Thread: Holden Motor Question

The Holden 186 and 202 have the same size bores but the 202 has a quarter inch longer stroke, so it has a bit more torque, but pretty well the same HP/KW.
The 186 has always been regarded as one of the best Holden donks.
The 202 is probally a better choice for a Land Rover conversion but I think the fuel useage is a bit higher. There are guys on here that have had both and will be able to say what is a better choice.
I have a 179 bored to a 186 in my Series 3 shorty and I am happy with it.


Cheers, Mick.

Thanks Mick, I'm probably going to get a 186 because I know where I can get one for $100 and I found a conversion plate for $60 and I'll try and get him to throw in the mounts, What clutch should I use? I was thinking of using the landy flywheel and clutch if i can because the Landy flywheel is heavier by about 4Kg. Can I get a 202 crankshaft and put it in the 186 to make it a 202 just for that extra torque? I just want to make sure that the Holden motor will be an upgrade not a downgrade I'm fairly certain it'll be better though.

we had a 186 in a series 2A. went very well.
Personal choice would be a 186 over a 202. The 202's are prone to throwing a leg out of bed when they get tired or over revved. I have seen more than 1 with direct access to the internals
However, I have never popped a 202 in a road car, only speedway cars so obviously at the extreme end of engine capability.
186's handle revs better than a 202.
202's have more torque although in saying that the 186 pulled the 2A as well as we wanted it too. That was many years ago though and my memory could be a bit cloudy.
The way to stop a RED motor 202 coming apart is to fit a set of BLUE motor 202 rods or starfire rods (that gutless 4cyl 1.9 opel motor often referred to as the backfire).
Just my 2 bobs worth. Enjoy the challenge.

I think due to the age of both 186 and 202s, the difference would be between individual engine condition, as they would have all have had different treatment. Many people rubbish 202s and say 186s are way better, but in my experience, the 202 was better as mine was much newer.

I had a 253 with an adaptor to a 2A gearbox about twenty years ago, it may still be in the garage, I sold the motor to someone to put in an HQ ute and he gave back the adaptor. I can't remember if I sold it. I abandoned the idea of a 253 as it required a lot more work, cutting the firewall, etc, as well as other requirements for rego. A friend had a Series 3 with a 253 and it was quite an impressive thing, but he eventually converted it to diesel. The 253 was rated at 185 bhp, so even accounting for wear, it should be more than 120.

Jeff

Cooling problems with the Ford six could be related to the small radiator in a Series Land Rover, not so in a Nissan. The ways of fixing it is either push the rad panel forward and fit 'wide lights' and a deluxe bonnet, fit a flush front and Defender bonnet then fit a Commodore radiator, or a bigger sump or oil cooler. My 202 was just cool enough, however I always planned to improve it with an oil cooler or sump mods, just it wasn't really needed, just would have been better. I didn't want to lose the 'narrow light' look.

Jeff

Hi All

Series3gt why not rebuild the four cylinder land rover motor the parts are as cheap as chips from the uk

And any holden is a substantial upgrade to a land rover as the motors are a later generation - higher compression etc, you may not have the stump pulling torque at idle but you will have a lot more power and torque overall.

I have just bought the parts to do my four cylinder up and the rings were about 6 dollars gaskets about 25 dollars and it keeps it stock

Regards Mark

Originally Posted by Series3 GT

Thanks Mick, I'm probably going to get a 186 because I know where I can get one for $100 and I found a conversion plate for $60 and I'll try and get him to throw in the mounts, What clutch should I use? I was thinking of using the landy flywheel and clutch if i can because the Landy flywheel is heavier by about 4Kg. Can I get a 202 crankshaft and put it in the 186 to make it a 202 just for that extra torque? I just want to make sure that the Holden motor will be an upgrade not a downgrade I'm fairly certain it'll be better though.

As far as I know all the standard conversions use the Holden flywheel with a Land Rover clutch assembly. You need the Holden flywheel so that the ring gear corresponds with the Holden starter motor. I did have Series 3 with a Holden 173 and a very crude home made conversion that utilised the Land Rover flywheel and starter motor. It was fantastic to drive and just pulled away from low revs so easily, but it wasn't a pretty conversion to look at. Obviously it done the job though, as it had been in the vehicle for a long time and had a Qld Dept Tansport approval plate on it.

I am not sure about if a 202 cranshaft will fit into a 186 without any work done on it. The drag racing guys do it but they grind the cranks down to fit the smaller 186 mains so they rev harder and fit 202 pistons which are shorter and won't hit the head. There is also a Falcon six crank that can be ground down and modified to fit Holden six for improved high performance.
Someone else on here with an engine rebuilding background will have more idea than me!

Cheers, Mick.

I'm going to get a 186 cause I can't find any 202's. I'm going to keep the 2.25 in the shed just in case I'm unhappy with the 186 but I'd like to try and fit the landy flywheel but as you said mick I might not be a pretty conversion but I would like to use that torque from the Holden down a bit lower but if I can't well then I can't. I'll clean out the old radiator and fit an electric fan to it so it stays nice and cool. I was going to put a 253 in it but they cost to much to buy and run for not a huge amount of power and I'd have to butcher the bulkhead too much. I think I'll go for the conversion so wish me luck.