Time for a reconditioned 19J??

I have a 1969 LHD Series 3 made for the Yugoslav police, which has been re engined with a Defender 19J engine and LT77S gearbox. The engine number is 19J00189C, so is a very early production model. It is a "Bitza" vehicle though, with oddments from all sorts of LR's.

The odometer is stuck at 35,000 KM, but for how long? I suspect it has had many, many more kilometers than are shown. In southern Dalmatia where it is over +35C for most of the summer, I know it will have had a hard life.

Recently I have been suffering with oil leaks, lots of them, then degraded performance which I put down to a failed head gasket, due to the spraying of oil around the engine, but I can't see the engine for the sticky oil. Then this week the starter has failed as I was trying to get it to be steam cleaned. I have no information about age of things like the timing belt!

I do not have any workshop facilities, or even covered storage so although I have some knowledge, I don't have the facilities to do anything more than basic maintenance.

I think the time has come to consider a reconditioned or replacement engine which a local engineer would install for me.

Does anyone have experience they could share of where to obtain one in UK or Europe? There only seems to be one supplier when I Google the term - landroverreconditionedengines.co.uk/ - although they seem to be just a clearing house rather than actual reconditioner.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading

NW

Does it have to be a 19J over in the uk we would replace with 200tdi or 300tdi from a landrover discovery , noiser but much better engines.

Hi, Thanks for the quick reply. No, it doesn't have to be a 19J. I thought if it was like-for-like though, there is less messing trying to mate parts. Depends how hard or easy it is to mate a disco engine to the gearbox and all the ancillary equipment, radiator, etc. etc...

Getting parts here is impossible, so everything comes from John Cradocks, or Paddicks. The less I have to try and get, the better and there is no where I can just "pop out to" to buy something. It is 7 to 10 days away by courier or post.

NW