conversion - 2H, 12HT or V8

[bundytunna]

ok i pose a question
im runnin a 60 series atm which has a very worn out 2F
im lookin to a conversion which gives enough power to spin my 37's and a reasonable fuel economy
2H seems a sensible option but would it need a turbo?
the 12HT gets great reviews but it might be too $$$$ for me(at least $4500 alone jus for the enigne)
or do i go all out and slot in a V8 sumin along the lines of 383 or 400(parts i can get cheap)
each option has there advantages and disadvantages but price is also a real constraint
i figure the 2H would be the cheapest to convert but it might cost me big $$$ to get to an acceptable power level
so can any one sway to decision?

[dow50r]

Two conversions that make sence are the hemi 265 and the ford 250 crossflow. A v8 will suck juice unless it is small and injected.the best conversion you could do is a hzj75 bellhousing and a 1hz or 1hdt or 1hdft....these diesels will smoke the tyres a bit better.
If you want a budget fix, i suggest you look at pickles.com.au for damaged 61's...and do a swapsy and sell the other bits....otherwise u would be cheaper going and buying a diesel 80.
Andrew

[dansTOYOwagon]

I am also very interested in this topic question! I only have a year or so left on my engine. It is a 2H, been running 35z without a qualm for past three years. Plenty of power to sit on 110/120 on freeway, but does get knocked back to 80/90 on the bigger hills. Keeps up with traffic fine around the city, and never been in need of more tourque when off road (whether it be on the rocks, or in the mud, or anything really).

HOWEVER.... I have freinds and neighbours and club members who have either 12HT or have turbo'd their 2H, and it is twice the car. Makes a good thing 30 times better. Not that much so that I'd bother turbo'ing mine though. But when it comes time to replace the whole lot, I think I'll be heading down the road of reco 12HT.

What are the costs? You say ~$4500?

I've already payed for one engineer's certificate for my car.... would you require another one if you fitted a V8 ? It kind of sounds like the sensible option, run it with a couple of LPG tanks, but all the conversion, adapters etc. On low budget, would you really be ahead?

Lets hear some thoughts!

What do you use your car for mostly Bundy? I do 80 Sydney/City kays per day, but still play in the big rocks and will also do some miles on trips.

Dan

[dogbreath_48]

If you factor in what it'll cost when the second hand 2H/12H-T blows up/wears out, a V8 on gas might be a good option (cheap rebuilds). It really depends if you need the touring range of diesel.

Is $4500 around the bottom end of the 12h-t range? Unless you do as has been suggested in buying a wreck, a bottom-of-the-range 2h (can be had for 1-1500) could be a safer option financially. I'd be worried spending any money on a 2nd hand diesel, given they're pricey to fix.

[dow50r]

here, whole car for 1500 dollars on ebay auction 4607599039

[Zeyphly]

What about running chev and turbo 400 auto, I have most of the stuff you need plenty of power and not to costly to rebuild

[known 2]

whats the ford 250 crossflow?

if u want deisels go for a 2h and turbo it u just can't kill a 2h know someone who was running 24lb's of boost in a 2h constantly and the things still getting around must have doen 100 000k's by now

[80UTE]

To chuck any V8 in your lookin at $5000 in parts ( adaptor bell housing, clutch, engine mounts, exhaust, eng report, bits and pieces ) plus the cost of the V8 and thats if you do the work your self. A V8 is the long term investment if you plan on keeping the 4B for some time. A V8 conversion dosn't add value to your 4B so don't expect extra $$$ when selling and makes it harder to sell.

Wally

[bundytunna]

well thats the thing
i have researched the road legal requirements for any of these conversions and the 2H is so easy its jus not funny
no engineers report is required for the conversion using either the 2H or 12HT as they were both options on other 60's
all that is required is a declaration by any motor mechanic which is preety much as easy as gettin a roadworthy

as for the V8 wood certainly be a nice option but with all the engineers reports and insurance hassles involved would it really be worth it?
i figure around 6 gorillas all up for the V8 swap wheras i would hope to keep the 2H swap under around 2500?

the car is a daily driver and fuel consumption is certainly an issue
at the moment i am returning figures of around.....wait for it 45L per 100klms

id put the v8 on gas for sure but i am really swinging towards diesel at the moment.......

[vanzbrown]

the car is a daily driver and fuel consumption is certainly an issue
at the moment i am returning figures of around.....wait for it 45L per 100klms

Joysuz mate, the sooner the conversion the better eh...

Go the 2H, makes sense for what you need. And like others have said, a bit of searching will probably see you with a whole 60 with a reasonable 2H in it for $1500. Mines almost got 400,000kms on it, and still runs like a dream. No need to question the reliability there

[bundytunna]

yer id prolly look at buyin a wreck and take it from there
that way i think it makes the swap much easier when everything is there
if i do go the 2H route how hard wood it then be to stick a turbo on the side of it?
wood a intercooler be beneficial or should i jus concentrate on fuel delivery and exhasut mods?
also does the 2H bolt straight upto the 5 speed i already have in there?

[vanzbrown]

I believe carts (from this board) has a good turbo set up... Suss out his members page for a bit of a write up...

[Sixty's Guy]

I have HJ60 with a 2H. I runn 33's and the power is barely adequate. The cost to turbo it would be around $4000 once the big end bearings are replaced. If you could find a low km HJ61 donor vehicle with a 12HT you would be laughing.

[Shadow]

I have HJ60 with a 2H. I runn 33's and the power is barely adequate. The cost to turbo it would be around $4000 once the big end bearings are replaced. If you could find a low km HJ61 donor vehicle with a 12HT you would be laughing.

you can turbo it for much much less than that.

you can pickup second hand turbo kits for 2H's for as low as $1000 with "apparently" good turbos. Or better you can grab a turbo if an import that is suitable and weld your own exhaust manifold (cut up a factory one or start from scratch), cost less than $500.

wouldnt cost $400 for a mechanic to change your bigends and mains (if they need it) whch i doubt if you get a reasonable 2H.

[Sixty's Guy]

I have HJ60 with a 2H. I runn 33's and the power is barely adequate. The cost to turbo it would be around $4000 once the big end bearings are replaced. If you could find a low km HJ61 donor vehicle with a 12HT you would be laughing.

you can turbo it for much much less than that.

you can pickup second hand turbo kits for 2H's for as low as $1000 with "apparently" good turbos. Or better you can grab a turbo if an import that is suitable and weld your own exhaust manifold (cut up a factory one or start from scratch), cost less than $500.

wouldnt cost $400 for a mechanic to change your bigends and mains (if they need it) whch i doubt if you get a reasonable 2H.

I would be keen to pickup a 2nd hand turbo kit for $1000! If you were to pay someone else to do the work it would add up to 4 grand.

[Shadow]

I have HJ60 with a 2H. I runn 33's and the power is barely adequate. The cost to turbo it would be around $4000 once the big end bearings are replaced. If you could find a low km HJ61 donor vehicle with a 12HT you would be laughing.

you can turbo it for much much less than that.

you can pickup second hand turbo kits for 2H's for as low as $1000 with "apparently" good turbos. Or better you can grab a turbo if an import that is suitable and weld your own exhaust manifold (cut up a factory one or start from scratch), cost less than $500.

wouldnt cost $400 for a mechanic to change your bigends and mains (if they need it) whch i doubt if you get a reasonable 2H.

I would be keen to pickup a 2nd hand turbo kit for $1000! If you were to pay someone else to do the work it would add up to 4 grand.

there have been second hand 2H turbo kits on these forums for about $1200

and have seen them in the trading post for $1000

[Andy_B]

If you where happy with performance from your 2F why not just rebuild it and put it on gas. You'd probobly with heaps of money left over for a locker and the vehicle would retain it's original character which many people look for when buying a second hand cruiser. You also know that everything will fit together without a problem, and when something goes bang like a diesel it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

[Den.R]

Quote: "I would be keen to pickup a 2nd hand turbo kit for $1000! If you were to pay someone else to do the work it would add up to 4 grand."

Jeepers mate I'd be changing mechanics. $3g's to fit the turbo is big money.. hell I'd fit it for that sort of money....

I fitted my turbo, including plumbing, taking off my sump and putting a hole in the sump for the turbo oil return in a day. Cost of new oil hoses and fittings was about $150 bucks. exhaust around $500 bucks.

Anyhow personally I'd head towards either the 2h with a turbo or a 12h-t from another 60 if you are on money constraints. Then look at a 1h-dt after that and if you have money to burn a 1hd-fte (from late 80's and 100's) or go injected or full gas on a small block chev. Late model turbo diesels have plenty of power. If you want something different rebuild your own engine and throw a turbo on it.

A friend has just done a engine conversion on a shorty 40 and cost in the order of $12g's. that includes $3,500g of rebuilt engine,new edelbrock manifold, extractors, exhaust, adaptor kit, cheap labour and engineering. You could probably do it for around 7-8g with a second hand motor and do it your self but like 80ute said, putting a V8 (or for that matter any engine that is not a standard fit) is a long term investment.

I am happy with my turboed 2h all I need now is some ratios to counter balance the 35's...

Anyhow thats my 2 cents worth. good luck

[Sixty's Guy]

Quote: "I would be keen to pickup a 2nd hand turbo kit for $1000! If you were to pay someone else to do the work it would add up to 4 grand."

Jeepers mate I'd be changing mechanics. $3g's to fit the turbo is big money.. hell I'd fit it for that sort of money....
I am happy with my turboed 2h all I need now is some ratios to counter balance the 35's...

Anyhow thats my 2 cents worth. good luck

I meant $4k for a brand new fitted turbo.

Turbo $2700
Fitting $500
Exhaust $300
Big end bearing replacement $400

Adds to around $4k. I don't have the time nor the want to do it myself. I was just pointing out the cost. I know a lot of guys here would do it themselves.

How does your rig go with the turbo and 35z? I just got 35z with the std gearing and 2H. Trying to decide whether to go with 4.88 crown diffs, 4.56 diffs, Marks transfer case gears, turbo or all of the above!

[Den.R]

Put it this way, it gives my mates 1hd-t 75 series (also with 35's and 4.11's) a good run for his money.

I haven't as yet got ratios but it is on the cards in the next few months. I anticipate that it will make a huge amount of difference both on road performance and off road performance. It's all about the $$$ though and when I can afford to put them in. Will put up with the power loss for now.

[bundytunna]

my 2f is already on gas and i preety much run it on that all the time and im still fillin up twice a week doin about 180 kays or so
im certainly headin towards a 2h or a 12ht if i cood get one cheap
wood it be best for me to stick in new diff gears say around 5.11s then do the converison coz the big factor in this is the old girl can only jus get up hills atm so by changin ratios i wood hope it will provide much better performance?????
then i myt jus rebuild the 2f whih wood b the cheapest option

[Vineboy]

Go the 250 crossflow or 4.1 injected. I had a Chev 350 in a 40shorty, sounded and looked tough but bitch to drive esp on highways, had another 40shorty with a 2f. Put on a holley 350 and extractors--flew, now have a HJ47 with a very,very tired 2H. Did all the sums and whatnot a year or two ago before I put it to rest up on blocks in a shed and the ford sixes were a very ggod option. Your changing a lugging tourquy six for a lugging tourquy six, ford six's are everywhere and fuel consumption is reasonable. Thats my 2c worth.

[toyotroop]

2H with or without turbo is deffinatly what you need. $wise and all. Listen, saturday up here in the wide bay was HOT. humidity so sticky it hung off you.. went to take the troopy (2h no turbo) for a cruise on the beach and through the woodgate nat park... I hammered the living crap out of the old girl ALL day..never missed a beat. + easy to work on too My brother inlaw (last i heard) had a turbo'd 2h for sale, could make enquiries for you if you want.