1965 Land-Rover Series 2a LWB 200tdi Pop Top Camper

Bringing us bang up to date with the joys of a daily driving a 200tdi Series 2a.
This time last week I returned from work with cloud of steam from under the bonnet.

A cursory look showed it to be coming from the front of the engine below the thermostat housing.



Disassembly of the front end was commenced this week and it was quickly apparent the cause wasn’t any of the plumbing or gaskets rather the front core plug!
Changing the front core plug on a disco 200tdi involves removing the timing case, timing belt and associated gears, pulleys and an awful lot of bolts that have never been undone since the motor first went together in the 80s.



One of the thermostat to head bolts decided to play silly muppets with me but I managed to drill it out (lottery tickets were purchased subsequently)



Removing the bottom pulley has killed my favourite breaker bar ☹️






Taking the cover off revealed a contaminated timing belt. The crank timing gear has chewed the timing case crank seal.









Two snapped bolts and a fair bit of swearing later I have the new core plug fitted!
I think i’m going to replace the timing case and cover while I am here as it is damaged in a couple of places not least in the first photo where the water pump bolt through the cover.

I’m now waiting on a timing belt kit, a bottom crank gear and a few replacement bolts. I’ve put 75k on this timing belt that was fitted when I put the Tdi in 6 years ago so it’s due a change anyway. The lower timing gear has chewed the lip seal on the timing case which has allowed a little oil in and onto the belt which I’m kind of glad i’ve caught early.

Pete Davenhill-Stevens-with-a-V

Looks great! Would some windows in the back be beneficial when camping?

Hello and welcome.

You’ll find the reception for modified stuff a little more relaxed here than on the S2C forum; as a result I’m a bit less grumpy here than I am on there. 🤣

So to continue where we left off.

After a little wait a new timing belt, idler, tensioner, lower gear, gasket and seal set, half moon key and a couple of replacement bolts arrived courtesy of Paddocks.
The new belt is a Dayco but the idler and tensioner are britpart efforts.

To begin with I still had the remains of a singular bolt to remove from the front of the block. This was achieved with some heat and a mini pair of stilsons courtesy of my great aunt.
A lottery ticket was purchased straight after but I didn’t get lucky twice unfortunately


The front of the block was the cleaned off ready for the timing chest to be refitted. The keen eyed among you will notice I have fitted two studs to the water passage on the right hand of the engine. This was corrected during final assembly!


The timing chest was then degreased with the power washer and gunk and new gaskets and seals fitted. The gaskets are coated both sides in moli grease as my dad taught me.


The timing case was then fitted to the front of the engine and the bolts up through sump pan fitted aswell as the FIP nuts. The 200tdi doesn’t have the troublesome P gasket that the later 300tdi suffers from however the gasket between the water passage in the block and the water passage on the timing chest was treated to a little high heat silicon as a belts and braces approach.


The new crank timing gear was then fitted along with the timing belt, gears, idler and tensioner. The engine was then timed using the factory markings.


After this the Haynes manual approach of fitting being opposite of removal takes precedence and the front end of the engine was put back together in an hour or so.


It was at this point after refitting the intercooler I went to where I had stashed the copper end tanked 200tdi radiator (reads made out of poor quality wobbly children's play pony poop secondhand) to find it, along with a number tools had been stolen from the shed! :ranting

So the job has stopped again while I’m waiting for a replacement to be delivered from evilbay.
I have however taken the opportunity to upgrade to a triple row aluminium one


Anyways I hope you found this mildly interesting.

Pete With-a-V

Last weekend saw us taking our much delayed first trip away of the year in CliVE.
A quick blast down the M1 to Loughborough saw us stopping near Quorn and Woodhouse station on the GCR for the weekend to celebrate my Dads 70th birthday and his Retirement.


The 9x9 Wolf tent got its first airing since last summer, it’s very easy to forget just how heavy they are!


The GCR is one of our favourite preserved lines so a chance to watch the trains go by was not turned down.


While having breakfast at the fantastic cafe at the station I spied a lovely looking Aveling and Porter roller in the yard.


It so happened that our good friends Kat and Jason know the owner well and let us know that they would be roading it back to the owners house on the Monday
When someone asks “would we like to join them” it would be rude to say no right!?


There is something very special about watching road steam chuffing along making a cacophony of noise and holding up traffic through the centre of Loughborough


My Dad also joined us in his recently recommissioned 1966 Mark 1 Cortina

All in all a great trip away in the sunshine. That is until the final bit of the A1 north of Sheffield when we hit the torrential rain! 🌧️

Pete-with-a-V

What a great motor! Pop top looks right at home - as do the fatter tyres

Are you putting a 90/110 style "long stick" box back in instead of the Disco one?

So to continue after a mild hiatus (summer holidays with my young family)



A new to me 51a LT77 long stick box (with a reported mileage of 30k kilometres)was sourced from a nice guy in Cheshire and with the help of a good friend we put it in over a weekend. Fitting is the reverse of removal as Mr Haines would say.


The weekend after putting it all back together we headed away for the weekend to a festival near Kidderminster a little over 160 miles from home.

We couldnt not call into the Severn Valley Railway while down there however.


The following weekend we headed to a steam rally being held at Willowfields just outside Doncaster for a relaxing weekend in the sunshine


Unfortunately over the weekend it became apparent that the 180ah battery that serves as both the house and the starter battery had given up the ghost and did infact die completely on the way home when we stopped for some tea. A phone call to the RAC later and we had a replacement on order as my wife had rather handily renewed the RAC cover and had ticked the box for battery cover £4 extra well spent.



The following weekend we headed away again this time to a small car show in Stainforth and we won the judges choice award! CliVE’s very first award!


As is becoming apparent I’m sure the reason I haven’t updated this thread is we have been away just about every weekend since the beginning of July and the following weekend from the car show in Stainforth we headed away to the Dales for our friends 40th birthday weekend. we found a few green lanes on the way there and back and had a cracking weekend



Not long after that trip we headed to Whitby for a family holiday to the Whitby Folk Festival and my birthday. The Moors in summer are second only to The Moors in winter for their beauty imho.



The weekend after we headed down to Leafers at T’Pit at Apedale and met up with a number of friends we hadn’t seen in a while and cooked tea in the sunshine. Unfortunately this finished on the Sunday and we had the bank holiday Monday free to Lane our way back across the Peak District home




A week at home with Covid later we headed away again for the final time this summer. Each year My wife and I have taken the week that includes our wedding anniversary and my wife’s birthday off to travel and this year was no different.


We started on Anglesey at South Stack just outside Holyhead to have a catch-up with a very good landrover friend Sam. We of course had to call in at Red Wharf Bay


A wonderful week away was finished at Bromyard Folk Festival with a weekend of music sessions, brilliant artists and far too much beer!


All in all a week of just under 1000 miles and when worked out we’ve done a little over 34mpg since changing the gearbox.


All in all we’ve had a great summer tinged with a lot of sadness at the loss of our beautiful Dalmatian Noble Sir Geoff Nobbles at the grand age of 14yo.

Rest in peace Noble, I’ve missed you every day since you left.

Pete-with-a-V