Engine options for defender
Ideas and expertise needed!
About to commit to an M57 conversion on my 110 defender.
But before committing to such a costly conversion (where I am)
I would like to see if anyone has any inputs on turbocharging the 1jz it already has. (Yes 1jz).
This should be more cost effective, but I am unsure about the combination.
I know it would make amazing power. But as I understand it the power / torque curve doesn’t really suit a car of that weight and use case.
There are all types of off-roading here, the one I do least is the sandy stuff. But mud/rocks/sand/gravel it’s all here. And the city is hilly in nature. No flat land really.
How would an engine like that suit it?
My take:
I have come to the belief that this car either needs a strong diesel or a big v8.
V8 won’t work because of registration purposes. So I am attracted to the m57. And I think the 1jz will deliver peak torque at a very high rpm. Maybe good for sand but non of the other stuff. Not to mention mileage.
Options:
I could do a rover v8 3.5 but their guzzlers and are known to have their own share of trouble. 300tdi’s are outdated and won’t be worth the cost.
I can pick any petrol engine up to 3.5 liters. Anything more would need special paperwork that is hard to do. I have tried for 6.2l v8 didn’t work. But I got one for the m57. Toyota 1fz and uz v8’s are could be procured but they need fab work and the paperwork.
Sorry for the long post and thank you for your input.