Another diesel question

I searched and found nothing so here goes. While over here in Iraq I have been thinking about gas prices and how they are/will be affecting me with my Suburban and Chevy Z71. So it got me to thinking about diesel powered options in my JEEP. I know a few of you have been tinkering around with it, but was wondering if anyone did this conversion or knew someone who did.

1.9L VW Turbo conversion such as this one mounted to the T-90 in a 1960 CJ3B?
http://overlanddiesel.com/71/89.html

Also found this article (disregard sami) about 1.6L or 1.9L turbos.
http://www.rocky-road.com/diesel.html

Any feedback would be great as they would seem to fit well in my CJ. I am looking to keep everything else stock, tranny, OD, etc. My JEEP is a daily driver to and from work and light trail use...nothing radical. It will probably be out of my price range as I am retiring shortly after I get back from Iraq and will be job searching. I would think the bellhousing would be the most expensive as I believe it would have to be custom made. Also, maybe there is a reason why I have not heard of these swaps before now. They may be unpopular for a reason unknown to me.

 

kiowamtp,

The VW swap you talk of is actually a fairly common swap with JEEPs. Another fairly common swap is the cummins 4BT mechanical diesel. I know of a guy near me who put one in a CJ5. He had a SM420 or 465 tranny. I can't remember. These engines produce around 100 to 125 hp and have around 280 to 310 ft/lbs torque. Don't quote me on the torque #'s This is what the guy told me. He had stock D44 in the rear and a D30 from a 72' in the front. Don't remember which transfer case he had though. It was a cool JEEP. It had 34" super swampers on it. The 8264 Warn winch and a very nice custom exhaust. THe sound was like a big truck but insted of 6 cyl. it was only a 4 cyl. Try the diesel enthusiast magazines for some more answers. The Cummins motor I mentioned was an industrial duty motor in both smaller trucks and machinery. It was turbocharged. Since it is mechanical it is very easy to swap in due to the lack of any electronics. The guy with the diesel CJ5 claims he got 30-40mpg. Hope this helps.

 

FYI: the easiest swap(s) would be a perkins (from a jeep or forklift), then the Olds V8 diesel. the cummins is nice, but can double as a boat anchor.

propane would be a better (and cheaper) conversion.

 

The 6.2L or 6.5L GM diesel is sort-of popular with the FSJ crowd. I don't think it's any bigger than the small block Chevy, so it should be possible to put it into a CJ. IIRC the normally aspirated 6.2L was used in Chevy pickups for the military, and they can be found on the used/surplus market.

 

Latest issue of Jp magazine has a 1978 CJ 7 that the guy put a 3.2L Nissan SD-33-T six cylinder turbo in it. Intersesting story, but by the reading it is aYJ frame with 80 Scout II entire drivetrain. If you can not get a copy send me a PM and I'll scan it and email it to you if interested.