Best diesel engine for land cruiser (3 Viewers)

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you buy a lot of gas for the $10K price tag of a diesel swap (or more)
I rather buy diesel. :) But yes you don't make up the difference. There are also cheaper 4WDs to own but no one on this forum wants to drive those.
 
i agree with that, I would see this as an investment, one that I can use forever accompanied with making bio diesel
 
counting hours of labor or just parts?
just to compare apples to apples.
what engine are you running? condition? rebuilt? need more info.
I've got $6400 Canadian into my swap. $7900 if you add the truck :flipoff2:
 
to be fair, i can do a 3B used, as is, swap into a 60 for as cheap as $1500 with no labor.
but to do a diesel swap with longevity expected then a rebuild of the engine, recore the rad, all new hoses, new SS exhaust (especially in Ontario), new u/joints, new clutch, new water pump, rebuild the injectors and pump, new filters
and the list goes on. THAT kind of install will not be cheap. period.
 
counting hours of labor or just parts?
just to compare apples to apples.
what engine are you running? condition? rebuilt? need more info.
Nah just parts, you're right it's not cheap and not for everybody, it's a hobby. If it was about getting from point A to point B as cheap as possible I'd have a corolla or a bicycle
 
same here, I have a Yaris for fuel economy.
I have a diesel cruiser cause i want one and cause i don't mind wrenching one them.
I have a diesel ford for towing but if it ever does need work it will be going into someone else's shop.
I do diesel conversions for a living. I know what it costs to do one right and to regain the cost by fuel savings will take a long long long time. the truck will probably have rotted out before you recoup the cost.
want a diesel 60? buy a rusted out BJ60 or HJ60 and stick the drivetrain into a FJ.
or
buy one already done
or buy a RHD from Japan and drive the bloody thing, RHD is easy to adapt to.
 
@Evan Northcutt whats your experience working on vehicles ?
absolutely nil, but I have 3 friends who went to school for it and know a lot of diesels from driving and fixing their own and from farm labor. I want to learn very badly and they agreed to help me and show me the ropes. I know this is not easy nor do I expect it to be.

I wish I had my diesel cruiser today, could really of used it. Here in KY we received about 12 inches of snow. I had to call into work and UK cancelled classes for tomorrow along with my wives work also. One of my buddies is driving his wrangler and taking people to work at hospitals for night shift. They are seriously short on snow plows here as well
 
Sorry to kind of seem a bit harsh but ill dig right in here.

If you have no menchanical experience and need to rely on friends to get your truck done you are headed down a road to a never finished swap. Friends doing favors are far less motivated than you are and it can be stressful to get friends motivated.

I have done quite a few engines swaps now. I would have never have done one if I did not have the space, tools and ability. It sounds all easy to plan it out and read on the internet. But once you get into it they can be daunting.
 
I completely second the above, conversions are daunting and not to be taken lightly. That said, everyone needs to start somewhere...I did my first engine swap when I was 17...although it was a,much simpler swap than any diesel conversion Being discussed here.

If I were you, I would first get some mechanical experience fixing other parts of the truck before you dive into a conversion that may never get finished.
 
Agree with above and thats why I didn't do mine myself. I'm fairly confident that I can modify and maintain it now that it's in.
 
i tore my first cruiser apart in 1981 with the intent on rebuilding it ground up.
i then bought a second cruiser to tear apart cause i couldn't remember how the first one went back together.
then i bought my third, a diesel, cause the first two sat unfinished.
it has been a down hill slide ever since. I learned a lot on my own over the decades. I learned from the manuals, get the factory manual and study up before tackling the install. both the engine and the chassis. Study on the net of those that have done it before.
I would say, plan on doing the entire swap yourself and IF your friends show up then great. Don't count on your friends, they have lives as well and it doesn't take long for a swap for a buddy to get boring. chicks and booze and life is going to get in the way of your install.
go buy tools
rent a place to do the swap
plan on how long YOU figure it should take.
now quadruple that time est.
budget how much you figure it will take to do the swap.
now triple that
do you STILL want to tackle the install over buying one already done and running well?
if so, best of luck.
 
I just drove my first diesel 80 series this year and I love it, all round perfect truck for me really. 1HD-T with a 5 speed. Absolutely love the lockout hubs and part time case as opposed to AWD junk. Good power and crazy torque but my only complaint is the truck should have came with 3.7's, not 4.11's IMO. Even with 33's it's geared too low. I'm trying to track down some 3.7 gears that will fit, then add front and rear lockers and a tent on top. Then I'll own my dream truck. :bounce2:
 
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Absolutely love the lockout hubs and part time case as opposed to AWD junk.
I wouldn't say that an AWD xfer case is junk, it's actually a very strong, reliable system. In snow and icy conditions nothing compares to the 80's AWD. I personally have part timed my case, but that was primarily to reduce wear on the front end and get rid of driveline vibrations from the lift. Having the full-time case this time of year would actually be preferable where I live.
 
better question, if you had to narrow it down to the top 3 best diesel engines for DD/mild off roading/ camping/ mild hauling, what would you all pick? and y?

A year later and you're still mulling it over. This is a good strategy. Wait long enough and you'll eventually lose interest. :D
 
Plain and Simple this is a Hobby.....your not going to save money, your not going to get it done in a weekend, your not going to do this with little mechanical experience. Why do I do it...Its awesome and I enjoy the challenge. I had a Dodge Cummins at one time with a manual trans. I loved that motor and how it pulled hills and never struggled. I love my 80 for so many other reasons. The combo in my opinion will be a dream to drive. Never driven the two together but plan too. If I lived where it was flat, very little wind, and never pulled a trailer the diesel swap would never cross my mind. For me this will be a long term build. I have the motor and trans already. I will slowly rebuild collect parts and eventually do the surgery. Plus I think more of the bugs will be worked out as more and more jump on board. These threads are priceless when it comes to knowledge and understanding. So keep posting with ideas, failures, and successes.
 

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