guys i need your advise

[REDROVER]

guys i have 1990 classic rover , in perfect original condition inside out, this (junk) lol only gets 11 mpg. i am thinking of doing open hearth surgery.

DIESEL ,i wanna put in her, i have my 6.2 witch i LOVEEEEE, but on this one i want to do different.

300 tdi?

Mercedes 5 cylinder?

dodge 4 bt?

Volvo diesel?

for sure its gonna be with T56 six speed manual trans.


first question is, would u mess with beautiful condition classic?
second question, if u do, what motor would you choose? they all sound good.

tnx very much

ERIC

 

[tacr2man]

my 2/100ths , the range rover was built originally with a petrol(gas) V8 (originally american design tidied up) anything else detracts from the experience IMHO . You have to cover a lot of miles to recover the conversion costs to diesel , and whilst you are doing it its noisier and rougher , and a long time to regret going from a nice smooth quiet gas motor. I would go to a more modern V8 eg LS2 which will be more efficient than the old carby unit and will get into a higher gear quicker for cruising and better gas mileage JMHO

 

[jrose609]

Eric, for the love of God......NO! The nice original Classics are getting rare. keep it stock.

There are plenty out there with engine problems or tranny problems you could pick up. Find one that isn't running or needs lots of engine work. Your Classic is just too sweet.

The Classic is just that......a classic. It's a thing of beauty.

 

[94Discovery]

Td5 but lots of electronics or keep it basic and 300 tdi ,but again you have a classic with a basic 6.2 so how about the td5 and more challege?:sombrero:

 

[Ronct110]

Leave it alone unless the 3.9 engine is on its last leg and you can snag a 300 TDI deal and install it yourself.

I have a 1990 RRC, and like the 3.9 as far as ease of maintenance (sure beats the 4.6 on my DII - eats head gaskets for breakfast).

Again, I wouldn't change it. Yes, only gets 11 mpg (actually mine gets 13 mpg ), but since I only use it for camping/off-roading infrequently (a trip once or twice a quarter), I simply just factor in the 13 mpg fuel cost in my planning.

My commuter vehicle in not a Land Rover, and gets 4x better mpg; money on fuel saved goes towards entertainment.

Good luck w/your decision!

 

[86inch]

I think that if you can afford to rebuild, and can afford the petrol then i'd stick with a totally original truck. Anything you do to "update" it will be detrimental in the long term.
Having said that, if you really, really must then a 300TDI is the only diesel that you should consider. At least these were originally fitted to some RR classics and you will find conversion parts much easier to source and be sticking with Land Rover.
I certainly wouldn't put a 6.2 diesel in it. In your neck of the woods things may be different but i I've seen some here in the UK and the conversions never seem ideal for performance, handling and general driveability.

 

[jrose609]

if you are looking for a Land Rover to drop a diesel into, what about a Discovery 1? They seem to be a dime a dozen, and they are cheap.

 

[REDROVER]

Eric, for the love of God......NO! The nice original Classics are getting rare. keep it stock.

There are plenty out there with engine problems or tranny problems you could pick up. Find one that isn't running or needs lots of engine work. Your Classic is just too sweet.

The Classic is just that......a classic. It's a thing of beauty.

i think you are right sir, i shouldn't touch this untouched classic . its just to nice to be modified .. the original motor/ trans and everything is in perfect condition .

thank you guys, always helpful

ERIC

 

[ntan]

Agree, keep it stock. My '91 Hunter still has the original 3.9, and most of the rest of the RRC is still stock and will remain stock. And it is a huge pain getting original parts, but it's worth it.

 

[ini88]

Merc 5! I helped a friend put one in his Disco - http://njlr.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=290
They are quiet and smooth and great on MPG

 

[REDROVER]

So you need to look at it this way....this is your truck...modify it in a way that will bring you the most driving pleasure and make it useful to you. Or you could keep it in a dust bubble for the future owner many years down the road whom you do not know and wonder why you never used the truck. How many people move into a house and leave everything exactly as the day the first bought it? Keep the parts you take out, have the modifications done professionally and if a future owner is dying to have a stock classic they can change it back. I see more modified rigs out in the woods being enjoyed, why the stock rigs get left behind in the garage.

VERY INTERESTING AND GOOD WAY OF LOOKING AT IT. and i have to agree with what you saying . but also as much fan as it is having nicely modified rover, its also very much pleasure to look at 100% untouched rover even if its at the garage lol

but i like what you saying and its totally true reality

ERIC

 

[David Harris]

The Range Rover is by far the best with the Rover V8. As others have said, it was designed for this motor and works best with it. After all, Land Rover spec'ed a V8 in all of its Range Rover instructional films . . . Leave the diesels for the more utilitarian Rovers.

David

 

[maxingout]

Drive the H1 when you want the diesel feel, and keep the classic untouched for that awesome gas feel. I loved my gas Defenders in Arabia in the sand dunes. The 3.9 liter V8 blew me away offroad. Mileage didn't matter in Arabia because gas was cheap.

I have to admit I love driving my 6.5 liter H1 as my daily driver. It is the best urban combat vehicle that I have ever owned. You can tell when a vehicle has the right engine. It feels good and matches the vehicle design.

 

[Antichrist]

If it were a 70's or early 80's RRC I might vote for keeping it original also, but since the 1990 RR also came with a diesel (albeit a VM) I don't see anything wrong with putting a 300Tdi in it. As mentioned, a good job with the all the bits saved would let it easily be converted back to a V8 if you decide to sell it.

 

[REDROVER]

Drive the H1 when you want the diesel feel, and keep the classic untouched for that awesome gas feel. I loved my gas Defenders in Arabia in the sand dunes. The 3.9 liter V8 blew me away offroad. Mileage didn't matter in Arabia because gas was cheap.

I have to admit I love driving my 6.5 liter H1 as my daily driver. It is the best urban combat vehicle that I have ever owned. You can tell when a vehicle has the right engine. It feels good and matches the vehicle design.

94 HMC4 is my daily driver. i loveeeee it, and yes for diesel feeling nothing comes close to h1, the noise of the 39" tires + turbo 6.5+ 4 geared hubs + almost no sound proofing , makes you feel like you are inside the nuclear power plant haha

the thing is that i run out of project lol and here i see this Rover parked next to the Hummers and bad bad ideas go true my mind lol

but its better to keep it the way it came out of the Assembly line. even the spare tire has never been used.

is 300tdi just bolt on transplant ? what kind of transmission was used on that motor?

Eric