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Post by Phil Nottingham on Mar 26, 2008 16:53:31 GMT
I entirely agree but new and modern car buyers and manufacturers do not and they are in the majority
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2008 18:49:47 GMT
a mate of mines got a 2.5 di transit in his p5. he reckons it really needs a turbo. try something like a nissan patrol tdi
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Post by robinsummerhill on Jun 29, 2020 15:57:11 GMT
Having also driven in a P5B diesel owned by an ex member, Robin S,l I have to agree, it was truly aweful, but the owner was well pleased as he used the car daily (around 20k per annum I think) so I guess it depends on your needs. Obviously it saved fuel cost but if my memory is correct the installation was around £5k and the company that installed it said 'neverr again!" HTH I don’t know if a thread resurrection after 12 years is a record on this forum, but it certainly is for me! However, as I see I was mentioned on it I thought that some newer members might like to know the background to my diesel conversion back in 1991. At the time my P5B coupe was in daily use, and indeed I was doing some 25k pa in it. The V8 had had it (not through lack of maintenance on my part by the way), and I had always liked the idea of a diesel conversion. Clearly that was going to be more expensive than simply replacing or reconditioning the Buick, but the fact that something had to be done anyway was a factor in the calculations. There were also other factors. The continuing availability of 4-star petrol was becoming a concern, and at the time nobody really knew how that was going to pan out in practice over time. The other major factor was fuel costs, and the diesel lived up to its advertising, returning 35-38mpg compared to the 18-20 mpg I was getting previously. In addition, at that time (nearly 30 years ago now), diesel was cheaper than petrol at the pumps. I found a garage in Kirtlington, Oxon, who specialised in Land Rover diesel conversions and the proprietor agreed to take the job on. One minor correction to David’s post was that it was his mechanic who said “never again,” not the garage owner, who would in fact have been quite keen to do some more. That, however, is academic; the owner retired about 20 years ago and his former garage site is now a housing development. The initial conversion did leave something to be desired, and that was caused by the Perkins 4.182 (a 3-litre despite the name) being limited to 3600rpm. Putting 3600rpm through a BW35 box gives you a maximum speed of 74mph which is of little use on a motorway so, when the box itself needed a rebuild in 1995, I did a further conversion, putting in an SD1 5-speed manual box instead. That was nowhere near as expensive as the diesel conversion, and the net result was a very satisfactory car – in my opinion of course! I think David’s experience of the car was as passenger when we both went to an inaugural pub meeting on the Somerset levels (although he may have driven it at some time – I can’t remember after all this time). I accept that it was a bit noisy compared to some other P5s (I owned a 1966 P5 saloon for some years that you were never sure when idling if the engine had cut out or not) but, on the other hand, I’ve ridden in and heard some rough P5s still with their petrol engines! Regarding costs, the diesel conversion cost a little in excess of £5k but I was now saving 12p per mile on fuel costs. That equates to £12 per 100 miles, £120 per 1000 miles and, as I was doing 25k per year in it, I recouped the capital cost within 2 years. To me it was worthwhile and successful, but of course other opinions may vary! If someone were to ask would I do it again, the honest answer is that I would not rule it out. But if anyone else is thinking of it, one needs to remember that the result is an almost unique car with possibly little resale potential (most classic car enthusiasts want originals not hybrids), that some may think of as an abomination. If you really want a diesel P5 that you are prepared to lose money on when you sell it, or alternatively if you intend to keep it until it finally expires of natural causes, then do it. If not, just buy an off-the-shelf diesel car and make you investments somewhere else! Robin Summerhill Member 1987-1999, former West Country Regional Rep, and Take Five editor 1996-1998
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Post by David on Jun 29, 2020 16:17:16 GMT
Hello Robin! Must be the longest timescale to a reply (2006-2020) Best wishes :-)
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Post by robinsummerhill on Jun 29, 2020 19:17:58 GMT
Hello Robin! Must be the longest timescale to a reply (2006-2020) Best wishes :-)
Thanks Dave
It came about simply because I was idly browing the internet to see if Richard Sprately was still in business, when I chanced upon the forum in general and this topic in particular.
When I read that others had thought about similar conversions I thought it might be worthwhile to retell my old story and fill in the gaps. If anybody wants any more details they can either contact me direct or respond on the forum - I will keep an eye out.
I don't know if you recall, but I also went to see a diesel conversion in Chandlers Ford that had a Ford 2.5 diesel in it, and wrote an article about it for Take Five, comparing the two conversions. I gave it a test drive and to me it seemed distinctly undepowered.
By the way, the reason that that mechanic said "never again" probably had a lot to do with him running the engine with the power steering pump cover loose. Putting power steering fluid at 850psi pressure against a loose cover didn't do it a lot of good, and the garage ended up replacing the pump at their own expense. I suspect there was a "stand up meeting without coffee" after that incident!
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Post by harvey on Jun 29, 2020 19:40:42 GMT
The other major factor was fuel costs, and the diesel lived up to its advertising, returning 35-38mpg compared to the 18-20 mpg I was getting previously. In addition, at that time (nearly 30 years ago now), diesel was cheaper than petrol at the pumps. At around the same time I had a Dodge tow truck with a 318 v8 that averaged about 8mpg on 4 star, which I replaced with a Perkins 4.236 and went from about 8mpg to 24mpg, and the DERV pump price at the time was about half the cost of 4 star. Profits rose considerably! The extra weight of the Perkins held the front wheels on the ground a bit better too.
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Post by djm16 on Jun 29, 2020 23:43:53 GMT
I have many times considered the benefits of a Toyota 100 series 4.2 diesel 6 cylinder v the 2.6 / 3-litre. It must have at least double the power of either as it hauls our 3 ton Landcruiser up a long hill faster than the 1.6T P4 or P5. It is also very smooth and very quiet (for a diesel).
Seriously though, I prefer authenticity, so would never do a conversion (beyond LED headlights and electronic points).
BTW, I loved seeing the resurrected thread, it made for very interesting reading.
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