lots of questions, diesel swap, hwy rpm

[jtree]

Hi,

I've almost narrowed down my next toy car to a fj60. I'v had many from a subaru powered baja bug to a 250 whp turbo miata. So

I owned a fj55 way back in the 80's , I love it, moved from new mexico to NYC. I now live in Joshua Tree, California surounded by mountains and desert.

I have come to love the diesel vehicles I have , a dodge w250 4x4 with a messed around with 6bt cummins engine. a 1979 300sd with 450,000 miles but an engine with only 150,000. So I want a diesel fj60. I'm in calfornia which seems to limit my engine choices to a crappy chevy 6.2 or a builit proof mercede turbo diesel that i have messed around with a little. Turned up the pump, maybe 140 hp, 220 lbs torque, a sub 10 second 0-60 out of a 4000 lbs car.


my questions.

What speed would a stock 4 spd fj60 be traveling in 4th gear from 3000- 3500 rpm? A sweet spot for the high reving om617 engine. My 300sd gets 23-25 mpg at 75-80 mph at these speeds. It will pull to a 4500 redline in top and 110 indicated.

Another question, i want to carry around a 310lb motorcyle on a class 3 hitch, not on a trailer. is this possible with a fj60?

the mercedes engine I have weights 570lbs? does a 2f really weight 800lbs?

I don't want to build a rock crawling expadition vehicle, just a smooth and quiet truck to carry house guests on mild trails and to get me to were the fun starts on a motorcycle. Also a rare trip to LA when a wagon is needed not a pickup or a large mercedes or a miata. oh the 0m617 mercedes engine's love b100 and have been bulletproof for me..

 

[CruisinFJ60]

Hi,

I've almost narrowed down my next toy car to a fj60. I'v had many from a subaru powered baja bug to a 250 whp turbo miata. So

I owned a fj55 way back in the 80's , I love it, moved from new mexico to NYC. I now live in Joshua Tree, California surounded by mountains and desert.

I have come to love the diesel vehicles I have , a dodge w250 4x4 with a messed around with 6bt cummins engine. a 1979 300sd with 450,000 miles but an engine with only 150,000. So I want a diesel fj60. I'm in calfornia which seems to limit my engine choices to a crappy chevy 6.2 or a builit proof mercede turbo diesel that i have messed around with a little. Turned up the pump, maybe 140 hp, 220 lbs torque, a sub 10 second 0-60 out of a 4000 lbs car.


my questions.

What speed would a stock 4 spd fj60 be traveling in 4th gear from 3000- 3500 rpm? A sweet spot for the high reving om617 engine. My 300sd gets 23-25 mpg at 75-80 mph at these speeds. It will pull to a 4500 redline in top and 110 indicated.

Another question, i want to carry around a 310lb motorcyle on a class 3 hitch, not on a trailer. is this possible with a fj60?

the mercedes engine I have weights 570lbs? does a 2f really weight 800lbs?

I don't want to build a rock crawling expadition vehicle, just a smooth and quiet truck to carry house guests on mild trails and to get me to were the fun starts on a motorcycle. Also a rare trip to LA when a wagon is needed not a pickup or a large mercedes or a miata. oh the 0m617 mercedes engine's love b100 and have been bulletproof for me..

i really dont think that you want to stick the 617 engine in the truck. yes i agree a great engine but i just dont think it would be so great in such a large truck with all the added wind resistance. i love my W116 (1980) and its a pretty fast car and all i have realy done was turn up the ALDA and run a straight pipe. now she sits wanting some new bearings and possibly piston rings... click the link for the explanation:whoops: 1980 300sd motor.... - Schuman Automotive /Forums

now if im not mistaken california says you have to have an engine that is as new or newer than your truck that meaning you have many more engine options available you could run the 6.5TD which are great motors even tho they have a bad wrap check out this site so much information it is crazy. http://dieselplace.com/forum/index.php?
now that being said you can do an iszuzu engine as well or a 4bt or some cruiser came stock with 3b's and 2h's all are viable options some require more work than others. some would require oil pan modification if you stay sprung under others will not. its all up to you and what you are looking to spend.

good luck

 

[NocalFJ60]

Hi,
or a builit proof mercede turbo diesel that i have messed around with a little. Turned up the pump, maybe 140 hp, 220 lbs torque, a sub 10 second 0-60 out of a 4000 lbs car.

What speed would a stock 4 spd fj60 be traveling in 4th gear from 3000- 3500 rpm? A sweet spot for the high reving om617 engine.

Welcome.

What did you do to the 617 to get the power up? What is your boost at? That is quick.

The speed would depend on which tires you are running. Do a search at the top of this forum so it just searches in the 60 forum. There is some info on people talking about 617 swaps into 60's.

 

[jtree]

hi,
thanks for your replies,

The 617.952 engine I have in my 79 300sd is a 84 wagon, It has had its alda removed, a new t3 turbo, the full load turned up on the injection pump. I've run it with a boost gauge I have for my miata and saw 15 psi. I dont have a egt gauge or a boost gauge on it all the time. I'm guessing the hp by using a hand counted 0-60 time at sea level using a calculator from dragtimes.com I'm figure the care weights around 4100 lbs loaded with fuel and a person. I see a 0-60 sixty time around 11 seconds up it jt at 3000 ft.

I've narrowed it down to using this engine because I have good one in a car thats past its prime. plus, pluss, to me at least it seems a good choice for regulation heavy california. As far as I've been able to understand, in california you must use an engine that is was sold new in california and of the same weight class and as new or newer. That rules out 4bta's and Isuzu whatevers and 6.5 chevys, only the 6.2 and some vw's and the mercedes diesels would be ok in a fj60.

The 617 is an engine that revs well, much better that the 2f, at least from what I've read. I'm sure a 617 could cruise at 3800 rpm all day and still get over 20 mpg, redline is 4500. 3000 - 3500 is the sweet spot.
The 617 weights less than 600lbs and is as relible and as easy to repair and find parts for as any engine around.
I'm sure a alda less and fuel turned up 617 could out run a stock 2f in a fj60. I've been test driving fj60's my 300sd is much quicker, it's still a slow car, but not as slow. Does the 200- 300 lb weight differance make that much of change? The mercedes is an automatic soo, I just don't think it really too weak of an engine, plenty of unimogs have them, but that the slowest car around.

So with stock or near stock tires and a stock 4 speed what speed would a fj60 be traveling at 3500 rpm. The ones i have test driven I had an owner in the car and the engine does not sound too happy above 3000 rpms.

Oh and can a fj60 easily carry 300-350 lbs as tounge weight? for a 310lb motorcycle.

 

[Tinker]

Someone here in Colorado has just recently (or will soon) competed the Mercedes turbo diesel conversion. Can't remember who so try searching on "Mercedes". Seems as though the power was about the same as a 2F, meaning S-L-O-W.

Hot setup, turbo-diesel wise, will be the recently-announced GM/Isuzu small Duramax V8.

 

[jtree]

oh yeah,
i just put a wood stove in the shop, got to get ready for the big swap. I only have to find the fj60 and and design some such widget or magic bracket.

a swap that's giving me new inspiration.

'66 Chevy Hot Rod Pick-Up with 617 Engine - Pics - ShopForum

 

[lovetoski]

I've ridden in a few Mercedes wagons with this motor, and they ran sweet - even with tons of miles on them. The motor is awesome. No clue whether it can actually work well in a cruiser, but if you can make it work, lots of us will pay attention.

 

[Tapage]

I can talk about Toyota diesel engines .. and with a 12H-T ( or 2H-T ) you can run at the speed that you want with apropiate setups ..

It means for example with 33" tires and 4.11 R&P .. with H55F and 14 PSI of boost ( interooler would be nice ) can archive any speed that youy wand with a very capable rig ..

 

[brownbear]

jtree, come search in the diesel section of mud. Lots of conversions in there...

There is a member on here discussing a mercedes and may have done it. His name is polarweasel.

Also there is a mercedes diesel for sale ready to install in the diesel classifieds here on mud.

IMOP the merc engine would work just as good as a 3b. Minus the bottom end on the 3b would be better.

You can re-gear the diffs on the fj60 to be very close to the sweet spot on the merc.

 

[Dazza]

I have an 84 300sd with the 0m617. I agree that it is an awesome motor. peppy, efficient, and long lived... not to mention simple.

with respect, I think you are a bit off the point when you are comparing the speed of a benz to that of an fj60. the gearing and gvw are so different that it is not a fair comparison. The 60 was never designed for speed, and probably not safe above 70mph really... if you ask my wife not safe above 55...

I am about to swap in a 6.2L gm diesel into my 60. Mostly because I got an insane deal on one with low miles... they really don't deserve the bad rap they get, in my opinion. They have a few issues, injector pumps, glow plug controller, 6v glow plugs, but if you plan around them it should be fine. From what I understand if you open up the intake and exhaust and turn up the injector pump they are torque machines. (the 6.5L turbo should actually be an option in california, as it is newer than the 6.2L)

(on a side note, a friend once described a diesel engine as a big breathing machine, and the more air you can move thru one, the more power they create... made me smile to think of it this way)

My main concern with the benz motor is the low rpm torque, My benz seems pretty gutless till the turbo kicks in around 2k rpm or so. seems like you would want an engine with more low end torque for hauling a motorcycle around. also, unless you are an experienced machinist, you will have a more difficult time mating it up to your drivetrain, as I don't believe there are any adapters available yet. One of the threads I read has some guys using the auto trans, which i'll admit is tough, but I don't think I would want that trans in my 60 nonetheless.

I believe the owners manual for my fj60 claims a 600#(or 900#???) payload, but you will probably need stiffer leaf springs in the rear, most used cruisers I see have bad ones anyways. I would also use a stout hitch, which I believe you already mentioned.

any way you go, best of luck... MAybe with the right gearing that motor would be fine... Who knows till you try it, right?

 

[jtree]

So i found a land cruiser, this 88. It's too new to be able to swap in a 617 mercedes diesel and be legal here in California. The fj62 I bought is in great shape, except for a liitle rust, maybe a little too much, anyway it has 130,000 miles and runs great.
The person how i bought it from had a cummins 4bt swapped into a fj60 with a stock 4 speed and a overdrive. he let me drive it around, It was silly loud, a little too loud. I'm still laughing.

i still may swap a diesel into this truck, but the I'll wait awhile, give it a little lift and see if I can handle the 13mpg it got on it's first tankfull.