cary said:
At $4.00 a gallon for gas, driving 15,000 miles a year, it would take 5 years to break even on gas costs if the gas mileage went from 12 to 24mpg, and that is with the cost of the conversion comming in at $12,000. For that money, why not at least go with a diesel that is putting out 400ft/lb torque or more?
Well, I'm probably closer to 20,000 a year - so 3.6 isn't bad. You can run Bio, that you make yourself for .75 (I think that's what Stacy on trucks said) figure twice that $1.50. You're down to 2.22 years. In year 3 you get to put an extra $5,400 in the bank, same year 4 and 5.
More realistically, it's probably makes the most sense if you already have to replace your motor, or like Mr. Toad - have one for free with a bad engine. Then you get to subtract the $5-6,000 you'd have to spend anyway. Then the pay off, if you're not doing bio-diesel or veggie or anything like that, $4 for a gallon, 15,000 miles a year, figure it cost you 7g's extra, the payoff is 2.8 years. That's not bad at all. Especially since year 4, $2500 goes in my pocket. Three years of that, and you will have saved enough to replace the 4BT when it wears out (10 years later).
The 12g's, is that including the 4" lift? I'd drop that $2355 off the top (or maybe that's the difference from 12-14?) eitther way, it's something you'd have to do to the gas to make it 'equal'.
Another way to look at it, you can pick up a 80 series for 10K with lockers, put 14K into a diesel conversion, and still be under what a new CRD Liberty costs.
I like it. When my engine goes, which hopefully won't be for another couple years (180,000 and counting), I'll certainly be taking a long hard look at it. I keep re-reading the article on the 4BT in the 60 in Toyota Trails, saying to myself, damn, that's some mileage. One look, and I certainly know where I'd be taking it for the conversion too. That is one sweat conversion.
As long as I'm being a wind bag - I like the lower HP and torque of the 4BT. You don't need 300hp and 600ft lbs all the time. I'd throw propane in and only suffer the relatively few times I really need that kind of power.
