2000 SC Diesel - Every day driver

A

ashley

New Member
:) further to my oil seal problem previosly, I have been reading with interest other previous articles, in particular the one regarding the possible montego turbo engine transplant.

this mentions a sherpa (what about a frieght rover) gearbox fitting a TC bellhousing, therefore I wonder would a sherpa diesel engine fit the P6?

Obviously there would be some fabrication (engine mounts, linkages, higher poundage front springs etc), but if all the main components bolt together and physically fit the space available in the engine bay, that is half the battle.

just think diesel economy(especially on cooking oil) and reliability,P6 ride and looks, free road tax.

Ok it will be slow(turbo diesel may be not) but you could have a V8 in the garage for the weekend!
 
I am glad that I am not the only person out there with a passion for changing things!! I had not even thought of a diesel engine in a 2000 before, and I have produced some strange modifications in my time.
I would suggest that you look very closely at the weight of a diesel as opposed to the standard engine, and if you will need to adjust the position of the new engine forward or backward to get the balance right. There is a ton of room as you know, the bay was meant to hold a gas turbine after all!
Can you get a modern diesel and gearbox complete? This would save a lot of hassle in mating new to old, and the new box would at least be the right one for the engine. The diff ratio may also need to be changed. Dont quote me but didnt Rover do a Turbo diesel car in the late 80s-early 90s? Unfortunatly I live in Australia and diesel cars have yet to take off here so I cannot really know. This may be a good starting point as a wrecked one will provide all the bits that you need in one go, without having to hunt them down all over the place.
Still, go for it and let us all know how the project goes. It is always nice to know that there are others out there pushing the envelope of sanity with respect to old cars!! Good luck mate hope to hear more soon. ;)
 
As go to all that trouble, why not convert to gas?

I have done just that with my V8 and use it every day.

I am getting the same mileage/pound as I am from the wife’s diesel MG ZT!!! (Equivalent 38/40 mpg)!!!!

Okay, the conversion cost just over £900 but within 12 - 18 months I will have broke even.

The only problem I had was the car cutting out at lights after giving it a bit of stick. That was because the gas doesn't like the 'ram air' set up on the V8. A set of K & N's sorted that.

Honestly - it's the dogs wotsits!

Johnny. :D
 
LPG is a very good idea, I was quoted "kit price £498.00 including delivery, choice of cylinder tank size 50 to 90 lt. in the price" just before christmas for a kit to fit a V8, ok if you fancy doing it yourself.

If you prefer a diesel, I would suggest finding a modern rear wheel drive diesel car, Vaux Omega, BMW 3/5 series, did Ford do a diesel Scorpio ??

Rover did a 2.5 turbo diesel 800, but that was front wheel drive so not much help.

Richard
 
Yes, Ford did an early 2.3 Sierra and later on did a 2.5 turbo Granada. The engines were built by Peugeot and were not the most refined engines or the best.

The later 1.8 TD Sierra engine (1990 on) would probably be best if you wanted a Ford.

Also a word of note on the LPG. Be very careful which kit you buy. Some have a tendancy to backfire and this cannot be easily cured - if at all. If you intend to DIY, make lots of enquiries before commiting yourself. My conversion is by BRG which works very well but I had it fitted by a dealer who knew his stuff and who recommended that kit for the Rover V8.

Johnny. ???
 
I'll second Johnny's warning about some diy lpg installations. Check with your insurance company first. They may not be happy with diy and may insist on an installation by a member of the LPGA who issue a certificate with the kit. Which? magazine did a survey of LPG installers and there were many dodgy ones out there. There were no problems with LPGA menebers however.
I'd definitely go the lpg route though. All the pleasure of petrol performance with diesel running costs. It's a no-brainer if you use your car a lot.
 
The Rover SD1 came with a diesel option. However your chances of finding such an engine in a breakers are remote.

The Omega diesel uses a BMW 6 cylinder unit. Its a fine engine but probably to long for the P6. You may recall that Rover tried a straight six in the P6 (it was one and a half 2000 engines welded together) The body required considerable modification to make it fit which is why the straight five was later tried (albeit for a very short period unit the V8 came along).

The Vauxhall Carlton turbo diesel was a 4 cylinder unit. The Carlton was rear wheel drive. The engine was also used in the Astra so presumably that unit can be mated to a vauxhall rear drive gearbox.
 
Virtually all the vauxhall fwd engines of that era will go to rear drive, with the Getrag carlton box bolted on. Only problem usually is the distributor which stick out of the end of the head on the fwd versions.

I have a 1.8i Cav sri engine in a Chevette, I could have used the carlton box (but used a ford sierra 5 speed with custom bellhousing as the ratios are better)

I guess a Carlton is similar in weight to a P6 as well. So should produce similar performance figures.


Richard
 
No one seems to speak highly of the diesel SD1. Anyone had one? Clive Annable has built an SD1 with a diesel from a Sherpa. Would this fit in the P6?
 
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