Thought you might like this...plus, a warning...

[SoCalMonty]

Hello from SoCal!

I was at a shop getting tires installed when a VERY clean FJ60 pulled in...




...but I had noticed when he pulled in, (1) that engine sounds a bit different, and (2) that tailpipe seems a little larger than stock. I started talking to him, and it turns out he had this under the hood...




...turbo diesel in SoCal! He has owned the truck since new, and it's not a daily driver anymore. Turns out the swap was a nightmare. The shop that did it was in the Los Angeles area...it was something like "Mar-Z-Pan" or Mar-Z-Ner"...it was hyphenated and started with an 'M', that's all I remember. Anyway, it turns out (1) they told him it would be smog legal in CA, which it isn't, and (2) the engine they installed is bad, with major corrosion in the block. He's had it flushed dozens of times to try to get the corrosion out, but the block is eating itself from the inside out so it's on borrowed time. That shop is not admitting any fault, and the guy is out a lot of money with an FJ that has a bad motor which he still can't seem to referee or register yet.

So...just posting the cool sighting, and be careful with that shop in LA if you know the one I'm referring to! See you in the dirt!

 

[BIGdaddy]

man-a-fre, maybe?

 

[BIGdaddy]

what motor do those normally have?

3f?

 

[cnynrat]

man-a-fre, maybe?

Most likely it was Man-a-Fre. They are a local LC/Toyota shop. I thought they had pretty good reputation (although they did have lots of issues with the second fuel tank mod they sold a while back for FJ Cruisers), so I'm surprised to hear about this guy's issues with them.

It surely wasn't Mar-Z-Pan!

 

[gregnash]

Normal engine for the FJ62 (two sets of square lights) is the 3FE. Bummer that he cannot get that 12HT to smog in cali but I am sure that CARB is giving him the run around. That is a great GREAT example of why you get all the info first before you do something. Even in a no emissions county like me, the laws still state, for NV at least, that the engine has to be of Like Make and offered in that particular model year. So my dreams of a cheap Isuzu diesel swap or the possibility of a Chevy swap (for a few years) are squashed. Best I can do is another 2F, 3FE, 3B/13BT, or 2h/12HT as those were actually made by Toyota and offered in my particular year/series.

 

[ChuckB]

Normal engine for the FJ62 (two sets of square lights) is the 3FE. Bummer that he cannot get that 12HT to smog in cali but I am sure that CARB is giving him the run around. That is a great GREAT example of why you get all the info first before you do something. Even in a no emissions county like me, the laws still state, for NV at least, that the engine has to be of Like Make and offered in that particular model year. So my dreams of a cheap Isuzu diesel swap or the possibility of a Chevy swap (for a few years) are squashed. Best I can do is another 2F, 3FE, 3B/13BT, or 2h/12HT as those were actually made by Toyota and offered in my particular year/series.

Rules in California are even more strict than NV. If the engine was never sold in a vehicle in CA, then its not legal, regardless if it passes smog. There are registered conversions out there that technically aren't legal, but that is for a different conversation.

 

[Adventure Copan]

That's a huge bummer on the diesel swap!

Even in a no emissions county like me, the laws still state, for NV at least, that the engine has to be of Like Make and offered in that particular model year.

This is a crazy rule and doesn't apply here in Texas thankfully!

-Daniel Kent

 

[dwh]

Rules in California are even more strict than NV.

Yea, but Nevada is whacky. When I was there in 2006 only one county (Clark I think?) required smog checks, even though as gregnash said, they had statewide laws. Sounds like they're still whacky.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Yes, it was Man-a-Fre. Glad you enjoyed the pics...that's the first diesel FJ I've seen in CA and I've always had a soft spot for them.