Defender 90 engine upgrade

[saxor]

Has anyone upgraded their Defender 90 engine? I was thinking of a few options like a supercharger, engine swap, etc... Any suggestions or comments? I am in California. It's hard to get going on the freeway with the current engine.

Thanks for your help.

 

[joey]

I have heard of several upgrades to LR's in general. Everything from a performance Rover engine 5.2 liter to a 6.2 liter diesel, and I believe I have read somewhere someone installed a Chevy 350 in one.

Supercharger is not a good option unless you have tons of cash to blow... a good supercharger is 4k, and when it ruins your existing engine you will spend even more money then you could have to buy just an upgrade engine.

 

[j.stobart]

Hi it is fairly easy to upgrade the engines on defenders due to the large amount of space in the engine bay. I have seen a 6.2 liter GMC diesel engine in one, and all that is needed is a conversion plate to mate it to the gearbox bell housing, there was one of these engines on ebay last month which sold for $1000.00 I also have a friend with a mercedes 3 litre 6 cylinder engine with the conversion plate which should drop straight in the defender very torquey, and good cruising speeds of 110mph!!

The engine I have just put in mine is a 200tdi from a newer defender, which has made a very surprising performance enhancement.

I also know somebody who has fitted a daimler V8 engine and also attached a supercharger, this thing beats subaru's and evo's from a standing start, and is one of the only trucks I have seen at the quarter mile drag strip sprint!!