Engine swap for Euro road trip

[twiss]

Getting the gearing right for the tyres will be important as well

[andyrew]

Getting the gearing right for the tyres will be important as well

Comfortable seats too

Helps to decrease ANPM (Ass numbness per mile)

[Jordi]

Use a proper car for the journey. Any reason it needs to be the SJ?

[Rhinoman]

An ECU based on an Arduino? oh dear! If you're going to do a lot of miles then you will want a vehicle that is as stock as possible for maximum reliability. Large amounts of torque and a heavy load will just break stuff, what RPM does the FIAT engine cruise at? fitting big tyres to correct the gearing will just put more strain on stuff.

[donkeychomp]

The Swiss are going to love you Anton...a dirty, loud SJ and a caravan!

[twiss]

i should follow him and distract them!

also, andy you finally have a profile pic! i was going to ask why you didnt the other day

[Anton]

I'm starting to think that the SJ is not the vehicle for a 2700 mile trip.

Maybe I should just hook up the Yaris. It already pulls the caravan with ease.

Still, I have the money for the conversion now, and I'd still like to think about my options.

I'm wondering how do-able a Toyota 1ND-TV 1.4 turbo diesel would be. I know I can get those engines more easily. If I'm careful, I can probably get one for a few hundred - I can get a whole car with tax and MOT for £1500...

Still, got to wonder if the M15a or J20a might work better if I'm not going to drag the SJ across Europe.

Thinking to do...

[twiss]

Don't get me wrong I would love to do 2700 miles in an SJ...
In the Yaris it would be a journey, in the SJ it would be an adventure

[andyrew]

i should follow him and distract them!

also, andy you finally have a profile pic! i was going to ask why you didnt the other day

I do indeed thanks to Darrell :-D

[Anton]

Some friends of mine want to buy a bunch of 4x4's and drive them across Europe. That's why I want the SJ for this trip.

But the practical implications are hard to deny.

I want to do Strata Florida and the Highlands in this thing too, but that's not nearly as demanding. And the RAC will taxi me and the SJ all the way home if I have issues.

big arsed endurance fuel tank in the back and I can run home made biodiesel all the way there and back again with a diesel engine in the SJ. I can't do that with a petrol engine...

I mean, not legally - I know how to make bio-ethanol, I just can't do it without a licence to distill alcohol, which is never going to happen.

If you're going to do a lot of miles then you will want a vehicle that is as stock as possible for maximum reliability. Large amounts of torque and a heavy load will just break stuff, what RPM does the FIAT engine cruise at? fitting big tyres to correct the gearing will just put more strain on stuff.

I have uprated halfshafts, transfer case mounts and I plan on full float rear. I want the propshaft to stay stock, and carry spare ones, as everything else will be stronger - so the easiest bit of the drivetrain is the bit that will pop.

I don't think that a 650kg caravan will be a problem though, we put much more strain on our vehicles when we offroad them - especially when doing snatch recovery!