I have been watching a couple of nice Cummins powered FJ60's on ebay the last few days, looks like they will both come close to the $20,000, one of them probably even going beyond it. This is great news for those debating between rebuilding or converting. There have been several threads about conversions with a lot of talk about it being better to rebuild your current drive train due to the cost of the conversion never paying for itself. I mentioned in one of the threads that the thing people are overlooking in this debate is the increased value of the vehicle that a properly done diesel conversion will add. If these two vehicles are any indicators of the value of a converted Land Cruiser this should help tip the scale in favor of a diesel conversion. Take for example a nice mid 80's FJ60 (like the ones on ebay now) if you need an engine rebuild it is going to cost you about $3,000 (that is a minimum). Most would/should rebuild the transmission at the same time, this will add about another $2,000 bringing you to a total of around $5,000. If you were to sell the vehicle after the rebuild you might get $8,000 - $10,000 if the rest of the vehicle is really nice, otherwise you would probably be lucky to just get your money back out of it. Now, if you are able to convert the vehicle yourself you can probably do a diesel conversion for around $10-12,000 but what you end up with is a $20,000 vehicle. Even if you have to pay the $20,000 price tag I have heard for someone to do the conversion you are still in the breakeven range that you would be by simply rebuilding the stock drivetrain. Add to this the fact that you will probably cut your fuel cost by 25-40% (depends upon who you listen to) and have the option to run WVO and even further reduce your fuel cost. I would like to think I am increasing the value of my 94 FZJ80 by converting it to a 6.2 diesel. I realize the 6.2 may not be as desirable as the Cummins to many (I prefer the 6.2) but the 80 series is more desirable than the 60 series to many (again not all). My point is I feel that my 6.2 powered 94 FZJ80 should be worth as much as a Cummins powered 60 series if not more. Again this is all dependent upon the quality of the conversion and the condition or the vehicle. I am tempted to put my 80 on ebay and see what happens!
Just food for thought for those of you considering any diesel conversion.
Rusty
Just food for thought for those of you considering any diesel conversion.
Rusty