HJ60/61 Advice (1 Viewer)

[StuartCampbell]

Hey forum.
So, my VW Manual Diesel wagon has to be sold back to VW because of the scandal, I've been looking for another manual, diesel, anything with some space. In North American, really there isn't much but through my search, I've really stoked on getting a Land Cruiser! I've got a couple 60 series I've found that I'm checking out, and will have some money to dump into it, but I just wanted to ask:

What would be the best engine to swap to for the best power/mileage? Apparently Cummins will be releasing a Turbo Four?

Any advice would be amazing. Thanks!

 

[FishTown]

I have zero experience with diesel land cruisers. That being said, I've heard about the 2.8 Cummins 4 cyl. that's supposedly coming out as a crate package. It will be a while before someone actually tests it out on a 60 series and probably even longer before legit parts are available from vendors to aid in the swap. There are some build threads with people using the 4BT and I think even the 6BT if you wanted to go that route, but your best bet is probably going to be a 12HT swap. You could get a HJ60/61 - most of them are RHD, so that will have to be OK with you. There are some good threads documenting a 12HT diesel swap into FJ60's. @CenTXFJ60 is very familiar with this swap and could be a great resource for getting questions answered.

 

[umpqua]

So, I have a '14 manual diesel jetta wagon as well. Why "has" it got to be sold back to VW? They will offer to "fix" the car AND give you money....or pay you to return it to them. I see your are in Canada....maybe that makes a difference?

I'm in the process of putting a 1HDT into my 62 series.

In no way would I want the 62 to be my daily driver. Coming out of a VW diesel wagon you are going to be very disappointed with the fuel economy.

 

[KeepCruzin]

I really like my 12HT swapped 60. Feel free to check out the link in my signature. If you have any specific questions about performance etc message me.
I get about 23mpg highway and 20 around town. Its got a fair amount of power and runs great with the 5 speed trans.

 

[StuartCampbell]

So, I have a '14 manual diesel jetta wagon as well. Why "has" it got to be sold back to VW? They will offer to "fix" the car AND give you money....or pay you to return it to them. I see your are in Canada....maybe that makes a difference?

I'm in the process of putting a 1HDT into my 62 series.

In no way would I want the 62 to be my daily driver. Coming out of a VW diesel wagon you are going to be very disappointed with the fuel economy.

From what I've heard, the performance that the car (mileage and torque) will have after the fix will be disappointing. Most definitely still better than the HJ60 but to be honest I'm disappointed with the whole situation and looking to move on from it. And also, I would prefer something that is able to go off-road every now and then. The wagon just isn't cutting it in that respect.

 

[mattressking]

I'm somewhat confused, you want an hj60/61 but want to swap a cummins in after?

Buy a donor truck if you wanna do the cummins, leave the original trucks for us 'purists'.

 

[CenTXFJ60]

I have zero experience with diesel land cruisers. That being said, I've heard about the 2.8 Cummins 4 cyl. that's supposedly coming out as a crate package. It will be a while before someone actually tests it out on a 60 series and probably even longer before legit parts are available from vendors to aid in the swap. There are some build threads with people using the 4BT and I think even the 6BT if you wanted to go that route, but your best bet is probably going to be a 12HT swap. You could get a HJ60/61 - most of them are RHD, so that will have to be OK with you. There are some good threads documenting a 12HT diesel swap into FJ60's. @CenTXFJ60 is very familiar with this swap and could be a great resource for getting questions answered.

Better yet, my son (@mcguirejohnson ) would be a good one to ask. He did a ton of research before zeroing in on the 12HT. I'm purely a follower on this one . After road tripping in it I was sold.

 

[Tapage]

HJ60 with a factory 2H it's gonna be slow .. you can add a turbo and yet 12H-T it's gonna make more power in stock form .. more power come with 1HD-T

 

[Haggis]

Don't mean to hijack but I have been considering a 12ht conversion. How difficult is it to find a decent one? I gave up on the 1HD-T dream.

 

[Tapage]

if you gave up on 1HD-T 12H-T it's gonna be more complicated ..

 

[mcguirejohnson]

The 12HT is right at home in the 60 series. Smooth power, pulls hills, sounds damn good and above all is very robust and simple to work on. I used to doubt my decision based on deteriorating parts supply with Toyota, however I have no doubt that after a rebuild in a few years, it will outlive me with proper maintenance.

 

[StuartCampbell]

The 12HT is right at home in the 60 series. Smooth power, pulls hills, sounds damn good and above all is very robust and simple to work on. I used to doubt my decision based on deteriorating parts supply with Toyota, however I have no doubt that after a rebuild in a few years, it will outlive me with proper maintenance.

What kind of mileage are you getting roughly?

 

[mcguirejohnson]

What kind of mileage are you getting roughly?

20ish on the hwy, 18 city with 37s. Best was 22 in Colorado

 

[Haggis]

I am still looking for a 1HD-T but haven't had much luck, thus the frustration. I just would like to keep it all Toyota.

 

[KeepCruzin]

Basic Info. I made this a couple years ago so dont be too hard on me.

 

[bottombracket]

My 2014 TDI wagen is going back to the dealership on March 9. I have found a 62 as a daily driver. My two year plan is to have @orangefj45 swap a 1HZ-T into either this 62 or another 60 series chassis and drive it forever. After a lot of thought, consideration, and discussion with Georg, I chose the 1HZ because of future parts availability. The 12H-T and 1HD-T might have more power, but I think parts availability for the 1HZ will be greater for the next 20 or 30 years.

 

[Haggis]

I didn't know Georg did that conversion...Good to know. I need to read up on that engine.

 

[db3]

I didn't know Georg did that conversion...Good to know. I need to read up on that engine.

Georg has done a number of them. I've been super happy with the work he did on my 60. On a recent trip to Moab I got combined 23 mpg doing 62 - 65 mph.

 

[Haggis]

Wow...that looks like it is right at home in there. How hard was it to find the engine?

 

[db3]

Everyone who has seen it says it looks OEM, except for the Ford fuel filter, which is due to get changed soon. It's a standard Racor, costs a fraction of the Toyota unit, and the filters are available everywhere. As for the engine, Georg had previously imported a complete JDM driveline, which he was going to put in one of his cruisers. However, he had gotten so busy he realized he would never get to the project, so he sold it to me. When I was last at his shop a couple of months ago he had recently purchased numerous 1HZ mine engines, which he had available for sale. I actually saw him start one up on the shop floor and then run a compression test, which was good. The great thing about dealing with Georg is he has many parts in stock, or can get them quickly from his many sources. When I was having the IP rebuilt, the shop couldn't get one critical part. Georg had one shipped air freight from Japan in two days. He also makes the custom motor mounts, as well as other time saving parts, such as a custom, billet heater hose 'T' (3/4"-5/8"-1/2"). If you have a late 60 (after 4/85 I think) except for the motor mounts and lower radiator spout relocation, it is basically a drop in conversion. As it was, I did all the cleanup, resealing, timing belt, BEB's, etc. myself to save time and money. I sourced most OEM parts from @beno when he was still working for Nalley. The only downside is it is not inexpensive. I spent over $20K, and did a lot of the work myself. If you have a decent shop and tools you could do the conversion work yourself and save a lot of money.