Anderzander

Lol - a point which is fast approaching it seems !

I bought (and haven't used!) a pair of the weld on engine mounts for a 2.25 petrol to fit a 200tdi into my series, and they were from Designachassis.

Just wanted to say thank you again for all the good input. At the moment I'm considering using a walking aid that's available - it's sturdy, large wheels, even has a couple of shelves, and is narrow enough to fit through doorways - so it may be a reasonable base.

Thank you everyone - I've bought all the things recommended One last question .... I've also bought an air powered cut off tool - orientated like a grinder and 75mm discs. It has adjustable speeds on it...... I'm presuming this isn't as complex as setting feeds and speeds when machining - but could anyone give a pointer as to when the speeds would be altered ?

That's fantastic

The drive flanges must be the easiest to check and cheapest to fix ?

Super helpful Si - thank you. Though it's now looking like I wasted some money on engine mounts. I'm going to borrow an engine crane and see what I can do. My plan is to start a thread for the 80 and seek help as I go along (albeit slowly). Thank you again. Stephen

Hmmm I don't know if this is upto date: http://www.minimag.co.uk/files/2011/08/inf262.pdf But that does refer to an 'unaltered chassis' and anything with a chassis modification needing an IVA. Points wise it would still be OK as the rest of the vehicle will remain standard - but I suppose it's the risk and fuss. What to do .....

I must admit - I'd never thought about IVA. It seemed more of a bracket change than a chassis change - but I can see how it can be viewed as a chassis modification. Where would I get a definitive response on it ? The engine will fit with standard chassis mounts - but the drivers side chassis mount sits very high and thus close to the timing case on the 200tdi - so there is no room to put in an angled mount. With the flat mounts they do vibrate quite a bit.

Can I ask an opinion on something. I'm fitting a 200tdi to my 80" for a few reasons, that include: the original engine has gone (it came with a 2.25) and I want to use it and the Tdi economy will help a lot with that. I thought long and hard about what to do with the engine mounts and I've become comfortable with welding in 2.25 petrol ones. The angle on the later mounts was obviously adopted as it went a long way to removing vibration. So my question is around the drivers side mount - I need to retain the small passenger side one as much as possible for the engine number, and initial thoughts are I can probably leave the whole thing and it look OK. On the driver side though I'm thinking cut the large raised mount flush with the inside of the chassis and plate it over - the top bit remains as evidence of its past life - without looking messy I think ......... Or - just remove the whole thing so the new mount looks like it was always the one fitted....... Perhaps a daft question for some - or a premise people disagree with more fundamentally for other - But for me it's getting a balance between looking 'right' and respecting the vehicle's history. In a sense the plan is for the engine change to become part of the vehicles history - and I want a future owner to look and say: "it's been well done" and perhaps say "it looks a factory job" Any thoughts anyone ?

I figured it out It seemed a bit of a Rubik's cube - but clicked into place.

Could anyone point me to a picture that shows how the 2.25 engine mounts assemble please ?

How does this play into dual battery set ups ? As I presume they put in parallel path by default ?

Mikey - could you move it into the bay and park the other where it currently is ?

This is a helpful thread ! I think the bite sized jobs is a great plan - but I also think accessibility is key to it too. For ages my workshop was a tip and it would have involved lots of work just to clear a space and get the tools together - once I sorted that it became possible to just pop in and spend as little time as I had - but the time was all going into something productive. Similarly my series 1 has been in a garage with no power, no space, and a wet gravel floor .... To do anything on it meant pulling it out and transporting my tools to it etc - a couple of hours work just to set up and clear up. So I've just got a new prefab garage sorted and will hopefully be getting a hand to move it in today. I'm looking forward to benefitting from the same ease of access. I may also now look to pick up a whiteboard. The only other thing I've done is not give myself a hard time if I don't make progress - putting myself under pressure or making myself feel like I'm failing doesn't do anything for my motivation.

Looks great !

Agree with the above - this topic has come up a few times and always demonstrates the same experience I had, namely that the aftermarket ones I got were a dreadful waste of money.

Thanks guys ! I'll look into it.

How difficult is it to fit a new centre diff ? Is there bearings to preload ? And is a press required ?

I just spent the afternoon with a couple of people who once worked in Coutts Bank - it's a different world....

Thanks Boris - I think it's 50l and 14cfm, so I might give it a go.

Thank you again Lewis - where would you use these over a flap disc ? Or visa versa ?

It did for me !

What grade did you use on the DA ? I think I've been given a cheap air one I could try.

Thanks everyone - that's a huge help !! If forgotten about those strip and clean discs - I used one ages ago and was working really well, though I ended up wearing it away really quickly on too abrasive a surface - that I probably should have had a flap disc on. What are they like for stripping (thick) paint off body work ? Should it be used in conjunction with a paint stripper ? Are the soft pads the same as the flexi pads listed on eBay ? I hadn't even realised they did these for grinders. Good call on the PPE - I'll get a face mask and fit the side handle for the wire wheels.