Need some help from diesel owners or swappers.

I've had 3 GenI SWB Monty/Raiders all gas, but got sold my last one a bit more than a year ago. Have an opportunity to get my 87 Raider back cheap (threw rod /hole in block). Was thinking of a diesel swap.

The easiest route seems to be mitsu/ranger motors, but these and their parts seem hard to come by.

Are there any other viable bolt in options?

More custom options?

Does the diesel work with the stock auto & converter or do they need to be changed / replaced?

Does the diesel deliver significantly better MPG?

The VW diesel are popular with Suzuki and some Toyota swaps and can be made to produce better power. Any VW powered SWBs out there?

I've tried to search but can't seem to get the type of info I'm looking for, so any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

spencevans has a diesel truck on 33s, he told me he got 44 mpg hwy with the 4d56t modified for power and fuel mileage

Parts are hard to find!!! but fuel mileage is quite good, MUCH better than a 2.6 gas!! (I've owned both). my GEN II 2.5L 4D56T has about the same horsepower as the 2.6 G54B. and much more torque. I know the 4D55 2.3L has a bit less power but you can do simple mods to bring it up (ie. intercooler, more boost, more fuel). They are tough little engines and they take a beating!!

Finding parts is difficult but once you get hooked up with some of these JDM parts distributors up here in Canada, everything is available, you just need the patience to wait for it to come in the mail.

44mpg? Well, if using US gallons, that is 5.3 L/100kms. Impossible, IMHO. The absolute BEST I ever got from a 2.5 TDi was 10L/100kms. 5.3L/100kms is Toyota Prius territory, and higher than many listed hybrid's MPG. From a heavy SUV with aerodynamics like a... well, with no aerodynamics? Sorry, I don't believe it.

MPG is better than my gassers, but not THAT much better. Power is different. It comes on lower, and ends sooner, in terms of RPM. Oil changes are more expensive (more oil, bigger filter). Starting in the cold goes from a non-issue with a gasser, to a definite issue with the oil burner.

Don't think I'm trying to tell you not to go to a diesel. I love the diesel, and this is now my second. But a factory installed working gas engine would be preferable to me over a swapped diesel, that could theoretically be fraught with problems...

Agreed, You have to know that guy then you'll realize its probly bs.

Ive even heard Warme say that number was impossible, and not very many people have played with these diesels as much as him.

whenever I find a good 2wd D-50 to transpland my diesel into I will be getting better than 44MPG!! less than half the weight and almost half the rotating mass for wheels.

but I have gotten 9.5L/100km (25MPG) out of my pajero quite a few times, probably even better other times I wasn't tracking it though. pulled 1150km out of a tank on the highway this summer.

Ditto. I had 8.9L/100kms once on stock tires heading to Idaho (downhill all the way!)

I always wonder in the diesel swaps aren't just because of a "Grass is greener" mentality. If I couldn't just buy a JDM diesel, and had the space and ability, I'd be driving a Cummins stuffed into something cool, like a CJ-6 or FJ-40.

You can swap a 2.4L OM616 Benz in without too much issue, just a 3/8" adapter plate, a custom pilot bushing and some light machining of the benz flywheel(chamfer the outer edge a bit more) to clear the tranny housing.

Not as straight forward as a direct Mitsu diesel swap, but it is an option.