> I am sure many of you remember that I have asked about Diesel swaps
before.
> I am really curious, Jean-Leon, what you are planning. It wouldn't, by
> chance, be a 4-cylinder Cummins ISB, would it? I will admit I've looked
at
> it myself, and wondered if there is any way. I think I would want to stay
> with leaf springs, however, to maintain the load and towing capacity.
What I'm planning? Well, more like dreaming, actually.
The Cummins "B" line is not very well suited for an automotive application.
Low redlines, high vibrations and monstrous and brutal torque are some of
the downsides, but they are available and relatively cheap; However, they
need massive overdrive to return decent mileage. Then again, most diesels
are in this spectrum, and that's pretty much the nature of the beast. The
Cummins 3.9L 4 (B series, same as the Dodge 6) is a possible swap in a
Land-Rover but it's a very grunty, industrial type engine. I am willing to
bet that the Land-Rover is the vehicle which has had the most types of
engines swapped in ever, so chances are almost everything's been done. I've
heard of Deutz, Detroit, Cummins, Isuzu, Ford, Perkins, etc. The list goes
on!
One nice swap that would be fairly easily done is the Isuzu 4BD1, used in
Perentie and Stage Ones for the Aussie market, a nice, high revving diesel
with oodles of torque, which is common in Canada and the States in Isuzu NPR
trucks and GMC Forward vans, which are about 1 1/2 ton size. Kinda like a
big cube van. Great engine, comes with a neat 5 speed with low 1st, and
would be pretty easy to do. A little heavy, but manageable for a LWB. I
think the tranny's length would be prohibitive for a SWB.
I've been dreaming of diesels for the past two years and think I've
investigated almost every possible engine that I could stuff under the
rover's bonnet. All have their drawbacks and problems, and, other than a
rover 2.5L NA, all require major vehicle modifications. I've changed my mind
about a dozen times, after speaking with different people, dreaming up
different combinations, and doing some legwork with rebuilders and machine
shops. Currntly I'm down to the Isuzu, which is rare and expensive, the
Cummins 5.9 B series, which *just* fits the modified underhood of my L-R and
which isn't all that great because it really is too big, however it would be
a plus for pulling a trailer and is very common in wrecked Dodges, the
Nissan SD33-T, which bolts to my current tranny, is relatively cheap, big,
old, antiquated, and very slow, and this last engine, which I won't mention
for fear of ridicule because it's... well... ridiculous. However this
particular one has been pulled from it's past set of wheels after 800 000
kms of service, with perfect oil pressure, excellent compression and a fresh
turbo.
Anyways, leaf springs are in no way a bad thing when it comes to diesel
conversions. I'm very glad I kept the leaves as I can easily address
increases in weight by the addition of a few leaves. My current 8 leaf
fronts could be bumped up to 11-12 if need be to handle a heavier engine and
tranny. Easily done, and cheap, too. Changing coils would be a royal pain,
especially when you are trying to guess front axle weight. Leaves are the
cheapest adjustable spring rate suspension!
J-L
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