Technically to be a legal swap candidate in CA it has to have been sold in a light duty truck (1/2 ton and under) or a passenger car, and it has to come from a donor of equal or newer vintage. The FJ60 is not a heavy duty vehicle in the eyes of the state of KA, or 3/4t and one 1t engine options would be possible. A 7.3l PSD powered 60 would be my own preference though a D-Max would be cool too!
The gray zone is that these are the well enforced rules for a gasser transplant, but they do not yet appear to be enforced with a diesel swap even though it does also apply. Or it does as best as I can determine from talking to several knowledgeable sources, one of whom is a past Referee.
The only legal way around this would be to bring it in from another state where it was legal and registered. It may have had to have even been registered in your name in that state, i.e. can not buy an out of state conversion and bring it into CA. Not sure about that last point. I've yet to find someone who can clarify this.
I really would have preferred to go diesel in my own 60 swap, but the candidates that wouldn't leave me open to the state coming along later and saying that my swap is not legal and that it has to move out of state or not be street registered (like they did with the ADV bikes that got registered that should not have been) are not engines that I was interested in.
