T16 220 2.0 Turbo Kit?

Rackerman

Newbie
Points
6
Location
newmarket, ON, Canada
Car
Rover Defender 90
HELP!?
I have the 220 2.0 in a 1997 Land Rover Defender which was a special build for the Italian police. Vehicle is currently in Canada and is gutless... Super slow and needs help. I'm looking for someone that can support, advise and/or sell me the part required to convert the normally aspirated engine to a turbo... Parts have been hard to find and I basically need everything. Engine is low KM's so a good platform to work from.

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Converting to turbo is quite a bit of work, the Tomcat turbos had a lower compression ratio and forged rods & crank so that is your first starting point.

Motobuild racing were my go-to supplier of parts for my Rover engine but that was a good 20 years or so ago.

The 1.8VVT is a popular alternative and these have been turbocharged, and have a much wider availability of parts thanks to their use in Lotus and other kit cars/models aimed at performance enthusiasts.

I had a 3 angle valve job done and some porting and gas flowing on my 2.0 and it helped pick up the ow end torque.

These engines are not that reliable though, mine broke every 200 miles even after a full strip down and rebuild and it also leaked oil just a few weeks after it was reconditioned!
 
As Waynne said fitting a turbo to normally aspirated is a lot of work, but not impossible, you will need to reduce compression ratio ( machine piston crown ) by the appropriate amount to achieve the desired compression, weld
a turbo oil drain tube into the sump, then you can find/fabricate manifolds and mountings. Unless you are lucky enough to find parts from a model with a turbo it could be a lot of phone calls ! Do your research b4. Have fun.
 
You would be better of searching the MG ZS Facebook groups as there are always T16 abandoned builds for sale or even engines and looms. I had a T16 ZS myself, running just over 250 bhp. Other options are the k-series 1.8T conversions out of the ZT. Do not even think of the associated issues, they are history and there are good suppliers of the right parts out there.
 

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