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I hope this is still within the realms of Retro Rides, as I know there are Rodders, Racers, Drifters and everything in between on this board. Hi all, I suspect there are others who have already done, or considered it, n and if there is a thread/s on the subject, please post the links in here. Nicola and I are looking at selling (well, they are for sale I guess) our '63 Ford Taunus Transit and Myrtle, her '56 Ford Anglia, in order to finance the purchase of a single car for us to share. This can be either a 2/4 door sedan, a Van or in my ideal world, an American Pickup. Now the engine options are obviously almost limitless. So the questions are: What has been done What works What is economical (It has become important) What is affordable What is Reliable Who has done something? I am not averse to modern Diesels either. And of course all the stuff I have not asked...... Please post up links, advice and pics if you have. Have some random pics for your effort. My current bus, to be sacrificed  Myrtle... also sacrificed.  Random GOOGLE GOODNESS      |
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2012 17:06:41 GMT by grizz
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Don't forget LPG, currently its about 60p a litre cheaper than diesel.
I was thinking about swopping the 350 V8 for a diesel in my camper van, but as its already on LPG there will be little difference in running costs so it comes down to purchase and servicing costs.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Nathan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,627
Club RR Member Number: 1
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Why not sell the Anglia and use that money to purchase and install a Diesel into the van you already have? Its got acres of cool dripping from it already  |
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Why not sell the Anglia and use that money to purchase and install a Diesel into the van you already have? Its got acres of cool dripping from it already The van has a low mileage 1800 Zetec inbetween the seats already. Perfect balance of power etc for the van. I love the van, but it is time for a change, and while the boss is in a good mood and allowed me to get my longtime dream in the form of an American pickup...... who am I to complain? I seem to recall there was a build that used a Lexus Soarer V8 some years ago. |
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2012 16:57:30 GMT by grizz
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,715
Club RR Member Number: 34
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its down to what youre going to use it for, and how much youre going to use it. plus how long youre going to keep it.
it terms of economy, in a vehicle of that size a relatively modern 4 or 6 pot turbodiesel will be your best bet. new enough to be economical, old enough to not be common rail so you can suppliment the fuel prices with a bit of veg and stuff in there. should also be old enough to sidestep the whole ECUs/electrickery aspects of a conversion. theres a good few options iveco, land rover, bmw (that involves wires though), all their merits have been discussed on here before. personally I prefer the iveco after seeing it in the flesh in kevs truck. none of these will be massively fast, but I doubt youd be racing in it anyway. donor vehciles can be had for a pittance too.
diesel v8s do exist, but they're expensive and rubbish, and don't pull very good fuel figures either, so not really worth bothering with.
in terms of resale value, putting anything other than an american v8 into an american pickup will massivley devalue it, so think long and hard about how long you will be keeping it for.
pretty much all common american v8s are tough and reliable, none are economical though. gearboxes are usually the weak link, autos go wrong lots, and its pretty much impossible to test a donor unless you can drive it, even then it might not show faults til its fully hot and under load. manuals for american v8s are massively expensive.
LPG is a viable cost reducer, except the mileage you will have to do to offset a kit is quite high, as they're quite expensive.
in my eyes, theres kinda two options. cheap to run derv powered truck that will be worth less when sold, or american v8 powered truck thats worth more but costs more to run too. only you can really truly know which option is right for you.
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2012 17:00:07 GMT by Dez
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its down to what youre going to use it for, and how much youre going to use it. plus how long youre going to keep it. VERY Valid point Dez. I thought I would grow old with the bus.....it terms of economy, in a vehicle of that size a relatively modern 4 or 6 pot turbodiesel will be your best bet. new enough to be economical, old enough to not be common rail so you can suppliment the fuel prices with a bit of veg and stuff in there. should also be old enough to sidestep the whole ECUs/electrickery aspects of a conversion. theres a good few options iveco, land rover, bmw (that involves wires though), all their merits have been discussed on here before. personally I prefer the iveco after seeing it in the flesh in kevs truck. none of these will be massively fast, but I doubt youd be racing in it anyway. donor vehciles can be had for a pittance too. diesel v8s do exist, but they're expensive and rubbish, and don't pull very good fuel figures either, so not really worth bothering with. in terms of resale value, putting anything other than an american v8 into an american pickup will massivley devalue it, so think long and hard about how long you will be keeping it for. pretty much all common american v8s are tough and reliable, none are economical though. gearboxes are usually the weak link, autos go wrong lots, and its pretty much impossible to test a donor unless you can drive it, even then it might not show faults til its fully hot and under load. manuals for american v8s are massively expensive. LPG is a viable cost reducer, except the mileage you will have to do to offset a kit is quite high, as they're quite expensive. in my eyes, theres kinda two options. cheap to run derv powered truck that will be worth less when sold, or american v8 powered truck thats worth more but costs more to run too. only you can really truly know which option is right for you. I guess your comment could then set me off on an entirely different route Dez, maybe looking at trucks with no engine and gearbox, so that one does not end up killing a perfectly good truck. I am happy to have a sensible choice rather than the dream big block with everything polished, chromed and billet..... function over form any day. Thanks as always for your well thought out response. |
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another thought - would you rather buy a truck, to throw an engine/gearbox into.. ... or get a chassis, and throw your own body on top? Masses more work, and more likely to cost more than buying an old junker pickup to begin with- but at least you'd know there wouldn't be any hidden underlying bodges you DON'T know about  |
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You're like a crazy backyard genius! |
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xrmike
Part of things
Posts: 165
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A perfect V8 Donor would be a ropey range rover on LPG. Get a 4.6 (For good measure!). Parts at the ready, then drop it into anything you want ;-)
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omega
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,060
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tell me thats not the main battery lead running along the top |
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tell me thats not the main battery lead running along the top Its got two batteries on it, its the link cable probably. |
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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carb lpg kits are around £300 & a doddle to fit, don't dismiss the S/V6 yank the equiv of 30mpg is easy with 4spd auto/5 speed man.
i used to have a 5.0 s6 3 spd auto F350 ex tug so 70 flatout would do 25 on lpg at 50ish & it wieghed 2 1/4 ton ulw!
lighter but my 5.0 5spd mk3 is getting 35 on lpg on a run.
mate is running a V6 dodge dakota 4x4 lpg at mo & hes geting 30+ on lpg.
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theres more to life than mpg & to much power is just enough.
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I would say that if you're going to follow your dreams and have an American V8 pickup truck, you need to do it properly with an American V8 engine. There's no use mucking about and watering down the experience with 4 cylinder diesels and Range Rover engines. Just have the big V8, run it on LPG and think about it in terms of 'smiles per gallon'.
If you need something economical, I think you'd be a lot better off sticking with your current van.
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mrx
Part of things
Posts: 134
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Save £3000 right away and buy in the states, and ship it.
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edwell
Part of things
Posts: 199
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Last Edit: Dec 6, 2012 12:34:36 GMT by edwell
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Some very valid opinions and observations there. I guess that a crate motor actually could make a load of sense. Some others. '56 Chevy with BMW V8  '59 Ford Pop with 3L BMW V8  |
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ger
Part of things
Posts: 329
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^^ ^^ Ross does some amazing work... |
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If you can fit a modern petrol V8 with its wiring and ECU requirements i don't see why you can't use a modern diesel taht needs the same, the Audi 4.2 V8 diesel is supposed to be really good.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Rob
Part of things
Posts: 252
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a guy over here is swapping 6.6 duramax diesel motors into everything. one in a chev pickup 40's or 50's would be awesome....
like so:
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