diesel swap question (1 Viewer)

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You don't reuse the gasoline catalytic converters with diesel, but you can put in a diesel catalytic converter if you aren't happy with the smell of the exhaust. Diesel exhaust does smell different from gas exhaust, but it doesn't smell raw if it's tuned correctly.

It's really subjective. Some people I've met are more sensitive to *any* diesel exhaust. I'm more sensitive to gasoline exhaust. No one wants to be riding around in a smoke cloud, and if your exhaust is routed correctly, you'll never smell it in the cab while going down the road.




That's not really true, it just takes a long, long time to recoup the swap costs.

Example: my diesel swap cost about $10k. I've been getting 18-22mpg with it since converting 6.5 years ago. With my 2F I was getting 8-10mpg. I've put about 60k miles on my swap (estimating). Just spitballing, say gas is $2.50/gal and diesel is $3.00/gal. Over those 60k miles I've saved almost $9k in fuel costs over gasoline. Does this justify converting? No, but for those in it for the long haul, this type of stat might be able to help you convince your better half :D

60,000/8mpg (gas) = 7500gal x$2.50/gal = $18,750
60,000/18mpg (diesel) = 3,333gal x$3/gal = $10k fuel cost

Exactly
I feel like thats a pretty good diesel swap price, and if I remember you did a ton of the work (if not all) yourself. I believe most shops are in the $20~$25K plus range for a swap. Some of those swaps are used engines.

Here's my Debbie Downer chart based on his MPG and my MPG and price of fuel in my area. Obviously just a ballpark. Obviously, cheaper diesel, worse gas MPG can change this payback.

Annual Miles15,00015,000
Car #1Car #2
Fuel Price ($/gal)2.222.64
Fuel Economy (mpg)1220
Annual Fuel Cost:2,775.001,980.00
Savings:795.00
Savings after ...
Year 32,385.00
Year 53,975.00
Year 75,565.00


As you can see, it's not going to payback anytime soon. It would take you 25 years or 375,000 miles to payback a $20,000 conversion cost on just fuel cost based on 12mpg and 20mpg and the above fuel costs....or at $10K 187,000 miles. Obviously, cheaper diesel, worse gas MPG can change this payback.

Thats obviously just one side of the argument that doesn't take into account power, torque, preference, want to or smiles per mile.

@Paul DiNapoli You said you mainly want a diesel swap because you want it, which pretty much makes that chart irrelevant. :D 🍺
 
...the torfab guys have been singing praises that the R2.8 moves our 60 series rigs like a sports car!! (granted they're incented to say that to get folks to pony up $20K + )

You're not kidding. I had mine in for an oil change and was just hanging around waiting for it to be done when their sales guy got a hold of me. After hours and hours of high-pressure sales tactics while they held my truck hostage, they brought in their slick closer to try get me to sign. I said "No thank you, just give me back my truck."

393rae.jpg


And I go out to the shop and see this...

IMG_2952.jpg
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Seriously though, if you think Torfab does these just for the money you're wrong. They could make just as much money installing lifts, re-gearing and doing easy stuff.
 
Obviously not pure Toyota (but neither is a Cummins) but there are a couple budget diesel swaps going on here right now:

Mercedes Diesel HiLux

Mercedes Diesel T100

These guys are both very happy with the results. Doing 100% of the work myself including some machining/fabricating I bet I can swap an OM617 in with an upgraded injection pump for $3k. But it's gonna take awhile.
 
@Paul DiNapoli i'll let you sniff my tail pipe after mine is done!!

Maybe we can meet at the shop again while Josh and I do mine?? Could give you a little insight for yours huh?
 
@Paul DiNapoli i'll let you sniff my tail pipe after mine is done!!

Maybe we can meet at the shop again while Josh and I do mine?? Could give you a little insight for yours huh?

hell yeah!! has he started on yours yet? how long is it going to take?
 
Starts the week of September 9th.

I think it'll be a little bit, but hunting season is closing in so this one might be a little quicker than normal.

Hell... when it's done you can drive your wife around in it if you want. For convincing purposes, obviously.
 
Starts the week of September 9th.

I think it'll be a little bit, but hunting season is closing in so this one might be a little quicker than normal.

Hell... when it's done you can drive your wife around in it if you want. For convincing purposes, obviously.
i'd love to take you up on that... we break ground on our back yard ADU next month also - as soon as that is done (next spring) then a lot of funds get freed up and I'll be looking for my 1HDT in earnest and hopefully by next summer I'll have the twin to your truck.
FJ62
1HDT
H55F

sweetness...i can't wait! I intend to be buried in this truck!!
 
Excellent!

Man, me too! I've built a lot of cars, trucks, and motorcycles in my short life but this is BY FAR the most excited I've been about one.
 
I never notice any smell in my FJ60 with a 12V Cummins. After using diesel tractors and trucks most of my life maybe I am immune to the smell but the 12V in my 60 came out of a '91 Dodge farm truck that was falling apart around the engine. The truck had a significant exhaust leak for a long time and one day the muffler fell off in my driveway. Didn't even notice until the next day when I saw the muffler laying in the drive. Drove it that way for several months and didn't hear or smell any difference.
 
Loved the 2.7 5cyl in my 04 sprinter. 340k miles and had no issue hauling around a loaded van or towing a car on a trailer. Empty could get 26-27mpg. Towing down around 18-20. Would make a great transplant for a 62 but you would have to source a lot of euro parts to keep it 4wd and I’m sure it would be a headache of a swap to solve. Too many computers thinking about things.
 
Rule #1 of engine swaps: never try to justify based on economy. For the cost of an R2.8 conversion I could drive my 2f to my grave unless gas prices quadruple.
 
Rule #1 of engine swaps: never try to justify based on economy. For the cost of an R2.8 conversion I could drive my 2f to my grave unless gas prices quadruple.
yeah - that's a fair point.

the way i'll justify it to myself is more on the micro level instead of big picture macro level.

If I plan to make trips from Portland to Wyoming each summer for 2 weeks of fly fishing - and I intend to do this for the next 10 years - then each trip I take, I'm likely cutting my fuel bill in half just for that fishing trip - that makes the trip less expensive and less stressful in terms of range anxiety. that's a win.

another way to look at this is that there's zero guarantees that my 3FE won't need some major service/overhaul in the near future. I'm closing in on 270K on my original engine - and she uses a little oil - so dropping in a lower mileage diesel could be explained away as spending future 3FE refresh funds on something with better longevity.

if only I had an MBA like all these executives today that take a loss - sell some debt - do some magic with the books, chop heads, show a big profit and then get paid bigly....that kind of funny accounting could easily make it look like someone is willing to pay me to put a diesel in the truck!!
 
Trying to justify a swap on mpg doesn't really work unless you run a lot of miles. Here is my justification.

I live in the boonies and farm so I need a truck to pull trailers, hay equipment, etc and use my '01 Dodge 3/4 ton with the 24V Cummins for that. Replacing it with a new truck would cost about $70k. It isn't driven much unless I'm towing something and it has about 180k miles on it so should be good for a long time.

My daily driver for chores, errands, ball games, and everything else is the FJ60 with a 12V Cummins. It is loud & rough riding by modern standards but is also simple, reliable, and efficient for what I need it to do. Replacing it would probably cost $50k and I'd have a modern SUV that won't take near the abuse my 60 will without a hiccup.

So running the 60 as a daily driver lets me get through fields and rough trails without a computer glitch shutting everything down and keeps the miles off my truck. It is always a guess as to how long a vehicle will last or if you will be involved in a wreck and have to start over. For now the 6BT in my FJ60 is the daily vehicle I want and enjoy. I have no intention of replacing either my truck or my Cruiser so how many dollars does that add up to over time? My conversion wasn't cheap but how much do you lose driving a new SUV off the lot?
 
I think the real reason is if you have the coin to do so. It’s not worth going in debt over, especially if your already in debt. If you’ve got the spare funds, then proceed.
 
Paul,

About three years ago I was sort of in your shoes. I had found the perfect FJ62, I was going to swap in a 1HZ, turbo it, and keep it forever.

Three years later I have an HJ61, a 1HZ powered 80 series, and an FJ60 that is getting a 1HDFT.

The 80 series is a factory diesel and it is remarkably quiet (except for the interior panels which are plastic and soon getting redone), AND it is the only one of my cruisers my wife will drive. Because it doesn’t stink. The gassers smell much worse.

I tried to hang around @davegonz ‘s garage for his 1HZT swap, and I consider that my “diesel apprenticeship”. It really got my blood boiling and is leading me down the road to some interesting builds.

As others have said, don’t do it for the mileage increase, but I will tell you that I’m averaging nearly 18 miles per gallon in a naturally aspirated 1HZ in a big heavy 80.

Swap away, drive, and enjoy.
 

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