It really depends on what you want out of the diesel to start your search. IMHO these are the best candidates for a 60 diesel swap.
Toyota diesel (I wouldn't go anything lower than a 12HT but would favor to look at a 1HD-t or 1HDT-FT.... a 1HDT-FTE would be great but requires extensive wiring) - you could go a NA toyota diesel but they are extremely underpowered for what you get but if you just want a diesel for MPG and something that would be comparable power-wise to the 2F then don't count them out completely. The best person to talk to to get ideas about these would be Onur or Tor at Torfab. Keeps it all toyota. (from 1HDT-1 and up they are direct injection)
-Pros- very reliable and smooth. They might be the smoothest running truck diesel out there or at least right up there with mercedes. Toyota reliability goes with the toyota diesels also. There are some defects and quirks like the BEB's on the 1HD-T but for the most part they are rock solid fluid and filter changes with the occasional valve adjustment and go.
-Cons- Expensive....... the most expensive option of the bunch when you compared used to used and new to new. Parts can be tricky to come by in the US. Filters are relatively easy but injection pumps, injectors and finding a diesel garage on the east coast that can work on those/rebuild those items are hard. A little easier on the west coast but still not as easy as going to the local midas.
Cummins: IMHO a new 2.8 cummins would be the way to go. It checks off all the boxes. Quiet, powerful, compact. But the $$$ for one makes it a little prohibative so i'll just talk about the 4bt, 6bt. (both direct injection)
6bt Pros- easily out of all the options i'm going to talk about here it has the ability to make the most power. There are 2 different kinds of pumps that came on the 6bt in light truck form. the P-pump and the VE pump. The P-pump (piston pump) is the power house of the two and the 97 is the rock star of those pump, making power with them is ridiculously easy. The VE pump is the MPG star of the two and can still make more than enough power for a cruiser. Either way you go with those it is good.
Just about any diesel truck place that works on cummins can work on these. Dodge dealers can work on these, most mechanics can somewhat work on these. Seals, filters and small parts are pretty cheap and availability is good. All parts have great availability but some parts can start to get pricey but no tooo bad with toyota standards, lol. If using a NV4500 or 47R no transmission adapter will be needed, and depending on what T-case you to with you may not need an adapter on the rear. But going with a dodge T-case will cause you to run a centered T-case against an off centered axle. (T-case adapters are easily bought)
6bt Cons- loud, loud loud..... but not too bad if you have driven by a 12 valve cummins ram you know what it sounds like. Not the smoothest running motor but better than a 4bt as dodge had them balanced more because they were going in a passenger vehicle. Heaviest engine i'll talk about here 1000lbs + dry. This could be a problem if you were planning on wheeling the hell out of it but for the most part should be fine with some stiffer springs/good shocks and frame braces on weak spots.
4BT Pros - pretty much exactly what I said about the 6bt also goes for the 4bt just it won't make as much power with the same mods. It is also about 300lbs lighter than the 6bt.
4BT Cons - same as the 6BT but louder and shakes a lot more... nickname is the paint shaker. This is due to no balancing done on the engine because it was originally made for industrial equipment and generators. Only vehicle it was put in on the road were ups/bread trucks. You can of course get it balanced and blueprinted but that is some big $$$. It does help a lot on these if you do a fluidampr harmonic balancer and a good set of fluid filled motor mounts it helps, some still do all this and end up selling the truck when they figure out they can't live with it. If you want to drive one talk to Johnny as he has done this one and loves it.
Isuzu 4BD1T/4BD2T (the major difference between these is the 2 has an intercooler, both are indirect injection)
Pros - Can make lots of power as well, roughly the same dimensions and weight as a 4bt but runs smoother and quieter. Mpg will be on par with a VE pump 4bt. Can be worked on at most diesel garages since these came in tons of isuzu NPR trucks. Parts are pretty plentiful also although from my research are a little more expensive compared to a cummins.
Cons- for the most part no matter what trans you run, you will need an adapter for it so that is an added cost to it. Still not as smooth as a toyota diesel or a GM diesel.
GM 6.2/6.5 diesel engine (for the most part i'm going to talk about these as the same engine the difference is that 6.2s were NA only and 6.5s at least in passenger vehicles were turbo charged but there are 6.5 NAs out there also, both are indirect injection)
Pros - cheap cheap cheap..... these can be found for extremely cheap and would be the way to go if money is an issue. Can make descent power in both turbo charged and NA trim. (not a super powerhouse like a 6bt but can make more than enough for a cruiser) Think 350 ft/lbs for a NA and around 550 ft/lbs for a turbo modded. Pretty good aftermarket support and parts are fairly easy to find, but most auto zones and dealers will have to order the parts for a 1-2 day turn around. Since it was a mass produced chevy it means there were millions made so craigslist/ebay and junk yards also has lots of replacement parts. For such a large engine it is fairly light and comes in just a bit heavier than a 2f/3fe. Can be used without a trans adapter if you use a chevy trans and like a cummins can be used without a T-case adapter also but will have the same centered/off set issues. (T-case adapters are easily bought) Good MPG as this diesel was developed with MPG in mind not to be a tow beast. But for the most part all of these motors will make around the same MPG depending on your driving style and gearing. Parts are also extremely cheap..... brand new injectors and a rebuilt injection pump can be bought for around $800 for both.
Cons- now there are some known problems these motors had, so you need to make sure anyone you get (if used) to check for main web cracking. For the most part if the truck is still running at this time it shouldn't be an issue, but there are motors that were pulled long ago that people still try to sell so be careful with that one. Also need to make sure it isn't missing the starter bracket.... for some reason when new starters are installed lots of times these don't go back on. These starters are seriously high torque and after time can rip their own bolts out and take a chunk of the block with them. The brackets are easily bought off of amazon for $15 if missing so its not a deal breaker if missing. Need to make sure a fluidamper is installed to keep the crank happy in these. Regular HB are fine on these but they tend to wear our every 100k or so and some people don't catch it. It sound like crap but I had a 6.2 suburban with 258k on it and not a problem. I also had a 6.5 diesel suburban with 340k on it and everyone that drove it wanted to buy it off of me, lol. Had tons of power and gave me 18 mpg combined but it badly needed new injectors... with the gears I had in there 23mpg hwy was easily attainable. Ended up giving it to a friend a few weeks back whose car broke and they needed something to drive fast. Do your research on these before buying but really do your research on any engine before buying.
Now to your original question they are all pretty easy to find. Craigslist, ebay, NC4x4... they all pop up from time to time.... except for the yota diesels those you would most likely need to look out of state for. Here in the PNW there is a glut of yota diesels but that is because they are very easy to get from canada and drive back down here. If you need someone to source a yota diesel I could tell you a guy to contact. There are also all the others available here for good prices so I can point you in the right direction for those but i'd look in NC first as shipping an engine isn't that much less than shipping an entire vehicle.
Hope this helps... i'm sure I missed a few things but I was up lat last night and just woke up (3 hours behind you guys)
Really I wouldn't let me or anyone else sway you one way or another... an engine swap is really a choice of taste and what you as an individual wants. There are of course other engines to consider but these are the most common ones. Do some research on them, go to forums talk to people with them and people on mud that have done a swap already. Take time and make your decision.
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