Bongo Fury

Saw this on the "other" forum....what do peeps think ??? non starter or worth a bit of research ??

Hi,

I've been a bit of a lurker here so it's a bit bold to ask for advice! However;

Has anyone ever swapped an engine, or even heard of an engine swap for a Bongo? I dont mean swapping Bongo engines, but fitting a completely different engine...


After much chin scratching I've concluded that the standard Bongo engines are irredeemable; there's any number of improvements to be made to them but, fundamentally they'll never be fuel efficient. Not like a modern TDCi engine.

So if:
Bongo engine = Ford ranger engine and if the Ranger engine was replaced by Duratorq units later in its life then shouldnt it be possible to fit a reasonably modern ford unit into the Bongo? I would have thought that an automatic ZSD-422 would fit the bill.

£2000 for an engine and box, and, say £2500 to get it to fit, sell the old engine for £750, total cost £3750.

15k miles/year @ 22.5 mpg = 600 gallons, @ £6.5/gallon = £3900
15k miles/year @ 45 mpg = 300 gallons, @ £6.5/gallon = £1950
So the cost of the new engine would be repaid in less than 2 years.

It adds up, but I know almost nothing about the practicalities.
Any pointers before I get the engine hoist out?

I've been wondering about something like this myself. I think I would do something like this is I ever had a head go on my Bongo. The cost of repair v replacement with the benefits of a more modern engine makes it well worth considering. The downside is that there would be a lot of wiring to do to get a Di engine in and running which would put off a lot of people and then there is the possible issue of insuring it with a non-standard engine.

Hi
These engines are fitted to the Thailand-built 2007 Ford Ranger (J97U). the Land Rover Defender and some Transits etc etc,in various sizes,the only thing I would be concerned about is the MPG with a second hand engine.If you can afford it and you do the mileage it might be worth a punt.

I would be very surprised if you got anywhere near 45mpg from a modern engine in a Bongo.

I regularly get about 48mpg from my 2.0 TDi Octavia Estate but the same engine in a VW seems to get around the 35 mark if you're lucky so overall I doubt if it would be worth the hassle.

briwy wrote:I would be very surprised if you got anywhere near 45mpg from a modern engine in a Bongo.

I doubt if many if us do 15000miles per year in the Bongo either.

Don't think you would ever see your money on this, Bongo weight and aerodynamics come into play, and I really think this would turn out to be far more work than it first seems.

Bob wrote:Don't think you would ever see your money on this, Bongo weight and aerodynamics come into play, and I really think this would turn out to be far more work than it first seems.

Thats was my first thoughts...and I still think the same

Then you've got to insure it, and it may prove worthless if you need to sell.

Not wanting to smother a good idea, but...