1HD-T in FJ40 or rebuild/balance 2F? (1 Viewer)

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Duke

Duke

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Aug 28, 2010
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I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on pulling apart my 78 FJ40 and doing a complete refresh, frame, body etc. I'm anticipating it taking a total of 8 months from start to finish. ( I work in the Body Shop industry)

I've always been a big fan of the Toyota Diesels and am leaning strongly in the direction of a 1HD-T paired to a new H55 transmission (already purchased) Love the sound, the power and the bump in fuel economy etc. that comes with this particular diesel. Downside is the cost and perhaps even parts availability. I'm not opposed to spending the money to get the rig that I really have been dreaming of for so many years (almost 55 years old now) Time for a reward right?!! I have no intentions of selling it and my sons and grandsons will inevitably be the recipients of the truck in the end. It's become somewhat of a family heirloom.

However, I am feeling reservations about spending $15k+ on an installation/conversion that includes a used motor with 100k-200k+ on it. It's the used/unknown history of the motor that bothers me when dropping $8k+ on a 1HD-T or even 12HT. I had always planned on one of these engines and settled on the 1HD-T after consultation with another member of the board who I respect both as an individual and builder. The closer I get to doing this the more this recurring thought of value vs. cost rears up in my mind.

One the other hand pulling my 2f and rebuilding it with a balance seems like a useful and practical option. It's definitely more cost effective and I don't have any of the reservations relating to money when I consider this.

Given all the pros and cos of doing this, what do the board members suggest as a course of action? Maybe I'm just having a hard time burying the thought of ROI on something like this, even though I know that it can't be a consideration.

What are your thoughts?

PS. not even remotely interested in V8 conversion. No offense to those who have done this. ;)
 
Hi mate.

Ultimately I believe in the 'one life, live it the way you want' philosophy so I say do the 1HD-T/H55. Mate, you're 55! Live it up! :) As you know the 1HD-T is bulletproof and will give you more than enough power/economy in your light 40 compared to the heavy 80 they were designed for plus it'll sound tough as fxxx. Availability may be thin in North America but parts are available in Australia, Western Europe, the Middle East and Japan so in the rare event it does s*** itself then you can always find parts in those places. Always. You just gotta look.

The question is: Can you let go of that gnawing feeling inside and just splurge on what you know you want anyway? ;)

We have enough regrets in life already.

DO IT! :beer:
 
I love my BJ42 with the 3B and watching all the bollocks people have to go through in Nth America with the F series motors I am even more glad.
No timing issues, no ignition components that wear out, no "flat spot under acceleration", just lovely torque and few moving parts.
I had to overhaul my injection pump recently, had done 350k and cost me about 400 USD for parts and labour to replace all the internals of the pump with OEM. Good for another 350k now.

If you go diesel in a landcruiser, you will never regret it.
Unless at 55 you do not have 15k to burn.
 
I almost bought into the diesel thing... a fresh 2F with some prep work will surprise you- and a whole lot cheaper! Not that I wouldn't like a 12HDT in my FJ55 but thats some coin!!

just $.02
 
I would love to have a newer diesel and a 5 speed. If I had such a setup I would surely drive my cruiser a lot more. But a properly rebuilt and balanced 2F is a wonderful thing. That's the route I went. Balanced, Delta KC grind cam, shaved the head .030, header, etc. I'm currently running a Weber and a old Mallory centrifugal advance distributor with a pertronix in it. I'm starting to hate the weber after 10 years but once it's started and warmed up the truck runs fantastic and has plenty of power. A balanced 2F hums along down the highway great too. But it's still a 2F and I still get 12-13 MPG.
 
There are not many 1HDT's that I've seen go into FJ40s - it's a pretty tight fit. Wayne (crushers) has a thread in the Diesel Section showing the swap process for a 1HZ. It would be pretty cool though.

In the end, I think it depends on what you want. Not sure that you'll ever recover the cost of the diesel conversion, and parts are certainly more difficult to get. Is this going to be a DD? Weekend warrior? Do you like things to just flat work, or do you like to tinker? From all the conversions I've seen, whether it be a diesel or 350, there are many different ways to do them and oftentimes it seems that they turn into a tinkering/adjustment/tweaking exercise for the rest of its days.

I'd say that if you have the cash, want to tackle a challenge, have another DD as a backup, and have just been dreaming of it for years, go ahead and DO IT! Post up lots of pics!
 
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After working on Toyota diesels for a while now, and due to the parts availability on these engines...No way would I want one!!

Then again, if it was free... maybe so..........
 
grant5127 said:
After working on Toyota diesels for a while now, and due to the parts availability on these engines...No way would I want one!!

Then again, if it was free... maybe so..........
Click to expand...



What parts are we talking about? Nothing usually goes wrong with the 1hd-t other than a starter or alternator. Do the typical maintenance and drive it like a 3B, half a million miles or so...:p

They are hands down the best to work on short of the good old 2F...

Tight fit, not really, I put a 1hz turbo into a FJ45, lots of roooooom....


Rob
 
That's a lot of engine but if that is what you want go for it. I recommend a newer engine if you can get one. Maybe getting a donor rig out of Canada with a turbo setup and part out what you don't want. You cannot go wrong with a Toyota diesel but like Grant said finding parts can be a little tricky. I buy everything in "two's" just to be safe. I have a H engine...it's like the f engine that nobody wants but I'm happy with it. It has lots of power but slow on take offs. I could be put a turbo but why. Just brought home a 1500 pound 250D(diesel) lincoln welder going 65 mph with no problems the other day. I have a rebuilt a 2f engine and I have to say the h engine still out performs a refreshed 2f. The 2f engine is a little quicker on take off but thats about it. I can run close a month a tank of diesel compared to almost two weeks on a 2f.
 
Owning a Toyota diesel in the US would be putting yourself in the mercy of Marv $pecter. Or some other foreign country for that matter. :eek: No thanks!
 
donny paradise said:
Owning a Toyota diesel in the US would be putting yourself in the mercy of Marv $pecter. Or some other foreign country for that matter. :eek: No thanks!
Click to expand...

Sure about that?

My DD for 100,000 miles now doesn't have a single $OR part on it. Plenty from Toyota, and a few from Radd Cruisers though...

Parts don't phase me at this point. I just need to scrape together more money so I can get more of them. I positively cringe every time I drive the 60, because it just uses so darn much fuel.

Dan
 
be careful about what H55 you have and what you want to pair it with. found out the hard way when I lined up a H55 to go with a 12H-T and ended up getting a 1HD-T. They dont match up without getting a bunch of different parts.
 
DanS HJ-45 said:
Sure about that?

My DD for 100,000 miles now doesn't have a single $OR part on it. Plenty from Toyota, and a few from Radd Cruisers though...

Parts don't phase me at this point. I just need to scrape together more money so I can get more of them. I positively cringe every time I drive the 60, because it just uses so darn much fuel.

Dan
Click to expand...

Interesting how many people that don't own/drive diesels seem to be slamming them. I love my 3B, and don't feel held hostage by $OR at all. :meh: I have a 71 FJ40 and an 81 BJ42. Hands down, my favorite to drive is the BJ42. To each their own, I guess. For the OP, if you want a diesel, I say go for it. Make the rig what you want and drive it! :steer:

:cheers:
 
Do it! You only live once. :)
A 1HD-T in a 40 would be great. Sure parts (if you ever need them) may be harder to obtain...but they won't be impossible. There is always stuff like filters, water pumps and timing belts listed on ebay Australia. If the engine does have some form of history or evidence of routine maintenance, the don't be too fussed about 200+k on a Toyota diesel - that's just run-in!
 
Wow!!! Great responses Gents! I was out of town for 2 days and hadn't had a chance to check the thread. After reading so many posts and build threads I think that this guy is going to go with the 1HD-T. One caveat..... I do have an opportunity that just popped up yesterday for a full 12HT from the fan to the rear flange. Full power train. I am waiting for some additional information (clicks, overall health, history etc) on this and will post up what I discover. At first blush the entire package is cheaper than the 1HD-T alone. I'm also a firm believer in "if it sounds to good to be true, it is". So we'll see.

I've always had Landcruisers and always wanted to try one of the legend diesels in a 40 and go nuts on cleaning it up with everything I ever envisioned would make my ultimate Expedition/DD combo. So since I'll be 55 in March, I'm going "golden" and doing it. My wife is on board since I won't be using "her" 2004 and she's anxious to get it done so we can start planning in earnest for our Alaska-Argentina 2017. You only live once right, so do it right!!

Thanks to all for your comments both in the affirmative and those opposed. In the end, I love to tinker, I'm not tooo concerned about parts given my proximity to Canada, ebay and the knowledge of this board - and I really like the concept of having something that just "flat works". Thanks for the reminder on the BEB's, knowing that they are an issue on some of the earlier 1HD-T's. ......and the coolness factor just is just....well.....too cool.

I'll post pictures once we get started. Torfab, another member on the board will be doing the work-he's first class guy and does first class work, not to mention experience with this in both 40's and 60's. While he's doing his thing in the engine bay, I'll be tearing down the truck, media blasting and doing the body/paint work. That's what I do!!

Last question for now, does anyone know offhand if HZ55 transmissions are still available from Toyota? I won't be able to check with them till Friday. Just curious if anyone knows or has purchased one recently. The HZ55 differs from the H55 in that it comes with the correct front shaft for the 1HD-T.

Thanks to all!!
 
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Another point to ponder is what our government is doing to our fuel. The cetane (sulfur) and lubricity value is dwindling at a fast rate. A distiller foreman in huge refinery in Houston tells me by mid year they're gonna be diluting our already piss-poor diesel with ethanol, think about that!! So unless you dope up your own concoction (adding to the cost) additive to put some goodness back into the fuel a close tolerance injection pump is doomed. The powers to be are trying to force the public into common rail. Maybe those in foreign countries don't have this issue as we do....:hmm:
 
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