abcdedd · May 30, 2013

Hi guys,

Unfortunately due to a miserable failure of a MOT, i have now had to take the plunge and take the 90 of the road for the summer, the plan is to strip it down over the summer whilst working on the farm (wet days n'all) and then once i have the money i'm going to put a new chassis on and a different engine as i have been planning for a while..

Now then my truck as it is has a discovery 300tdi engine in it (converstion done by someone else), with way too many miles on it and is ****ing oil everywhere. So what i'm basically wondering is when it comes to ordering a new chassis, (richards) i will have the option to have either "fit all early 90's up to 200TDi" or "fit 300TDi engined vehicles" which would you guys suggest? I do a fair bit of offroading and do a bit of towing too.. will probably look into changing the gearbox too..

Thanks alot folks

Edd

abcdedd · May 30, 2013

Also, i saw once a post that someone advised n what bolts would be needed for the change, but cant find that anymore, if anyone has any tips that would be great!

Thor1950 · May 30, 2013

how many miles? got more than 300k? where is leaking oil , just change seals and gasket

craigyb · May 30, 2013

I'd put a 200 in if it was me

Boris113 · May 30, 2013

Why not ask Richards to do some custom mounts for you? I currently have a 1989 90 with a 300tdi on the original lt77, but ordered the chassis with 2 sets of mounts. That way if i convert to a full 300tdi/r380 setup later, theres no need to weld the chassis

I'd stick with a 300 personally, 200s are only getting older and parts like cylinder heads are a barstool to find at a good price..

abcdedd · May 30, 2013

Yeh its done probably coming on or 350,000 now.. so due a change.. and tbh, im not sure where its leaking from cant work it out, but its covered and engine gets very hot... Im tempted to keep to a 300tdi, so i assume if i request a 300tdi chasis the mounts will be right for a disco engine?

Boris113 · May 30, 2013

At least if you do go with a 300, there are plenty of old discos around, and any conversion parts that you have currently will be a straight swap.

Not quite, I basically ordered a standard 300tdi spec chassis (they are effectively the same as a 200tdi) with the engine mounts in the correct place for an r380 box. I then gave them a set of measurements for where my current mounts are located and they welded a second set of mounts in there prior to galvanising.

They don't offer 300tdi mounts in the lt77 place as standard nor do they have a jig to align them so it is all dependent on how accurate your measurements are. Mine ended up about an inch too far back, but we managed to make it fit with some minor adjustment.

The radiator mounts may be different depending which rad frame your conversion has used, but mine is a bit of a funny set-up so not much use to you there i'm afraid.

Richards don't supply a gearbox crossmember with the chassis, so for now I'm using the original tubular one, but when the time comes to fit an r380, I will get the correct galvanised crossmember from them too.

With your bolt question earlier, the I just went to Screwfix and ordered lots of M8 bolts in varying lengths, along with a few M6 and M10s. The only specialist fixings are small things like door hinge bolts and the screws with plastic receivers that hold the floor pans/rad grill/inner arches etc but they are cheap enough from ebay.

Hope that helps,

Harry

abcdedd · May 31, 2013

Berlimy, thats alot of info Harry, thanks alot mate, SO by the sounds of it the easiest solution for me to use would be to use a 300tdi engine with a r380 gearbox? so that everything works and fits?

Boris113 · May 31, 2013

Haha sorry I got a bit carried away

Full 300/r380 would be nice because you can do the whole thing with factory standard parts, but it will cost a lot and either require a defender spec r380 box, or mods to a disco one.

I looked into a a while ago and to do it factory-spec you will need:
- defender r380 gearbox
- r380 seatbox, floor pans, transmission tunnel
- 300tdi length propshafts
- new rad/intercooler pipes

I was put off by the cost, so have stuck with the lt77 until I've decided whether to change the engine

The other option is just stick with what you have, and possibly fit an ashcrofts stubby r380 later, which will leave your 300 sitting in the current lt77 place.

Harry

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

Right ok, that does sound like a massive pain, so if i keep the 300 and lt77 setup, The gearbox mount when ordering a 300tdi chassis will be in the wrong place? And richards wont put a mount straight in so i will need to measure it up and send them the measurements?

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

I understand pretty much everything on a defender apart from bloody engine/gearbox configs.. Aside from what i've just said above, if i was to put a 200tdi engine in it, would that bolt straight onto a lt77? and the mounts all be completely correct? Tempted to go with 200 for the simplicity of the chassis set up if that is the case?

Boris113 · Jun 1, 2013

Yes, assuming you ordered the new chassis with 200tdi engine mounts in the normal place.

Your lt77 is the same as that fitted to a factory 200tdi 90, the only difference being a slightly higher-ratio 5th gear, it's barely noticeable though.

There are loads of write-ups about fitting a 200tdi into an earlier vehicle and you will need to change a couple of bits like the downpipe if you use an engine from a discovery but plenty of companies can supply the bits.

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

Right-o, by the sounds of it i'm going to go with the 2.5/200tdi chassis to make it simpler, dont mind doing a bit of modification to the downpipe and stuff and id much rather do that than modify the chassis therefore impeding the galv ect..

Thor1950 · Jun 1, 2013

abcdedd said:
Right-o, by the sounds of it i'm going to go with the 2.5/200tdi chassis to make it simpler, dont mind doing a bit of modification to the downpipe and stuff and id much rather do that than modify the chassis therefore impeding the galv ect..

Why with such a old under powered motor? Surely you would have a higher resale value down the road. 300's have so much more going for them.

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

Because the pain of not having the mounts in the right place, otherwise i would stick with a 300.. Unless you can suggest an easy method?

aaronmorris · Jun 1, 2013

abcdedd said:
Because the pain of not having the mounts in the right place, otherwise i would stick with a 300.. Unless you can suggest an easy method?

If it was me I would get a td / 200tdi spec chassis, and fit a these
Landrover 90 Defender 200-300 Tdi Engine Mount Conversion No Welding | eBay
Bit steep but maybe you could fabricate some yourself

Thor1950 · Jun 1, 2013

abcdedd said:
Because the pain of not having the mounts in the right place, otherwise i would stick with a 300.. Unless you can suggest an easy method?

why not order a 300 chassis?

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

Boris was saying that the 300 engine wouldnt line up with the gearbox mounts o the lt77?

Thor1950 · Jun 1, 2013

abcdedd said:
Boris was saying that the 300 engine wouldnt line up with the gearbox mounts o the lt77?

for a small price for a r380, think would be worth it in the long run. what are used ones from a breaker going for 75-125quid, sell off the lt77 and be close to even money seems like to me. Got to look at resale on the project after it is done. To me he is shooting himself in the foot.

abcdedd · Jun 1, 2013

Sounds like a fair one mate, id rather stick with te 300 i possible, so you recon i could order a 300 chassis and use a disco 300tdi and a defednder r380 gearbox without having to do any mods?

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