Thread: Plugger and The Camel

Just a few observations if I may - these are just my thoughts and experiences, so please don't take this as me raining on your parade.

Britpart bearings are fine IMO - I only steer clear of the rubber stuff they do as it seems to deteriorate quickly. I've used Britoart bearings in the past without issue long term (currently in the front of my RRC - I did them for my FIL when he owned it) - that was 100,000KM ago, so no dramas there from my experience.

186 v 202 - I've used both in series land rovers and the 202 was a bit of a dog compared to the 186. The 186 is a freer reving engine and more suited to the series vehicle IMO - the 202 (which was freshly rebuilt) was a solid and powerful engine, but just didn't do it for me - the old 186 with less power was a nicer to drive unit. This was a direct comparison as both engines went into the same shorty I had. Although it will work fine, personally I would freshen up the 186, they were always a better engine than the 202.

I put a 2 barrel manifold and 350 Holley on the 202 - it lasted 2 weeks before the Holley went in the bin in favour of a second hand 2 barrel Webber from the Wreckers. The Holley will use even more fuel than what the 202 will anyway (a lot by the way) and give you a horrible flat spot when you floor it. It also runs out of fuel the first time you put it on a hill - ok if Plugger is not going off road in it, but if he wants to explore any steep countryside, he'll find this out very quickly. I did mine waaay back before the Internet so I just did what the boys down the pub recommended - some of the worst advice I Got I think. . Really, just don't do it, find a 2 barrel Webber that were common during the early 80's.

Apart from that, great work as usual.

Slightly off track here but...

186 was red. Correct? (the one couple I've had were.)
202 was..... blue???? no? yes? both?

Not that it matters at all to your build, unless your chasing authenticity of a holden engine in your LAND ROVER.

186 was red, 202 was red, then went to the 3.3 which was blue, then black. The blue motor was probably the best of the bunch - it has electronic ignition, a better head and decent carbie.

Yes, all much of a muchness in the grand scheme of things.

Hi Homestar et al,

Just for the record - I take everything you say on this forum and in this thread seriously. You have taken a keen interest in the Plugger-mobile and I thank you for it. Please don't stop, I have an umbrella for the rain....

I had a LX Torana with a 202 in it years ago (before being replaced with a 327 SBC, but that's another story...) and it performed admirably, towing the GF's horses around and doing OK in the performance stakes, so I went with what I know. I have never owned anything with a 186, so don't know them at all. The 186 in Camel is also unknown, but it would be certain to say it is in worse condition than the 202. But, upon hearing what you have said, it seems that there is a consensus out there that the 186 is a better engine.

I wanted an engine with the most torque because of Plugger's intentions to tow a camper trailer. If I can pull a few figures from the interweb:

Holden 186 - 130bhp@3300rpm, 181ftLbs@2200
Holden 202 - 118hp (SAE) 137bhp@4000rpm, 185ftlbs@2100

Hmmm, not much difference there (I thought there was a marked difference in Tq figures) and I am going to stand corrected on this one!!

So, to this end, I have formulated a new plan, and it goes something like this:
1. Complete the freshen up of the 202 - after all I have all the bits now and it has only cost me a couple hundred bucks in parts
2. Source a Weber as per Homestars recommendation (thanks mate, I owe you one!). Plugger's intentions is to use his Camel off-road, so it must be capable in that arena.
3. Fully rebuild the 186 with a view to maximise torque and fuel economy. Initial inspection and measure might suggest it is in better nick than I thought. After all, it was running when we got it...
4. Swap over the freshened up 202 with the fully rebuilt 186 using all the good parts off the 202 (extractors, manifold, ignition etc)
5. Sell the 202 for what we can get to help offset the cost of the above.

Homestar - what model Weber should I be looking for - early Ford?? And once again, thanks for the input, keep it coming sir!!

Cheers and thanks,
Tricky

Hi Tricky,

I can't remember - but was the Series registered with the 186 when you bought it?

It might be easier (come registration time) to register it with the 186 in it - compared to the new 202?

I know that based on the power/torque figures that you have provided, there isn't a huge difference.. But it might over-complicate things trying to register it with a different engine number and different engine capacity? (Naturally this changes depending on state/authority)

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Grey Ghost

Carby I used was off an XD Falcon IIRC, but I didn't actually remove it, just bought it from the wreckers, so can't be 100% on this. Also, I don't think it will bolt straight up to the 2 barrel manifold, you'll have to knock up an adaptor plate for it, but that is pretty straight forward.

Regarding the Holden Red motors - I'm a big fan and I cut my teeth on them. The 202 is a great engine, I just found the 186 to rev differently and feel better in my old series.

As GG suggests, if it has been registered with the 186 then getting it registered with that engine may be easier, but I don't know what the laws are like up your way.

One thing you could do is file the engine number off the 202 and stamp the 186 number into that to make life easier...

Obviously I can't condone this sort of behaviour, but maybe I've done something similar in the past...

Just a question on the extractors. Will they fit without modification. I had a Series 2 years ago and fitted extractors and seem to recall having to modify them to fit. I did fit a Nissan Cabstar five speed gear box to the Holden engine which meant repositioning the engine mounts 4 inches forward but I can't remember whether that was what necessitated the mod to the extractors or that was beforehand.

Thanks Homestar!

I changed my dizzy out on the 186 and installed a HIE ignition and a Blaster SSS coil. This gave the ol' girl a bit more poke and if I had bothered to get a decent carbi that was tuned correctly I recon it would have run real nice. I went from 18L/100kms to 16ish L/100km just from the HIE and coil. And I know that it was overfueling so could have done even better....

Might be something to look at after its on the road, if the budget doesnt' stretch that far to start with.(that's what I did)