question about installing 300Tdi kit from M&D?

[Gkase]

This is a question to find out how many folks out there have purchased a 300Tdi engine from M&D Engineering to convert a NAS D90 and can help me figure out their instructions...we've pulled the 3.9L V8 and are poised for the "big install" but find the instructions sketchy for us visually oriented wrenchers...
Also, most importantly should I take this to emails with those folks or post it here to let everyone see...I don't want to take up bandwidth for a very rare interest in the US...
George

[TDI Guy]

I got mine from them. Instructions were plain and simple. Whats the the question? Its a very simple setup...

[ECR]

Ask away... everyone will help.
You can also me us at 207-594-8086 for assistance.

[Gkase]

First Mike...thanks for your offer of help...I'll certainly take you up on it...
and Randy...As to their instructions, there's a lot of exteraneous info as well as the Xerox is such that I can't really tell what's going on in the pictures...
1. let's start on the engine mounts...is the engine mount template that long flat piece of steel with the cutouts in it?
2. Instructions say to fashion an aluminum cover for the starter motor? Why? it says it's for waterproofing for wading...I don't think there's anything I can make out of sheet aluminum that would waterproof anything! especially a starter motor!
3. Do I have to modify the seat box???
4. How hard is it to grind away the R380 bellhousing to fit the starter motor?
Thanks,
George
ps
attached is the shiny clean rebuilt 300Tdi waiting for the install...

[pendy]

You can send the bellhousing to me. I'll sort it out for you. Seatbox stays the same. Yes the pieces of metal bolts to the powersteering box mount holes on both sides to give you a location.

JP
316-210-9514

I will try to snap a picture of a a modified bellhousing. It needs to be tig welded when modified

[ECR]

Not much help on this one, sorry.
We use the Tdi R380 gearbox in our swaps so I have no experience cutting and fab'ing the V8 version.
We have a jig set up for installing Tdi mounts into the NAS frame, but I'm not sure what M&D does in that regard.
Seat box should remain as is.

Our stuff ends up being all Tdi so I am of little help here. Plenty of folks have done it though and they'll help.

If you get stumped on the wiring or anything I'll be of more help there. Sorry.

[Ragland]

Not to throw a stink bomb at the party, but... I thought the R380 version in the V-8 will not handle the torque of the 300Tdi without some modification. Isn't this part of the huge expense with the convert, the transmission must be replaced/rebuilt as well?

Perhaps this kit addresses the issue, and I'm just wandering where I don't belong.

[ECR]

Not to throw a stink bomb at the party, but... I thought the R380 version in the V-8 will not handle the torque of the 300Tdi without some modification. Isn't this part of the huge expense with the convert, the transmission must be replaced/rebuilt as well?

Perhaps this kit addresses the issue, and I'm just wandering where I don't belong.

Nah, the various versions of the R380 are very similar. Its the bell housing, overall length and such that makes them different. Not much on the internals.
The Tdi and V8 ZF automatcis are vastly different inside though.

More at issue would be the 1.2 NAS transfer case, as Euro 90s (especially one with tires as big as 265/75... that is "big" in Europe for a stock 90 according to the guys I speak with) as the Euro 90 would have a 1.4.

Again, we change all our conversions to the 1.4 transfer case, but there is added costs there. Maybe a 1.2 can be gotten away with if the tires are smallish.

[JimC]

I know the diesels come stock with a 1.4 box from the factory, but I went with a 1.2 box anyway. I really dont have any problem at all with it.

[Roadsiderob]

The main difference between the V8 & 300Tdi R380s is the input shaft length & pilot bushing size. The 300Tdi input shaft is .25" longer and uses a larger pilot bush. Internally the gear ratios are the same. There are 3 versions of the R380...J,K, & L suffix boxes. The K & L boxes have bigger countershafts, some beefed up bearings, beefed up input shafts, and revised mainshafts. Given the choice, I would use a K or L suffix box behind a diesel. R380s are rated for 380nm of input torque.

[Gkase]

M&D said the stock V8 trans can be used with their adaptor plate and the mod on the bellhousing...also am planning on running the stock 1.2 xfr case...
Jim thanks for the offer to mod the bellhousing, will contact you offline...
George

[TDI Guy]

George, When I did mine, I got the entire kit with the R-380 that had the extended Tdi bell housing already. No mods.

I also started out with a new Tdi chassis but the mounts are simple. I think they come in 3 pieces each and they just get welded together while using the jig to locate them on the chassis.
I don't have a cover on my starter and my directions never mentioned that..

I went with a 1.4 t-case myself ...

Love the new engine pic. YOu can see some of the istall in my project pics in the Misc. section..

[Roadsiderob]

George,
You should be ok with a 1.2 t-box with fairly stock size tires in a D90. A 1.4 t-box has about the same effect on gearing as going to 4.11 R&P. The 300Tdi install that I did used a 1.2 t-box and the truck had 4.11 R&P and 255/85/16 tires. when finished, it really needed a 6th gear on the highway and the owner is looking at adding an overdrive possibly in the future.