M57 Defender: Test Drive 

Thank you mate 😬 The most I’ve hear of anyone getting from this engine (306d1/cast iron block) is 295 or 300bhp but it requires more work to the engine in terms of fuel so I’d say if your looking for 350bhp then I’d go with the newer m57n/m57n2 which you could get around 350bhp with just a stage 1 remap. Couple this with a tuned 6 speed auto or even a 6 speed manual and you’ll have a very nice rig!! This is what I’ll do for my next defender 👍🏽

@@KeepitBigBore spot on, you must vlog that one on here as I can't wait to see. Beers beside the sofa ready to go 😁

😂😂. It may end up being an twin turbo n57, but that’s yet to be decided. Main requirements are twin turbo, 400bhp and at least 600nm, we’ll see where it takes us. I’ll have to enjoy this one for a while 1st though. Thanks for commenting 😬

@@KeepitBigBore That will be the nuts, something like 170 brake per ton. How's the P38 manual holding up so far? I've got a P38 diesel manual and Disco TD5 manual. The transfer box gave way on the P38 which managed to take a tooth off the rear diff. So I stuck another complete lump in it from a donor all bolted up with transfer box, straight in the swapped the 2 pin diff for a 4 pin out of a V8 rear axle and it's holing up a treat. Don't understand why it went in the first place as the P38 is still running standard factory map.

It’s holding up fine at the moment, I haven’t upgraded any parts in it so unless the guy before me has done anything, it should be completely stock. I’ve put the boot down in ever gear more than one now 🤫 and she seems to be holding up. Can’t be right though, people like yourself have had issues with stock maps!! I’m willing to experiment with this a little, my defenders a work horse and a guinea pig so if it goes it goes, I just hope I’m close to home 😂

Thank you for your comment, I agree the m57 is pretty flawless engine 👍🏽 😂😂 although people like us will never admit it…most of the fun is in tearing something down!! How else can you explain why so many project get torn down, put into boxes so we can start tearing down the next project 😂.

Thanks mate!! I intend to do some more videos on it to show the pros and cons and what it’s been like 👍🏻

Haha, thank you! that’s good to hear 😬 if you decide to do it, have a look at the newer m57’s with a 6 speed auto, that would make a nice ride!!

Thank you mate 👍🏽

Oh man, that’s gonna rip 🤣 which auto did you stick in it? Have you got Instagram?

@@KeepitBigBore the engine came with a 6hp26... instagram.com/i_m_akeem/ I haven't really documented the project well... will do a photo and video reel when all is said and done..

Very nice!!! I’m interested to see more of that. I’ve followed you now 👍🏽

Thank you very much 😬

Thank you mate, that’s very nice to hear!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment also, helps a lot 👍🏽😬

Absolutely 🤘🏽

I can’t wait to use them!! Can I bring my dirt bike there as well?

Thank you mate, that means s a lot 😬👍🏽

Ah bummer 🤣 If that were me I’d be half hoping the new one breaks as well!! The 2.4 is a nice engine in fairness though!!

Thank you mate, I kept you waiting a long time. I remember you from the first video....couldn’t forget that profile pic 😬

Hi mate, sorry I took so long to get back to you!! I’m living in London. I’m working away from home s a lot at the moment so I’m not around a lot of the time but if you send me a message on Instagram I’ll try to help you with anything you want to see as much as possible 👍🏽👍🏽

Thank you very much 😬

Thank you very much 👍🏽👍🏽

Cheers mate 👍🏽👍🏽 I had no issues with the sump and axle. It was more my engine mounts and axle but looking back I could have made a more elaborate engine mount to bolt to the block and match up to the original 300tdi mounts! I wanted to retain the bmw vacuum mounts and position which meant they ended up right above the diff. Apart from that, there is plenty of space!!

I miss the old girl, she used to do a nice boost dump when shifting gears 🤦🏽‍♂️ They really are great machines land rovers, if I had the space I’d buy a series 3 as they are ULEZ compliant, I’d make that one at least 450bhp as I got the engine and transmission on the bench in the workshop already 🤣 I used to love seeing people get cause out by my defender, the angry ones were the best 😂 most people would just pull up beside me and ask me what I’ve done to it 😛

@@KeepitBigBore yeah you can’t get much more from a td5 than 350 and that’s after plenty of playing with stuff. Once had a chav car pull up next to me, windows down and music up. I blipped the throttle and the passenger was looking round to see what it was… there’s me in a hicap with fibreglass truck man and trailer with mower on the back🤣🤣 then I set off 😆 4 wheel spin 🤣🤣

Really, I didn’t know they could put out that kind of power! I heard a lot of rally guys still use the td5, is that true. Lot of people said to me they would never swap their TD5’s for an M57!! 😂😂 it’s when they get angry and won’t look at you at the next set of lights that cracks me up 😂😂

@@KeepitBigBore yeah theywill do it but how much time you have fixing it 🤷‍♂️. A lad I knew was about 300 if I remember right but he used to eat clutches or the ones he got were either on or off. 200-250 is the most on the original setup but again, not sure how much it’ll do before you have problems. Haha yeah I know what you mean! Had a bmw driver, roof down, wife in the passenger seat tried pushing in at the end of a dual carriageway. Closer and closer he got before he had to turn the other way. Wife swang her head to give me a gob full but looked straight into my door, then had to look up at me 🤣🤣me with shades on with half a smile as she went red 🤣🤣

Hi mate, Thankyou very much!! I haven’t done a thing to mine! It spins a wheel every time I put the boot down and I haven’t had any issues yet. My diffs have a lot of play and have been whining bad since I bought it as well. So I’d imagine a healthy diff would have no issues with a simple remapped m57 👍🏽

They’re a great unit indeed. 800nm is the plan for the next one 😂 I done this as an experiment so I will eventually sell this to fund a clean 110 or 130. I’ll probably go 8speed auto next time as that’s what makes a car fast, the quick shifting!! Good luck with your swap. If your ever stuck for a 300tdi, I know a guy 😂

@@KeepitBigBore could you do a video on your plans for the 8 speed auto? im looking into doing a similar conversion.

I will do for sure!! I’m a long way off doing it however, you might get yours done before me 😂

She’s not doing too bad 😂. That’s exactly it, first gear just gets you moving, as soon as it’s moving your shifting to 2nd so I definitely agree with that. Yeah, if you get the shifts right it pulls nicely. I’d like to know if a different ratio in the transfer box would help even the gears out a little!! I’ll definitely be making it quieter. I’m about to do a 120m trip in it now and my ears will be ringing by the end of it 😂

We can swap if you like, my rusty 90 for your mint 130 😂😂. The map that’s on it now seems to be great for it. I have a standard ecu from a 330 also and it feels like something is wrong with the engine in comparison to the remapped 530d 😂 I probably won’t do any more to this one in terms of power upgrades, I’ll save that for when I do a 110 or 130, I’ll go all out on that one!!!

@@KeepitBigBore That sounds like a great idea! Errrmmmm I will keep mine for now. I feel like it needs a similar engine now ive seen this 😜

Hi mate, I used a p38 dual mass fly wheel and a custom clutch from clutchfix Uk, give them a call, they’ve made so many by now that they know exactly what you need 👍🏽

Hey mate, I used the p38 dual mass yes! And I did have to change the bushing. I bought a kit on eBay at the time, I think it was supplied by Wiseman’s engineering, it included the bushing, a28mm spacer to go between the p38 bellowing and r380 and longer bolts to go through said spacer!

Sorry for my late response, This is the m57 D1 and it’s running roughly 230-240bhp with a remap and stock turbo and internals. 👍🏽

I find the handling is great (as in its no better or worse than it was). I don’t think that engine is much heavier than the 300tdi that came out! I certainly didn’t notice it when I was lifting and pulling them on the engine stand. The brakes are a lot better than before but that could be due to installing the vacuum lines to the break service correctly. Or possibly because the vacuum pump on the m57 is better, either way, the brakes are better!!

You could but then I’d have the opposite issue of added strain on the side of the block. And the BMW mount would probably clash with the diff. You can see my mounts are very thin at the end, that’s to give clearance around the diff when it comes up. That’s why I made them out of 8mm steel. The only other way I would do this is by making custom mounts and pick up a few more bolts to spread the pressure on the block. I think there are only 4 bolts on the original mount and it’s over a small footprint so I didn’t want to put too much leverage on it. The vacuum mounts were more of an experiment, I’ve never seen one without them so can’t comment if they are an improvement yet 👍🏽

Ah I get ya

It’s a standard bell housing from a 2.5 Range Rover p38. This bell housing is only good for the older m57’s (306D1)

Thank you mate 👍🏽

Thank you mate. I’m the same, I still have the 300tdi, it wasn’t great for fast long hauls. You won’t regret it if you do it. It’s a perfect match for a defender 🤙🏽 Will you go auto or manual?

@@KeepitBigBore I’m not actually sure to go auto or manual, the auto boxes from the p38 are pretty cheap we’re as everyone knows the manual p38 bell housing are good for this conversion n are fetching a lot of money at the min! I do a lot of towing n some spirited driving on n off-road so not sure quiet what to do! Would like the m57 from an e60 really as they seem to have more power! I used to have a v8 defender that has a race engine in it n that used to fly!

The next one I do will either be an m57n2 or an n57, I’d like to get the 8 speed auto, I had it in my x3 and it shifted gears so fast!! I’d say a BMW auto would be a good choice for you by the sounds of it. They’re strong, fast to shift, can drive it very similar to a manual if you like! A quick shifting transmission on the back of an e60 m57 might be able to give you a similar feel to your v8 😬

@@KeepitBigBore I’ve been offered an e46 330d engine with out the gearbox so would adapt my r380 out my defender as don’t wanna spend an awful lot lol I’ve already upgraded all the axles and rebuilt everything with heavy duty shafts and half shafts, am going to check out ur ecu video n see what that’s like as a plug and play unit

That’s exactly what I done with mine mate, I didn’t have the money to go full whack on it 😂 I’ve yet to upgrade my drivetrain, she seems to be holding up fine(I’ve a heavy foot as well). I will change them eventually but I’m a little curious to see how much the stock system can take 🤫

Sorry for my late response!!! I’m not sure about the m54 but I think it’s predecessor (m52) has the same bell housing pattern as the cast iron m57 👍🏽

😂 was nice meeting you guys!! I hope you find a nice defender to buy soon! Good luck with moving house 👍🏽

Thanks mate!! I don’t know of anywhere to get engine mounts for your specific conversion but how is your fabrication? Do you think you could weld up some mounts yourself? The n57 and 8hp will be ridiculous. I had an x3 35d with this combo and it was rapid fast, There transmission shifts very fast and smooth. My next build will have exactly this combination!! Will you run an aftermarket TCU?

@@KeepitBigBore Thank you so much for ur rapid response I really appreciate it & yes I can fab up some mounts but I’m never happy with my engine mounts that I personally make..I am always second guessing the engine placement lol & every single time I look at a build that I’ve done the engine mounts it’s never good enough for me so I was hoping someone would have a set for these years 1997-2006 Jeep TJ’s or maybe even know of a mount I can buy over the counter & message it into what I need & I know when I ask a question like this it’s a long shot that there is an available mount for such a niche swap but hey ya never know it’s always worth asking because I’ve seen a hand full of these exact swaps I’m doing but none in the states & I’ve reached out to the guys on those channels but have never got any response to my questions but I understand most look at it if you can’t fab up simple engine mounts then you have no business doing a swap lol & that’s kinda how I feel as well… here in the states this is a popular Jeep but not a popular engine swap & not sure why because the research I’ve done shows these engines to be reliable with gobs of torque down low & the ability to actually rev really well has sold me unlike the heavy Cummins that will play out at 2700 RPM so I’m very excited & if these engines are as reliable as ppl say then this is a real problem solver for me I mean it’s light weight has torque down low will rev past 2500 rpm has a small form factor great fuel economy & the list goes on..I know a group of guys that can use the donor car ECU to tune my swap but I’m still on the fence to use it or stand alone ECU & as of right now I will most likely run a stand alone TCU but my guys are telling me they can make the donor car ECU TCU communicate just fine with the 8HP70 & I want to make this daily driver dependable & very simple if all possible & whatever direction will yield simple & reliable is the direction I will go but it will no doubt have the 8 speed auto..once again thank you for the response I enjoy the videos so keep them coming Thanks!!

No problem mate!! I love your honesty about making your own mounts. If your not comfortable making them then fair enough. If for any reason your mind though then I always work backwards. I’d get the transfer case/propshafts connected which tells you where your transfer case needs to be, then it’s a case of entering the engine at the front and cutting out cardboard as templates from there I guess. Someone more than likely has a template out there or maybe even complete mounts! If you were in London I’d make em for you! The n57 is a serious engine. People complain about the timing chain breaking and I’ll admit, it’s not as reliable as the m57 but very few engines are. I personally think if you keep on top of the maintenance you’ll have no issues. I looked into some aftermarket TCU’s a long time ago when I was researching this. I’d like to retain the stock control units if possible. Not sure what needs to be done to keep them however. There is a company in Poland I think, they are called TurboLamik. They can make you a complete kit to run this set up in anything 👍🏽 Thanks mate, I’ll try get some more videos on this soon!

Thank you mate!! No it’s still in the same place I left it. I’ve bought a lot of the parts for it but I’ve been using my spare time on the defender!! I thought people weren’t as interested in it as the defender. A lot of people have been asking me about it lately however which is encouraging me to get back on it!!

Oh and I also want to put the IT on the back of the defender and head away somewhere with it. I’ve been dreaming about that for too long now 😬

I’m using a 28mm spacer between the p38 bell-housing and the r380 also. Apart from that it’s just new bolts and a p38 push rod on the clutch slave cylinder. I might do a video on this and any other bits in the future if needed 👍🏽

@@KeepitBigBore cheers dude its something i wouldnt of thought of i see people paying stupid money for cnc made spacers on the gearboxes when you dont actually need it result as they are expensive i think syncro gearboxes sell them

No problem mate 👍🏽 Yeah, you can find them on eBay as well. I thinks the shop is called agri engineer, they’re not cheap though 😂

How’s it going mate 👍🏽 It’s something that I’d say is absolutely not needed. I chose to install it on mine purely because it was on the car originally, there was also a bimetal valve which I have removed. The idea of the valve was to regulate the temperature of the diesel. The only advantage I could see if the bimetal valve was in cold climates where the valve would bypass the cooler and return straight to the tank until the fuel was up to operating temperature. I haven’t noticed a difference in fuel economy with or without it, the only time I noticed my economy increase was a few months ago when we had a heatwave and my engine coolant temp was a lot higher than usual. I was surprised how much less fuel I used for a 120 mile motorway run!!

@@KeepitBigBore hi if diesel gets to 84 celsius with a heat exchanger it atomisers better and the particles get better separation therefore a finer spray out of the inject. I had a Peugeot 406 estate that had this idea on it about 20 years ago and I regularly got 50 to the gallon out of a nearly 2 tone car?

I can see how it could help alright, I didn’t notice any difference on mine with or without it however, I did notice when the engine ran hotter in hot weather and wondered if it was due to hotter fuel temp or just hotter engine temps in general. It doesn’t get a whole pile of air flow where it is so I’d say the only thing that could increase my fuel temp and replicate a hot summers day is a modified thermostat or cover 50% of my radiator. I might do an experiment on it some time as it would make a big difference to all the long distance drivers out there!!! How does your heat exchanger work, does it take heat from the engine coolant?

@@KeepitBigBore from the hot water going to the heater going into the land rover. I insulated all the fuel line and filter all the way to the diesel pump on the engine

That’s a good one, Thankyou for sharing 👍🏽👍🏽

How’s it going mate? All good thanks, she’s still going strong, I wouldn’t mind rebuilding the engine soon as the mileage is racking up!! Have you tried contacting mw machines? They can sell you a harness which retains the ews so you don’t need to send your ecu away. I rebuilt my transfer case using a1.1-1 gear set from Ashcroft transmissions which I think is a good match for a 90 which is mostly used on the motorway.

@@KeepitBigBore yeah all good thank ya mate! Rebuilding your engine will cost ya some mate! Bmw parts are far to much money! Suppose If u just wanted to change the shells that wouldn’t be to bad, make for good content for RU-vid to! I’ve contacted everyone mate, apparently they have all been swamped by people thinking about doing this conversion as it seems to be getting really popular! Did you use the starter from the e39 or use another one as I just got the engine and loom with out the ews module otherwise I’d of just bought a simulator of eBay!

They’re not cheap anyways!! It would make a nice video indeed. Might even get to test the new boring bar on it. A lot of people are doing it alright, people should buy their engines quick before the prices go crazy 😂 It’s the original e39 starter yes. Did yours come with the starter?

@@KeepitBigBore no mate unfortunately it didn’t come with the starter, I took apart my clutch fork yesterday to bang them hardened pins in and it was all a little tight trying to get them pins in so I stripped it all down to find it had cracked on the main clutch shaft where one of the pins goes so going to make a new shaft on the lathe and weld the end bit on! I only bought the engine with the wiring harness for about £300 last year, I can’t wait to put it in, I do a fair bit of towing with my defender and the 300tdi is gutless!

Starter motor off the BMW should work

😂 my old neighbour said it sounds like a B52 Bomber. I definitely want to take it somewhere. Once I get the dirt bike carrier done, I’ll be taking it everywhere!!

@@KeepitBigBore We (essex land rover club) are out next weekend. Its been a long time coming. From your test drive i think you live not too far from where i used too. Im way up in essex now and its green lane heaven.

@Andy Lovelace , I’ll be there soon 😬 where you used to live is very nice. I might sell up and move there! No more working on the roadside 😂. Hopefully I get the time to head out with you guys some weekend!!!

@@KeepitBigBore You can use any road legal vehicle on green lanes. We often see Enduro type road registered bikes out in the lanes

That’s perfect, thank you, I didn’t know. I’ll be there with the defender and my it490 on the back soon 😬

It’s hard to say, it depends completely on you. How much of the fabrication, mechanicals and wiring you can do will determine how much you spend. I done everything myself and it cost me somewhere in the region of £3000 but I bought my doner car for only £300. Some people pay £3000 for the doner car alone!

Great inspiration buddy. Keep this up.

Thankyou, I’ll do my best 😬

Sounds more like the R rated version “Postman Patrick” 😂

@@KeepitBigBore you haven’t lived until you’ve watched “postman pat gets bummed” on RU-vid 😂

I have a custom heavy duty clutch on there, I’d say she’d take more abuse than the v8 clutch. It’s rated to 600nm, so far there has been no issues with it 👍🏽

Or maybe the N57 😬

@@KeepitBigBore don't do this

Why, you don’t like the n57?

😂 same country as you by the looks of it 😂 good old Ireland boy 🇮🇪

@@KeepitBigBore great stuff brother haha I am mad into these engine swaps and I’ll live through your videos until I pull the trigger myself 😅 I’m looking into this swap for a Land Rover 80

🤣 you should go for it, you’ll have it done before you know it makes it a completely different machine. Caught many o people off guard over here in London 😂 If I were to do it again I’d go with the newer m57N’s and a bmw transmission, possibly 6 speed auto or preferably 8 speed both would ideally have to be the 4 wheel drive transmissions as the available adaptors bolt up to them a lot better than the 2 wheel drive transmissions.

@@KeepitBigBore yeah I am gonna go for the 8hp AWD transmission as it’ll make it a nicer daily, nice videos brother, keep em coming, cook to see a mixed Irish lad doing exactly what I’m into haha, niche market for it

Thankyou very much. Best of luck with it, will be a beauty once done!! You’re into my videos and I’m into yours, the similarities go beyond land rovers!! Definitely without a doubt a lot of truth behind what you’re talking about!! I’ll keep in touch on Instagram 👍🏽👍🏽

Haha, that’s true, they do!! I still have to be selective about what cars I do that with though! I won’t have to be selective with my next defender!!!