Thread: TD5 into Disco S1 V8?

Isuzus are very reliable and there are heaps of options.

Also look into toyota diesels, again reliable and similar size / power to a rover diesel. Parts everywhere and knowledge.
Easy to get kits for turbos etc.

Similar prices to.

Dave

Max

you should be able to buy a td5, autobox, tcase and every other item
required for the conversion for around $7000 sell your v8 and trans
if you have a friend that can do the conversion your laughing it cost me
$2000 for replacement parts, ie radiators new belts hoses and bits and pieces, 100hrs for the complete conversion $7500 the rest was for new coils, winch bar, body lift etc, etc
Before you buy a motor check with your ins company first otherwise they may not allow it on the road.

Seashells

I looked into this exercise 12 months ago. In the end it wasn't worth it for me, I gave up & visited a dealer for a new one.

The Isuzu was going to be about $15000 to convert. Getting hold of one is getting pretty hard. Rough as guts. Probably the best off-road engine, but gets left behind on-road, up hills, everywhere.

The GM 6.3/6.5 was about the same $$$. Towing only. On-road grunt lacking, all things considered. The engine ancilliaries get in the way of the front end, so articulation is limited.

A Holden 5.0 petrol goes well, but the consumption is awful if you use the performance.

The powerstroke 2.8 would be a good swap. But it was just too $$$, over $20,000 from memory. There are a lot of detailed differences with a tdi, its not a straight swap.

And the TD5. Surely the pick of the shoehorn jobs - great engine in a lighter body, bolts up to an R380.... But its just too hard to make to work, Graeme Cooper did one, and no more. There are just too many sensors etc to get it to work. You'll really need two wiring looms, one for the engine, one for the car... A 2nd hand engine, if its dodgy, would be very expensive to rebuild. And at the time injectors were $1800 each, but I think they've come down now.

Theres a reason no-one's doing TD5 conversions. If it was easy, you'd see more around. Pity.

Regards
Max P

Thanks Tusker for the first hand info.

I think I've reached the same conclusions re risks, complexity, costs etc.

Dreamtime ramblings...a late model S11/111 Disco. The Cook will need some persuading.

Thanks to all for the comments

Max aka Silverhammer

PS anyone need a topnotch '98 S1 Disco V8 for $18K ono?

This guy did it to a Defender by himself, check this out:

http://www.web-rover.co.uk/nav.php?p=my_td5