1992 FJ80 with 6.5 Turbo Diesel install thread

[torfab]

I think this is the best diesel to put in a Land Cruiser. the 4bt and 6bt is too loud, and will rattle your teeth out. The 7.3 is too big, and the duramax is cost prohibitive.

This engine has a bad rap because of the early GM diesels, but they are very reliable and fuel efficient engines. You''ll see them with 2-300k miles all over the place.

 

[lt1fire]

I'm curious as to why you chose the Chevy 6.5, and not some other diesel.

# 1 reason cost. You can get a used one of these off ebay for the 500-1k range from a military take off with around 40k on them.

# 2 weight. the 6.2 and the turbo 6.5 weigh right around the same as a 3FE

# 3 They do last. While they aren't going to compete with a 4bt for longevity they do last a while. There is a service truck at work with one in it that has 278k on the clock but also has a PTO compressor. So the actual mileage if running the compressor was taken in to account would be closer to 400k.

#4 sound. an extremely quite diesel for its time.

#5 parts. they use the same adapters as any SBC out there. There were also millions of them made and used and millions more stored for the government applications.

 

[alia176]

I'd be curious to see what kind of mileage the new owner will get out of it. Here's a dumb question. Are there "two" diff engines based on the spec below or is this one engine?

* Power / Torque (lowest): 180 hp (134 kW) @ 3,400 rpm / 360 lb·ft (488 N·m) @ 1,700 rpm
* Power / Torque (highest): 215 hp (160 kW) @ 3,200 rpm / 440 lb·ft (597 N·m) @ 1,800 rpm

 

[lt1fire]

Different years, different variations of the engine produced different power ratings. Kinda like the dmax, cummins and p-strokes of today.

 

[alia176]

Ahh, got it. Thanks for the explanation. The 215/440 seem to trip my trigger!!

 

[elprup87]

heck, the 180/360 is hot enough for me! I would love to see this finished. Even better, I would love to see him finish this on my 80

 

[chattfj40]

A 6.5/6.2 drops perfectly into a 60/62 but the frame rails are a few inches narrower in the 80 I'd guess due to the coils. Thus, the motor sits higher in my swap, the AC compressor barely clears the hood. They did the pass shock tower mod, but instead of sliding the motor over a inch or two they cut the driver's exhaust manifold and shortened it to clear the frame...thus leaving no room for the oil cooler lines. I had to grind the crossover/manifold flange and use 9/16" banjo bolts on a cutdown face 1/2" pipe adapter to hook it up.

They left the A442, even though the motor's got a mech DB2 Inj pump. not sure how they were gonna tell the tranny to shift...swapped to an A440 and it works well for now...if it goes kaput, I'll be going to a 4l80 as well...though same issues running the DB2 pump...

Other stuff I've found...the radiator is marginal at best, so I went with a Summit AL 30x19...might be fine in the NW, but here in TN not so much.

more as I think about it, but I'm subscribing...let me know if you need anything specific.. Check the STLCA clubhouse thread for some pics. Been meaning to get some more up, but time is short getting ready for the ACT 10...

 

[torfab]

chattfj40 - all I can say is wow - your cruiser is way cool! I can't believe the PO paid 40k for this swap to be done, that's unbelievable! I'm glad you didn't pay that much, but I'm guessing that I am under-charging if that's what the market holds

I'm keeping the PMC on this swap, so the wiring job will be very involved. The mechanical injection is great, but if you have a problem it's difficult to diagnose. The PMC will be able to drill down an issue using OBD-1 and parts can be tracked down quickly.

Also, I'm surprised they used the vacuum booster and original brake master on your rig... I'm hesitant to use vacuum boosted brakes when a vacuum pump is required to run it. There's not very much vacuum there, and it get's overworked pretty fast with a brake booster.

I'm using the hydraboost, which utilizes the GM master cylinder and a proportioning valve. I feel like it's a safer bet, and they're better brakes with more power.

I'm still digging your ride though, how was Alaska?

 

[Atoyot1031]

Damn Tor, when I started reading this today, I was hoping it was going in your rig as your answer to the question of "To trailer or not to trailer..."

Good luck, this is going to be a cool build to watch. BTW, you have a couple good shots of my wife's station wagon on your website from BTR.

Hope to see you again next year!

Nick

 

[torfab]

I got the trial fitment of the engine completed last week. I spaced the steering box 1/4 inch from the frame to give the most possible room between the steering pump and box.

I also cut the passenger shock mount to clear the turbo exhaust.

The fuel lines are being re-routed to avoid overheating from the exhaust

Brake lines are being outboarded to avoid the exhaust manifold on the drivers side.



So far so good, the 4L80E tranny is a bit larger than the A442, so I'm worried about driveline clearance. I won't really know until the Marks kit shows up from Australia. Right now I'm using measurements from their tech team to approximate the location.

The engine is tacked in place, and may be moved again after the adapter shows up.

The next step is wiring, and reverse engineering the damn GM wiring harness. It seriously looks like it could use some trimming from the harness. There are way more wires in there than necessary...

 

[OGBeno]

Awesome!!

 

[jfz80]

Got to crawl over and under Todd's again this year at GSMTR and that thing is NICE !!!!
so much quiter than a cummins and torque for days just the same. Should be a blast in the Great White North.

swaps coming along nice, Im pretty sure your client will be pleased with the end results.

 

[torfab]

Yesterday I removed the in-tank pump and installed a direct hose into the particle filter for pickup. I will be running the stock GM fuel pump which is an in-line lift pump. It's mounted on the frame rail, and is really easy to service, so it's a better choice.

The Stock Toyota pump has 45psi, and the GM pump has 15

 

[rtarh2o]

I can't tell from the pictures but it looks like you might have enough room to use the GM fan clutch?
On my 6.2 I didn't have enough room for a clutch so I started with a flex fan, it worked pretty good until it got really hot then it would overheat while sitting still.
I ended up installing a set of dual electric fans and never had any overheating problems again.
Looks great!
Keep us posted!
Rusty

 

[Elbert]

my question with the GM family of diesels (excluding the duramax) relates to the power of the engine. Years ago the GM pickups with this engine had a reputation of very poor performance.

 

[torfab]

Elbert,

The engines have a bad reputation due to the poor performance of the 5.7 liter diesels that GM came out with prior to this engine. The 6.2 was completely designed by Detroit Diesel, and is a great engine overall. They use them in H1 Hummers, and HMMWV's

 

[torfab]

My love of Land Cruisers caused me to completely destroy this 1995 GMC Sierra, even the dash is now ripped apart. They friggen riveted the dash together making it a very difficult thing to remove.

I then removed the wiring harness in one piece, and stripped out the ac, heater, stereo, lights, etc. Now it's been slimmed down to 1/4 of it's original size, and ready to be installed in the cruiser along with the engine harness (the pic is just the dash harness).

One more step in the process

 

[AMMO]

So far so good, the 4L80E tranny is a bit larger than the A442, so I'm worried about driveline clearance. I won't really know until the Marks kit shows up from Australia. Right now I'm using measurements from their tech team to approximate the location.

Tora,

So are you going to run the 4L80E or the Toy tranny? What adaptor did you get from Mark's the engine mounts?

-A

 

[torfab]

I'm running the 4L80E tranny, Marks adapter from tranny to T-case, and I made my own triangulated engine mounts. Flange style that are sold are too weak in my opinion.

-Tor

 

[AMMO]

I'm running the 4L80E tranny, Marks adapter from tranny to T-case, and I made my own triangulated engine mounts. Flange style that are sold are too weak in my opinion.

-Tor

Roger that... I've bounced around the 6.5 idea now for last 6 or so years... Last summer I picked up a 4bt in a F150 4x4 with a 5speed. The engine is now yanked but just sitting around, I got stalled collecting parts; Trans and xfer case... The 4L80E is supposed to be a great trans, are you going with an aftermarket computer?

-Ammo