Thread: 250 CU inch / 4.1L : not in AU?

Originally Posted by jakeslouw

Hi guys

A popular engine conversion fitted to the Series LR in South Africa is the 4.1L (250 cubic inch) Chevy straight 6 petrol motor.

Now my dad had a Holden 4.1 station wagon which I learned to drive in: but it seems as if Australia didn't get this motor?

Secondly: does anybody have a 4.1 in their Series vehicle?

Lastly: I assume an Isuzu 3.9 4BD1T or something similar is a better option?

I have a tentative offer in for this:

Autotrader.co.za ? 1976 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 from Gauteng

(excuse the reference to the 110 Defender, some of my countrymen are LR illiterate.....)

Now the 4.1 is a prodigal user of fossil fuel: I reckon I'd prefer SOME food on a trip rather than just buying petrol. If I keep the lump, what tips do you guys have for a reduction in consumption?

- smaller carby?
- more restrictive exhaust and inlet manifolds?

Thanks in advance.......

I have seen one South African build Holden HT here with the 250 ci Chev 6. Otherwise Australia saw it only in a few Chev trucks. The V8's were much commoner. The Australian Holden red 6 topped out at 202 ci but the 186 was the best regarded.

Almost any turbo diesel conversion in a landy will be better than that Chev 6.. Try to find a disco series 1 200tdi to steal the engine from. They are apparently a bolt in fit with the standard bell housing.

Wouldn't putting a 250 Chev into a Landy being akin to using a 2F Land Cruiser engine ? (seeing as the Tojo was based on the Chev )

Plenty of Series Land Rovers around with 4.1 litre Ford straight sixes in them.
Plenty of broken gearboxes too.

South Africa required vehicles built there to have engines made in South Africa. I worked at GM-H at that time and we exported engineless cars to South Africa. Assembly to be completed in SA using their engines. That 250 Chev is a good engine, plenty of grunt. Makes a good engine conversion for a Holden as a street Q-ship. Looks almost exactly like a red Holden, just slightly but not obviously larger, and has a distributor in a different position. Paint it GM-H Engine Red, get 186 or 202 decals from Rare Spares and tell everybody you blow off that it is just a Holden Six, mate.

This ruling saw things like Mercedes-Benz trucks with SA built Perkins engines.

Brian, LR RSA never offered the Series vehicles with any GM motor as a "factory fit". But it makes sense why our Holden had a 4.1L Chevy motor.

We did however get the Series 3 R6 : Rover 2600 usually with the Santana gearbox, or in the SADF there was also the ADE236 motor on the Santana box.

Series 3 Stage 1 V8s are VERY scarce over here. I've only ever seen 1.

So the guys that got tired of the 2.25 stock donk usually got an adapter to fit one of the folllowing:

- Chev/GM 250 cu-in or else the smaller 3.8.
- Ford Essex 3L V6 (thousands of Cortinas sold here)
- 302 V8 (scarce import engine at one stage)
- Toy diesel or TD, usually the 2C or 3C-T

Go have a look at Gilo Engineering Home Page for some of the adapters and flywheel conversions made for the Series LR in RSA.

..... as for a 200TDi or 300TDi from a Disco or a Defender: scarcer than chicken teeth over here, mate.

They guys that "know" will never sell that engine in Africa.

So I'll have to start looking at Nissan, Isuzu, Toyota or Mitsu turbo diesels?

LT95 and 3.54 diffs?

The 250 was used here in Bedfords as well as Chev. trucks. Known in the trade as the "Mexico Chev". They were made in Mexico.

The engineless Holdens we sent to South Africa at one time had no mention anywhere of "Holden" or "Australia", simply branded "A Product of General Motors". Most of the HQ Statesman models exported were also branded this way also with no mention of Holden or Australia and badged as a "Chevrolet 350"

- smaller carby?
- more restrictive exhaust and inlet manifolds?

Thanks in advance.......[/QUOTE]

Fuel consumtion will only increase with restrictive exhaust/inlet manifolds. Try to find or make a tubular exhaust manifold and more open exhaust, free up your inlet by using a larger air filter and by fittng a snorkle to allow the engine to breath clean cool air.
I dont think a smaller carby will help. Usually to improve efficiency you would do similar modifications to those to produce more power without over fuelling the engine.
I dont suppose you can covert it to LPG? Its about half the price of petrol here.