samurai diesel conversion

[artistic_gore]

Righty o. Pending a fatass bonus from the Army I think I want my next truck to be a turbo diesel samurai. I have seen a few out there but am curious as to what is the standard setup, 1.6, 1.9, n/a, turbo. How intensive is the swap? Has anyone here done it or thought about this? Would it be best to buy a sami and a totalled vw to pull parts from? Is there a kit somewhere?

Thanks,

Bryce

Also if you have any sites that specialize in suzuki's that you'd like to share that would be great.

[hman1991]

try www.zuwharrie.com they have a suzuki diesel section. there is a conversion. why do u want diesel? for a dailey driver? because the 1.6 out of a tracker is a great swap with plenty of power for the sammy.

[artistic_gore]

Originally Posted by hman1991

try www.zuwharrie.com they have a suzuki diesel section. there is a conversion. why do u want diesel? for a dailey driver? because the 1.6 out of a tracker is a great swap with plenty of power for the sammy.

Yes, I plan to DD whatever rig I buy/build. I'm still searching around to decide if it would be worth it. I may buy a pre-built suzuki to keep my overall cost down.

[scottie]

Its a cool swap, But personally i don't think its worth it.


I'd go with the 1.6 16V or the 2.0L swap. Sure the Diesel would be cool, but the kits are expensive, parts are hardish to find in Michigan, And you probably still won't have much of a top speed for Daily Driving. But you could run it on Veggie oil

[artistic_gore]

The more I look the more folks say in retrospect they would have rather done a 1.6L swap

[busyfixin]

i would do it in a heartbeat. why do ppl say they wish they had done the 1.6 instead? the diesel has more power, milage, and way cooler.

[artistic_gore]

I think it has to do with cost to benefit ratio. However if I can find a diesel already done when I finally drop the jack on a truck I would love to go that route. I may do it myself but I would find the donor vw first and work from there.

[KartRacer]

I would have done it if I hadn't gotten my 1.6 8v for free. I probably still will someday. From my research, gearing needs to stay close to stock, at least for a 33" tire, to have good crawling and a decent top speed. A t-case with no high range reduction would be preferred to be able to get more low range.

[artistic_gore]

I'm totally not sure what I'm going to do and this really has to wait until I'm at least firm in my new job but I think I will buy a rig that has most of what I am looking for already done to it and then do a few extra mods such as a diesel swap. I kinda want the bling factor.

Anyway, how does this sound for a rig. Late 80's Samurai convertable (87-88 seems to be popular) VW 1.9TDI, 3-4" lift, toyota; trans, transfercase, and axles. For starters with future items being linked, coilover rear and dual cases plus various mods to the diesel. Also do you think this would be do-able in the $6000 range? That's the proposal I put up for review by the budget hearing commitee (my wife).

[scottie]

the only reason what 87-88 samurai are more common is because those are the years they imported the majority of them in, then the whole consumers union thing, the Sidekick, etc. So you can find Samurais as new as 95.

With that note, find a later model 2wd with Fuel injection, Convert it to 4wd (super Easy), then give me the Fuel injection stuff :tonka:


But yes, don't turn away a 2wd samurai, especially if its rust free, it might take you 3 hours to convert to 4wd.

[dumperdave]

I know it takes all of the fun out of it but I agree with buying a finished product or close to it, if you find one somebody is bored with or they are hard up for cash it can save a hole lot of money not to mension TIME!

[artistic_gore]

Originally Posted by Scottie

, then give me the Fuel injection stuff :tonka:

I'll keep you in mind :tonka:

Originally Posted by dumperdave

I know it takes all of the fun out of it but I agree with buying a finished product or close to it, if you find one somebody is bored with or they are hard up for cash it can save a hole lot of money not to mension TIME!

I know, that's probably what I'll shoot for. I think what it will come down to is finding a gas sami that has most/all of the other mods I wan't and then slowly piecing together the stuff for the diesel conversion.

[KartRacer]

I have a linked, 1.6ed, toy axled, sami with a cage and some 5.1 to 1 tcase gears that I don't have more than 3k in if that helps you understand your budget. Obviously, if you pay a shop to do much of that it will go up quick.

[ScOoTeR]

Also, one thing about diesels you don't hear much about is the exhaust. A lot of time wheeling is spent low speed and waiting in line for the next obstacle - you'll get pretty sick of the exhuast fumes after a few hours, and so will everybody around you.

[swampjeep]

Originally Posted by ScOoTeR

Also, one thing about diesels you don't hear much about is the exhaust. A lot of time wheeling is spent low speed and waiting in line for the next obstacle - you'll get pretty sick of the exhuast fumes after a few hours, and so will everybody around you.

not if it smells like french fries


:tonka:

I totally agree, I've had a diesel, loved it, but don't think I would want to smell it all day
:puk:

[swampjeep]

Originally Posted by KartRacer

I have a linked, 1.6ed, toy axled, sami with a cage and some 5.1 to 1 tcase gears that I don't have more than 3k in if that helps you understand your budget. Obviously, if you pay a shop to do much of that it will go up quick.

a lot will depend on how cheap you get the starting vehicle, and your parts for, I bet converting to diesel would be that much alone, and I nice clean sami isn't easy to find, and not usually cheap, again, I see them around 3k alone, but I know it can be done relatively cheep if you find good deals