Thread: V8 110 to 200tdi conversion

It still isn't economically viable to fix them here especially if you have to import engines that are already up to 25years old. The rest of the vehicle is usually as bad as the engine at that point in its life. We got very few 200tdi compared to 300tdi here so the numbers are against us supply vs demand. Our policies here are such that the old vehicles are slowly being weeded out and off the road. A reasonable 4bd1 county is worth good money but there are few reasonable 200tdi defenders about. Rust was chronic in the doors and chassis crossmembers with the majority. There are a lot more disco 200tdi available however they don't fit neatly into the defender engine bay like the defender derivative does. And consequently the lack of any good lt77 to suit the defender makes it even less attractive. I 100% agree they are a great engine but just not a practical exercise in this country unless you have a good supply of bits or a complete donor vehicle.

Jc

Rotten 200tdi defenders? I thought we are talking engine conversion. If you have a 200tdi motor to put in, I would still consider it even in Auz. Steve Parker do conversion kits for disco TDI into "defender" and Ashcroft have a short bell housing for the r380. Pretty sure if you mount the 200 TDI further forward in the 300 position you can use standard R380. So LT77 availability doesn't really factor. No new heads is a worry though.

My 200tdi conversion is on short r380 and positioned back over/behind the axle in 200tdi position . This leaves plenty of space in front of engine for access and good weight distribution for handling. I had a head go and had to source a replacement from the UK (turner's), which was a bit of a pain. I have been meaning to rebuild this engine but it just keeps going on, now over half a million miles and still pulls like train. When I do I'll consider the "250" TDI idea or maybe just keep a spare head on shelf.

When it comes to choosing 200 or 300 for a conversion. Price up your options and take the cheaper one.

Originally Posted by manic

Rotten 200tdi defenders? I thought we are talking engine conversion. If you have a 200tdi motor to put in, I would still consider it even in Auz. Steve Parker do conversion kits for disco TDI into "defender" and Ashcroft have a short bell housing for the r380. Pretty sure if you mount the 200 TDI further forward in the 300 position you can use standard R380. So LT77 availability doesn't really factor. No new heads is a worry though.

My 200tdi conversion is on short r380 and positioned back over/behind the axle in 200tdi position . This leaves plenty of space in front of engine for access and good weight distribution for handling. I had a head go and had to source a replacement from the UK (turner's), which was a bit of a pain. I have been meaning to rebuild this engine but it just keeps going on, now over half a million miles and still pulls like train. When I do I'll consider the "250" TDI idea or maybe just keep a spare head on shelf.

When it comes to choosing 200 or 300 for a conversion. Price up your options and take the cheaper one.

Sorry to get OT however i was just explaining the situation down here as regards the availability of 200tdi bits. Yes they are a great engine but parts ARE a problem in Aust.

Jc