|
A lot depends on the motor you find. When all was said and done I paid $7000 to swap the 2F for a 13BT/H55F/t-case combo. My friend and I did all the work and used all of our (his) own equipment. We might have been able to save a couple hundred dollars on piddly things, but the motor/tranny combo was $6500 USD, plus another couple hundred for a 12V alternator and starter. I'm not sure how much better of a deal you can get on the motor, but considering how much SOR charges for JDM engines I feel pretty good about the price I paid.
As for fuel economy I'm getting around 20mpg mixed highway/city driving and maybe 24-25 on the highway. Stickboy reports slightlly better mileage with his 13BT. The big benefits, in my mind, are:
1. Simplifying the drivetrain. The diesels are really pretty simple compared to the 2F, and if taken care of will last much longer.
2. Ability to run biodiesel. Clean burning and higher lubricity. If you brew your own or with a group of other diesel folks you can get your fuel costs under a dollar a gallon. No more bending over at the pump. AND when we finally do switch to alternative fuels you won't be stuck with a useless gas guzzler.
3. Fuel economy--even 20mpg is more than 50% better than the best a stock 2F gets. Anything above that is gravy.
4. Performance. Even the little 13BT SMOKES the 2F I had. It pulls far better on long hills and accelerates when you ask it to. It'll actually pull harder than I've tried so far, but at the cost of fuel economy. I'm sure the 12HT and turbo'd 1HZ's are that much more powerful.
IMOP it's a lot of work and a lot of money but still worth every penny. I plan to drive mine for a long, long time. As an added incentive some states offer alternative fuel tax credits or deductions for this kind of upgrade--at least Oregon does.
|