Petrol to deisel conversion

[seriesthreedreamer]

series three petrol. is it possible to convert it to deisel? is it cost/work effective?

[zed]

you mean engine swap right..
Downright impossible (lr diesel unavailable in US) to me. But in UK it seems to be a weekend hobby of many.
I know some people in the US with the 200 but I have no idea where they even get tune up parts for them.

[antichrist]

Since diesel series rovers where sold everywhere, including the US up to '68 I think, it's an easy swap if you're putting in a 2.25 or 2.5 diesel where a comparable petrol existed. 200tdi's can be done as well, though I hear on a LHD series they are a bugger.
I did a petrol to diesel 2.25 swap on my LHD air portable.

[seriesthreedreamer]

so its a case of taking the engine out and replacing it rather than fiddling with some parts?

[zed]

Are you sure antichrist.

I've never seen a LHD diesel.. the few I know of are not original. I;ve been searching for diesels.. Most places don't even sell parts for them.. much less short blocks or anything..
They are available... but not all that easy in the US.
Love one...but.. don't have my fingers crossed.

[roverhouse]

In the series III the block is the same petrol or diesel but that is just about it. The best way would be to buy a complete take out with the fuel lines and filters and swap them. All the set would be done and you could do it over a long weekend.

[antichrist]

Originally Posted by zed

Are you sure antichrist.

Absolutely! Actually LHD diesels aren't rare at all, though not so many in the US. But they were imported here at least up through '67.
For my conversion all I got was the engine, and maybe the throttle linkage because the injection pump is on the right side, so the linkage crosses from L to R, like on a 6cyl NADA.
However, really all you need is the engine. You can hook up a cable throttle, buy a cable actuated fuel shutoff at any NAPA, use a Raco fuel filter and rig a fuel return line to your fuel tank. I'd suggest getting a diesel sending unit so you have the low fuel level warning light, because they can be a pain to prime if you run empty. Or get an aux tank under the drivers seat.
Everything else is the same as a 2.25 petrol, radiator, fan, all that. Technically the diesels had heavier duty springs. But not that much different.

A Perkins 4203 conversion is more involved, but even that isn't bad, as it's a common conversion and kits are readily available.