Series 3 stage 1 300tdi conversion?

I've always fancied a s3 109 station wagon as a daily driver but never got round to buying one. So,due to my disco falling apart around me the plan is to run it till the mot runs out next year and then transplant the engine and box and possibly axles on to a 109 station wagon. Now, a good friend of mine has offered me his s3 stage 1 V8 109 station wagon that's been in his family for about 15 years and the last 8 of them its been stood in a barn,its all original and complete but needs a chassis (not a problem)
He's offering it to me for a very good price but obviously its a V8 and I want a tdi,so the question is.....would I be burned at the stake if I converted it to a tdi?

That would be a nice motor and an easy conversion with the stage one front

Would be a fairly easy conversion , although the axle idea is a bit of a non starter ! and you might need to get a different ratio transfer box for the ZF as a 1.2 will be too high with 750x16 HTSH

You already own a awesome v8 series. so no one is gunna say owt about swoping the v8 on another motor to run it

V8jon said:

I've always fancied a s3 109 station wagon as a daily driver but never got round to buying one. So,due to my disco falling apart around me the plan is to run it till the mot runs out next year and then transplant the engine and box and possibly axles on to a 109 station wagon. Now, a good friend of mine has offered me his s3 stage 1 V8 109 station wagon that's been in his family for about 15 years and the last 8 of them its been stood in a barn,its all original and complete but needs a chassis (not a problem)
He's offering it to me for a very good price but obviously its a V8 and I want a tdi,so the question is.....would I be burned at the stake if I converted it to a tdi?

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Yes you would thoroughly deserve any punishment you get for ruining a Stage 1 The Stage 1 station wagons are getting to be like hens teeth now, and there never were that many of them to start with. There are plenty of 4 cylinder 109's around you can drop a tractor engine in, and a Stage 1 in original condition will actually be worth quite a lot of money, provided you don't ruin it by sticking a diesel engine in it.


In case you hadn't noticed, I am not a fan of Diesels

martin1512 said:

Yes you would thoroughly deserve any punishment you get for ruining a Stage 1 The Stage 1 station wagons are getting to be like hens teeth now, and there never were that many of them to start with. There are plenty of 4 cylinder 109's around you can drop a tractor engine in, and a Stage 1 in original condition will actually be worth quite a lot of money, provided you don't ruin it by sticking a diesel engine in it.


In case you hadn't noticed, I am not a fan of Diesels

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This is the problem you see,i don't particularly like diesels but wouldn't want to run a stage one with a v8 as a daily driver.
I don't really want to rip the V8 out of a rare landy either but it is being offered to me for next to nothing,on the condition that i restore it and use it for myself and not sell it on and make a small fortune!
Looks like i'll have to keep my eye out for a standard 109 then

Its a nice original one though be a shame to let it carry on rotting

lpg it ?

just incase there is someone who dont know what the diferance between a stage 1 and a standard 109
Can someone explain to them please :crazy_driver:

stage ones are just better

Dr_evil said:

stage ones are just better

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I dont know either :crazy_driver:

Stage 1 was the first stage of the changes that eventually led to the 110. They came with a V8 rather than the previous petrol/diesel lumps that the series machines came with and other better bits and bobs (couldn't say what though).

I think the main thing is that they are quite rare in their normal state, but I don't think a tdi engine is going to get you burned at the stake. Best saved with a tdi (that's usable) than left to rot because of originality IMO.

Do it. Don't let people decide what you can and can't do, if you want a 300tdi Stage 1 then build one - it's not like it can't be converted back in the future - if you're really worried, hold onto the original engine.

orrrr put a derv V8 in it and meet half way

Spunka said:

just incase there is someone who dont know what the diferance between a stage 1 and a standard 109
Can someone explain to them please :crazy_driver:

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They were the first Land Rover factory fitted with a V8 engine, it was restricted to 95 BHP though. It was the first Land Rover since the very first few series I's to be fitted with permanent 4 wheel drive. It had the Range Rover gearbox, transfer box and front axle. It had longer diff ratio's than previous 109's which meant it could comfortably travel at motorway speeds (when new) It also had better brakes to cope with the extra speed. The majority of the stage 1's were built as pickups and hardtops, with only a few station wagons produced, and most stage 1's were exported, with only a couple of hundred of each type in the UK. Most of these were bought by utility companies or the emergency services.

Bump said:

Do it. Don't let people decide what you can and can't do, if you want a 300tdi Stage 1 then build one - it's not like it can't be converted back in the future - if you're really worried, hold onto the original engine.

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Totally agree , its better the vehicle is preserved with a different engine than someone gets it and doesnt appreciate what they have !

They were the first landrover that I bought just over year old (mine was a red V8 SW (wac reg) that i could use without modding to try and get better performance . I towed down to stuttgart (vintage merc on trailer) sat at 70/80 mph on the autobahn . Sold it in 86 to buy my current V8CSW , which I have taken the V8 out and am just fitting a 3L turbo BMW in its place