1987 Suzuki Samurai Kubota Swap
 

So after countless hours searching the net trying to find some sort of helpful guide on where to begin with my swap, I decided I was not going to find much. Therefore I have decided to do a fairly thorough write up on everything I do on this swap just to make it easier for any one else who decides to do this route. For beginners a little bit about the swap I have a 1987 Suzuki Samurai that I blew the engine out of not too long ago and happened to stumble across a Kubota V2203 in my families old shop so given that is what chose the engine so basically you could say I didn't choose the diesel life the diesel life chose me. I have a bit of cleaning to do on the motor before I can even begin the build but might even throw that information in here just in case some one stumbles upon a 2203 that just needs a little love and elbow grease. Hopefully this works out great and if any one has any tips or tricks feel free to chime in and if I am doing something wrong put me in my place because I want this to be perfect! :c:

Well got the old 1.3 yanked out today still trying to find some space to work on the Kubota transplant. Hoping to get started on cleaning her up really soon.

Are you taking it off road? That would be a good engine in a great platform. Good luck...hopefully there will be as little headaches as possible.

I plan on using it for a bit of everything but mainly off road and brush running across the desert, luckily I live in an area with no emissions so I can daily it as well. I hope I don't run into to many headaches as well I know there are a few people who have done this same swap so its possible I just don't know how difficult it is going to be. I started getting a template put together for my trans to engine adapter today have the trans side completed just need to stop being lazy and get the engine side drawn and measured up. My game plan with this build is to try and do everything my self even though my knowledge in machining is very limited but after I complete it I will see about drafting a design for auto cad and then putting it on here so other people can have a template to save them some money as well.

I always like getting the old engine out of the way. It makes you feel like "this is really going to happen!" Good luck, keep us posted.

It was an amazing feeling pulling that old engine for sure! I am having some difficulty with getting the engine side measured because I have never made an adapter my self so hopefully I can figure it out, really don't want to pay a machine shop for it because at the point I would almost be better off buying a ranger trans and buying the adapter they sell on parts barn.

Others on this board have done the swap, and seem to have liked it. From what I've read on the threads, the biggest :argh: issue some ran into was getting the injection pump to be adjustable. Most of those guys obtained their engines as pulls from refrigeration trailers, and the pumps are set for one engine speed. If you got one from a tractor, where the throttle (yeah, I know, not the proper word) was adjustable, you might be closer to "golden" :jump: than those other guys were.


So long as it ends up with you looking like this, :choochoo: it's all good.

My only issue right now is finding an adapter plate to fit it to the transmission really not wanting to make or have a machine shop here make one

*Alex Trebek voice on* "Oooooohhhh, soorry! The correct response is, 'you're going to have to make one or have a machine shop do so, because, currently, the 2203 swap hasn't been done often enough to make that available on Rock Auto dot com.'".... But, actually, there've been guys on here who've done some, and they might at least have the diagrams. Is yours from a tractor, or from a "reefer" unit? The guys who used those also needed a mounting plate for the front side of the engine, as well, so that your alternator, PS pump, etc. have places to live.

Gonna be real satisfying once it's done.

It's off a tractor pulled it out myself a while back almost have all the carbon cleaned and might have to ask around then. I'm at the point where I just need engine side I have a diagram of the trans side done was quite easy but figuring everything for that, engine side is a bit complex for a wannabe machinist like my self.