Extending Range to 500 miles. Best Options? (1 Viewer)

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It's not about paying.
The last person I know that got exhaust shipped in actually paid someone in Australia to buy it and ship it to him. Because no one that sells it will ship it here.
It’s an exhaust literally any exhaust shop can build one. Don’t know why this is such a fixation.

I’ve daily driven an HDJ81 for over 10 years at this point. Parts have never been an issue.
 
It’s an exhaust literally any exhaust shop can build one. Don’t know why this is such a fixation.

I’ve daily driven an HDJ81 for over 10 years at this point. Parts have never been an issue.

I didn't say they were an issue. I said it's not a pop down to Napa to get parts like it's an LS.
 
I saw that I was mentioned but I didn't read the entire discussion. Here's my long range set up.

I have a 4bta with compound turbos and a 38 gallon fuel tank with ten gallon Jerry cans. I can do about 14mpg while towing a fully loaded trailer and I managed to get it to go 101mph while towing.
Diesels run cooler until you make them work then they produce a lot of heat. It runs like a tractor but I love that feel.

If you have anything specific you want to know feel free to ask. View attachment 2888541View attachment 2888542View attachment 2888543
Did you consider other diesel options (6BT, Toyota, etc.) or a gasser before you went with the 4BT? If you had to do it over again, would you go with the 4BT?
 
Did you consider other diesel options (6BT, Toyota, etc.) or a gasser before you went with the 4BT? If you had to do it over again, would you go with the 4BT?
I initially wanted a Toyota diesel like the one I was driving in Iraq. Plug and play and all factory. But I couldn't find any within an acceptable price so I started looking elsewhere. My second choice was the Isuzu diesel, I found one but it sold before I could get to it. Then thought about maybe a 6bt, but it seemed too heavy for the axles and would be a tight fit. So 4bt it was. I got one with the P- pump and have been modifying it for ten years. As time went on, I got more and more impressed with what this engine could do and when I added compounds it became a beast.
Would I do it again? In hindsight it's just cheaper to get a Toyota diesel, but I don't think it would be as impressive as it is today.
 
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I haven't seen an engine swap in the 80 that actually makes sense from a fuel economy prospective in North America. The new Tundra engine/transmission would be a very appealing engine swap. 3.5L with gobs of power/tq and would probably net 19/25. Given that it's a twin turbo v6 I bet the engine would fit with no issues but not sure what you'd do with the transmission.

Likewise a turbo kit is far simpler and cheaper to do if you have any fab skills than an engine swap.
 
I should add that the primary use for my 80 is overlanding through most of the Rockies to the west coast while towing a teardrop. I've spent extensive time in the middle of nowhere western Cali, Nevada and Utah, and I have had gas concerns from time to time. If I stick to a plan, you're right, there's no issue with finding a gas station. But I've had to abandon several side trips due to gas concerns. That being said, diesel availability has been an issue in some areas--the LS swap is looking better and better.
One big benefit of diesel is the higher energy density per gallon. Ironically enough in my 97' F350 7.3 powerstroke with a truck camper (37 gallon capacity, 12-16mpg loaded, up to 400+ miles range) there is way less range anxiety than in my stock FZJ80. It's not even a fair comparison since the truck camper combo weighs significantly more..

For simplicity sake though, I were you I would keep the stock engine in the cruiser and invest in a larger fuel tank. No need to deal with Jerry cans.

I used to think a Cummins swap in a cruiser was heresy, but after having a diesel I can see why people go that route.
 
Getting parts for a toyota diesel is not really difficult. The local dealers can order certain parts. You can always order online.
I bought my 3" exhaust online and it really isn't a big deal.
The best mpg I got on my 1hdt 80 was just under 25 mpg in Guatemala. It really depends on how fast you drive it. Rolling down highway 5 towards socal at about 80 I got about 18.
Gas vs diesel is certainly different but I do like the low down power.
 
Getting parts for a toyota diesel is not really difficult. The local dealers can order certain parts. You can always order online.
I bought my 3" exhaust online and it really isn't a big deal.
The best mpg I got on my 1hdt 80 was just under 25 mpg in Guatemala. It really depends on how fast you drive it. Rolling down highway 5 towards socal at about 80 I got about 18.
Gas vs diesel is certainly different but I do like the low down power.
So if your on a trip in America and the water pump starts leaking, or alternator dies how long dies it take to get a water pump or alternator?
 
While gas stations are plentiful they are not always on the route. There are many spots out in western kansas or down in arkansas where stations are 60 plus miles between towns or quite a bit out of the way. I hate having to stop to get gas at half a tank cause the next town is 90 miles. I also hate getting stuck paying an extra .50 or .80 cents a gallons cause you have to fill up in a backwards area.

I know when we play around my area I will drive 60 miles to arkansas, fill up and spend 2 days driving backroads and trails and then limp back out with gas light on. I was leaning towards long range tank but the cost has skyrocketed.
60 miles between stations? That's cute.
1641809976552.png

Signs like this all over Aus.

If anyone's curious, a stock HZJ80 driven my a leadfoot (me) with the factory sub-tank will do 1000km (621 miles) between fillups on the highway. More like 1051km give or take. I ran the tanks from full to dry once to measure. I could make it from Adelaide to Sydney (1375km) with only filling up the sub-tank once along the way. Diesels are a good option when it comes to fuel consumption. The petrol 80's are very thirsty.

EDIT: Did the conversion, that's about 17.4mpg from the HZJ80 in the weird stone-age measurements you guys use over there :flipoff2:. I should clarify, that's with six occupants, loaded full of luggage/gear, with a very aggressive non-fuel conscious driver.
EDIT2: I should also probably mention I had a diesel leak, a tired injector pump, and a cracked head at the time. Wonder what I'd get now with a new head and rebuilt injector pump? I should measure that sometime.
 
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60 miles between stations? That's cute.
View attachment 2889383
Signs like this all over Aus.

If anyone's curious, a stock HZJ80 driven my a leadfoot (me) with the factory sub-tank will do 1000km (621 miles) between fillups on the highway. More like 1051km give or take. I ran the tanks from full to dry once to measure. I could make it from Adelaide to Sydney (1375km) with only filling up the sub-tank once along the way. Diesels are a good option when it comes to fuel consumption. The petrol 80's are very thirsty.

EDIT: Did the conversion, that's about 17.4mpg from the HZJ80 in the weird stone-age measurements you guys use over there :flipoff2:. I should clarify, that's with six occupants, loaded full of luggage/gear, with a very aggressive non-fuel conscious driver.
EDIT2: I should also probably mention I had a diesel leak, a tired injector pump, and a cracked head at the time. Wonder what I'd get now with a new head and rebuilt injector pump? I should measure that sometime.
Yeah totally different country out here. Also the thing is alot of these places diesel is pretty much all you can get.
distance.jpg


I like the 1hdfte. With cruisers it all depends on gearing and what speed you are running at. My 1hdfte used to drink like a sailor at 120km/h, couldn't even quite get 450kms out of 90L. On the flip side at 100km/h I got 720kms out of the same 90L.

If I'm in the USA, want diesel and can't afford a Toyota one, I also like the duramax as an option. People say they are massive which they are but they are smaller just when side by side with a 1vd, which toyota managed to fit in a 70. Isuzu know how to make a good diesel.
 
I haven't seen an engine swap in the 80 that actually makes sense from a fuel economy prospective in North America. The new Tundra engine/transmission would be a very appealing engine swap. 3.5L with gobs of power/tq and would probably net 19/25. Given that it's a twin turbo v6 I bet the engine would fit with no issues but not sure what you'd do with the transmission.

Likewise a turbo kit is far simpler and cheaper to do if you have any fab skills than an engine swap.
I think it's all about perspective and expectations. With the 1FZ-FE and what I do, the use of jerry cans (I carry 2 x 5 gal) is always a necessity, and sometimes not enough. If I can get to a point where the jerrys are truly used as a reserve, I'll be happy with that. Some shops that I have contacted have an approximate 18-month lead time. I'm going to think about this some more, but in the mean time, I will be looking to add the 24 gal aux tank. It immediately gives me sufficient range and I don't have to sacrifice ground clearance/departure angles.
 
My diesel really smoked in the rockies. So factor in the elevation of where you live with what engine you want.
This is a good point that I didn't factor it...I will be playing in the Rockies, but I thought both diesels and gassers lose about the same amount of power at altitude?

BTW, do you really need to improve the soundproofing with the 4BT? Are they louder and vibrate more than a Toyota diesel?
 
My local dealer says the water pump is a day away

Same with the alernator.
I imagine that's paying extra for overnight shipping. In Colorado we have most stuff come from Kansas city. But non us import parts would probably take a week or more. A lot of sop parts for my 80 would take a week to get for stuff in different warehouses around the usa unless I paid for fast shipping.
 
For the few times you'll need it, I'd go with cans. But I'm cheap / practical type guy. I've got some Wavian cans and some old Nato cans. You can pick them up for about $50 each for the new Wavian, which makes carrying 20 gallons of extra fuel only $200 (plus nozzle cost). And since you're towing a trailer, just throw them in there and then put them outside when you get to your location.

That being said, my overland rig has a LR main tank plus a factory sub-tank. It came that way and it is pretty nice. But I sure wouldn't spend that much money for tanks.
 
This is a good point that I didn't factor it...I will be playing in the Rockies, but I thought both diesels and gassers lose about the same amount of power at altitude?

BTW, do you really need to improve the soundproofing with the 4BT? Are they louder and vibrate more than a Toyota diesel?
Someone much smarter than I can chime in and correct me. At higher altitudes, the turbos are not able to force in as much air for the same amount of fuel being delivered, making it smoke more and burn less efficiently.

As far as sound deadening, the 4BT is loud, much louder my vw diesel, but don't have a means to compare to the Toyota ones. I'm used to military trucks so loudness doesn't bother me, but it does annoy my wife when she's trying to talk to me in the truck.
 
I think it's all about perspective and expectations. With the 1FZ-FE and what I do, the use of jerry cans (I carry 2 x 5 gal) is always a necessity, and sometimes not enough. If I can get to a point where the jerrys are truly used as a reserve, I'll be happy with that. Some shops that I have contacted have an approximate 18-month lead time. I'm going to think about this some more, but in the mean time, I will be looking to add the 24 gal aux tank. It immediately gives me sufficient range and I don't have to sacrifice ground clearance/departure angles.

Sounds like an aux tank where the spare tire sits is the way to go.

Engine swaps are very expensive if you can't do the work and it would take a lot of driving to get the $ back. If you do pretty much all the work yourself there's a good bit of merit to a swap though.
 
So if your on a trip in America and the water pump starts leaking, or alternator dies how long dies it take to get a water pump or alternator?

That brought up a memory...water pump went out during a trip in my 1FZ powered LX450. Closest dealer was a Toyota dealership. I had a thread here back in the day.

Them: "Sorry, we don't have parts for a Lexus..."

Me: "what? It is a water pump for a 1FZ."

Them: "Oh, got a toyota vin number I can look up?"

Once they located a replacement part, it still would have taken them a few days to get it in stock, but I managed to get my LX450 running again by plugging the weep holes in the failed water pump, and monitoring coolant levels...So, even if it is stock, you could still might have trouble sourcing parts...

Just a note, some of the diesel guys have manual transmissions, which help their MPGs. Diesels engines are exceptional when used at a constant load (highway speed) with a manual transmission.
 

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