Diesel engine swap + what "expedition rig"?

[4D55 Performance]

Good to know about the interior space., i'm 6'3” so whoever sits behind me in the XJ suffers. I imagine that a couple of car seats and booster seats would work fine then?

Do they get better mpg.with 32” tires due to the 4.56 ratio or with the stock 31”?

The stock tires are about 29.5". I still have the original Yokohoma Super Diggers on my Montero. Because the OEM tires were a funny size (265/70/15) options are very limited, most people go with 30x9.50x15 or 31x10.50x15. From my understanding the MPG are not effected by going with 30-31" tires but I have heard the 33" tires will cost you a few MPG. Roger here on the forum will know more about this than I do. I am still waiting for my original Supper Diggers to wear out before I upgrade to some BFG KO 33x10.50x15's or 33x9.50x15's.

 

[Bdiddy11]

I was curious because most gear charts i've seen say 31/32” tires are best for 4.56 gearing as far as mileage goes.

 

[Jeff@QuadShop]

Jeff, do you know if MaxOverdrive can get a hold of crate 4M40 engines? If so, do you know how much they run?

Not sure, I haven't asked them yet.

 

[Jeff@QuadShop]

Do they get better mpg.with 32” tires due to the 4.56 ratio or with the stock 31”?

Not all of the GEN II Montero's come with 4.56, it depends on the year. 99-98's have 4.30, 97-95 have 4.56 and 92-94 have 4.90. I may be off a little on those years but it's real close to that.

 

[Route55]

Something I haven't seen in this discussion is location, and where the guy wants to take it.

Alot of you are trying to steer him towards non-U.S. built vehicles. I have no problem with this, and agree there are some great makes out there. I'm a big fan of the Landcruiser.

However, I like to build projects where I can get 95% of the parts I may need in 95% of the areas I go, within a reasonable amout of time.

I've found that in the mid-west and northeast areas of the U.S., non-domestic vehicles and engines can be tough to find parts for, and often the parts you find are special order and 2-3 times the cost of domestic.

If I personally were to buy/build/use a foriegn build in the U.S., I would stick with Toyota, Suzuki, and maybe Honda. The rest are imported in such low numbers that parts and service can be difficult. Plus the U.S. aftermarket support of the others is just not as good.

 

[Jeff@QuadShop]

Alot of you are trying to steer him towards non-U.S. built vehicles. I have no problem with this, and agree there are some great makes out there. I'm a big fan of the Landcruiser.

Where were alot of people steering him towards non-US vehicles?

 

[Bdiddy11]

The only Zuki that would fit our needs would be the XL7 with the third row... Honda? Not sure what Honda has to offer that has enough seating, looks halfway decent and can be used expeditioning. Toyota, the LC sucks gas and makes me depressed just thinking about how much gas it uses and how much it would cost to go adventuring. We almost bought a 94 LC before we got my wife her current 99 XJ. We really liked the rig, but the engine doesn't have much power for how heavy it is and the mileage... The Sequoia is the other Toyota option... but it's MPG isn't that great either and it's more $$ than I most other options out there.

I've come to terms that finding the right vehicle is almost impossible in the U.S. that gets decent gas mileage, suits the needs of a bigger family and still physically appeals to the standards of my wife and I.

Right now we're leaning more towards the second gen Montero, 97-99, SOHC, with the factory locker, third row seating and great base off-road performance in stockish form.

Granted the aftermarket support is minimal for the Monty, I feel that it's the best compromise for space requirements, looks, and MPG. I've always wanted to get into more fabrication... so this would be a good excuse to learn Eventually I might even swap in a diesel (seeing as how there are Canuck Monties that came w/diesel).

From what I've read and been told on here and other forums, a Montero with an off-road trailer of some sort should suit the needs of a growing family while still allowing us to go fun places together without breaking the bank. I'd love a Land Cruiser, but economically I think that we could do a lot more in a Monty than we could in a LC. Someday when I win the lottery that I don't play, I could afford a LC with a beefier engine and justify it that way.

 

[Route55]

Where were alot of people steering him towards non-US vehicles?

So far I've heard Mitsubishi, Izuzu, Toyota...

As for Honda, I have no idea what they offer anymore. The XL7 is very nice. The 2.9 seems to be a great engine as well.

 

[4D55 Performance]

Something I haven't seen in this discussion is location, and where the guy wants to take it.

Alot of you are trying to steer him towards non-U.S. built vehicles. I have no problem with this, and agree there are some great makes out there. I'm a big fan of the Landcruiser.

However, I like to build projects where I can get 95% of the parts I may need in 95% of the areas I go, within a reasonable amout of time.

I've found that in the mid-west and northeast areas of the U.S., non-domestic vehicles and engines can be tough to find parts for, and often the parts you find are special order and 2-3 times the cost of domestic.

If I personally were to buy/build/use a foriegn build in the U.S., I would stick with Toyota, Suzuki, and maybe Honda. The rest are imported in such low numbers that parts and service can be difficult. Plus the U.S. aftermarket support of the others is just not as good.

In theory what you're saying makes sense, but there are facts that you are missing, there were close to a million Monteros sold in the US during the 90's. The Mitsubishi 3.5 was offered on many different vehicles from 1995-2005 by many different manufacturers. Every time I have ever needed a part I can have it in my hand by the hour. Mitsubishi's are also really cheap to repair. I remember buying a moog idler arm for $6 from the parts store. I had to recently replace my catalytic converter, that set me back $186 and that included labor. I had to replace the starter on my last Montero and I paid a whopping $59 for a new starter at O'rielly's. I took 30 minutes and installed the sucker myself. Those are the only 3 parts I have purchased in the last year. These things are cheap and easy to fix.

I know it may sound odd, but I had a harder time locating parts for 1996 Land Cruisers. Not to mention they were a major PITA to repair. You only have to replace the pesky heater hose once, but it will be the most annoying 3 hour repair of your life. I loved my Cruisers and they were in mint condition, but I think they are way over rated.

 

[Bumpasses]

Hello all,

I am in the process of downsizing.
Wife in grad school
2012 jeep wrangler payment at $600 killing us.
going to sell.

Really interested in the 99/2000 Mitsu Endeavor.

My 4 wheelin will be average?--Colorado, so for one I was trying to be clear on the 99 vs. 00 differences. (primarily no rear locker, but this can be added I have read)

I have located a 2000 in white for $3k with 220k miles, Endeavor package.
Love the look and the reliability seems to be there.
I want to invest in something I can use as a DD for long term.
I realize some $$$ will be necessary in upfront for basics, but wanted opinions on something that high in miles that has had no major service done.....ever.

Haven't found much out there for sale in 98-99-00, dunno if there is a specialty sales forum for them somewhere?

thank you,
all the best.

-B

 

[Buliwyf]

How is towing with a Monty of his vintage? Thinking ~5000 lb race car trailer. Tow ratings online say 5000 lbs but is that realistic?/practical to control the load?

Terrible. Most of that 5000 pound tow rating will be destroyed by bumper weight, cargo weight, oversized tires, and maybe a softer suspension if you choose to lift it. Even stock, 5000 is pushing it. I wouldn't put MY kids in such a vehicle. Improving offroad capability can wreck towing performance. Also keep in mind how well wind grabs a race car trailer.

F150 4x4 for 5000 pounds and goofy off road setup and kit.
F250 for 7000+
F350 up to 10,000
F350 DRW 10,000+

That's my experience. Not the book.

And Excursions aren't that big. Where they don't fit, neither does any other SUV in our group. Out comes the Razors, 4 wheelers and bikes.

The soccer mom look, wipes right off.

 

[Buliwyf]

Hello all,

I am in the process of downsizing.
Wife in grad school
2012 jeep wrangler payment at $600 killing us.
going to sell.

Really interested in the 99/2000 Mitsu Endeavor.

My 4 wheelin will be average?--Colorado, so for one I was trying to be clear on the 99 vs. 00 differences. (primarily no rear locker, but this can be added I have read)

I have located a 2000 in white for $3k with 220k miles, Endeavor package.
Love the look and the reliability seems to be there.
I want to invest in something I can use as a DD for long term.
I realize some $$$ will be necessary in upfront for basics, but wanted opinions on something that high in miles that has had no major service done.....ever.

Haven't found much out there for sale in 98-99-00, dunno if there is a specialty sales forum for them somewhere?

thank you,
all the best.

-B

Depends. How long until the jeep is paid off?

 

[1stDeuce]

Six pages of "I'd do this" makes for some fairly interesting reading!

So I'll submit my thoughts too.

First, and this may have been covered but I scanned pretty fast, a everyone loves to suggest a 3.9l 4BT as a great swap, but it's not. It's actually a HORRIBLE engine for a smaller vehicle. You'll probably need 6" or more of lift to stuff it in a Cherokee because of the height of the engine. It's also really heavy... And for 5 people, trips in an XJ Cherokee is punishment, not a vacation, and that's if the rear passengers are all 8-10 years old. Outside that, it's outright torture.

If a diesel is really desired, I'd look for a '96-99 6.5L Suburban or Tahoe. (They're easy to spot because of the bumper holes.) The 6.5L is older tech, but they are solid engines in solid vehicles, parts are cheap, and they're big enough to haul 5 (or more!) in comfort while getting nearly 20mpg.
No, they don't offroad as well as a Cherokee, but they're certainly capable of getting to some pretty nice places. You won't be rock crawling and running the gnarliest trails around, but that's not overlanding, and generally not much fun for the passengers anyway.

Just my $.02.
Good Luck with your quest!

 

[CCPAJeeper]

Viggen, you are correct, I have had 2 XJs, one with just my wife and I early on in our marriage and it was fine size wise. I bought the second one after we had two sons, we wanted an expo vehicle, we loved the 95, so we thought, hey, lets get another XJ. Mistake, way to small and our sons were never comfortable, way to cramped. I loved the vehicles, I have nothing bad to say about either one. They are just not a 5 person vehicle, no way.