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94 RR CLASSIS LWB swap to 300tdi


jbote1

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I hope to chronicle this adventure I am about to take on. It’s been a long wait and pondering, but I finally committed to restoring my RR. The rig is close to 290,000 miles and the transmission finally gave way. I have actually just purchased all my parts today, really excited to take this on.

The RR is a 94 Classic LWB: 4.2, zf trans, borg warner tcase. I have big plans for this rig and plan on keeping for a long time. I love the styling, the ruggedness, durability(most of the timeJ) and ease of maintenance on it. I would love a defender but at the time that was just impossible to get. Anyway I love this car and would never think of getting rid of it for any of the newer versions.

I hope to keep this updated but we’ll see. Never did this before. Quick synopsis:

Step ONE- upgrade power train. Always been interested in diesel just because of durability and economy, so this is now where I am. I am doing a 300tdi conversion with R380 trans, and LT230 tcase. I just placed the order today for all the necessary parts for the conversion so I hope it goes smoothly. It’s a little scary ordering something this much and just relying on the other person to keep their word and quality and hope for the best. I wanted to take on this upgrade because I wanted the control, quality and attention that I will put into it. Got the parts from Land Rover Imports and he seems really cool and very attentive to his customer. Definitely enjoyed the transaction with him and has been really helpful.

Step TWO- upgrade drivelines. Going to get my parts from GBR in Utah, Bill is a really cool and knowledgeable person to talk to. Very helpful in giving me info on which directions to go. I will be getting a pair of axles through them and prop. shafts.

Step THREE- upgrade suspension. Don’t know which direction I will be going, but I think just doing 2-3” lift. Will mostly be doing highway driving and medium to heavy trails to get to climbing destinations.

Will be doing the interior also but will do that on another topic. Going to be doing a camper conversion on the latter stage so that my wife and I can stay cozy when out during the cold season!

ANY ADVISE/COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. ANY TRICKS AND TIPS FOR THE BUILD OR SITES TO LOOK INTO ARE MORE THAN WELCOME.

Thanks for reading the long intro. I hope I can keep this documented really well.

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Good luck with it mate. Always good to hear about another one being kept on the road.

Are you absolutely positively sure you want to lose the lovely V8 burble for the diesel?!

Seriously though, hope all goes well.

Dave

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Good luck with it mate. Always good to hear about another one being kept on the road.

Are you absolutely positively sure you want to lose the lovely V8 burble for the diesel?!

Seriously though, hope all goes well.

Dave

For sure, I have always wanted and liked the tdi. Ya I hope so too! I hope the rewire does not get too tricky!

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I assume it's rot free being a Calif car? Lot of money to spend if not structurally sound.

Yup that is correct! I see you have a 200tdi classic, did you do the conversion yourself?

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I have a '95 Tdi with R380. While it's good for me in the UK, fuel prices being what they are, I think the others are right - keep yours a V8; the LSE models are just too heavy for the Tdi, which is hardly sprightly even with the R380, let alone the ZF transmission. The V8 has better power and torque and is a little more comfortable to drive, so an LPG conversion of that would be preferable to a Tdi. I would also have said to keep the standard suspension and Borg Warner unit as they make the vehicle drive so much better, but if you're using it for rock crawling, then the LT230 may be better. Make sure you get the LT230Q with the quieter gears and 1.22 ratio, not the Defender 1.4 ratio or earlier 1.6 ratio.

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busy weekend, almost done gutting the interior getting ready for the the pedal swap. While at it will go ahead and redo the heater and a/c unit. Also removed the radiator to get more space in the engine bay. Will post pics. shortly.

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Good swap,a friend ran an Overfinch modded LSE with 300TDI against a ZF/BW trans.All he did was to fit a larger intercooler and tweak the pump slightly.It went very well.Having a gear driven transfer case is a good idea with the R380 as the BW unit is not very smooth at low rpm /high load conditions once the chain has stretched a bit.

The TDI is a darn sight easier to live with in terms of long term maintenance,no distributor,rotor,cap,leads and plugs to fight with.Or exhaust manifold studs and gaskets to keep leak free...

I took a 200TDI RRC from 149 to 216,000m - never broke down,did some very hard work,and if it hadn't rusted out I'd still be driving it...

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Good swap,a friend ran an Overfinch modded LSE with 300TDI against a ZF/BW trans.All he did was to fit a larger intercooler and tweak the pump slightly.It went very well.Having a gear driven transfer case is a good idea with the R380 as the BW unit is not very smooth at low rpm /high load conditions once the chain has stretched a bit.

The TDI is a darn sight easier to live with in terms of long term maintenance,no distributor,rotor,cap,leads and plugs to fight with.Or exhaust manifold studs and gaskets to keep leak free...

I took a 200TDI RRC from 149 to 216,000m - never broke down,did some very hard work,and if it hadn't rusted out I'd still be driving it...

That is why I want the swap. I jus like the reliability of a diesel!!

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Just ordered $600 dollars worth of sound insulation from dynamat should be nice and quite by the time im done. I am now also thinking about sending the body to a paint booth since I will have everything off inside anyway.

Also just talked to my engine guy and my kit should be complete by the end of the month and heading this way!

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  • 1 month later...

Yup that is correct! I see you have a 200tdi classic, did you do the conversion yourself?

Sorry for tardy reply. It's a factory fit 200tdi. Rare beast. I like it but not everyone's taste. Pulls well and I get good mpg to boot.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Body and chassis in really good condition. I thought I would see more rust but none at all. I will go ahead and paint the front headlamp assembly area from all the rocks hitting and a spot inside the engine bay from a leak from the brake line. Other than that not much else. I thought about bringing it in to a paint shop but I think I will keep the little dings and scratches she has:)

So far I have logged in about 70 hrs I think working on the weekends by myself.

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Forgive me for butting in, but don't you guys have a saying that ''there ain't no substitute for cubes'' & you are going to retro-fit a 2.5litre 4 cyl. diesel into something that (had it been designed in your country instead of the UK) would probably been marketed with (at the very least) a 289ci V8?

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