Insanity inside - you have been warned.

[BKCowGod]

Okay, I have finally developed a plan for the next few years and untold thousands of dollars of my hard-earned income.

A stuck valve in the Beast has led to it being parked while I watch gas prices climb. The grand cherokee gets 18 mpg on a good day and the Z3 gets 36. Don't be surprised if you see a beautiful GC show up in for sale soon... Which brings us back to the Beast - 8mpg just doesn't cut it anymore, especially with a 14gal tank. So I have decided to rip out the 360 and the uncomfortable seats and the inoperative heater and the lack of insulation and a/c and everything else that makes it a truck designed sixty years ago. In its place will go (in as stealthy a manner as possible) all the guts and electrical assistance of a late-80's 3/4 ton diesel pickup (Ford or Dodge...). This will give me 20+mpg, and with a transfer tank in the bed I have a real 1800 mile range. It already has a lumber rack and a 3/4 ton capacity, so picture water, locking storage, solar panels, rooftop tent, a small generator, a vintage Honda dual sport, and still a comfortable 70mph cruising speed... All from something that looks like this:

what do you guys think? I could even give it AWD if I really wanted to...

 

[JChatary]

Wow.....sounds like a killer build up! PLEASE post pics as you go!!!!

 

[jagular7]

Your Z3 gets 36mpg? How can you keep it that high with the right foot?

You also have to remember the 70's (maybe even 60s) aerodynamics of that truck. With the nice clean sheetmetal, take care of it from underneath. Sounds like a real plan of using the basic mechanical GM diesel, but is that worth all the trouble? I don't know and I'm not a diesel engine knowledgable type of guy. I would think the new era of electronic controlled diesels would be better...I really don't know. Good luck.

 

[roadkill]

an old IDI 7.3 with an aftermarket turbo would be awesome in that jeep. when tuned right they made more power than the first gen of powerstrokes. I know the newer powerstrokes would be better but its hard to beat a mechanical engine swap in terms of cost and ease of install. if it was me I'd be going with a Ford vs the GM diesels as the older 6.2s and the 6.5s never really impressed me much. the 6.9 and 7.3 from Ford have a good history of being reliable engines

 

[Haggis]

Good God your killing me. It's bad enough I'm already insanely jealous of that truck but now your gonna pour the "chocolate sauce and whipped cream" on it. Keep up the status reports and when its done post up its current position so that I can take it on an unauthorized field test for a while.

Serously though, we have a 89 Dodge Cummins and it has about the same aerodynamics and weight and it gets around 20 mpg empty and around 18mpg loaded to the gills with equipment.

 

[jim65wagon]

I can see it in my mind's eye and....oops, excuse me I drooled on the keyboard. This is one of my favorite trucks on the board and I can only say you'll be improving it! 20 mpg should be quite doable and in classic style too! Looking forward to the build!

Mark, when you get to the field test swing by here and pick me up, we'll run it to the beach, or the mountains, or both!

 

[goodtimes]

an old IDI 7.3 with an aftermarket turbo would be awesome in that jeep. when tuned right they made more power than the first gen of powerstrokes. I know the newer powerstrokes would be better but its hard to beat a mechanical engine swap in terms of cost and ease of install. if it was me I'd be going with a Ford vs the GM diesels as the older 6.2s and the 6.5s never really impressed me much. the 6.9 and 7.3 from Ford have a good history of being reliable engines

The older GM diesels really weren't all that....but when comparing diesels, just forget about GM and ford both. Neither one of them have figured out that automotive diesel engines should only have 6 cylinders max, and they should all be in one nice strait row.

:elkgrin:

 

[JChatary]

Your ride looks like the one from the movie Twister!

 

[ntsqd]

If I were going to go the 6.5 route I'd be looking for a turbo version and a military pump. I don't think the military ever got a turbo, but I could be wrong there. Advantage of the military pump is that it's not throttle by wire. The civvy 6.5 td's that I have looked at are throttle by wire, and the box is a $300 part that is subject to heat failure.
FWIW I think that the 6.2's and 6.5's are reasonably good engines (with the 6.5 being preferred). It is only when you compare them to other, similar sized options that they don't stack up so well.

I do not know what a complete 6.5/6.5td or a complete IDI 6.9/7.3 weighs, but I do know that a '96 6BT pallets out at 950 lbs. :Wow1:

 

[BKCowGod]

thanks for the replies, folks - I don't really need FI. The Z3 is getting a supercharger soon to keep the speed demons happy. Just got the preliminary okay from the female half to move forward with this, so keep your eyes open for the ZJ to show up in FS. I would love for it to continue on the way to expedition-dom.

Did I mention that the Beast will have built-in wireless internet and solar panels? What about the trio of heated power leather seats?

Activity will be slow going - I have two days off a week, and for the next two months they are already given up to a small sealed room at Stanford Hospital... oh well, wireless internet gives me time to research.

I think my best bet will be to buy a cosmetically dead F250 (6.9l) and just swap away.

two more pix for y'all:
my old one (with dad and xmas tree)

old meets new

 

[pete.wilson]

Hey

I love those old FSJ's, they are the best looking pick-ups ever! If it were mine, I would look at a late model Dodge with the Cummins and have someone do a high performancce kit to the transmission and use it. Awesome power could be had if you want it and I don't think they would cost as much as a used Duramax. The 7.3L would do ok too.

Pete Wilson

 

[whowey]

Will CA even allow something as evil as a diesel into a vehicle in their precious state of denial????

 

[kcowyo]

I would go for it.

My gf's Dad has a sweet J20 with a classic Wyoming camo paint job. Last year he dumped $4K into an engine swap and he only put in a remanned GM 350.

We were just getting acquainted then or I would have told him (or begged him) to throw in a Cummins for that kind of money. I think he got hosed for the money he put out. The 350 is nice but for $4K he could have put in a diesel.

He only uses the truck for a snow plow and to make runs to the dump. I'm in his ear now, telling him if he ever decides to sell, I would love to have the truck.

So lay out the blueprint, I'm watching....:lurk:

 

[BKCowGod]

the lovely thing about this jeep is that even in Kali, they have grandfathered everything '75 and earlier. As long as I meet 1972 safety requirements (I have to have both headlights AND at least one taillight) then I am golden.

Part of the draw of the F250 is that then I can support TWO semiabandoned marques (AMC body with an IH engine) but I also like the idea of staying in the extended family by going Mopar. Ah, so many choices...

Things to think about:
* part time or fulltime 4wd?
* how much do I care about ABS?
* How tall is too tall and how big is too big for tires? I do want it to be able to go anywhere, including parking garages.

 

[BigTaco]

If I were going to go the 6.5 route I'd be looking for a turbo version and a military pump. I don't think the military ever got a turbo, but I could be wrong there. Advantage of the military pump is that it's not throttle by wire. The civvy 6.5 td's that I have looked at are throttle by wire, and the box is a $300 part that is subject to heat failure.
FWIW I think that the 6.2's and 6.5's are reasonably good engines (with the 6.5 being preferred). It is only when you compare them to other, similar sized options that they don't stack up so well.

I do not know what a complete 6.5/6.5td or a complete IDI 6.9/7.3 weighs, but I do know that a '96 6BT pallets out at 950 lbs. :Wow1:

Military HMMWVs have the turbo 6.5 in the Up Armor versions. Just know that all 6.5 HMMWVs are governed to keep fuel consumption down.