damoace

Ah HA! I'm glad you brushed on Exhaust gas temp's - cos it's another area that my "rules of thumb" regarding basic power tuning (of low tech petrol 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines) is at odd's with what I'm learning is correct for diesel's. I read a couple "EGT" type threads and it seems that richening the mixture causes the temp to increase. Now, on planet Damo, it's normally a lean mixture (too much air or not enough fuel/oil) that causes the exhaust/piston/valve temps (and my blood pressure/vocabulary) to hit the rafters. How come that for the same boost (ie air volume prior to compression) an increase in fuel causes such a massive increase in core temp? My understanding (admittedly gained from pushing petrol engines) is that more fuel for the same amount of air equals a drop in EGT (and core temp) as the extra fuel damps the reaction at detonation, gives *Less* power (and leaves more unburnt/incompletely burnt fuel) than a mixture which borders on the "perfect ratio" and leads to a total burn of all fuel and air added (which gives a hike in EGT and core surface temp) and gives more power. Continuing to lean it out will eventually be very bad indeed for your motor/bank balance/nerves as it will result in a "crikey it's going well this morning..bang bang duck" moment. And that goes double for 2strokes. I know engine guys who ride 2 stroke bikes with two fingers on the clutch at all times and measure the endurance of their engines with a stopwatch instead of the mileometer! I suspect that all the above is codswallop when it comes to diesels but could anyone explain why? The more I research for "Damo'sDisco" (named by the wife - Bless) the more I learn that what I thought was right is, er, not quite correct... ahem...

Thanks chap, I'm planning on 32" tyres or thereabouts with spacers to widen it all off a bit. So all info on arch cutting is greatfully recieved.. like the comp shot of the the two tyre sizes, really shows the difference. I pretty much stuck to 750/16's on the Rangie and 206/16 swampers (or diamonds) on the Safari racer. But I want to try something different this time.

Silly question- Whats a "Camel Cut". If its a means to get hooge wheel tyre combo's on then I'm interested....

deffo not the preferred method for sure. From what I've learned so far, it seems to be a case of 150(ish) BHP for virtually no $ at all with the 200TDI. First tune will be cheap stuff as most of the budget will be spent on axle hardening (I really have had enough of rebuilding diff's/replacing axles/driving home with the car banging around like zebeddy/listening to the affected axles grenade-ing on the way home/spunking ep90 all over the place) so the axles/diffs/shafts/cage/sliders/suspension will take most of the initial cash. The Power tuning at 1st fix will be more a case of intercooler/snorkle/pump adjustments to start with. Only if I still cant climb the steep stuff (something I love doing) after doing that lot will there be talk of spending large amounts of money on the BHP/NM. 150BHP "should" be enough and I reckon thats doable (at 1bar boost) without blueprinting or silly talk on the dry sump side of life. However, it *is* customary that I blow at least one block up during development! :) if the game plan works out then it'll have to be a thermite attack on an old block in the yard just to satisfy the traditionalist's!

The body lift is a home made job that I knocked up for the RR. I suspect that it'll be no good for the Disco but I was going to get the car and have a look. I've knocked a lump into the budget for a "RoverTym" body lift from the states if my setup cant be fitted. The corrected swivels are a Fleabay jobby from a while ago. No real way to tell who made them. All the same, going to stick to the 200 as they seem to be easier to get the power out of (bang for buck wise). One of the things that the RR did very well indeed was to climb very steep things very quickly. I'd like to make sure that the diesel can do the same, and that needs a certain amount of power.... LMAO! :):):):)

all good intel, thanks guy's. I know it sounds anal, but I like to plan the builds a bit in advance to avoid surprises.. I'm not *quite* ready to start as I need to sell my current roadcar before the funds are in, it's going in the press over the next couple of weeks also SWMBO tells me that i'll be stabbed if I fill the garage up with even more *junk* (her word not mine) before clearing the current *junk* away. However, I do have a basic idea of what it'll end up like (building/running the Bobtail taught me a couple of hard lessons) and a budget to plan it to.. The starting spec has panned out to a 200tdi 3door commercial (or 3dr with the rear seats out but i'd prefer a commercial) with good inner wings, sills and boot. I'll have about £2000 to buy the car. From what i've seen thats not too far off... I've already got a +_ 2inch kit, a 2"body lift, castor corrected swivels and a larger intercooler. The sliders,bumpers, and rollcage are next on the list but I may wait until I actually have the car before going to mad on those. Watch this space, P.S would it be okay if I pestered you all on the pro's and cons of Diff Lockers? I did'nt have them on the Bobtail and after changing more diffs than i've got fingers and toe's, I reckon a locker at each end is nessesary on this one.... I'll start another post after checking the FAQ's....

ah ha! "nternet lag" strikes.. Thanks mark. You have answered my question even before i'd finished typeing it up... damn these slow metal fingers..

understood all. You are indeed correct. I'm trolling the nationals (and the dreaded Fleabay) for prospective cars. I suspect the 200 is the way forward and that leads to the next obvious question: how to differentiate between the TD/200Tdi? I know you can look at V5's and perhaps lookup chassis numbers with LR, are there any dead "giveaways" when talking to vendors on the telephone or looking at the lump itself?

Hello all another newbee speaking up. After a few years of fraternising with V8's in Bobtailed Rangie's, I'm planning my first plunge into building with diesel power on the Discovery side of life. I'm still at the planning stage with this and I'm learning that I dont know as much as I thought I did! My first question is probably a simple one: Just how many different diesel engine models were fitted to early Disco's? So far i've seen 2.5TD, 200Tdi (my preferred target motor at the moment) and the 300Tdi (although the 300 is not really an option to start with as the cars with it fitted are too new for my budget, for the same reason (only more so) I'm not worried about the TD5 as it's way too new for my wallet. My understanding is that the 200 is more expensive but easier to play with and get more out of than the 300 but what is a 2.5TD? Is it just another name for one of the other lumps? or a different beast altogether? Any info would be appreciated. The plan involves a 3door (hopefully a Marshall Van type) body and a quite a bit of "lifting"... and cutting and drinking and hitting things with hammers and welding and (probably) swearing! Many Thanks in advance...