Wagontrain
New member
1hd-t would probably work.
WT
WT
TLC has diesel news
- Thread starter DBS311
- Start date
Grease Cruiser
Adventurer
The 1KZ or the new V8 diesel comes to mind. Not sure the fit with IFS.
ChuckB
Expedition Leader
This is all good info. Sometimes I just really hate the smog laws in CA!! Even though I'm not there right now, that's probably where I'm going to end up.
I'm still hoping Luke@4x4Labs comes out with the OM617 kit soon, I really want to take a good look at that setup. Seems to be the best parts-wise and legally when living in CA. The only question people seem to have is if there is enough power.
Grease does have an excellent point about keeping the whole system as simple as possible.
I'm still hoping Luke@4x4Labs comes out with the OM617 kit soon, I really want to take a good look at that setup. Seems to be the best parts-wise and legally when living in CA. The only question people seem to have is if there is enough power.
Grease does have an excellent point about keeping the whole system as simple as possible.
Grease Cruiser
Adventurer
FWIW, we have done quite a few Toyota and Cummins diesel conversions for people in CA. They don't seem to have problems with the emissions or registration that some people are concerned about.
These particular customers are law abiding citizens and not trying to pull a fast one over the legislation. They have obviously figured something out. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Good luck to all you Californians. I'm sure glad I don't live there.
These particular customers are law abiding citizens and not trying to pull a fast one over the legislation. They have obviously figured something out. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Good luck to all you Californians. I'm sure glad I don't live there.
ChuckB
Expedition Leader
Grease Cruiser said:
Anything pre-'75 really shouldn't have a problem with registration. But I'm not willing to throw down $10-20K on a swap until I'm absolutely sure.
The biggest problem I have with the 4BT is that I don't want to be SOA. I don't have enough experience or need for it at this point in my wheelin' career.
Ujoint,
Looks like an immaculate install as always from TLC!
Grease Cruiser
Adventurer
ChuckB said:
dieselcruiserhead
16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
I had a HJ60 in the states so went through some of that. The 2.8 is a mechanical injection like a 300TDi or a Cummins 4BT. Because they are brand new, they don't have hte common wear parts like injectors needing to be rebuilt etc. I think once you have it dialed as TLC is know for they leave their operation, I imagine they are fairly trouble free. The consumables are filters which probably have a US counter part so I don't think it is that big a deal personally and more kudos to Jonathan for putting it all together. Years ago he called me up once, told me his life story how he had a stalker because he was a child actor, the origins of TLC in a garage barely making ends meet, and we talked for hours and hours about diesel conversions before he had done one. I think the 2.8 is a good way to go, just expensive. Especially now that hte power out of them has been pumped up to adequately power wagons etc, whereas even the Rover 300TDi (almost identical engine) is still a little underpowered... John, if it were me I would look strongly into these and perhaps start installing them too. The 4BTs are awesome but they do need that lift and produce noise that these 2.8s are not... 
ChuckB
Expedition Leader
Grease,
I thought that you went SUA and weren't very happy with it?? I guess I should be more specific, I don't really want/need 4"+ lift. Can you help me out there?
I know people have been getting post '75's registered, but everything that I have seen in writing says its not legal. I even called the CARB to confirm. There are people slipping through the cracks... More power to them. I can't afford to roll the dice if its not 100% for sure.
From what ive heard about CA. regulations-
--A diesel conversion must be from a vehicle in the same class- (isuzu, cummins 4bt) all a no go.
--The engine must come from a newer generation vehicle.
--The above rules are apply to any smog aged(post 1975) vehicle.
At this point- with 2 years til diesel parts hit the Toyota parts dept counters............it seems like holding your 15k+conversion costs in your wallet and rolling that into whatever diesels come out is the smarter move. 10 years ago a conversion may have made sense- but now- it seems like 15-20k into a "new" vehicle vs. 10-15-20yr old vehicle makes alot more sense. Im just hoping the ol 80 series (with 120k miles) can last until the U.S.v8diesel Troopies hit the shores!
--A diesel conversion must be from a vehicle in the same class- (isuzu, cummins 4bt) all a no go.
--The engine must come from a newer generation vehicle.
--The above rules are apply to any smog aged(post 1975) vehicle.
At this point- with 2 years til diesel parts hit the Toyota parts dept counters............it seems like holding your 15k+conversion costs in your wallet and rolling that into whatever diesels come out is the smarter move. 10 years ago a conversion may have made sense- but now- it seems like 15-20k into a "new" vehicle vs. 10-15-20yr old vehicle makes alot more sense. Im just hoping the ol 80 series (with 120k miles) can last until the U.S.v8diesel Troopies hit the shores!
Last edited:
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
Generally CA laws require an engine from the same year as the vehicle or newer. Can't put a '65 Chevy 327 in your '95 Z-28, but can put a '95 TBI 350 in your '69 Z-28. While diesels are still considered to be an "alternately fueled vehicle" I'm not aware of any diesel specific exemptions from the general emissions laws & rules. Could exist, but a friend who has repeatedly looked into this & kept tabs on the changes has not mentioned anything of the sort.
With a pre 1996 (i.e. pre OBD II) vehicle and engine, the engine's emissions equipment must all be present and functional, and the chassis' emissions equipment must be present and functional. If there is a conflict the later parts supersede the older parts.
With an OBD II engine ALL of the donor's emissions equipment must be transfered to the vehicle.
CARB is not your friend. They do not want you doing anything. They are an autocratic bureaucracy of the worst sort. They would require EFI & a catalytic converter on your lawn mower if they could. And they are probably working on it.
The BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair) is the entity responsible for the Referee program. I would start with them.
With a pre 1996 (i.e. pre OBD II) vehicle and engine, the engine's emissions equipment must all be present and functional, and the chassis' emissions equipment must be present and functional. If there is a conflict the later parts supersede the older parts.
With an OBD II engine ALL of the donor's emissions equipment must be transfered to the vehicle.
CARB is not your friend. They do not want you doing anything. They are an autocratic bureaucracy of the worst sort. They would require EFI & a catalytic converter on your lawn mower if they could. And they are probably working on it.
The BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair) is the entity responsible for the Referee program. I would start with them.
ChuckB
Expedition Leader
I guess I need to better understand the relationship between CARB and BAR. I'm going to have to check out the BAR website.
It sounds like diesels fall under a different category than gas engines. If that's the case that would make things much easier. The diesel regulations don't seem to be as clearly written as the regulations for gas engines.
It sounds like diesels fall under a different category than gas engines. If that's the case that would make things much easier. The diesel regulations don't seem to be as clearly written as the regulations for gas engines.
Grease Cruiser
Adventurer
ChuckB said:
Chuck,
PM me and we can discuss ways. I don't want to hijack this thread any more than I already have.
Dre,
Jeremiah and I talked in great depth about the 2.8's a few years ago when Advance Adapters came up with the adapter. We were talking to both AA and TLC about doing these conversions. At the time, the only importer of the 2.8's was telling us they were coming out of South America. We had to pony up all the money up front and 6-8 months later, we would get an engine. Each engine was built to order. That is fine when you work with Cummins but working with an importer who has an inside connection with a company on the other side of the world is a bit different.
We actually talked to a lot of people about the conversion but nobody wanted to dish out the money on the hopes they would get the engine.....eventually.
I am not dogging the 2.8 at all. It is quite an impressive engine and I'm sure it does well in Cruisers.
Maybe things have changed with the way you have to order them?
We would love to install one of these engines. Any takers?
Here are my thoughts:
I have traveled a bit in this world and from what I have gathered: people use drivetrains that are comon to them for conversions. I have seen 22R's in Series Rovers, Land Rover parts in Jeeps, Perkins diesels in a Willys wagon, etc. You use what you have around and what is common to your area. The SBC 350 has been used in Land Cruisers for years. One reason was the desire for more power but another reason was the availability and cost of parts. SBC 350 parts are always cheaper than the cost of Toyota parts.
Look at the Bandeirante in Brazil. They put Mercedes diesels in them because there was a Mercedes diesel plant in Brazil. Again, they used what was available.
Another one is Jeep in Europe. A lot of Jeeps came with the Italian made VM diesel. Again, they used what was available.
Speaking from my own experience, I owned a FJ45 Xtra cab pickup from Australia. It was a great truck and was my daily driver for a couple of years. But.... it had this really odd drivetrain. It had an inline 4.0L Ford fuel injected six cylinder in it, mated to the non-USA stock H41 4 speed. It ran great, plenty of power and returned decent mileage. I didn't mind it until I had to find parts for it. Soft parts were easy....belts, hoses, plugs, etc. It was the time when I had to replace the clutch. I thought since it was a Ford product, that it should not be too difficult. 2 months later I was ordering a clutch out of Australia as this engine was never offered to the US market. I had several parts guys scrounging North America for me to find this obscure clutch. The pressure plate was ruined and it could not be rebuilt, I had to get a new one. The only place to get one....Australia.
I got the clutch together and drove it for another year or so. I ended up selling it as I got the notion of having a diesel Cruiser. The gentleman I sold the 45 to had it for a few months. Something came up and he was trying to find a part for it. After a week or so of hunting down the part, he decided to yank the Ford engine and to put in a 5.7 GM Vortec. Happy ever since. Again, he used what was available.
The 2.8 TGV appears to be a wonderful application for a Land Crusier. They are new and parts will not be needed for awhile. However, I don't really see this engine taking off for conversions unless someone brings in a LOT of these engines. Parts would then be readily available and it would be common to see these engines.
Again, we would be happy to install these engines. But the customer needs to be aware that parts are not readily available at your local auto parts store and it may take awhile to get something you need.
Maybe TLC is stocking a lot of the parts for the 2.8 TGV since they are installing these engines?