Southbound said:
Question here, is a 130 hp diesel engine going to have any easier time with these Colorado mountain passes than the 130 hp 2F or is 130 hp the same regardless? I literally can't go faster than 35-40mph up those hills.
I've got a dead HJ60 in my driveway with a rusty body on it. The motor is low milage but I suspect the previous owner was pulling a heavy trailer with it on short runs without the engine temp getting warm. I drove it a year before the engine lost compression in a cylinder, now its occuping much needed space outside my shop. I was going to buy a FJ60 with a good body on it from the States, rebuild my mill and drop it in along with my 5 speed into the clean FJ60. (I'm not sure that I'm going to do this now, I have so many projects on the go including the restoration of my FJ40, I'll probably wind up parting the HJ60 out or selling it whole to someone who wants to go through with this).
Anyway, to help answer your question, I had never driven a US spec FJ60 with a 4 speed until I went looking for a replacement last weekend. I gotta tell you that after I had driven my 2H diesel (and obviously worn out at that) mated to the 5 speed the 2F powered cruisers with the 4 speed felt horribly gutless, even those with aftermarket carbs and headers. One that I drove, and almost bought, had perfect compression across all 6 cylinders.
My 2H never made much in terms of horsepower, but it was way more torquey, and made my HJ drive so much better than the FJ60's I drove. I'm sure some of this was due to the 5 speed, but the diesel motor makes a huge difference.
It didn't scream up steep hills but it would hold its own, on reasonably long hill climbs I could maintain 55-60 mph, though a turbo would have been nice at times. Actually the 2H diesel revs higher than the 2F, and it would cruise down level freeway at 75 mph all day without strain.
You will see mileage gains, though not as dramatic as what some may claim, I was getting 22-24 mpg on the freeway. I have read some to claim closer to 30mpg, but I would say that is wishful thinking.
I never minded the engine noise, the Toyota diesels don't sound that loud inside the truck.
The cons of conversion are:
1) The added weight of the diesel, you will probably have to beef up your front springs.
2) Mileage gains will be somewhat lost when you factor in the cost of diesel, its now more expensive than gasoline.
3) You may find that you have to wait for parts since your "Any Town USA" Toyota dealer most likely won't have parts.
These sites might be useful to you:
http://4wheelauto.com/
http://www.gscruiserparts.com/engines.html
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