OK So this is kind of a strange concept, but I'm currently de-modding my 87 so i can use it for a daily driver and so i can use the engine and t-tops in a new build on an 88 frame. Well i was roaming around ebay and found a few Kubota tractor engines around 20hp, i had the idea of swapping one of those into a Fiero, besides the logistics of actually getting it in there and hooked up, How do you guys think it would do, I know it's not going to be fast at all, but if i can make the car get a consistent 30-40mpg and be kinda cool i think it would be worth doing.

go to bed.

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Turbo 3800 E85 F23 5spd spec5
11.54@132.7

Could also go with an 80's 350 diesel eww....

there use to be a chevy luv here that had a Kubota diesel.... why not??

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87 GT
series 1 3800sc (7.597 @88.53 1.579 60ft)

That's kinda what i was thinking, we've put cadilac, chevy, buick, volkswagen, harley, and i think i've even seen a bmw engine, so why not a tractor engine.

Bah if you're going diesel go with a 4 bt cummins easily adaptable to a gm transmission and.a hell of.a lot more power. I just finished up a 4bt swap in a 01 silverado. Used a 92 gmc 5 spd transmission... this truck hauls balls and gets 30-35 mpg daily driving ( In a well over 5000lb truck)

i work on diesels, mostly older detroits, perkins, cummins and cat... 20 hp? i recently put an 81 datsun 2.2 sp diesel in an 84 nissan 720 4x4...the 2.2 is rated at 68 hp... fun to drive around the farm but constant shifting on the open road... i've lightened the truck up considerably and she still lacks on the hills... so, 20 hp for a daily driver?.. bump it up..................

chasgas

quote Originally posted by kikinz24: Bah if you're going diesel go with a 4 bt cummins easily adaptable to a gm transmission and.a hell of.a lot more power. I just finished up a 4bt swap in a 01 silverado. Used a 92 gmc 5 spd transmission... this truck hauls balls and gets 30-35 mpg daily driving ( In a well over 5000lb truck)

That has me tempted to swap the 5.3 out of my Avalanche, do you have a build threat out there anyway for that?

A fellow near me has installed the Quad 4 with the 5 speed and he is getting 40+mpg on this - now I don't remember all the specifics to the swap, but that seems like a decent alternative if you are looking for fuel milage and have some get up and go.

There also seem to be a lot of diesel engines that were used to run the refrigeration units on containers and tractor trailer rigs. A bunch were pulled off because they did not meet the California smog requirements so they are cheap. Larry

quote Originally posted by Justinbart: go to bed.

Im sorry... But that was funny!

quote Originally posted by ckrummy: That has me tempted to swap the 5.3 out of my Avalanche, do you have a build threat out there anyway for that?

No build thread on it it was absolutly simple. Motor from a bread truck. Adaptor flange. Chevy trans. Made 2 motor mounts. Used the trucks origjnal radiator. And some wiring to the pcm so all the gauges in the dash worked. There is a few other guys on silverado forums who have threads. But seriously the.most simple custom swap I've evrr got.my hands on

I found a 4.3 diesel V6 from an 84 Buick Century. No adapters needed to bolt to a FWD GM transmission. 85 horsepower as well, at least until it gets boosted.

for the love of god if your going to put a diesel in it go with the cummins 4BT 140 hp 300 # of torque and 40 mpg.

[This message has been edited by Niterrorz (edited 10-12-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Niterrorz: for the love of god if your going to put a diesel in it go with the cummins 4BT 140 hp 300 # of torque and 40 mpg.

^^ I like this guy lol. Oh and ontop of the 4bt I swapped a larger turbo from a 6 cyl 96 cummins.
Want to talk about balls....

quote Originally posted by Niterrorz: for the love of god if your going to put a diesel in it go with the cummins 4BT 140 hp 300 # of torque and 40 mpg.

Oh, come on, lighten up. I most likely will never use that 4.3 diesel anyway. I have my Dodge Neon for my 45+ mpg car. That 4BT is also a perfect engine for the FJ40 Toyota LandCruiser I have. I am sure we won't miss the 4BT from the roller at work.

Best way to get. On is an old. Bread truck. Ours was aluminum body.. scrapped it in pieces and made the.purchase.money right back.

I know people will malign the motor because of its history but you could do a 6.2/6.5 GM diesel using an Archie adapter. Same bellhousing pattern.

The 4BT is a very tall motor. I wonder how much ground clearance you would have once you did get it adapted to the Fiero (or any other FWD) transaxle. You would probably need a good suspension lift and some really stiff springs to keep the oil pan from hitting the ground.

Gary

I'm no expert, but may I suggest a VW diesel?? My buddy's Jetta (we call it the Jedi, and even changed the badging to match) has plenty of power, it's super reliable with a consistent 40mpg and even hitting in the 50mpg range on occasion.

you would have to do a newer VW tdi engine as the older ones where HORRIBLY underpowered even by a diesel standard.... then again they were like 1.0 L in the early 80s rabbits. those got awesome milage but in a fiero it would never get it moving. also with VW's there is a lot of special tools involved in working on then. unless you are already into the VW scene it will end up costing you much more than you think. you can try a duramax or a maxforce. i know maxforce makes a v6 thats pretty short so an adapter plate wouldnt make it to big to fit.

Doesn't the VW 1.9 TDI manual transmissions have a hydraulic clutch and cable shifter? If I remember correctly, the 02A and 02J transmissions are.

quote Originally posted by Niterrorz: you would have to do a newer VW tdi engine as the older ones where HORRIBLY underpowered even by a diesel standard.... then again they were like 1.0 L in the early 80s rabbits. those got awesome milage but in a fiero it would never get it moving. also with VW's there is a lot of special tools involved in working on then. unless you are already into the VW scene it will end up costing you much more than you think. you can try a duramax or a maxforce. i know maxforce makes a v6 thats pretty short so an adapter plate wouldnt make it to big to fit.

Yeah i was into Audi's for a while I now have tripple square sockets, and a bunch of big a$$ alen sockets. I've been in and out of their gassers and didn't really need anything more than normal cars. I think bmwguru was working on a tdi swap a couple years back but i never saw it finished.

the newer TDI motor/transmission combos are worth many times what a fiero is worth.. swapping is NOT easy, and the moderate advantage of MPG is hard to offset with gas prices being a full 1.00 under diesel....

I am still working on the tdi swap. I set it aside for a year while I did some other projects. The drivetrain is mounted and all that is left is some wiring and plumbing. I didn't update the build thread because I really don't have time to talk about it.
the price for diesel is $1 more a gallon here, but when you get twice the mpg, it is worth it.

Dave

quote Originally posted by chetw77cruiser: I found a 4.3 diesel V6 from an 84 Buick Century. No adapters needed to bolt to a FWD GM transmission. 85 horsepower as well, at least until it gets boosted.

Good luck finding a rebuild kit or all of the parts to do a rebuild. And if you do, let me know!

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: the newer TDI motor/transmission combos are worth many times what a fiero is worth.. swapping is NOT easy, and the moderate advantage of MPG is hard to offset with gas prices being a full 1.00 under diesel....

Very true, but if you are in a position to make your own biodiesel, then a diesel swap would still be a very viable option.