Caldiniho Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Hi all, First of all apologies if this is somewhere else but I have a slightly less common situation and I’m after all the answers in one place. The back story is, I have a 1989 defender 110 which a previous owner has done a fantastic job converting it to a defender 200tdi, great! A few owners later and I have it, the lt77 gearbox was tired and had a broken layshaft. I swapped this out for a stumpy r380, great! The issue I currently have now is the engine block is cracked and leaking water, it’s not in an ideal position either so it can’t really be repaired. What I want to do is get hold of a 300tdi, overhaul it and fit it as reconditioned. I believe one option is use the 200tdi flywheel and housing/engine back plate and use the existing stumpy gearbox. (I believe this means the engine sits further back) This would cause hose length problems at the front of the engine which I do not want. This makes me then want to convert my gearbox to the longer bellhousing and input shaft which will bolt straight on to a 300tdi so everything is in the right place. My goal is for it to fit and look like a standard 300tdi that has always been there. Obviously the engine mounts will move, the questions I would like an answer to are; Will the gearbox and transfer box be moved at all/will the mounts for these have to change or do they stay where they are? If the above changes is it just a case of new mounts and swapping the propshafts for 300tdi props, also will having a Salisbury rear axle affect this? Do I need to change the top plate on my gearbox to put the gearstick in the right place? Or can I simply disregard the above, change the bell housing and input shaft, mount the engine further forward and everything like air pipes, water pipes, oil pipes and fan cowling fit? I’m not work shy and have a workshop with all the tools and equipment for this, just need some advice from all of you out there with more experience and who knows their stuff 😂 Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) Sell the stumpy box and get a rebuilt regular box if you really want to go the "stock 300TDI" route. The gear box mounts and crossmember are different, placing the transfer case 2" more forward. You then need new propshafts. You also need a new gearbox tunnel and to modify the seatbox. With this route, you are best to find a wrecked 300TDI era truck to get parts from. Using a long bellhousing without moving the transfer case means the engine will not be in the stock location so you would need to custom make all the plumbing and fan cowling. The easiest route is to rebuild the 200TDI. Get a block from a wrecked Disco. The blocks are the same as the Defender. Edited January 28, 2019 by Red90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caldiniho Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 10 hours ago, Red90 said: Sell the stumpy box and get a rebuilt regular box if you really want to go the "stock 300TDI" route. The gear box mounts and crossmember are different, placing the transfer case 2" more forward. You then need new propshafts. You also need a new gearbox tunnel and to modify the seatbox. With this route, you are best to find a wrecked 300TDI era truck to get parts from. Using a long bellhousing without moving the transfer case means the engine will not be in the stock location so you would need to custom make all the plumbing and fan cowling. The easiest route is to rebuild the 200TDI. Get a block from a wrecked Disco. The blocks are the same as the Defender. I kind of thought getting a wrecked truck would be the best option as you say, do you have any idea if I fitted the 300 to the stumpy gearbox would the engine be in the right place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 The benefit of having the 300 in the 'correct' place is the viscous fan is in the right place just behind the rad and easier to use standard parts. If you fit it in the further back position it's not a huge challenge, oil cooler pipes can just be lengthened easily by cutting the steel pipe/joining with rubber hose, intercooler pipes are easy to extend with suitable diameter steel tube (exhaust tube is perfect). Fan position isn't usually an issue for normal UK use, it will probably catch on the power steering box but I've trimmed the blades on a few conversions and it's worked well. In hotter areas you might not an electric fan. Alternatively, depending on where in the world you are, just get another 200tdi block from Defender/Discovery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Caldiniho said: I kind of thought getting a wrecked truck would be the best option as you say, do you have any idea if I fitted the 300 to the stumpy gearbox would the engine be in the right place? No. It would be in a custom location. It will require everything around the engine to be custom. That said, many have done it. Personally I like a factory stock install as much as possible. It avoids re-inventing the wheel and makes sourcing parts simpler in the future. I really see zero reason to do anything custom if you live in the UK. You have access to endless amounts of wreckers with Defenders in them and cheap new parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caldiniho Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Thanks all, I live in the uk, I think the plan will be as follows. Pick up a 300tdi discovery with a rotten chassis. Pull the engine out and do a full rebuild at the engine rebuild company my dad owns (RE Arnett) get my still in warranty with Ashcroft transmissions stumpy gearbox changed to the correct nose cone and input shaft so I can throw on the bellhousing which is coming out of the discovery scrapper. all I then have to do is source some engine mounts, gear and trans mounts, props, pipes, fan cowling and a new rad and inter cooler. Then move the clutch slave over to the other side. Anything else? does anyone know if the gearbox top plate I have will fit? Will the 300tdi disco top plate fit or will I need a defender one of these too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Do you really, really want the 300TDI or something? Just trying to work out what you are trying to achieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caldiniho Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, Bowie69 said: Do you really, really want the 300TDI or something? Just trying to work out what you are trying to achieve. The 300tdi is the only one I can build rebooted to 2.8 and with the long stroke crank so yes 😂 plus it’s quieter, more parts available etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 11 minutes ago, Caldiniho said: Thanks all, I live in the uk, I think the plan will be as follows. Pick up a 300tdi discovery with a rotten chassis. Pull the engine out and do a full rebuild at the engine rebuild company my dad owns (RE Arnett) get my still in warranty with Ashcroft transmissions stumpy gearbox changed to the correct nose cone and input shaft so I can throw on the bellhousing which is coming out of the discovery scrapper. all I then have to do is source some engine mounts, gear and trans mounts, props, pipes, fan cowling and a new rad and inter cooler. Then move the clutch slave over to the other side. Anything else? does anyone know if the gearbox top plate I have will fit? Will the 300tdi disco top plate fit or will I need a defender one of these too? Why not just get a Discovery 200TDI and rebuild it and bolt on your Defender front cover and manifolds? What do you think you are gaining buy changing to a 300TDI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Meh. They are not quieter and there are a lot of downsides to the 300TDI. They fixed a few things and added a bunch more bad things in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Quieter is all a bit of a moot point when it comes to a TDI. If you want power, fit a V8, leave your gearboxes where they are converted to V8 input and put the savings into the fuel tank. Honestly, you are on to a right hiding trying to go with the 2.8. It is only 300cc after all. Fuelling and boost tweaks to the 200TDI will get you all the way to a stock 2.8 TGV, and then some. I really don't get it, you will likely be spending the thick end of £5K for .... well.... something you could do for £1K with a scrap P38. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohlins Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) As Red90 states.....I'd go the 200tdi route if I were you.....I've had both and I don't see any difference in either engine. The 200tdi will bolt back to the LT77 box if you can source one? Uses standard engine mounting placement. Have a wee peep below for more details? Cheaper and faster with less hassle. https://www.lrukforums.com/threads/2-5-n-a-engine-swap-to-200tdi-or-300tdi-threads-and-opinions-please.246769/ . Edited January 28, 2019 by Ohlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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