Steve's Land Raft

[Steve Swan]

Been quiet on here. Have been picking off small jobs on the Landy, like new front bumper, a centre console to hold the Boost gauge and EGT that's now fitted, I've added a swing away wheel carrier at the back, new Mudflaps and some plastic mud shields to protect the new metalwork fitted, it's quieter and has more room inside, putting the spare on the rear crossmember has taken the sting out of the rear suspension, which was an unexpected bonus, but it weighs nearly the same as a Renault 8 Gearbox.
A question about turbos for your comments....
The original is tired. It's nearly making standard boost, but that's about it, I would like to modernise it a bit in this department, but the choices are bewildering. it's a Garrett T2.5
The choices are either
A new cheap cartridge.... you get what you pay for, so I think this is a waste of time and effort
A new better quality cartridge.... Difficult to tell from the above I am thinking, so not keen
A new OE turbo. will maybe be better, but not much I would think.
A hybrid. These seem to have redesigned compressor wheels, supposed to spool earlier and hang on a bit better. Loads of options on this mod alone
A complete new Turbo. Turbo Technics do a new VGT turbo for the 300tdi which has a new turbine/exhaust casting and is adjusted by a pressure actuator. I'm thinking the biggest issue with all the other options is they use the standard/ original exhaust side, so the benefits can't be all that great???
The only one I can find dyno figures for is the VGT type fitted to the International 2.8 (300 tdi based) these can also be bought, but all the connections are reversed, so it is obvious that it's been messed with. The Turbo Technics version is a sort of copy of this, but with all the connections in the right places, so it looks standard.
Can anyone enlighten me?? I have done the big intercooler mod, which would be needed for any upgrade. Would be nice to get it to spool earlier and make a bit more in the middle, like how it is now, but with more from the bottom to middle, by default it would be better at the top end, but remember what it is this will never be above 3000 rpm.
I am going to get the pump and injectors reconditioned as they're 28 years old and 170,000 miles down. Have spoken to a guy the Landy community use, who says he can build in some mods to work with the better turbo, if I can give him all the relevant details, sounds hopefull. It has to be Mot'able not interested in the dissapear in your own smoke screen. It draws unwanted attention from Authority.....

 

[Renaldo]

Good to hear you have been completing more jobs on the Landy
I think the turbo question is going to down to personal preference and opinion as like you say there are various options.
Myself I would be going for a standard complete replacement turbo from Essex Turbos and with the pump and injectors reconditioned run the higher end of standard boost and fuelling to match.
This way you should have healthy standard power without excessive smoking-but that’s just my thoughts

 

[Big Steve - Raider]

@Adey is always the guy I think of when it comes to fiddling with Turbo’s. He maybe has one of another car to propose??

 

[Norwich Nick]

I’d go for a mild hybrid of some sort, like you say, improved drivability throughout the whole range.

Oe obviously isn’t cutting the mustard anymore and you’re not about rolling coal.

 

[Adey]

Slightly bigger comp wheel machined into the original compressor will flow a touch more air in, shouldn't delay spool up being newer either. With turbos there will nearly always be a trade off.

More bottom end and mid could be had with the stock turbo refreshed and a map tweak/more boost.

A turbo for more top end will almost always be at the sacrifice of bottom end response.

 

[Steve Swan]

The thing is that there are loads of people making claims, but no figures to back them up. The only Dyno figures I can find are for the 2.8 VGT type which raises peak torque from 195ft/lbs@1800 rpm to 225ft/lbs@1400 rpm, this looks useful, but all the connections are the wrong way round, so I am leaning toward the Turbo Technics copy of the above turbo, hoping for similar numbers.
This is an old mechanical Diesel, so there's no map to tweak, everything's fixed by the pump settings, I've done the big intercooler, next is to move the wastegate control from the turbo snail to the inlet manifold, then I can adjust the boost fuel slope by rotating the offset cone in the pump top, as I'm interested in seeing if increasing the fuelling on boost also increases boost. You need to increase the energy in the exhaust gas to spool the turbo, playing with the timing will do this ,but is not achievable on this type of engine, so I'm going to see if playing with fuel will help.
This is why I keep coming back to using a more modern design turbo to modernise the feel of the motor a bit, something that will spool earlier, but then adjust itself to increase its window of operation. The adjustment is controlled by a mechanical actuator to move the vanes , not electrically controlled.
Something I have an understanding of, but not a sound working knowledge.

 

[Steve Swan]

As I keep picking away at silly little things, which need doing, the latest of which was a new battery, as the one fitted was very small and after a 20 mile drive on the Dual carriageway with the sidelights on, I left it outside the Engineering firm I was visiting with the sidelights on for no more than 5-10 mins and it nearly didn't start.... After a bit of reading on here I found a 663 case was the biggest that fits in the space, so did that and what an improvement. Even the recent -8 morning was no issue.
I also got a swing away wheel carrier , went for the SP Panels Galv version. All worked as it was supposed to. The only thing I did was run an M12 Reamer through the Nylon bushes, as the bolts were Effin tight. I wonder if the Galv had reduced the diameter of the Eyes the bushes are pressed into closing up the bolt holes a little. It works great though and makes the internal loadspace much more useable. I had got a High lift Jack in Rally Design's sale which is now fitted across the rear of the Tub bulkhead on a couple of brackets for a CJ7 jeep, so if i'm unlucky enough to get a puncture, I'll be able to deal with it without having to resort to rolling around on the ground, I hope
Pics for information






More soon......

 

[Steve Swan]

Last week the Sun did pop out by lunchtime, so I bit the bullet and fitted my front anti-roll bar and Straight through silencer.




This was made up from a Stainless Link pipe and a Straight through Stainless silencer welded together to fit with all the original mounts.




It won't win a beauty contest, but it's mechanically strong and won't rust.
On the road it only becomes a bit boomy above 3/4 throttle. On normal driving and cruising it sounds standard, that'll do me.

The front end has always felt a bit sharp to me, so I have fitted a Front anti-roll bar only. The mix is now Britpart -1" springs, Bilstein B6 shocks and a Bilstein steering damper , The Front bar is a standard item.
On the road it feels great Firm, but supple, rides the bumps well, is quiet and now on an undulating twisty back road at 50 effortless and comfortable. I'm impressed with it. Well worth the effort, compared to how it was originally.




The quest continues...

 

[Steve Swan]

Re-fitting the Protector piece to the axle meant longer bolts reqd. I had a casual look at them and thought Oh, yeah. Defenders are metric, except the bits that aren't. These are one of these bits then. A troll through the Bolts dept yielded some 3/8 unf setscrews, dandy. Or so I thought.




Nope that won't fit.. Ok it's Definitely 3/8, not unf, unc, so that leaves yes you guessed it..




3/8 BSF!! not seen since the War... The Boer War.That was a lucky find in the Tap and Die box .




Luckily being 3/8 you can take 20 thou off the shank of an M10 bolt and thread it. Those holes in the axle must be a hangover from the last ice age..

 

[Steve Swan]

Some pics of the re positioned Track rod protector thing.
I could lose the washers and make a proper Alloy spacer plate, or, I could have just thrown it all in the bin... You Decide...







I also have fitted a cheap Alternator triggered Tacho and will need to calibrate it, my mate had the adaptor for his Snap on timing light that listened for the injection pulse when checking dynamic timing on Diesels. I should be able to use that to set it up.
More Soon..

 

[Steve Swan]

When I e-mailed Allisport about the VGT turbo they said they were waiting on Stock which would be around 3 weeks, so I put myself down to be informed when they were available. Then Exmoor trim were doing the Defeater barrier mat system with around £60 off. I had been turning this over in my mind for some time, as my interior is pretty good, but the original rubber bits have gone brittle with age and are falling apart, So I spent some of the turbo money and ordered/fitted it. Nothing to say really it does exactly what it is supposed to do. It is Quieter, it looks fantastic. Expensive,but it works.
Then out of the Blue Allisport Email,and your turbo's ready..... That 3 weeks ended up more like 4 days.
I got new Bullhorns and Silicone hoses as well and got stuck into it today.
First up Oil and filter change.
Strip all the old bits out




The old Garrett out




The new, with old for comparison

Fitting was remarkably dull and straightforward




I disconnected the stop solenoid and got a friend to crank it until I got a small glassful of oil out of the Turbo feed pipe, then I connected it and cranked it until I got oil pressure without starting it, seemed the easiest way to me.




Connected it up and lit it up, so far, so good, let it idle and check for leaks, I could hear and feel a slight blow on the down-pipe gasket.




Nipped up the flange and went for a short road test.
Wow, what a difference, a slight prod gives 15 psi and we're off, it rips through the gears in Jig time.
When I drove a friend's from the Landy forum's 90 it was the same, but another push saw the boost climb to 19psi, but his vehicle has a few other tasty bits fitted to it.
I need to live with it and sort through things, I tried adjusting the boost fuelling a while ago, but all I got was smoke, so I put it back as it was. I noticed from tonight's short test that there was no smoke visible and the EGT is basically as before, meaning I can up the ante and see what happens next.
If it goes Bang, I'll sweep up the bits and re-build it, meaner... Seriously I need to get the FIP overhauled, this has been done on Mike's and probably has something to do with the higher boost numbers.
To be Continued.............

 

[Duncan Grier]

Good to see some solid progress and improvements.....you have to be happy with that

 

[Adey]

awesome updates, is the vgt turbo purely vac/boost controlled?

 

[Steve Swan]

awesome updates, is the vgt turbo purely vac/boost controlled?

All analogue mate. If I get the pump rebuilt and tuned mechanically it will give more.