drivetrain swap from gas to greasel. .02 advice from one and all sought !

[Williamsven]

i will be doing the swap in my garage bay, on time-lapse photography. the end result will be AMAZING !

I am aiming to beat THIS
http://www.carpages.....n_07_10_02.asp for mpg. ( my goal is 50-100 MPG with varied inputs of propane, grease , perhaps a twee bit of steam down the line )

My donor body is a flawless 1984 Corolla fastback wagon. 79,000 miles, and a bad gas engine. yes, yall yankees can be jealous, Texas has allmost no rust ! (anybody need a good 84 gas carbonator ? ill let it go cheap !!!.. )

my motor to be put in is a low LOW miles as -new japan Toyota 1.8 non turbo diesel
.


PLEASE FOLKS !!!!! GIVE ME YOUR .02 CENTS..


this sites Instrumentation thread seems to be just about completely gas based. my gauges will be almost all multiple temp gauges for fuel, engine, exhaust. . multiple valve controls for fuel mixes. this will be the most ive ever put in.

what do I need to look for before i find it or realize i need it ?
i do appreciate any and all advice.


i KNOW i will have to do work on the wiring, the coolant system, the fuel system .. additional gauges, some major stuff. .all my motor and transmission mounts appear to be directly the same. but if anyone can offer any suggestions i AM OPEN ! i have not even yanked the gas motor yet ! .


I already own a Datsun SD22 720 Pickup i run mostly on grease, and a Cummins 4BT3.9 in a dually 1 ton chevy truck.
i know my way around basics for most diesels, and i know everything about gas engines. ive never done a swap on a VERY small car like this by myself. everything looks to match up. i know there will be wiring, cooling system re route, exhaust work, perhaps CV shaft building. motor mounts appear to mostly bolt up. anyone care to join me in the building of this car via tech consulting in this thread? it shall be a long thread, as this is a total swap and grease conversion.




WilliamSven on any forum or Messenger. Yahoo, Aim,


WilliamsSven on facebook or myspace.

more photos on my photobucket to be uploaded.

[Arragonis]

I'm sure its doable but immediate thought is gearing. A Diesel will redline at about 5K and be very noisy at that speed. Do you have a higher axle ?

[Williamsven]

i have the complete matched drive train from Japan with the diesel RPM based automatic.
also playing with swapping out final drive in another transmission. my Wife's Japanese is almost perfect enough for her to talk to jap salvage yards
( and shes Irish )

[Christ]

I wouldn't use the automagic trans, that'll be a serious FE hit, especially w/ the low-end torque of a diesel cycle engine.

If you can get away with it, I'd def sort out a manual for it.

[Williamsven]

a motor thats mated up to an automatic is always in better condition than one thats mated up to a standard. for sure. and some automatics are smart enough that they are as economical as sticks now.

when i got my diesel drivetrain from Japan, it came with the automatic.
I have no way to FIND a standard tranny from a diesel in this country. . the gas tranny ratios would be all wrong.

[Christ]

You can use a gas tranny and swap the FDR in the axle to make it closer to something that would be desirable. Most transmissions also have multiple iterations making ratio swaps very easy to obtain.

What makes you think that an engine mated to an auto will be in any better shape than one mated to a manual?

[Williamsven]

Originally Posted by Christ

What makes you think that an engine mated to an auto will be in any better shape than one mated to a manual?

over ten years of real world experience says so. .



long term the automatics are just always in better shape. they are more, ... regulated? buffered? they dont heat up as fast, they cool down slower many times. its just something that, myself, and two of my senior mentors agree on. over the years, you just always see the worse off engines on sicks.. and a little bit better on autos. the engine doesnt get jerked around as much. a PRIME example - on timing belt life ... mitsubishi, honda, nissan, (even kia trash) the standard will ALWAYS break its belt WAY way WAY sooner than the automatic ! ! always ! its direct - transfer of power, and jerking motions, that wheel that takes a sudden stop on a big speedbump or curb, .. the automatic is a buffer. . and the timing belt isnt the ONLY thing that will break sooner mated up to an auto vs a stick .

[Christ]

Eh, I honestly can't say I've ever seen enough of a difference to really notice.

On the stuff I get into, usually, I'm only touching it because a "good mechanic" screwed it up, and they come to me to actually fix things, as opposed to breaking more, and charging double to do it.

*That's not saying anything about you, so nothing meant by it.*