FJ60 diesel conversion

[jakerudy]

As far as the off road performance weight wise ? how do you feel it performs ? Does the front end feel heavy or bottom out at all ?

My off road use is mostly farm work, hunting, and fishing and it does everything I need better than it did with a 2F. I have a '01 Dodge 3/4 ton Cummins 4x4 and it is a great farm truck but off road it feels nose heavy and will spin in 2wd on just about any surface other than dry pavement. The Cruiser does not feel nose heavy and has not bottomed out on rough roads and light trails.

The lift required due to the height of the 6BT seems to make more difference to the 60 than the added weight. I suppose in deep mud the weight might be a detriment but haven't tried. Micah does some trails in CO with his 80 and made the comment that the weight up front helps him pull through some tight areas.

In my opinion more is made of the 6BT weight than is justified as the 2F is not a light engine either. Put on aftermarket bumpers and accessories and you can add about the same weight difference to the vehicle.

 

[bigfj62]

I am in the works of doing this swap myself. Could you post a picture of the throttle linkage? I may lean on you for some more picture if that is cool. Wish I could get the photobucket video links to work need some inspiration.

 

[jakerudy]

I am in the works of doing this swap myself. Could you post a picture of the throttle linkage? I may lean on you for some more picture if that is cool. Wish I could get the photobucket video links to work need some inspiration.

I'll take any pictures you need although I may need a couple of days as we are in the middle of an ice storm.

I'm very pleased with the conversion. Combining the 6BT with the durability of the FJ60 makes it the truck I always wanted.

 

[melias24]

Just wondering, did you guys in America get diesel 60's from the factory with 2h and 12ht motors? Or just petrol only?

 

[Hojack]

Just wondering, did you guys in America get diesel 60's from the factory with 2h and 12ht motors? Or just petrol only?

US was only gasoline. That's why we have to import Canadian cruisers coated with patina. Drop in imported Japanese diesels or American diesel Cummins motors!

 

[jakerudy]

I am in the works of doing this swap myself. Could you post a picture of the throttle linkage? I may lean on you for some more picture if that is cool. Wish I could get the photobucket video links to work need some inspiration.

 

[bigfj62]

Could I get a closeup picture of the heater lines coming out of the firewall? Looks like he put your motor more offset to the drivers side. My manifold is basically touching those lines. Need to figure something out. Thanks again for the throttle linkage shot.

 

[jakerudy]

Could I get a closeup picture of the heater lines coming out of the firewall? Looks like he put your motor more offset to the drivers side. My manifold is basically touching those lines. Need to figure something out. Thanks again for the throttle linkage shot.

The engine is offset by about 2”. I figured it was to fit the transmission to transfer case adapter.

 

[Hojack]

What gears are you running? Jealous of the 6BT but super stoked about my 4BT swap. Great thing about a shop doing it is the time looks like it was about a month vs. going on 6 months with mine. I’m going with stock rear spring up front and Chevy 63s in the rear when I get to my SOA.

 

[jakerudy]

Gears are stock. I'm running 33" tires and could go taller but am happy with the ratio.

I didn't push Classic Cruisers at all to finish but it was not done in a month. It took 4 months or so but my 60 was the first Micah put a 6BT in so there were some details to finish it right. It has been dead nuts reliable after fixing a couple of small issues.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Pretty dang smart putting hard lines right above the exhaust manifold.

 

[bigfj62]

View attachment 1727279 View attachment 1727280 View attachment 1727281

The engine is offset by about 2”. I figured it was to fit the transmission to transfer case adapter.

Mine looks about the same. Are the rubber heater lines actually coming in contact with the manifold. Looks like he just massaged them over to fit. I was acutally thinking of re routing them by cutting a hole in the firewall, then cutting the hard brass line back and routing rubber back through the new hole and closing the old hole. If that makes sense ha ha.

 

[bigfj62]

Oh one more thing. Do you have AC???? I think I see lines hooked up in the pictures. Curious what parts you used 60 or Dodge. My 60 was missing all the AC stuff forward of the firewall so think I am going to use a Dodge, dryer, condenser, and pump being its easier to source. Thanks again for the replies.

 

[jakerudy]

Mine looks about the same. Are the rubber heater lines actually coming in contact with the manifold. Looks like he just massaged them over to fit. I was acutally thinking of re routing them by cutting a hole in the firewall, then cutting the hard brass line back and routing rubber back through the new hole and closing the old hole. If that makes sense ha ha.

The picture makes it look closer than it is. There is about 1" of clearance between the hose and the manifold. The zip ties hold it in place.

 

[jakerudy]

Oh one more thing. Do you have AC???? I think I see lines hooked up in the pictures. Curious what parts you used 60 or Dodge. My 60 was missing all the AC stuff forward of the firewall so think I am going to use a Dodge, dryer, condenser, and pump being its easier to source. Thanks again for the replies.

Yes. It is running the Dodge compressor with custom lines to the 60 evaporator. They charged it with R-134a but one of the hose crimps blew shortly after I got it home and it only had an access port on the high side since they charged it by weight using a pump. Since I can only charge from a jug Micah made a new suction hose with a port and a local shop crimped the high side fitting for me. I charged it with some R12 I've had for years and it works well.

 

[cruisermatt]

Pretty dang smart putting hard lines right above the exhaust manifold.

Those look like the OEM 6BT tubes to me?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Those look like the OEM 6BT tubes to me?

Still pretty dang smart.

 

[jakerudy]

I've had some questions about my 6BT FJ60 so after about 1.5 years and close to 18k miles another update.

The BFG MT's are holding up better than any mud tire I've had. Admittedly the others were mostly off brand cheapos so maybe not the best recommendation but these have a lot of tread left. Been rotated twice. They are louder than AT's but I'll decide on the replacement when I see how many miles I can get out of them. The traction and toughness have been impressive.

After working through a couple of small issues it has been dead nuts reliable. The fixes were minor and I don't think unreasonable considering the work involved in the swap. It is probably the most reliable vehicle I've ever had, although I've driven some real junk in the younger years.

Power is more than needed but how much is too much? On the highway it will pull any hill faster than I want to go. Daily MPG is consistently a little over 20. More with light highway driving, less when pushing it to 70+ and you can hear the turbo whine. Off road is will crawl anywhere I need to go.

Cons:
It is louder than modern vehicles.
I'd like more clutch travel and am working on that.
Seats - I've got replacements but not done yet.

You love the 60 or you don't. Same with diesels. If rugged and dependable is what you want I don't see anything out there that is better for my taste.

 

[Seth S]

Just wondering, did you guys in America get diesel 60's from the factory with 2h and 12ht motors? Or just petrol only?

We got/get very few diesels in the USA. Volkswagen used to sell diesels back in the late 70's and early 80's and then again in the mid to late 90's up until a year or two ago when they had their little computer programming snafu. Mercedes sold diesels here and still does in the sprinter vans, otherwise you pretty much have to buy a big American pickup truck (ute with stepside) to get a diesel and then we are talking massive engines. Nothing reasonable size and practical like a land cruiser ute.

 

[gregnash]

We got/get very few diesels in the USA. Volkswagen used to sell diesels back in the late 70's and early 80's and then again in the mid to late 90's up until a year or two ago when they had their little computer programming snafu. Mercedes sold diesels here and still does in the sprinter vans, otherwise you pretty much have to buy a big American pickup truck (ute with stepside) to get a diesel and then we are talking massive engines. Nothing reasonable size and practical like a land cruiser ute.

Not necessarily true. Mercedes and BMW currently sell diesels in a few vehicles in there lines. Hell, CATuned just recently did a swap in their 62 with an OM606 (I think) and there are a few older threads where OM617/619s were swapped. Both of those came from larger Benz wagons/sedans if I remember correctly. Then there is Tor @torfab that just did the new Cummins 2.8L in his 62.

While diesel options are somewhat limited, there are some out there. A truer statement would be that diesel options are fairly limited if you are looking for smaller, non-domestic company diesels.