hey all;

i'm intent on doing the crazy thing of swapping the 2F gas guzzler in my FJ60 for a nice modern diesel of some description.

my main aim is to dramatically improve my fuel economy, as well as make the old girl a much more capable all-round vehicle.

i suppose the main decision i need to make is: which engine?

i'm currently looking at the Cummins 6BT or ISB or possibly a Duramax of some description.

however, i'm a total noob when it comes to what's on the diesel market these days and i'd really value some input and help.

so, please vote in the poll. if you vote 'other', please post up what you think i should go with and why.

i'm not looking at starting the conversion for another ~12-18 months at least, but i'm really keen to get as much info as possible to save on potential headaches later on.

 

1st vote: 3.9L/4BT

smaller and lighter. has many of the same components as its larger brother the 6BT. otherwise the 6BT gets my vote. easy to wire, no computer, large support group for stuffing it into other vehicles.

should be easier to get the 4BT into your cruiser. if you did put a duramax (3rd vote) into it, that FJ60 would scream.

 

cheers for the input mate!

the 4BT is under consideration, although i know that a 6BT can be shoehorned into the FJ60 engine bay without needing to modify the firewall or body coz it's been done before!

a Duramax is still a very real option for me. seems that with some selective tweaking and sensible gearing decisions, i can hit my fuel economy goals.

the ultimate decision may well come down to price/availability!

i'm aware that i'm planning something rather crazy with all this....

 

I've seen them 4bt's make crazy power and have the mpgs to boot. If any thing get a older motor less computer junk you have to worry about also lighter


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4BT in the FJ, no doubt. Just because it's possible to stuff the 6 in there doesn't mean it's the smart thing to do - unless all you want is for it run straight down a dragstrip.

 

any one of those engines could get you into the mid 20s. i would not be too surprised if you got 26-28 highway mpg.

the 4bt will be lighter and less work will be needed on the front end to beef it up for the added weight if any. lighter should mean you'll meet your mpg goals easier. 750 lbs vs 1000 lbs.

 

herein lies my main problem.

mah ego kicks in!

no doubt a 4BT is the sane and sensible option, the 6BT is somewhat less sensible and the Duramax 6.6 is the utterly ridiculous route to take.

but, given i'm already planning on doing something extremely daft, why start being even vaguely sensible about things, provided i can hit my MPG goals?

if i can get ~23mpg or better on the highway out of the conversion, i'll be STOKED. if i go to all this trouble and expense and only get ~15mpg (currently i get ~14), i'll be more than a little peeved.

the other main factor will be cost and availability. i'll be importing the major components from the USA for the simple reason that i can get stuff shipped over and landed at my doorstep for between 50% and 66% of the cost of buying them in Oz. looking around, a 4BT runs at ~80-90% the cost of a 6BT and it seems i can get a decent Duramax for not much more than the 6BT.

if i decide i need an EMP proof zombie-apocalypse vehicle, then a 4BT is the way to go.

as for the suspension needing beefing up, well, i'm planning a full OME suspension upgrade as part of the whole project anyway. fitting a Heavy system along with an extra leaf or two all round doesn't add all that much to the total cost.

i'm expecting the whole bizzoid to run me somewhere around the AUD$50-60k mark, possibly (probably!) a little more. which is still considerably cheaper than a new 200 series V8. in Oz with some worthwhile options, you're looking at well over $90k.

out of interest, what are the physical exterior dimensions of the Duramax compared with the 6BT/4BT?

 

my vote goes for an isuzu 3.9 diesel, it's basically the same as the cummins but a bit less torquey since they were geared more for light/medium duty transport trucks therefore fuel economy was a big part of the combo.

they may be more readily available for you to find also?

 

i could measure mine later today but i think someone will beat me to the punch. a quick google search may find you the answer faster. the Duramax sure would be fun but like you said "utterly ridiculous". but who said fun had to be sensible?

 

sorry for taking so long. i measured mine at 30" wide, 32" long & 36" high