Landcruiser Diesel

[hrjaw]

Can you all educate me on the pros/cons of a 3B 4 cyl powered Land cruiser? do you think this is a good power plant/power for this body? I have an opportunity to purchase a 1983 cruiser with a 4 speed and the aforementioned diesel conversion already done, but would like to get your thoughts before I decide to take the next step.
Roger

 

[alia176]

Can you all educate me on the pros/cons of a 3B 4 cyl powered Land cruiser? do you think this is a good power plant/power for this body? I have an opportunity to purchase a 1983 cruiser with a 4 speed and the aforementioned diesel conversion already done, but would like to get your thoughts before I decide to take the next step.
Roger

Have you had a chance to drive it on flat and on hills? If the 3B is turboed, it may be a good power plant.

I drove a 60 with a 12HT with a 5 speed at Surf N Turf and it was rather amazing to me.

 

[arcteryx]

You dont say what the host is. I am making an assumption its a FJ60.

Legendary engine. Parts are getting harder to come by. Prices are going up. If in the mountains, you should plan on turboing it. On flat, it will do OK, but wont win any drag races. If you want AC, parts can be had, but they are harder to source.

 

[hrjaw]

sorry guys. i guess i left out some details. it is an 83 fj60 with the 4-speed. it is NOT turbo charged. I drove it briefly as it is three states away and i saw it when i was there on business but had to get back home. it seemed a bit taxing to me but seeing as i have never driven a diesel'd fj60 before, had nothing to compare it to.

 

[arcteryx]

So you have an opportunity to buy an 83 BJ60 with a 4 speed and put it into an 83 FJ60?

The H55 5 speed is more desirable than the the 4 speed H42. If the the vehicle will be used on highway much, you should consider the H55. Figure about 1500 for the tranny. Or look for 83-85 BJ60 with the H55 (and occasionally these have factory AC, though rare). I think they switched from the H42 to the H55 mid-year in 83, though all 84-85 models are 5-speed. Also, search ih8mud, there is a plethora of info on this topic. Unless you are getting a great deal on the BJ60 or dont plan on driving at highway speeds, I would search for an 3B/H55.

FWIW, when I had my BJ70 (3B/H55), I thought the power was OK (in Texas). I had to downshift on hills though.

 

[hrjaw]

the FJ60 already had the diesel installed. the present owner had the conversion done about 8 years ago and he drives it occasionally. I drove it and like I had mentioned it seemed anemic (read slow) to me. My last two fj60's were not exactly quick, but I am not looking for quick. As you mentioned arcteryx, I do have lots of hills where I drive, and that was a concern to me. otherwise the landcruiser is really in great shape.

 

[chet]

a 60 with a 3b and a 4 speed will not be fast but will be super reliable! Turbo will make a world of difference then a 5 spd. Ask how many kms on the motor. Check for rust because if its rusty you might as well do the conversion yourself with a rust free one to start with.

 

[roscoFJ73]

the FJ60 already had the diesel installed. the present owner had the conversion done about 8 years ago and he drives it occasionally. I drove it and like I had mentioned it seemed anemic (read slow) to me. My last two fj60's were not exactly quick, but I am not looking for quick. As you mentioned arcteryx, I do have lots of hills where I drive, and that was a concern to me. otherwise the landcruiser is really in great shape.

Even with a turbo you may not be satisfied.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

There is a technique for getting a lot of power out of a 3B, which you can do because they are piston cooled. You basically pull the head (replace head gasket at the same time) and polish the pre cups of the head. Then you can fuel and boost to your heart's content without running into EGT problems. 3Bs with turbos that are not polished have a wall very quickly where they run into EGT problems. Down at sea level and with stock tires a BJ60 will be tolerable but still sluggish. Once you do this little trick it is a whole new world with that engine. There are also plenty of gas engines that have great candidate turbos for a 3B, Volvo cars, etc. You don't need to spend a ton of money on a bolt on kit. Though I've installed one of the bolt on kits (turboglide) and it was great and went on in less than 4 hours.

Best,
Andre

 

[hrjaw]

Andre,
thanks for the information. I am going to try and get back there this weekend to take a really good look at the vehicle.
Roger

 

[Hltoppr]

Andre just made me drool....

Anyways, I like my 3B...but then again I'm not going anywhere fast.

Just had a brother/sister in law move to Logan, UT...maybe I can con Andre into doing a little work on the 70 when I go visit....:ylsmoke:

-H-

 

[RMP&O]

I am not familiar with the 3B but am familiar with old diesels....

Won't an intercooler treat this motor well? Usually an IC will drop EGTs a lot. Also a good oil cooler, even perhaps a top mount with a fan to back it up. And of course a really good cooling system. I have found if you keep the temps down you can push these old diesels a fair amount and make them not so slugish.

I have an old Nissan diesel we just getting done with build on now. Stock it is as slow as a slug with only about 100hp. But with a bunch of mods we have done she has turned into a pretty peppy little inline-6 diesel.

 

[redthies]

I have owned a few BJ60s with the H55 and although they are a bit slower than an FJ, the fact that they run on the smell of an oily rag and are as dependable a motor as Toyota ever built is good enough for me. I drove one from the mountains of BC to the beaches of Mexico and back with no issues. Yes, they are slower, but worth it in my opinion. You can always turbo later as Andre has said. They aren't making anymore of these so if it ain't rusty...

 

[redthies]

I have owned a few BJ60s with the H55 and although they are a bit slower than an FJ, the fact that they run on the smell of an oily rag and are as dependable a motor as Toyota ever built is good enough for me. I drove one from the mountains of BC to the beaches of Mexico and back with no issues. Yes, they are slower, but worth it in my opinion. You can always turbo later as Andre has said. They aren't making anymore of these so if it ain't rusty...