LDV Convoy Devon Sahara

[wuvvum]

On 2/11/2023 at 10:28 PM, Cavcraft said:

Is it the 2.4  lump? They're wheezy old shit boxes in a standard Transit tbh.

The 2.4s were available in two states of tune in the Convoy - 75bhp (which is indeed a wheezy old shitbox) or you could have it with an intercooler and 100bhp, in which case they actually go OK.  The clue is in the front bumper - the higher powered versions have a cut-out below the grille for the intercooler.

[Dobloseven]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

The 2.4s were available in two states of tune in the Convoy - 75bhp (which is indeed a wheezy old shitbox) or you could have it with an intercooler and 100bhp, in which case they actually go OK.  The clue is in the front bumper - the higher powered versions have a cut-out below the grille for the intercooler.

Well, despite doing a lot of research back in the day, I never knew that. Would hope a hefty thing like that would have had the more powerful one. Will have a look when I pick the caravan up, if I remember. 

[Supernaut]

My Rexton is slow enough with 120hp.

I imagine 100hp in a twin rear wheeled camper van must be leisurely.

[mat_the_cat]

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I imagine 100hp in a twin rear wheeled camper van must be leisurely.

A mate of mine has this, with a whopping 60bhp. It's all relative!

[wuvvum]

60bhp but about a bazillion torques.

Those early T2s really are painfully slow mind.

[EyesWeldedShut]

On 2/11/2023 at 8:27 PM, N Dentressangle said:

Having driven big Sherpas of that vintage back in the day, be under no illusions how it would feel on the road. The Transit engine is probably more power than you'd want in a chassis that could kindly be described as 'wayward'

The Met had a fleet of LDV 400's with a Rover V8 married up to a three speed automatic box. Drank petrol, ate brakes, stopped well*. Fully laden they were awful but lightly loaded? Interestingly wayward  
AFAIK the V8s were low compression/detuned to give about 100 BHP and LDV probably binned the model once the turbo diesels came about?

[Dobloseven]

57 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

The Met had a fleet of LDV 400's with a Rover V8 married up to a three speed automatic box. Drank petrol, ate brakes, stopped well*. Fully laden they were awful but lightly loaded? Interestingly wayward  
AFAIK the V8s were low compression/detuned to give about 100 BHP and LDV probably binned the model once the turbo diesels came about?

Actually drove a V8 Sherpa. Local van place had a minibus for sale. Presumably ex police,manual gearbox. Quite underwhelming, oil light kept coming on, advised to give it a miss. 

[N Dentressangle]

When you think that Mercedes introduced the Sprinter in 1995, you realise quite how dated and awful the LDV stuff was.

The warmed over Austin J4 underpinnings were really showing through by the 80s, never mind 20 years later.

[EyesWeldedShut]

21 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

Actually drove a V8 Sherpa. Local van place had a minibus for sale. Presumably ex police,manual gearbox. Quite underwhelming, oil light kept coming on, advised to give it a miss. 

Don't blame you - I think we used to get 8 - 11 mpg out of them around town. They seemed to eat water pumps/overheat a lot which not of my V8 engined Land Rovers did (including an S3 109 that only had the original S3 radiator).
Only thing I ever drove that was possibly worse was a LWB Transit in the early 1980s that was a 'weirdo' diesel (all the other Transits were petrol) - 60HP and a flat out 50 mph if you were lucky

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

2 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

When you think that Mercedes introduced the Sprinter in 1995, you realise quite how dated and awful the LDV stuff was.

The warmed over Austin J4 underpinnings were really showing through by the 80s, never mind 20 years later.

I always thought that without the old bill, British Gas, British Telecom, the NHS etc etc that LDV would have been wound up much sooner than it ever was.  The Maxus was not too bad but came along too late - by that time MB Sprinter was pushing even Transits out in my book

[Dyslexic Viking]

9 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Only thing I ever drove that was possibly worse was a LWB Transit in the early 1980s that was a 'weirdo' diesel (all the other Transits were petrol) - 60HP and a flat out 50 mph if you were lucky

Dad had a diesel long wheelbase version like this, when it was heavily loaded and with a heavily loaded trailer it was an experience in the mountains in Norway.

[wuvvum]

5 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

AFAIK the V8s were low compression/detuned to give about 100 BHP and LDV probably binned the model once the turbo diesels came about?

I always thought they were the same 135bhp tune as in Land Rovers - happy to be corrected on that though.

3 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Only thing I ever drove that was possibly worse was a LWB Transit in the early 1980s that was a 'weirdo' diesel (all the other Transits were petrol) - 60HP and a flat out 50 mph if you were lucky

Ah yes, the 2.4 York engine.  I once test drove a Mk2 beavertail thus powered*.  It was so painfully slow even empty that I couldn't begin to imagine how hopeless it'd be with a tonne and a half of car on the back, so I gave it a miss.

Having said that I also drove a Mk1 camper with a York and that actually rattled along reasonably well for what it was.  Maybe my expectations were lower given that it was older and a camper, and it also had overdrive which helped as it meant the engine wasn't screaming its tits off at 50.

[EyesWeldedShut]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I always thought they were the same 135bhp tune as in Land Rovers - happy to be corrected on that though.

Ah yes, the 2.4 York engine.  I once test drove a Mk2 beavertail thus powered*.  It was so painfully slow even empty that I couldn't begin to imagine how hopeless it'd be with a tonne and a half of car on the back, so I gave it a miss.

Having said that I also drove a Mk1 camper with a York and that actually rattled along reasonably well for what it was.  Maybe my expectations were lower given that it was older and a camper, and it also had overdrive which helped as it meant the engine wasn't screaming its tits off at 50.

135 would have been a possibility - they were factory models so whatever LDV were sourcing from BL/Rover - I guess whatever was in the Stage 1 Land Rover would have been easiest?
The York diesel one was always 'last out of the yard' and was one of those vehicles that nobody wanted to drive but would not get replaced until the mileage had reached gazzillions. So it just hung around, unloved.