This Range Rover started life as a V8 but became a diesel
Rien van Dessel grew up among the Land Rovers. It is therefore logical that as only eighteen years old he has a thick Range Rover under his rear. What makes the story especially special is that he has had this car for four years and built it all by himself. Is he allowed on the roller bench? Sure, go ahead with that thing.
Our attention is aroused when Rien van Dessel tells us that he came into possession of this Range Rover at the age of fourteen. When you check the palmares of his father Bart, it becomes a lot more normal. He is a big name in the Dutch Land Rover world. “My father wanted to sell this car, but I put a stop to that,” says Rien. “I didn’t really want him to leave. My father agreed, but then I had to take care of it myself.” Rien couldn’t be told that twice. He completely disassembled the car himself and rebuilt it. “I only outsourced the galvanizing of the chassis. You really can’t do that yourself.”
Land Rover 200 TDI engine
The classic V8 engine replaced Rien with a Land Rover 200 TDI engine. “A V8 may be great fun, but if even one wire comes loose, it immediately stops working,” he explains. “In that respect, a diesel is much less of a problem.”
Obviously, the engine is no longer standard. “It’s a very easy thing to adjust. The turbo is slightly turned up, there is an enrichment screw on the injection pump and there is also a boost pin in it. Let’s say that the engine is now very healthy, only it smokes a bit more”, Rien concludes with a smile. He also made two more adjustments to the car before coming to the dynamometer. “The roof tent had to come off because otherwise it is too high to fit in the space, and I disconnected the snorkel so that it takes in air better.”
Not in low gear
Before the measurement, Rien asks if the car can also be measured in low gear, because then it delivers more torque. However, that party is off. “In that position, the speed is too low and then it just spins on the rollers,” says dynamometer chief Ghisbert van Ginhoven. The measurement itself is extremely spectacular. The Range Rover spews out a huge cloud of soot, briefly covering the entire area in fog. The result is impressive: especially the torque is impressive and that is of course exactly what an off-road vehicle is all about. Nevertheless, Ghisbert has some comments. “The turbo really only lasts for a very short time,” he says. “It has a working range of 700 rpm. Above 3,000 rpm, the power collapses completely. Then it gets too little fuel, while it used to get too much fuel and no air in the rev range. That’s why he’s sooting so much,” says the technician. In short, Rien received many compliments today, because you don’t just build a Range Rover yourself. However, he also gets some homework, because the adjustment of the engine can be even better.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl