Converting a older Jeep to diesel

[jbman]

I have been thinking about getting and older wrangler or Cherokee and putting in a diesel. Does anyone recommend an resounces? I was hoping for a site or forum that would give my an idea about how much work and $$ this woudl entail. Would I be better looking at getting a surplus military blazer?

Jack

[heyman]

check out thetruckstop.us there are plenty of fellas over there that know what is going on. If you purchase a military blazer it will most likely come with a 6.2 non turbo engine that can be converted to a turbo. If you are looking for a jeep because of its size then a 4bt cummins will fit better than a v-8. the biggest issue with the cummins engines are that they are tall, most who put one in an older pickup also install a mild lift kit to accomidate for the oil pan. hope this helps

[610Alpha]

the CUCV is a great diesel...easy to maintain...I recommend this podcast from TSP...the guest talks about diesel fuels and the CUCV pickup and blazer.

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/prepper-vehicles-and-creative-fuel-uses-with-tim-glance

might be able to find a forestry CUCV for cheap...i believe they had a suburban version for the non-military govt agencies.

[Grinnan Barrett]

One nice thing about former military vehicles is that you can register them is some states as Military Vehicles (Antiques). You can then bypass the new regulations concerning diesels emissions. They are really strict now. Check with the state you live in and see if you can do a military antique registration?

[Metal]

I have been thinking about getting and older wrangler or Cherokee and putting in a diesel. Does anyone recommend an resounces? I was hoping for a site or forum that would give my an idea about how much work and $$ this woudl entail. Would I be better looking at getting a surplus military blazer?

Jack

This seems to be a popular swap with the 4x4 crowd.
Try here http://www.4btswaps.com/ they have an huge information base.
IIRC the 4BT weighs close to the same as a small block chevy.
Hope this helps.

[Bill Foster]

I have heard and seen conversions of all types of vehicles to 4BT; K5 Blazers, Cherokees, Wrangler. They are awesome. The next time you see a large UPS or Fed-X truck, you will hear the 4B. Lots of torque and dependable.

[RobertJ]

I 2'nd on the 4BT Diesel swap. I reccomend Pirate 4x4 forums, there are several writeups on this conversion. I am looking at one for my 2009 wrangler unlimited. There is a company in tampa fl selling a DIY kit for the 07 ups and others selling for TJ, YJ, LJ, and my fave the CJ. I was at Jeep beach in Daytona this May and they had an example of each modle, Clean, more power then you will ever need and one was propane injected diesel.... dont try and re invent the wheel there are others who have got this all figured out and did the hard work already.
I am also thinking of putting a big diesel in my 87 wagoneer replacing the 360 thats in there. The IFSJA (full sized jeep web site) has done several of these swaps as well. here is some reading for you to start with.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=95

[Hawk_308]

I was going to do the same thing I decided against it do to the availability of parts and cost . Im a big fan of diesels , I have 2 in my yard right now a 06 dodge cummins and a 94 chevy 1/2 ton z71 with the 6.5td . While diesel offers great reliability at a up front cost the diesels that would fit a jeep ( and not be to heavy) are not very common any more . Heres what would fit in a jeep , 4bt , VW ,perkins and Isuzu. Around here if you need parts you might be able to acquire parts through local sources for the perkins and VW . If things did go down hill you would not be able to go a the part exchange on 4bt and get what you need and would have to find a donor vehicle/equipment for parts. Another thing is weight which is a killer on a jeep . A jeep is alot like us the lighter you can pack it the better it does on the trail . The 4bt is almost 800 pounds, the perkins is in the same neighbor hood . The 258 is around 500 lbs , a chevy v8 runs 530 to 590 , chevy V6 4.3 425 and the old jeep F134 4 banger is a fat old gal at 475 .

If you are wondering Im pulling out my F134 and dropping in a TBI 4.3 shaving 50 lbs of the jeep and over doubling the HP . Plus chevy parts are everywhere and cheap . Originally I was going to run a perkins 236 , had already found one in a sail boat and got the bell housing from a friend in spain . CJ-5s used to have a optional perkins 192 diesel untill around 62 when it was dropped , missed a cj6 with one for sale last year.



Just food for thought

[bearcreek]

I considered doing a 4bt swap into a jeep cherokee but decided against it for two reasons. One, the cherokee does not have a full frame. It's basically a unibody and I was concerned about the weight. Second reason was mileage. Most people that I have heard of are getting anywhere from 14-25 MPG in small vehicle 4BT swaps. Thing is, a 1st generation Dodge Cummins will get that much easily and without all the hassle and expense of a swap. Occasionally you'll hear numbers as high as 35 MPG from a 4BT but those reports are not consistent enough to convince me, at least not yet.

[BioG8r]

The 4bt is a heavy little monster, They put out great power and are nearly bulletproof.

I have also considered this.

There are many links to projects that others have taken on. We have run across a few at the car shows/ swap meets we go to. They seem to make sweet BoV's and will run on nearly any oil.

I am considering a samuri or f10 with a kubota diesel. much like a friend, better fuel economy but WAAAY less power and speed. I dont need to run 70 in it but I do need to go hundreds of miles on fuel.

The saying is there is no replacement for displacement.

I don't think it would be the highway vehicle just the off road transportation. on the farm and up the creek. We have a 1 ton Dodge 6bt and a 3/4 ton GMC 6.2 nonturbo 4X4 for going down the road.

[anderson5]

jeep forum

I have been thinking about getting and older wrangler or Cherokee and putting in a diesel. Does anyone recommend an resounces? I was hoping for a site or forum that would give my an idea about how much work and $$ this woudl entail. Would I be better looking at getting a surplus military blazer?

Jack

You can go to jeepforum.com They have lots of help there. Most people say not to do this because of the weight issue of a diesel engine, but some will guide you on how to do it. Lots of great people there and will bend over backwards to help you.