N/A or not

[deanogw]

hi guys, 

so im currently starting a full rebuild/build of a defender 90 and am looking at doing a Barra conversion.

ideally I would like it to be turbo as I am keen to see if we can push 350 to 400 rwkw.

its been a number of years since ive lived in australia and last time I was home (2018) a friend was selling their old xr6t for like 3k, ive currently looked on ebay and cant find what looks like a decent engine for under 5k, saw one for 12k. have they really gone mad with pricing? 

my question is for under 1k I can get a not bad N/A motor, considering current costs, is it worth getting a NA and building it? 

whether I buy a na or a turbo motor it will be completely rebuilt prior to it being installed, itll be fitted with either a 5 or 6 speed tremec manual.

the car is ultimately being Shipped to Panama in central America and this will be the first Barra in those parts.

what would people suggest is the right road to go down? I am currently based in the UK so whatever choice I make once it starts the shipping process there is no turning back.

all help or advice is greatly appreciated

[k31th]

Covid tax has pushed the price of most vehicles to ridiculous heights... so yeah, not surprising your cost estimations have gone up.

 

If you're going for a conversion like you're doing you can get a N/A motor and then build the N/A motor to suit turbo requirements much cheaper than buying a turbo motor.

 

Best to get a gearbox from where you live and a custom or other bellhousing to suit the relevant gearbox setup.

[deanogw]

yeah.... covid.

that's the excuse for everthing now.

yes I had thought about getting a t56 here and just getting a bellhousing as I dont really need to spend on shipping a trans for no reason.

[Puffwagon]

If it's getting aftermarket rods, pistons and full head rebuild etc, get a na engine.

[deanogw]

yes I have been looking at pistons rods etc, ive seen forged pistons from 800 AUD each to 2500 AUD each, plus shipping but im going to see if I can find pistons here in the UK that will fit, I doubt it as its very much an australia specific vehicle but one never knows. any brands or parts youd recommend? how are they running on LPG? we had a lpg xr6 when I was a kid, no idea if that's still doable with the current engine  and heads, my mate melted the heads on his RRS SC on lpg.