isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

For everything related to converting and up keeping diesel engines in an FSJ

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

im moving my build thread from ifsja over here...haven't touched the truck in a few months because of my move, but i'm working on locating a space to work on it here in new jersey. hopefully it will be up and going again soon. stay tuned!

so, i figured it would be time to start a build thread even though its not all that exciting...yet...

basically i bought a $300 grand waggy and traded it for this:

Image

1983 j10 long box with a 258, tf999 and np208. while part of me wanted to try to keep it all original, the other part of me has been wanting a fairly useful pickup for a LONG time. since i cant afford a good used gasser, i decided to build a truck with a diesel power plant for a few reasons..1) fuel economy. 2). the challenge of it 3.) motor longevity.

i originally settled on trying to find a 4bt, but when that proved difficult i set my sights on an isuzu 4cyl diesel. i immediately found a 4bd1t down the street from me and went to work making an offer on it...however the owner is still not sure he wants to part with the truck. right that happened i received an offer to buy a motor and some drivetrain parts from a fellow member on here so i decided to go for it. problem being, the parts are 700 miles away :) so we worked out a deal, i put a deposit on the motor and im going to hopefully pick it up on a trip to the east coast in june when i will be driving out for a week of work.

so until then i proceeded to get the truck running well and making sure all of the internals were good before i parted it out and sold them. it was a great learning exercise since i had never rebuilt a truck carb before. but before long she was back on the highway!

Image

here she sits in my driveway for the initial unveiling to my wife (truck had been at my shop until it was running)

Image

she handled it pretty well...basically it took about $100 but i had the truck running really well and felt confident that i could part it out now without feeling bad about it. so i found buyers for the tires, carb, motor, and tranny for a total of $500 and i still have parts left over to sell. so now that i have my rig paid for :thumbsup: its time to strip her down and get the frame ready for the motor. here is the plan:

isuzu 4bd motor
5 speed manual tranny
4wd transfercase

(i already know what all these pieces are, but until i have them in my possession I won't reveal exactly what i have)

then for the truck:
-14 bolt rear (going to inboard the springs to help clearance)
-d44 front upgrade to 8 bolt or swap for a chevy d44 to go spring over
-high steer or crossover upgrade
-33" tires
-full body and bed restoration
-interior gut and restore
-upgraded or rebuilt leafs for more support
-bedline/seal underbody to prevent further rusting

fortunately for me there was actually a new passenger floorpan sitting the bed of the pickup when i got it. i bought another one from a fellow member for the drivers side, so other than that its really the bedsides that are my problem rust areas. i have neighbor who is going to be helping who also works at a body shop and is starting his own body work side business so he will hopefully be up to the task. he seems excited about the project so hopefully with some cash, a trade for work on his xj and letting him use my shop when he needs it for projects we can make the body work happen for not a ton of dough.

so...as of last week i picked up my new chevy axles and started the tear down. keep in mind, for now im doing this all myself and i've never torn down an fsj before. its not moving super quick, but it will get there. day 1:

started with this:
Image

took 3 hours to get to this:
Image

the bumper was really on there. i pretty much ruined the bumper trying to get it off, but it was damaged already and i plan on building bumpers for the truck eventually anyway, so no biggie. by the end of day 1 i was here:

Image


day 2:

man...i hate torx bolts. but after a short time i got the doors off:

Image

i broke 1 bolt and had to drill out 1 that stripped. could have been a lot worse! then i removed the fenders and finished stripping the 258:

Image

i had a few minutes left so i also got the seat out...i tried to pull the dash pad carefully, but of course it cracked :(

Image

so thats how she sits now...more stripping this weekend and monday. i hope to be down to a bare frame in a few days...BUT...i am not looking forward to removing the box. there is more rust under the box then anywhere else on the truck.

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

had some more free time tonight...still only my hands working. maybe someday i'll make some friends :kissyou:

got the cab stripped inside...floors are about what i expected.

drivers side:
Image

passenger side was a little better:
Image

i did have to call someone to help me do this:
Image

i kind of wanted to put the seat back in and play space ship, but there was work to be done...

Image

ta da! need an engine hoist and i need to pull/break all the box bolts out. got a paycheck in the mail today so i'll be buying a sandblaster this week. i have one picked out, i just have to go get it.

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

still hurting a little from the weekend, but i managed to get a couple of things done...started stripping the front 44 from the chevy, but i gave up for tonight since i don't have a spanner wrench yet. also finally got a hoist from a buddy...and then this happened

Image

didnt have anywhere to put it...this will do...i knew i left the box on for a reason

Image

and then i realized i didn't have the right size star socket to pull the driveshafts...so the transfer case stayed on for tonight

Image

more fun tomorrow! going to deliver the tranny to its new owner and hopefully get the transfer case off...anyone need a np208???

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

not much exciting today...BUT i did find these:

Image

8 bolt 16" soft 8's...i didn't even know they made them. Im going to re-finish them, but i cant argue with the price the guy is selling them for...so hopefully they will be in my possession tomorrow. i finally got rid of the outlaw 2's i bought back when i though i was going to stick with 6 bolts...

i did get the t-case out after i was reminded that combination wrenches have a 12 point on the back side...sometimes i wonder how i get out of bed in the morning! but they were 1/4" and i couldn't find mine so i had to run to the parts store for one. starting to get close to a bare frame!

Image

managed to get the passenger side torn down...i got the sway bar, drag link and shock off. i did have to cut the eye off the shock with a sawzall since the bolt was frozen in the bushing sleeve, i figured i will deal with it when i put the axle under my xj next year :) you can see the bushing in the pic giving me the evil eye...no pun intended

Image

i also started pulling the box/rear end out...and i found these shocks...is this an air line on these shocks? they are destroyed, i just thought it was interesting.

Image

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

started to go to town with a wire wheel and my sandblaster tonight...only had about 2 hours to work but i got to here. you can see the dirty cruddy side, the parts where it wheeled it and the part that got blasted. so far so good, just a little slow going. sand blasting SUCKS by the way...what a mess

Image

also picked up my wheels today! the tires are for sale if anyone wants them :)

Image

i also have this on the way...

Image

starting to come together...i also might have a hood lined up to replace the one that i got from the jy thats a little rougher than i thought. little over a month till motor time...got a crap load to do!

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

well boo...the boobie grille didn't pan out. so now onto other options. i may be trying to work on a deal on some gladiator parts, but we will see how that goes.

now im t minus 6 days until motor pickup day, and i'll bet you've all been wondering where my mystery motor is coming from. well, if anyone hasn't figured it out i have worked out a deal out with ifjsa's resident isuzu man, jeepinpete. im super excited to be resurrecting what he started, and for the price it was an absolute no brainer. i originally contacted him about motor mounts for 4bd1t, and he offered to sell me a set with an entire drivetrain attached to it. so it is a win, win as far as im concerned. im getting a project that needs to be resurrected and he is getting some cash to continue his awesome projects.

im also hoping that i have the cash left over to stop in maumee to pick up new bedsides for the truck. im getting excited...this is close to happening and i should have a good amount of free time in august! hopefully i have a moving truck by christmas

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

Image

uh-oh...what is that i see:thumbsup:

made my way to jeepinpete's yesterday morning to relieve him of his 4bd1t. with a little gruntin, straining and sweat we got her all loaded up for the 1000 mile trip back to my house. fortunately it wasn't too hot...though my poor little xj cherokee took a beating making its way up and down the hills in pennsylvania. it was a little under geared for the job, but she got her home safe and sound. then of course when i got here, it poured down rain like crazy. it never fails...

i probably could have spent all day at pete's house and given him every cent i have to my name for parts in his shop. he's got a pretty neat little setup and like me, one too many projects. so now, the engine waits for me to finish the frame...with any luck it will be sitting on the frame and axles by the end of august. more pics and work to come in the upcoming weeks!

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

started to clean and organize the shop before things get really hot and heavy. i put the dana 60 i got for free up on the bench and i knew it might be in rough shape since there were no shafts in it, but it was worse that i expected. the carrier was locked solid with rust and there was a mouse nest of some sort in there...also it was not a limited slip like the guy thought.

Image

i couldn't get the carrier to budge at all so im going to give up on it. i have the 14 bolt that is the right gearing and the disc brake conversion on the 14 bolt is cheaper...so at this point it might be the cheapest route to go. so if anyone wants a dana 60 ya'll can come get it. if not its on the way to the scrapper.

the knuckles on the 44 are a little frozen, but the carrier turns well and the gears look pretty good.

Image

14 bolt looks great on the inside

Image

the workbench was saggin a bit with all the weight, so you'll notice my sweet 2x4 rig up to keep it level while im working on my axles :)

Image

got the motor, tranny and transfer case separated and stowed away in the shop while i finish the frame.

Image

Image

Image

they won't be stowing there for long fortunately. the cab is getting new floors as we speak so it will all start to come together very soon :)

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

Image

fred flintstone style...i've decided to give up the diesel project in lieu of my new fred flintstone powered vehicle...won't be long and the floorboards will be good as new

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

Image

this was my brilliant idea for how to get the box off...unfortunately it didn't quite work out. fortunately, my buddy was coming up to sandblast a hitch so he helped me out. now after months of waiting i have a bare frame.

Image

LOTS of grinding and sandblasting to do this week

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

lol...i wish i had a chain hoist so i could have lifted the front from the door frame, but no such luck. we just lifted it from the sides while my buddies girlfriend rolled the frame forward.

today i got the old motor mounts cut off/unbolted to prep for the new custom mounts for the isuzu

Image

then i pulled the front axle so i could prop the frame up higher on saw horses to reach the bottom side

Image

got the front half of the frame mostly cleaned up with the flap wheel and wire wheel. i have to go back over the pitted spots and some of the tight areas with the sand blaster. gonna go back over to the shop after the gym to do some more.

i also had a flap wheel grenade itself today. it was a little scary. i think it got snagged in a groove in the spring mount, but it was strong enough to yank the grinder out of my hand and fly about 6 feet. as it flew through the air in slow motion i could see that the flap wheel was broken in the air and didn't break when it hit the ground. im just glad my first instinct was to jump away instead of trying to catch it in mid air!

Image

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

well...no exciting pics...yet :) frame sandblasting will be finished on monday. i spent about 8 hours grinding and blasting the front half....then got really sick of my little blaster. it will work fine for axles and other parts, but its just too small for the frame. soooo....i got a recommendation to call a restore place down the road that does large farm equipment and trucks. called the guy, and he told me that they do bare truck frames for $150 :banghead: seriously...why did i even try it on my own. and he told me since mine was partially finished he wouldn't charge me full price. his estimate was between $100 and $120 to do the whole rest of the frame inside and out:eek:

so needless to say i threw the frame on a trailer and got it up there as fast as possible. he is going to blast it on monday morning and it will be ready for pickup monday afternoon...i sort of am mad that i even tried it myself for that price! like i said, i still have to blast the 14 bolt and the d44 so now at least i have the equipment to do it. im also on the hunt for a small blast cabinet to do the other parts that i have. i do have a short list of questions that i am going to post in the general forums, but i figured i would post them here too...

1.) Does anyone have a pic and measurement for the cab mounts on a j truck? Mine need to be replaced and i was just going to weld a plate on top and re drill the holes for the mounts.

2.) Anyone here ever inboarded springs? i really want to use this 14 bolt, and im having trouble finding measurements. it looks like the new spring mounts will pretty much line up under the frame. I'm going to use some heavier square tube stock to make the mounts and box them around the frame when i do...

3.) my only 2 bad rust spots on the frame are on the back on the back side of the shock mounts and the old rear spring mounts. Would it be better to just weld a plate over it, or box in the back couple of feet of the frame? I was thinking about putting in another brace back there, but because of the rust pitting towards the back, i feel like the stouter i can make it, the longer it will last.

4.) what would be your recommended frame painting method if you were going to dd your fsj? i live in the rust belt and my ideal methods would either be to galvanize it, then paint it or to powder coat it. (I have a guy who might be able to do the powder coat for fairly cheap). However, these methods are both pricey. The next would be to POR 15 it, but after the cost of the metal prep and some sort of paint to cover the por 15, it seems like the other two methods would almost be worth it. the last option would be to clean it well when it comes back from blasting...spray several coats of galvanizing primer on it, then use an epoxy or enamel paint to cover it with several coats. this is probably the cheapest option, but im very worried about it rusting through in a year or two.

anyway...any input would be much appreciated!

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

so...late summer/fall busy season is really killing my free time, but i've been working when i can. not many updates as of late. frame is fully blasted and i cut the old mounts off for the rear springs...getting set to do some inboarding for the 14 bolt. im also going to weld the new cab mounts onto the frame this week on a day off.

oh...this also happened..

Image

pretty solid now...:thumbsup:

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

Image

uh oh...guess who had some free time tonight.


Image

got the 14 bolt under the rear too roughly in place, i have to mock up the spring mounts for the 14 bolt and plate up the rear of the frame where i want to reinforce it. i was a little surprised at how high the frame sits in front now that its spring over and on 33's. true, there is no weight on it, but it was more than i expected. its all good though, it doesn't bother me one bit.

of course like a dummy, i also traded an old shotgun for a jeep comanche that needs some work. i've wanted a beater hunting truck for a while and i would much rather not beat the tar of the j10 when it gets closer to ready. i haven't used the shotgun in 2 years...i will use the comanche all the time:thumbsup:

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

and as you might have guessed, side 2 turned out way better than side 1...

Image

my welds are still a little sloppier than i would like, but getting much better

Image

i also started cutting some stock for the new spring hangers..this is basically what the fronts will look like, minus some rounding off of a few corners.

Image

Topic author
altrocker1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by altrocker1 »

alright...wow. it makes it look like i did a whole bunch of work really quickly, when i havent touched the truck since january :) ah well. hope to have some updates soon
User avatar

Resbum
Posts: 466
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:45 am
Location: North East Oregon

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by Resbum »

Glad you got moved over. Subscribed.

Resbum
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290

GentleRF
Posts: 103
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:25 am
Location: Bremerton, WA
Contact:

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by GentleRF »

So, it's been a while since we had an update. Are you still getting stuff done?

Rick in East Bremerton
Rick in East Bremerton

A little Asperger's goes a long ways.

Make beer, not war.

lil jeep mec
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:17 pm
Location: Kennewick, WA

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by lil jeep mec »

any updates? i found a 4bd1t that i was looking at getting the other day for my j10 then today i ran across this thread... :)
78 j10 4bbl 360 on 35's
360, t18, d20, d44, 4.09's
plan on...
-SOA
-40's-77's
-Axletech 4000's 4 wheel steer
-not cutting the flares
-twin stick
-4 link front and rear
User avatar

carnuck
Posts: 3881
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:48 pm
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Contact:

Re: isuzu powered j10....project suzy diesel

Post by carnuck »

I just came across an NPR or NRR Van for $1,000 and it's a '96 5 speed but not sure if 4B or 4H motor yet. I'm thinking about putting it in another vehicle but a tcase is hard to come by. I've been searching sites, but it seems that the 4H sucks for longeviy.
Check my parts for sale near Seattle
Post Reply