4WD Toyota Owner Magazine
SILVER Star
Bring in a Mexican, South American or Canadian diesel Cruiser.
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Tell me how to bring in a diesel 80 and I will do it in a heartbeat
Rusty
No way is converting a gasser to a diesel, then bio going to pay off...
3. latoyota had a 4BT conversion done on his 80 (and another referenced) by Proffitt's, drove it from CO to CA, and reported: "The two trucks averaged around 22mpg on the way back, but we were not gentle on them, cruising at 80-85 mph on the way home over all the passes and everything."
I think there are a lot of unaccounted for costs in these diesel conversions and I'll make a comment on Alaska's to that effect since he asked.
So, you may find that by the time your 6 year actual real world operation of the vehicle is up, you have spent an additional $1000 on special filters, higher cost oil, shorter oil change intervals, fuel/water separators, diesel injection pump service and batteries.
The 4BT in the Fritolay vans (the most common source available) came with Delco alternators that can be had in the $100-200 price range (did a quick search). Dieselcruiserhead bolted up a 140 amp unit from a '94 Chevy Caprice- cheap and plentiful. Neither OEM nor the other options are any different from the prices of the gasser units from what I can tell.Then, let's toss in a random failure such as an alternator. On a gasser, you could buy one at Schuck's for $80. An alternator on a diesel is perhaps $450.
Atop this, there are some invisible costs such as the total of 10 days the vehicle might sit over this 6 year period while you track down a radiator hose or fan belt or widgit valve for an engine that is scarce, or even never sold here in the US [...] By this, I'm trying to have an accounting made for a specialty vehicle for which you cannot replace a fan belt that tears while you and your family are heading to Grandma's 300 miles away.
Apparently, the 4" lift includes a lot of margin. I spoke with the Proffitts guys about this conversion earlier, and was told that it would be doable with my OME 2.5" lift (850/860 w/ an ARB on).I didn't know about the lift requirement of 4" until now. That is a rollover issue for a DD to me that should be part of the consideration and the truck will no longer fit in a standard garage, or get into a parking garage either.
What I'm wondering, though, is what is underlying the rather high cost of conversion. I mean, how much can an old van diesel cost and why is it so expensive to put it in if it has almost no electronics...?
It is, but I would also point out that:Alaska,
[...]
Looking at the Jeep diesel, for example, they achieved a fuel economy increase of 23% (from EPA combined 17mpg v6 to diesel at 21mpg) and they are using an absolutely marvelous state of the art diesel engine to do it. They also did not lift their vehicle during the conversion as would have to be done to a gasser 80 series conversion to diesel - an MPG killer. So, 30% is plenty generous for those considering a diesel conversion, no?
Here in SoCal, diesel was around $3.00 when gas was $3.39-3.49 in the summer. In the winter, diesel is around the price of premium. That's why I'm not going with 3.00 for 87 vs. 3.40 for diesel, and instead am calling it even. I guess you aren't seeing the cyclical prices over there?Driving an 80 in my neighborhood costs me $3.00 a gallon for unleaded regular fuel and diesel is $3.40 a gallon. [...] Thats a fuel cost savings of about $400 a year.
The months of work would be an inconvenience, but also a one-time price to pay for getting what would largely be an all-new drivetrain, and the process would be fairly painless with a second vehicle. The dual batteries are more expensive, I'll give you that, but not a lot more than the pricey dual batteries (read: Odysseys, Optima yellows, etc.) a lot of people are using on their gasser 80s here on the forum. Pretty much everyone in Fairbanks plugs in their gassers for a large portion of the winter, anyway, so no difference there (plus the whole fam is out of AK now..heh) Nagging annoyances, I would hope, would be figured out by those pioneers before me (wishful thinking, I know).And this does not account for the months of work the 80 would be inoperable while you do the conversion, needing to buy dual diesel batteries ($), plugging in your diesel in the cold Alaska winters so it starts the next morning, any minor annoyances from the conversion like a nagging exhaust resonance, etc. What do you think?
DougM