Builds The Journey Begins... (14 Viewers)

[goldchaser]

That is awsome,nice work and all this so fast.
I thought those isuzu motors that were in some landrovers downunder were 6 pots,that is a 4 cylinder isnt it?

congrats again looks fantastic

 

[goldchaser]

Ok i googled and they all look like a 4 cylinder,i allways thought being 3.9lts the Landrover isuzus were 6 cyl

So what a great motor for a conversion,plenty of room and 4litres of punch,how do they compare to say a 12HT?

Next question is why isn't there alot more conversions into cruzas in usa using this motor?

 

[FL cruiser]

Great work!
Looks like you've done work like this before.

Next question is why isn't there alot more conversions into cruzas in usa using this motor?

Probably the cost of adapters and adapter bell housing etc. These swaps are becoming more popular.

Wish we had 12HT's around here to compare to!

 

[iroc86]

Very nice! Looking forward to seeing your test-drive.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

i suck at fab work...i've gotta get you to source me some of these engine mount brackets!!!

 

[polarweasel]

Clean indeed. I like, and am inspired!

Also, that oil drain location really cries out for an oil drain valve so you don't lube the drive shaft every time you change the oil.

 

[doug720]

Thanks all for the good words. It's a lot of work, but I hope to do it once and get to use and enjoy her for a while.

Worked on the air filter to turbo inlet tube tonight. Added a 45 to the steel turbo tube so the canister filter will line up. But now it looks like the flex hose is too short. Of course I already ordered my turbo hoses yesterday. Now I get to add some more.

Found the lower radiator hose today and it fits perfect.

I also worked on the exhaust pipe out from the turbo. Got the old pipe cut off and ready for the exhaust shop.

I also found the lines and fittings to do the AC lines and hoses. Maybe to the AC shop early next week.

That all for now. More pics tomorrow.

Doug

 

[doug720]

A few things to consider if your planning an Isuzu/LC swap.

1) Buy a whole truck. There are so many parts you need, inter-cooler, motor and other mounts, tubes, nuts/bolts, wiring, alt, AC comp and mounts, and so many more that you need and are expensive to buy separately.

2) I don't think you can do this swap without at least 3" of lift. There is just no room without lift.

3) You can use many LC parts, radiator, clutch fan, shroud, etc.. But you will still need to do a fair amount of fab work. I think it would quite difficult and expensive swap if you can't weld and fab.

4) Access to a lath and mill make things much easier. A plasma cutter, mig and tig also came into play on my swap

I think this is a great swap, but it's just not a bolt in deal. The motors fit very well in the space and should put out great power. You just need to massage it all to fit and work well. I want all the features to work in the end, AC, rear heater, etc, etc, etc. and this takes time, thought and a few dollars...So far, so good.

JMHO,

Doug

 

[dohcdelsol93]

I'm very interested in your exhaust routing. I am thinking about some 2.5 mandrel bent pipes for a DIY down pipe/exhaust with a standard 2.5 inlet/outlet muffler. Not too sure of our differences but if the 2 engine is anything like my 4bd1 it's quiet even with only 6" of down pipe on the engine.

 

[doug720]

I'm planning on routing my exhaust straight down from the turbo to a flex joint, then down in between the starter and alt/AC comp. Then a 90 degree bend under the starter to the rear to connect to my almost new existing exhaust. I redid the exhaust system with a diesel in mind and installed a 3 bolt header flange forward of the trans cross member.

I will consider heat shields for the starter after the pipes are ran.

Hope this helps.

Doug

 

[acy76]

A few things to consider if your planning an Isuzu/LC swap.
...
2) I don't think you can do this swap without at least 3" of lift. There is just no room without lift.
...

Can you elaborate on the reasons for the lift being required? Based on photos from another member, it seems the Isuzu and Toyota engines are almost the same height.

 

[doug720]

My pictures don't show it very well, but the oil filter is directly over the front drive shaft. I used a short filter already and there's not too much extra room. In addition, the IDS ring had to be notched to clear the drive shaft at the bell housing. If you look at my last picture from underneath, you can see the oil filter above the drive shaft.

Without the 3" of lift I have, I don't think these areas will clear.

I will post a side shot to show this more clearly.

Doug

 

[dohcdelsol93]

what size exhaust are you running from the down pipe back? I also have the 3bolt flange (thanks to the 6 to 1 header) that takes my exhaust from 2.5 to 2" and runs 2" all the way back through the muffler and to the tail pipe. Is this too restrictive for the engine? If i can get by with what i have i'll glady use it since the exhaust system is only about 2 years old


My measurements have been regarding the oil pan clearance however i have not factored in the drive shaft. I have not yet ordred my IDS since i was set back a little with the H55 i ordered needing a rebuild. Will hope to have the tranny in about 2 weeks. Depending on how much of the back housing/IDS i can notch will be the final factor on whether i will need a lift or not.

The 2F only has about a 2 to 2-1/2" of clearance from the DS and the back end of the 4bd1t has a HUGE casing around the flywheel which i'm hoping to notch to get by. It doesn't appear that the lower portion of the engine casing holds much/if any load as it's all held up top around the SBC bell housing so there should be a good chunk of excess metal there that i'm hoping i can carve out.

Our oil filter assemblys are different, i'm hoping to get by with just putting 2 small oil filters onto the dual filter set up. IIRC both my filters are angled one to the rear and one to the front rather than straight up and down like yours.




I would like to see a side angle pic which shows a better relationship between where the oil pan fits over the diff to see if my guesstimates of how the engine sits over the diff are close.

 

[doug720]

Here are few pics of the clearance around diff and oil filter to drive shaft. It's hard to get perspective this close.

For the exhaust, I'm planning on 3" from the turbo to a reducer at the collector. From there connect to my existing 2.5" to the rear with a Magnaflow.

Doug

 

[doug720]

Update:

Worked on the turbo inlet connection tonight. I made a temp connection until my turbo hose parts arrive...FedEx required a signature and I was not home! Da*99*^9*&08&!!!!!

But got a few other things done:

Alt belts on and tensioned, but AC belt was too long?

Power steering reservoir mounted and ready to go. I will cut the pre-ran steering and fuel lines/hoses after the turbo hoses are ran. Big before small! The power reservoir is the stock Isuzu unit. It's pretty cool as it has a filter inside and a mount I could mod fairly easily.

Got the clutch slave mounted and adjusted. Now I have a working clutch

Removed a couple of un-needed emissions lines along the frame to the fuel tank.

Finished up brazing the fitting on the intake pipe that gives boost pressure to the injection pump

That's all for today


Doug

 

[doug720]

Update:

FedEx delivered most of hoses and pipe today for the inter-cooler and intake. Almost finished the inter-cooler lines on both sides. Used silicone hoses and aluminum pipe.

Drivers side battery tray is back in and started to fab up a mount for the manual engine shut of cable.

Also ran some of the heater hoses. Correct if I'm wrong, but the supply to heater core comes off the pump and the return goes to thermostat housing? It seems right to me...

I think I'll leave the old carb fan in place and just ground it so it runs for 20 - 30 minutes after shut down since it is aimed right at the turbo area. What do think?

I'm getting close, should finish plumbing tomorrow night. Maybe wiring Saturday and get fired up!

Doug

 

[doug720]

Forgot the pictures!

 

[crushers]

looks like good clearence around the engine...
what about a remote mount oil filter? would that eliminate the need for 3" lift? the oil pan looks like it has decent clearence, of course you could drop the spring rubber upward delflection stops to make sure no contact occurs.
cheers

 

[doug720]

Engine clearance is good for the most part. The oil filter is the biggest concern without some lift, but not the only one. I followed the remote filter idea for a while. Isuzu uses an unusual filter, it's very large. It is 5.5" dia x 8.25" long with a 1.5" x 12 pitch thread, not a common size for a remote unit. I checked with a Isuzu marine dealer and could likely get one from them. I found the made a shorter version of the filter that is only 5.5" long. That helped a lot. I have a 4BD2 with the big filter, there is also a 4BD1 that has 2 smaller angled filters mounted higher. This may help clearance also.

But another issue is the IDS aluminum ring. I had to notch mine for clearance with 3" lift, without the lift I think you would have a problem with the drive shaft.

Lowering the bump stops is an option, but I want to keep as much travel and articulation as possible. I may have to do this yet, but only lower them by the minimum amount.

If the motor could be positioned more to the drives side it would help. But clearance between the frame, starter and AC compressor would not allow it.

A 3" lift seems the best compromise for me. Others may see it differently. I think overall everything is fitting well, but I am going to do an articulation test as soon as I get her running. I also want to load the suspension to check that everything clears that way also.


Doug

 

[crushers]

thanks, wasn't sure if that was the most painful part of the build or not.
cheers
looks very nice.