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Converting a LHD Series Land Rover 109 to a Land
Rover 200 Tdi engine
By
Mark and Forrest Clifton
"YOU WILL LOVE THE POWER DIFFERENCE"
Note: Mark used a 200 tdi
from a Defender and used a series earbox. The vehicle was
a LHD early IIA 109 four cyl. pertol.
The
200 Tdi will fit in the engine bay of a Series Land Rover without
any cutting of the bulkhead. It also can be made to bolt directly
to the Series Land Rover gearbox, which makes that part easy.
The original Series passenger
side engine mount is far too long. You need to cut it off and fabricate
another. You
will also need to cut off the battery box and air filter mount,
to make room for the injector pump. The diesel is more powerful
so I used substantially thicker steel to fabricate the mount. I
retained the engine mount bolted to the engine's right side because
it is very compact and gives you enough room to work.
The
next problem is with clearance for the series steering box. The
turbo down pipe is too close to the output arm of the box. To
remedy this I added a shim to
move it away from the turbo down pipe. I used 3/4" aluminium
and machined out a piece to fit perfectly between the fire wall
mount and the steering box. It is important to make a spacer
place and not just to shim the box away from the motor with large
washers or such things. The box needs the surface area of a plate
for strength. If you do not do this correctly you run the possibility
of cracking your steering box. The shift of the box away from
the motor is small enough that it is not mandatory to move the top
of the steering column, but it is noticeable. You can do this
simply by drilling new holes for the bracket holding the column in
the cab. The fire wall support that stems from the frame
up to the steering box also needs to be shimmed down at the frame.
I used the same materials as above to complete this.
The next dilemma
is how to mount the radiator and intercooler. In the Defender
they come in a frame together, but because of the steering relay
unit and the clearance needed for this you need to split then
apart. I wanted to use the 200 Tdi radiator complete with its
oil cooler. You can use the series radiator and an auxiliary
oil cooler but you may run into cooling problems.
To fit the radiator
and intercooler in front of the motor, I switched to an electric
fan, cut the old radiator supports off so the grill was only about
an inch deep and then built a new front structure to support
the fenders, grill and cooling system. The structure I made is
from 1/4" thick 2
1/2" by
2 1/2" stainless steel. This was much more sturdy than needed.
I cut and bolted two vertical pieces to the outside of the frame,
and then ran a piece across the top connecting them. I then took
the frame that used to surround the radiator and intercooler
and made a lower radiator support right behind the front cross
member. I mounted the radiator as far right as possible to avoid
the steering relay. The intercooler then mounted slightly in
front of the radiator's left side, its top mounting in the new
front structure and its bottom in the front frame cross member.
The inlets and outlets on the intercooler will barely fit without
hitting the steering relay, but unless you buy a different intercooler
this is the best way, and it works.
The top of the radiator is
supported be brackets I made by running from the top cross
bar to the radiator. The other problem with mounting the radiator
and grill so close is that there is no room for headlights. The
steel I used for my front structure did not allow enough room
for the lights in their normal early Series II spots. If
you kept the lights in the early Series II location you would
have to move the grill forward a slight bit. Instead of doing
this I moved the lights to the fenders.
The next steps are rigging up some fuel lines, mounting the
fuel filter and battery under the driver seat. You also need
to hook up a new gas pedal cable linkage. I just use a choke
cable with a heavy spring for this. The exhaust is also an
issue. I had a custom setup put in. A local garage bent
up different pipes and made a good high hanging system for a
very reasonable price.
Hoses for the radiator will not be easy to find, I made the lower
hose with a T junction running up to the reservoir that you
easily mount on the fender side. The upper hose is short
, and I took a long time to find, If you have a flexible hose,
this would be easy.
The gauges and instruments are not connectable. I used a temp
sensor in the radiator to activate the electric fan. I drilled
out and tapped the cap above the thermostat to mount a temp gauge.
there is conveniently a nipple on this cap that was easy to
drill here. and that's it.
The engine is a defender unit, and it is
totally sick. The turbo is mounted on top of the motor. This
project cannot be done with a disco motor without changing to power
steering. I used a stock tranny and a hi ratio transfer case, with
stock ring and pinions. The turbo whistle is not for the faint
of heart, I insulated the whole fire wall, but with a huge K &
N filter, the turbo noise is still loud. I think this is awesome,
its still quieter than a stock rover at 50mph and especially an
overdrive. Hood insulation and a different intake and a muffled
exhaust would also quiet it down. I would recommend
3.54's even with the hi ratio. I haven't tried it but my rig could
use another gear, so it would probably be alright. I can run (not
floored) up the hills in vermont on 89 and 91 and have not problem
going 75 or higher. My speedo is not too accurate. I
run 235/85's which are approx. 31.5" tires,
and it has plenty of power, the next set will be taller. By
the way, in low range first gear with 4.7 R&P, the diesel
will crawl over anything. I have crawled over a 15" high
median in a parking lot without my foot on the throttle.
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