KLR Automotive in Sydney do that work.
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KLR Automotive in Sydney do that work.
I have owned both, and did the conversion on my 1996 130 myself. It's an easy enough job but its best to get the ducks lined up in a row- LT95 mounts and gearshift, EDIC and exhaust plumbing. One word of advice is that the o/e turbo should be offed while you are doing the conversion- install a Holset HE221w and fit an intercooler. Get the power steering flex pipe and fittings kit from KLR (off the shelf) for the four bolt steering box and order new springs for the front. Sort the front propshaft (perentie or county four speed and space up the bump stops at the front. If you keep the TB2518 o/e compressor, the experience of driving will be underwhelming and there are intake pipe clearance issues if it is routed over the top of the engine. Also put sound deadening over the seatbox and interior- i also used an exmoor carpet kit up front. Airconditioning compressor should be sorted while engine is out (see KLR- get their compressor setup complete or just buy their mount kit- you will also need the aircon front pulley and idler tensioner. See if you can get an o/e county front mount support and bonnet latch and use a modified V8 radiator or find diesel version (I have one here left over but it will need cleaning- or not...the 4BD1t is forgiving). I used a RR v8 air cleaner unit- it's a bit smaller than the Pernetie/county Isuzu iar cleaner unit. I installed a three inch flanged exhaust- this offers unrestricted engine breathability. Your 300TDi R380 rear propshaft will marry up as will the speedo cable. Get extra vacuum lines from a retailer. You can simply wire up the 4BD1T glow plugs to the 300TDi timer relay. You won't need them but in quite cold settings.Quote:
Originally Posted by incisor
There's quite a bit of fiddling here though it is an easy job- best if you do it yourself otherwise just buy an FFR or GS from Minto and take the body of your Defender and swap over the civilised bits. In my opinion- this is the best route and I believe will not require engineering inspection as that chassis came out as a four/five door variant from factory sold here in Oz. Cost of paying someone to do your conversion (300TDi to (4BD1T/LT95) will be somewhere in the region 10k to 15k plus. I took the conversion route because ...130 dual cab chassis.
To Incisor's query i would say 'No further worries' which means you don't have to stare at the temp gauge wondering if it's telling you lies- or indeed fit up a temp alert system, you won't have to worry about silly little timing belts or p gaskets, delicate warping cylinder heads or engine deck surfaces, stupid little wabco vacuum pumps, tiresome riding of the clutch from start-off, silly little intercoolers, or VE pump leaks, darling radiators in 40 degree ambient temps, precious little R380 bearings...a whole host of worries just disappear.
I like them both but the choice is very clear IMO.
Agree with all of the above
Your best bet is to borrow and drive a 4bd1t before you decide
They are not for everybody but I’d bet you do the conversion once you have driven one
I owned a Td5 110, a 300tdi 130 with full Alisport treatment rad IC VNT, and a County 4BD1T. The only one of those remaining in my fleet is the County [emoji106] It does everything with half the effort and none of the worry.
I had the others at the same time as the County, so I had a direct comparison.
As said above, they might not be for everyone, but once you drive a well set up 110 4BD1T, especially a later engine (quieter than my 300tdi) most would agree there’s no comparison.
The Isuzu Landys had a reputation of being a bit of a slug (and the NA can be at times), but the addition of a turbo makes them a very different beast.
yes the 300tdi has foibles, but i have never experienced most of them except the vacuum pump and definitely never had over heating issues, touch wood...Quote:
Originally Posted by Svengali0
the rear bearing on an r380 can be a bitch and i have had one of them done under warranty.
my 4bd1t had an lt87 behind it originally but had it converted to an lt95 as i much preferred the gearing as i was always hunting for the right gear it seemed in the lt87. the lt95 had to be rebuilt under warranty as well.
issues i had included the 4bd1t vacuum pumps on the back of alternators, torque pulses destroying clutches, drive train rattles, the poxed starter motor setup and my favorite, valve train and tappet slop on a regular basis giving that wonderful pinging noise at higher revs under load which is fixed with a 300tdi part :p
yes the 4bd1t are nicer down low, if you don't mind the vibration but they are worse than the 300tdi when punching into a head wind on a long slow rise on a hottish day
never had to ride the clutch on take off on any of my 300tdi's but i do use low range to take off when needed esp on my driveway with a van in tow but i change into high range as soon as it is rolling without issue.
horses for courses, i love driving them both but went with a 300tdi on my latest purchase
Thanks a heap, great info, just one question, which state are you in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Svengali0
Batemans Bay is in NSW
I would recommend calling KLR. They aren't in Vic, but they'll be able to point you in the right direction. I took the path Svengali0 outlined - Defender body on Perentie - and still ponder whether it was easier than swapping motors; I think they'd be close in terms of total effort. This way does have a lot of tertiary benefits though.
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I concur with Rijidij. My Defender started out as a 300 Tdi - It had 214000ks on it when I did the conversion to the 4BD1T (late engine with waste gated/water cooled Turbo). The 300 Tdi did a great job but was simply too small for the weight of the vehicle at GVM. The 4BD1T is quieter, smoother and more powerful than the 300 Tdi. It pulls 1.2:1 high range better than the Tdi pulled 1.4:1 high range, and off-road there is no comparison. The two minor down sides are lower governed engine speed that sometimes affects sand performance (you have to "drive" around the issue with careful gear selection) and heavier fuel consumption - the Tdi averaged 11.75 lts/100kms (24mpg) on the highway vs 4 BD1T 13.4 lts/100kms (21mpg). Off-road the Tdi averaged 14.1 lts/100kms vs 4BD1T 16.5lts/100kms with consumption higher than a Tdi in the desert but with roughly proportional difference. The 4BD1T has much better lift off torque, and makes the vehicle effortless to drive even when heavily loaded. All this coupled with gear driven camshaft, injection pump, and power steering pump, and a proper bearing set up in the water pump makes for a very reliable low cost engine to operate. When I travel to remote parts of the country I have zero concerns about reliability. With the Tdi there was always the nagging doubt about the power steering pump, and the water pump. Would I convert it back to a Tdi? - definitely not. I have driven well over 300000ks with the 4BD1T and over 600000ks with a 300Tdi (My last 300 Tdi had almost 550000ks on the engine when I sold the vehicle).Quote:
Originally Posted by rijidij
On the reliability front my 300 Tdi's had all the usual issues power steering pumps about every 50000 - 100000 kms, water pumps about the same, one head gasket failure, and two injection pump full overhauls (one under warranty).
If you are building a diesel engine vehicle for serious remote area travel, and off road touring it would be very hard to find a comparable set-up and next to impossible to improve on it in a Land Rover. If you are looking for a weekend warrior fit an LS series V8 petrol, or a late Falcon Barra 6, or just stick with a Tdi.
FWIW
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