Considering converting S1 to TDI?

300bhp/ton said:

This is a friends 80" S1. He has owned the vehicle since he was 18 and the vehicle is the same age as him.

It is running a 3.5 RV8 on twin SU's. Witha few other mods, but it's still very much S1 Land Rover. It looks fab and he uses it loads still. We go green laning annually and with the V8 he has no issues keeping up with the 90's on the trip.





It also sounds unbelievable good too.

There is no issues with handling or braking, it's as good as any other Series Land Rover.


I have another friend with an 80", they put a Tdi in it. It went ok, but was a bone shaker. They have since pulled it and put a V8 in it.

If you want to go diesel, yes a Tdi (200 at least) is a very swap into pretty much any Series. Although I think the extra effort fitting a Td5 might well be worth while if budget isn't a concern. I'm not sure how easy if at all possible it is to mount a Td5 to a Series gearbox though. Swapping in an R380 and LT230 would be the obvious answer, but is a huge amount more work and will likely result in the need for custom prop shafts too.

And as mentioned previously, the L-Series is a lovely engine. Easily tweaked to 120hp+ and lighter, smoother and less noisy than a Tdi. You'd have to R&D it, but I think the way to fit would be to use the bellhousing from a Discovery MPI as the L-Series shares the same bolt pattern as the T-Series. But this would also mean R380 and LT230 swap.

Lots of options with the axles. I think S2 onwards are slightly wider so could be an option and lots of different disc brake upgrade options. Or go for coil axles, but you'll probably need to add Defender style wheel spats.


If you want really modern and a bigger project. A p38 Range Rover has a 108" wheelbase. It really wouldn't be that difficult to mount the 107 body onto the p38 chassis. With some thought I'm sure you could retain the air suspension and have the choice of 5 speed manual or automatic gearboxes and V8 for BMW 2.5 diesel engines. The only issue doing this would be the registration. The DVLA would likely see it as a body swap, so there would be no need for an IVA or a Q plate. But you should be using the Range Rover ID, so not tax or MoT exempt.

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urena said:

mate has got one with 19 tdi out of a pug goes like hell

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rob1miles said:

Look for the unsold S1 s on Q plates on e-bay, some are on original plates and claimed to be tax and MOT exempt but are probably for sale because they are over the DVLA points.

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rob1miles said:

What I'm saying is the most every body has at some stage been put on something else, but by and large they are unsellable. People don't know what they are, they don't appeal to the fans of either vehicle and now days its likely to count as "major modification" for the DVLA and get a Q plate and no one likes those. Its unlikely to get tax exempt status which also puts people off as one of the great attractions of a series is that sooner or later you will save £200 per year. A coupe of weeks ago an S1 on a Rangy chassis was on e-bay at around £900 and I beleive it went unsold, it was an ex-trailer special and was an honest sale, but who wants one? In the past these vehicles were OK ish and there was a market, but now I can see them being increasingly hard to MOT.

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mike.gamble said:

I’ve had a good look at the P38 chassis with regards to fitting the S1 body onto buy, although the reduction of width and ‘loosing’ the extra inch is all achievable, the chassis itself looks very different, especially where the rear tub would fit?
Has anyone actually done this body change?

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300bhp/ton said:

The Series 1 is a little narrower than a Series 2/3 but I think it will still work.

You might have to join this group to see the content. Chap putting a 109 onto a p38. They are also converting to a BMW M57 engine.
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/stor...=UzpfSTY1MzYxNTE2NjpWSzoxODMzNjAzNDgzMzkxMzUx

I have an old 109 that I’d like to do similar with. But would probably go for a V8 still.

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300bhp/ton said:

Should mate to an LT-77 but you’ll need the correct bellhousing.

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Rodeo Joe said:

If you use the LT77 how do you get round the permanent 4WD? Do you need to use a modified transfer box, that way you could keep everything else stock couldn't you?

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Rodeo Joe said:

If you use the LT77 how do you get round the permanent 4WD? Do you need to use a modified transfer box, that way you could keep everything else stock couldn't you?

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300bhp/ton said:

Some people just run it as is, despite the front axle not being designed for it. But if it's only used for short distances might not be such a big issue. Not a route I'd recommend though.

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Rodeo Joe said:

Yes I thought that was the case, is it ashcroft that do the kit or someone else?

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