97 with diesel swap in Miami (1 Viewer)

[EPUro2019]

I've been out of the cruiser game for a while and itching to get back in. I love the idea of a diesel 80 but importing a RHD version seems like a big risk with some real limits in a LHD world.

I found this on ebay:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/122328960650

Anyone in the Miami area interested in checking this out? Overall seems to be in good condition and the swap seems to have been done very well. Any advice or if someone is willing to check this out it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Sorry if inappropriate, I can redirect elsewhere if needed.

 

[eurosonic]

nice, looks clean

 

[Lumpskie]

Wow, from the pictures, it looks beautiful! 5-Speed, diesel, '97... that's my dream rig specs.

 

[Landseer]

I thought 15 inch wheels didn't clear the calipers on a 97?

 

[EPUro2019]

It looks like it is really in good condition and the swap looks very professional. Just never know with ebay. That's why I am hoping someone on this board is in the Miami area that might be willing to check it out. I realize it is a big request. Just hope it isn't too good to be true.

 

[LINUS]

Is that the one that was FS multiple times in the greater SE area through ~year ago?

There was a diesel swap one that was a light/white body that made the rounds of the CL ads with a story behind it, I forget what.
Not sure, but seems the infamous one was a domestic marque glowplug swap - that was a clean install with the 5 speed & all.

 

[EPUro2019]

Not sure if this was FS in the past, I'll try and find out more info. The owner says:
i import the engine transmission and transfer case from japan with 60000 kilometers about 45000 miles
the conversion was done by a mechanic with 35 years of experience on diesel engines.

I'll try and find more info.

 

[LINUS]

Seems like a military job posting and/or a bad split with a spouse was part of the story previous, a Carfax of recent # of owners would show the story.
If you hadn't already.

 

[EPUro2019]

I thought 15 inch wheels didn't clear the calipers on a 97?

Is this an issue? I haven't done any research yet, I wonder if they swapped out calipers, not sure why they would unless there was a problem.

 

[jeffro109]

wheel spacers maybe?? Rim outer edge looks wider than stock.

 

[Rock40]

Is this an issue? I haven't done any research yet, I wonder if they swapped out calipers, not sure why they would unless there was a problem.

Yeah, that is odd. 15" wheels should not be able to clear the front calipers.

I have a 96' with a 1HD-FT/5 speed manual and it's great. The swap is NOT very straightforward though but I slogged my way through it. If it was me, I'd definitely want to drive it (or have someone else drive it) as the early model H151F's (5 speeds) are known for synchro problems, especially 2nd gear.

It'd be good to know that all the gauges work correctly too. For the diesel swap, the tach needs to be changed and it makes sense to swap the speedometer too as the gradient is somewhat different.

If it was me, I'd really want some more information on this before throwing a bunch of money at purchasing it.

 

[Rock40]

And to add to this: a compression test on the 1HD-T would be great along with a receipt/guarantee that the BEB's (connecting rod bearings) have been changed. That's a requirement on these engines as the 1HD-T's have suffered some catastrophic bearing failures. Just do a google search and you'll find horror photos...they need to be swapped out every 100,000 and the timing belt needs to be replaced every 60,000

 

[EPUro2019]

Rock40

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely try and figure this out more. Not interested in wasting money, that's for sure.

The guy just emailed me that he has owned it for 1 yr. He is the 6th owner but he did the diesel swap. I get the sense that his English isn't very good and that may complicate the situation. My step-father lives about an hour away from this guy but his English is so so and he isn't too familiar with land cruisers. So not sure how much help he would be.

If anyone knows anyone in the Miami area who would be willing to check it out, that knows anything about cruisers I'd appreciate the referral.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Rock40]

No problem. Let me know if I can be of any more assistance. I know quite a few diesel 80 series guys but nobody in the Florida area unfortunately.

 

[EPUro2019]

I got this additional info from him:

the rpm gauge is not working , i order the correct RPM gauge for the 1HDT engine is coming from japan , installation is very simple
i took the truck to a toyota dealer were i have a friend and ck the engine and transmission and they are very good conditions
they replace all the fluids,
we replace the water pump OEM ,
NEW: hoses, belts ,starter , drive shafts and u joints oem , complete floor carpet, redone front seats ,wheels and michelin tires , center console ,shifter covers
engine mounts oem , transmission mount oem, diesel fuel filter , air filter, all the new parts original from japan

Not clear specifically about the timing belt, BEB's or 15" wheels. My guess is the language barrier is limiting things.

 

[Rock40]

I got this additional info from him:

the rpm gauge is not working , i order the correct RPM gauge for the 1HDT engine is coming from japan , installation is very simple
i took the truck to a toyota dealer were i have a friend and ck the engine and transmission and they are very good conditions
they replace all the fluids,
we replace the water pump OEM ,
NEW: hoses, belts ,starter , drive shafts and u joints oem , complete floor carpet, redone front seats ,wheels and michelin tires , center console ,shifter covers
engine mounts oem , transmission mount oem, diesel fuel filter , air filter, all the new parts original from japan

Not clear specifically about the timing belt, BEB's or 15" wheels. My guess is the language barrier is limiting things.

Well, OK. A lot of that sounds good, some of it is a bit fishy. I can speak from experience that unless you know exactly what you're doing, installing a diesel tach into a truck which originally had a gasoline engine is really not that "simple". The gasoline tach uses a signal from the ignitor assembly and the diesel is a pulse from the Injection Pump. You have to locate the factory harness point in the gasoline truck and then splice the two leads together. Several of us here on MUD have done late model 80 series diesel swap and it was a group effort to get this figured out.

Along with the tach, I'm guessing the turbo boost and overboost lights are also not hooked/up not working as those incorporate into the diesel tach. Small things, but they add up, especially when the asking price here is 20k. It took me a significant amount of time and effort to get all the "little" things to work right.

As with any other used 80 series, I'd be curious about the last time that someone actually rebuilt the front knuckles and whether or not this model has the factory E-lockers or just the transfer case differential lock.

Again, I'd be much more interested in the 1HD-T engine mechanicals compared to replacing u-joints and what not. The language barrier is obviously not helping here but unless you remove the pan and drop one of the connecting rod bearings, there is no way to verify they've actually been changed unless somebody can give you a receipt or photos of the work being done. The BEB's are a BIG deal on these engines. If you can't verify someone else has done them, plan on doing them yourself, along with the timing belt.

Since this is a swapped 5 speed, I'd also be curious about how they modified or built the rear crossmember for the transfer case mount. Some can get really hokey, I'm not kidding. It takes some time and thinking to do it right as the auto and manual transmissions are entirely different lengths.

Lastly, did they convert the engine starting circuit to 12V or did they re-use all the original parts for the 24V start?

If you want to browse my build thread (and another member who posted in mine since we were doing swaps at the same time) it can be found here: Euro 1HD-FT Turbo Diesel/H151F 5 Speed Manual LHD 96' USA Swap

 

[EPUro2019]

Rock40

Wow, thanks again for the info, very very helpful.

Beautiful rig you built! Have you enjoyed the diesel swap? Worth the effort?

I emailed the seller to see if I can get the number of the mechanic. Hopefully he will share it and I can get these questions answered.

I would assume that for 20K he would have someone hook up the new tach, correctly hopefully. To include the turbo boost and overboost lights.

It does have factory e-lockers

I'll have to ask about the rear crossmember and the rest of the drive train swap, not sure what they did.

I'm also not sure about 12V vs 24V circuit. Hopefully I can speak to the mechanic.

Thanks again for all the info and beautiful build!

 

[EPUro2019]

Just learned that the mechanic only speaks Spanish. Ay, caramba!

 

[Rock40]

Sheesh!! At least more more pics of the swap and drivetrain would be really helpful

I've enjoyed the swap I did immensely, it was a lot of work and not cheap though. Average fuel economy is around 20mpg. Hindsight being 20/20 I'd still do the swap as the manual trans and diesel is a lot of fun

 

[EPUro2019]

I heard this back from the seller this am:

i wish you were here to see how much work we did to the land cruiser ,the swap is very simple ,especially for someone who knows hot to do it
if a get the Tach on time ill install it , simple step
about the knuckles i know they were done ,dont know long ago is what the toyota dealer near me toll me
the engine and tranny were inspected in japan dino tested ,, i buy used engine from this people in japan for many years and i trust what send me so idont take them apart , just replace the water pump , and all the water hoses OEM factory parts
i adapted a plate to the crossmember and the tranny seats on the same original oem mount , also bought new driveshafts and U joints
to install new 15" wheels all i needed was 1" spacers ,and fit perfect
i purchased a new 12 V heavy duty Denso starter , used the original 12v alternator ,, so every thing is 12 volts
i will have receipts for most of the new original parts

There seems to be a big mileage discrepancy on carfax, high miles on the body/frame. I think there are too many issues to resolve, probably not worth it.

Thank you everyone for the advice!