 spline clutch kit
Stage 1 V8 S3- LT95 > 10 spline clutch kit
RR classic, Discovery, Defender V8 – R380/LT77 > 23 spline clutch kit

Our 10.5″ clutch kits have proven ultra reliable and strong over the years, we therefore discontinued any form of “paddle” clutch for the RV8 as we deemed it unnecessary. The LOF POWERspec V8 kit in 10.5″ for example is good for over 640Nm and therefore exceeds nearly all torque/power applications in the Rover V8!

More recently, LOF clutches has been asked to supply clutch kits for road cars such as the Morgan, TVR, Triumph TR8 and MGB V8, and kit cars incorporating the Rover V8.
We have developed a series of kits for all manor of these road going applications. Most Road cars using the RV8 run a flywheel drilled for a 9.5” clutch kit. Again you will need to check the input spline and release bearing set up of your vehicle but we can certainly help!

Our most common kit for the road going cars is our LOF POWERspec 2.8 TGV kit. This kit is a 9.5” (242mm) clutch kit, with a 23 spline drive plate. This kit is deemed suitable for the Rover V8 up to circa 500Nm which seems to cover all applications in road cars! We can also offer a slightly weaker kit for mildly tuned engines.

As the Rover V8 Road cars vary so much in terms of release bearing mechanisms etc, we suggest sending us an email to confirm the parts you need!

Changing the clutch on a TD5 Discovery/ Defender:

In this post we have a few pointers to help everyone when changing the clutch on TD5 Defender/ TD5 Discovery!

First things first- All Defenders and Discovery 2 vehicles fitted with the TD5 engine run the same clutch set up, Inside the bell housing everything is identical between these models, including the slave cylinder (FTC5202)

As standard, TD5 vehicles came fitted with a Valeo Dual mass flywheel (PSD103470) and Valeo Clutch kit. It is worth noting that the dual mass flywheel wears out around 100,000 miles or so, depending on driving style. When looking to change the clutch on the TD5, you should always budget for a new flywheel as a matter of course. Always check your service history to see if it has ever been changed before. One thing we say to customers if ‘DIY’ swapping the clutch and if not sure, is get the vehicle stripped and send us a video of the flywheel before ordering!

In terms of buying a new flywheel- you have 2 options; Option 1 is to change the flywheel for another dual mass flywheel + DMF clutch kit. This is the most expensive option. Option 2 is to convert to the LOF Solid mass kit, which works out around £100 cheaper and is the route chosen by 90-99% of our customers + Garages we supply. (See our SMF Vs DMF post here)

What else should I change when fitting a TD5 Clutch?

1. The Pushrod (FTC5199) is always worth changing, this fits between the slave cylinder and the clutch fork, it tends to wear down on the ball end and reduces the throw on the clutch assembly. Cost wise these are circa £6 so its a no brainer!

2. Clutch fork- the clutch fork/ lever on the TD5 is the heavy cast iron lump (576137) on the whole it is pretty reliable. If ordering from over seas, or having the clutch changed by a busy garage, its worth taking one just in case. Otherwise it can usually be re-used. In the back of the fork is a bush (571161) on which the fork pivots, we supply a new one in all the Td5 clutch kits, its worth changing! The other thing to look out for if re-using your old fork, is at the pushrod end, there is a steel ‘land’ on which the pushrod sits, sometimes these crack and break up- if this has happened to yours, replace the fork- usually only 1 in 100 have this happen.

3. The Td5 Crank seal (LUF100420) is worth changing if you have a high mileage engine, but as is life, its always a catch 22! In order to correctly changing the TD5 crank seal, you need to drop the sump down, mount the crank seal and then re-fit the sump. Our words of wisdom here are- if its not leaking and you do not feel confident in getting it right, leave it well alone! However if yours is leaking, or you think it could be, take one and give it a go!

4. The Spigot bush (LFB500050) comes in all LOF clutch kits for the TD5, This is the bit that makes the common Td5 noise “VRRMM” on a damp cold morning when depressing the clutch! Please note, it is common for the TD5 spigot bush to wear/ oval the crank. Check the bush is not a loose fit before fitting. We recommend the following procedure: Brake cleaner the outside of the bush and crank, add some loctite and drift the bush home. Then using 1 finger apply some grease to the inside of the spigot. People used to say drop the bush in oil, but we think this is totally pointless as by doing so you lubricate the outside of the bush as much as the inside! (Aim of the game is to stop the spigot from picking up and spinning in the crank)

5. Flywheel bolts- on the dual mass flywheel you can change the stretch bolts that mount it to the crank (ERR6581 *8x) On the LOF solid mass flywheel kits these come with new bolts which are shorted and are re-usable.

Other things to consider:

Flywheel locking tool- the torque for the TD5 flywheel bolts is 40 Newton Metres + 90 degree turn. Our flywheel locking tool helps to hold the flywheel still while doing the final torque.
Clutch alignment tool- if you do not have one already, these are a must have for the tool box
Defender owners will want a POWERspring too to make the pedal nice and light, complementing a new clutch kit
New hydraulics- you may want to consider a new slave (FTC5202) and on Defenders a new master STC500100 while swapping the clutch.

Author: Luke Fitzsimons

Rover V8 engine – Uprated Clutch kits

Rover V8 engine – Uprated Clutch kits

Changing a TD5 Clutch on a Discovery/ Defender

Changing the clutch on a TD5 Discovery/ Defender:

What else should I change when fitting a TD5 Clutch?

Other things to consider:

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