Geo Tracker Kubota Diesel Engine Swap

[Diesel_Dave]

I can't talk you into moving to Indiana, can I?

[DieselDrewski]

I drove it to work today, and I got a max speed of about 53 MPH, which was pretty much max RPM. There wasn't much power left, either. Under load, 50 MPH was usually what I got.
It does accelerate to 50 more quickly than the Festiva did. I think with some more tuning I can get it up to 60.

[kach22i]

You might be ready for some aerodynamic modifications. The chin spoiler in my signature below would be a good starting point.

The aero-template seems to work best with "C", I show the others to prove that there is not much of a difference where you place it on your car/truck. I say this because you high point looks to be the end of the roof, not the middle as in most vehicles. I could not find an exact side view of your car, so I used my old Zebra car and a green one found on the Internet.

I had my Tracker for 20 years, bought new in 1990 - ride on brother.

Automobile 2 - Odds and Ends pictures by kach22i - Photobucket




One again, picture "C" is the only correct one.

Three things you can do quickly:

[DieselDrewski]

Originally Posted by kach22i

You might be ready for some aerodynamic modifications. The chin spoiler in my signature below would be a good starting point.

The aero-template seems to work best with "C", I show the others to prove that there is not much of a difference where you place it on your car/truck. I say this because you high point looks to be the end of the roof, not the middle as in most vehicles. I could not find an exact side view of your car, so I used my old Zebra car and a green one found on the Internet.

I had my Tracker for 20 years, bought new in 1990 - ride on brother.

Thanks, that's very, very interesting! You should look at a photo of the Tracker Base model, as the shape is a little different than the removable top version.

I don't need as much air to cool the engine as the original, is there anything there I can take advantage of?

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by DieselDrewski

I don't need as much air to cool the engine as the original, is there anything there I can take advantage of?

Yes, a grille block will help. Just keep an eye on your coolant temps and/or intake temps to make sure you don't push it too far. A belly pan might be beneficial as well. Well you think about it, it's sort of like driving without the hood, except it's the whole undercarriage.

It would be interesting if you had a removable top version--then you could have made something similar to a aerodynamic pickup bed cap. Depending on how "funky" you mind your vehicle looking, you might be able to fabricate a boat tail that would attach to the back, perhaps via the spare tire mount.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by DieselDrewski

1. Thanks, that's very, very interesting! You should look at a photo of the Tracker Base model, as the shape is a little different than the removable top version.

2. I don't need as much air to cool the engine as the original, is there anything there I can take advantage of?

1A. I looked for 15 minutes to find the proper side view of your year hardtop and could not find one. Please take a good photo of your Tracker and post it so we can all work on it a little.

2A. I'm not a big fan of grill blocks myself because I fear overheating. However many people in the forum do it without incident. Try a partial block and work out from there.

[motiszm]

Any updates? I have a 1993 4 door JLX suzuki sidekick that I'm planning on doing a diesel conversion to so this thread interests me greatly.

[skyking]

Originally Posted by kach22i

1A. I looked for 15 minutes to find the proper side view of your year hardtop and could not find one. Please take a good photo of your Tracker and post it so we can all work on it a little.

2A. I'm not a big fan of grill blocks myself because I fear overheating. However many people in the forum do it without incident. Try a partial block and work out from there.

You would be shocked at the reduced cooling requirements a diesel brings to the table. I know I was!

[JackMcCornack]

Originally Posted by skyking

You would be shocked at the reduced cooling requirements a diesel brings to the table. I know I was!

Tell me about it! I'm using a D1105T (slightly bigger than yours) on MAX and I gradually worked my way down to a 5" x 5-1/2" square air inlet, no fan (though I'll add a electric fan before I go any smaller) and no problems, including midwest traffic jams in July. More info on my MAX blog below; it's in MAX Update No. 80: Cooling Tests and Travels

Energy Matters Blog - Renewable Energy, Energy-Efficient Homes, Green Cars

[v2squared]

I have the 1500 turbo size bigger than jacks. with the gearing adjusted I can get 75 mph on flat ground in 5th, 6% grades I'm at 55 in 3rd. I get 39 ish city and alittle better HWy 65 plus. If I could dottle around at 55 top 60 best tank ave 44 mpg.

This is in a 66 triumph 2000 4 door sedan, with the airobreaking design as yours ie a brick on wheels.