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85 Sunrader 4x4 Diesel Project


85Diesel

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Hi, this is my first post to this forum. I just bought an 85 4x4 Sunrader, with 89,000 miles. It was probably about a year ago that I first learned of the existence of such beasts, and ever since I've badly wanted one but figured they'd always be out of my price range. So I settled on doing a Chinook conversion on a 4x4. Then a few weeks ago I happened upon a local craigslist ad for "rare and unique vehicles," one of which was the 85 Sunrader. I negotiated for part cash part trade and here I am. I got it for around $4,000, I say around because much of that was trade. It's definitely a major project vehicle, mostly because the interior is completely gutted and the floor and roof are going to need some reinforcement. And then there's the engine swap. It currently has a freshly rebuilt GM 4.3L V6, but I'm completely averse to gaspot's and so that has to go. I'm planning on a Mercedes turbo diesel 300d. I've done several diesel swaps on Toyota trucks, my current rig is an 85 4X4 Toyota Custom Cab with a Toyota 1KZ-T (3 liter turbodiesel) which I run mostly on veggie oil. I used it to tow the Sunrader home yesterday on my flatbed. It's basically the Toyota equivalent to the Merc. 300d, but newer (late 90's and on). My friend did a 300d swap in his toyota truck last year and the results are impressive. I'd go with a 1KZ-T again but they're really hard to come by and I want to do something new. Sorry but don't look for much progress on this Sunrader for a year or two. I have a couple other diesel swaps to do before I get to it. But I'll definitly keep this post updated when I start in on it. I've been reading all the sunrader restoration posts I can find on this site, there's definitly some very helpful stuff on here. I'd love to hear more on combating the roof sag issue. Well that's all for now. Thanks, Lars

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So glad your posting here. This is the one that was in the Rouge valley in Oregon right? I thought he had it listed as an 87 Sunrader. Seems like it's got quite a few alterations. Got a full float axle in the back and the 1 ton adapters and wheels in the front. So are the wheels all around 14 inches. The mercedes diesel conversion has been discussed before but never heard of anyone who had actually done it. Can't wait to hear more

Linda S

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My friend did a 300d swap in his toyota truck last year and the results are impressive.

Impressive in what way? I'm curious and always interested in successful diesel-swaps. Now adays with diesel fuel often costing 50 cents more per gallon then regular gas and having less BTU energy then the "old diesel fuel", I don't see or hear of many that work out all that well.

I had a Mercedes 300TD and considered it kind of a dog. Very rugged but poor fuel mileage as compared to other diesel cars at the time. In regard to the engine - the best part about it was the in-line fuel injection pump. Basically a separate injection pump for each cylinder. That sort of pump is MUCH more durable then any rotary pump like a Bosch, Diesel Kiki, Stanadyne AMBAC, Rotodiesel, etc. If I was running WVO, I would not want a diesel with a rotary distributor-type pump. Not too many light-duty diesels ever sold in the USA with in-line pumps. Medium-duty - yes . . especially Cummins. The old Cummins 3.9 liter turbo is a great diesel for swaps into RVs. Might be a bit too bulky for a little Toyota though. A full size Chevy Blazer K5 4WD with a pop-up roof Chinook (Chalet) RV body equipped with a 3.9 Cummins turbo . . or a 3.9 turbo Isuzu . . can get 25 MPG which is pretty impressive. My K5 RV has a 6.2 turbo diesel and only gets a best of 16 MPG.

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So glad your posting here. This is the one that was in the Rouge valley in Oregon right? I thought he had it listed as an 87 Sunrader. Seems like it's got quite a few alterations. Got a full float axle in the back and the 1 ton adapters and wheels in the front. So are the wheels all around 14 inches. The mercedes diesel conversion has been discussed before but never heard of anyone who had actually done it. Can't wait to hear more

Linda S

Yeah that's the one. The previous owner thought it was an 87 for some reason, but it's definitely an 85, it has a factory solid front axle up front. The wheels are 15 inch all around, which I read is pretty rare. Larger bolt spacing than the standard toyota 15 inch rim. Unfortunately it didn't come with a spare. Hopefully I'll come across one or have one made up when the time comes.

To Jdemaris, impressive in the dramatic power gain over the carbed 22R, for one. You had to be careful to not break traction coming out of first gear in that thing! I've also driven a 300d in Mercedes station wagon form and thought it was a slug, but i now think the automatic transmission coupled with the extremely heavy body is the power suck. It was a totally different beast in front of a Toyota five speed. I hear you about the price difference in diesel, but I run on waste veggie oil 90+% of the time, which is free or extemely cheap. There's also a couple places in Oregon to buy b100 biodiesel, and one of them sells it for less than regular diesel, at least last summer it did.

The inline injection pump is a draw for it's durability, and I wish more diesels had them, but I've been using rotary pumps on veggie oil for years and so have several of my friends, without problems. You just have to filter the oil well, and have a well designed WVO system that heats the oil to over 160 degrees before injection. My friend has a 4BT (Cummins 3.9L) in his breadtruck home and that thing can seriously get around even at 13,000lbs plus. However it is hellishly loud, he has to wear ear protection just to drive around. I've heard of it being stuffed into a Toyota, but it seems like a poor match to me, and just unneccessary. If the 300d is anything like the 1KZ-T in my toyota truck, I'll be plenty happy. Like I said I towed the Sunrader behind it a couple days ago, over 50 miles on the highway, and it did great. The trailer must have weighed around 5,000 lbs if not more, plus the weight of my truck itself. I'm going to keep the Sunrader interior ultra light, and there looks to be plenty of room for veggie oil tanks underneath.

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Well you got a hell of a deal. Just 6 custom made 15 inch duallies would cost 1200 bucks plus another few hundred for the adapters on the front wheels. Really glad that someone who seems to know their way around vehicles got it to restore. Not a lot of them out there. Still shocks me when I see them ripped apart and left that way. Can't wait to see what you do with it

Linda S

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To Jdemaris, impressive in the dramatic power gain over the carbed 22R, for one. You had to be careful to not break traction coming out of first gear in that thing! I've also driven a 300d in Mercedes station wagon form and thought it was a slug, but i now think the automatic transmission coupled with the extemely heavy body is the power suck. It was a totally different beast in front of a Toyota five speed. I hear you about the price difference in diesel, but I run on waste veggie oil 90+% of the time, which is free or extemely cheap. There's also a couple places in Oregon to buy b100 biodiesel, and one of them sells it for less than regular gas, at least last summer it did.

I've had to fix many ruined injection pumps that were damaged by WVO. But yes, that was due to people not being careful. Rotary injection pumps have wear problems even with standard ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel from the pump.

Without reading controlled test results - it is very difficult to ascertain what any fuel is doing to an injection pump.

A rotary Bosch or Stanadyne -when run with the proper fuel can have the major moving parts last 1,000,000 miles. So, let's say you are using alternative fuel and cutting the life of the pump way down to 1/3? That is still 333,000 miles. Few people that I know would ever know their pump is only going to last 333K miles instead of 1 million miles. If you used fuel that cut pump life down to 1/6 th - that would still be 166,000 miles. Thus the reason why . . when somebody says they use WVO and all is fine - it might not be unless they have driven 200,000-300,000 miles on the same pump.

In my area, the waste-vegetable-oil thing has been ruined. When a few odd-balls were doing it (including me) and kept their mouths shut - it was a great deal. Lots of free oil around. Not anymore. Once people starting talking it up, and forming clubs - demand rose and most places in my area now charge for it. Same with waste motor oil. If it really got popular, the Feds would probably start arresting people for fuel-tax evasion. There IS a small Jimmy Carter "loophole" for private, low mile users though.

I worked in a German bakery back in the 1960s and at that time, my boss was dumping WVO into his Mercedes. All he did was pour it through a cheese cloth and he got away with it with summer driving. Many people used to put waste motor oil in their diesels also.

In regard to the power gain with the 300D engine over the original 22R. Yes, I'm sure - but so would many other engines that are bigger, or have turbo boost, or both. How does it do for fuel mileage?

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I've been using rotary pumps on veggie oil for years and so have several of my friends, without problems.

I forgot to ask - do you know what kind of WVO your are using? I ask because oil used in a deep fryer can be many things. Some waste oils have very high lube value (like canola oil) and some others very low. Here in NY - we actually have laws banning transfats in deep fryers and I have no idea what's being used now.

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I try and get the highest quality, clearest oil I can find, preferably from a sushi restaurant. I mostly run canola and corn as far as I know, sometimes peanut. Of course you can't be that picky these days, the competition for biofuel being what it is. Almost all the restaurants oil supply is locked up by biodiesel processors who drive hundreds of miles to collect, and pay for the oil, and clean the grease traps!

I've also seen many hokey veggie conversions gone bad, it's just not for everybody. You really have to be attentive to the system and the quality of the oil you're using. It's so easy to polymerise and really foul things up. I think the veggie oil thing has seen it's heyday and now there's not many of us left. It just requires too much tinkering and messiness for the average driver.

As far as mileage, I don't really keep track any more, and I don't know that my friend with the Mercedes conversion ever has, but I generally get in the low twenties, and that's driving around 70 on the freeway. I know I get better numbers driving 50 to 55, but it's hard to bring myself to do that for very long. The lowest I've seen is 19, and that's with a big load or pulling a trailer. I would expect that's around where the Sunrader would sit.

I would think a pump run on good, properly heated and dewatered veggie oil would last much longer than the same pump run on ulsd, just based on the vastly better lubrication qualities of the veg. I don't have any studies to back this up, but I have read studies on the superior lube value of veg oil.

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How about while everyone is waiting on the Sunrade project you show off the extended cab. I see these every so often but have never seen one in person. Is the frame one piece ? What size flat bed ? Due parts cross reference with 1 tons ?

I can understand that when you don't need to pay at the pump keeping track of mileage is kinda pointless but It would be nice to know some real world numbers. It is hard to crunch numbers on a diesel conversion when real world data is so hard to come by. Something informative like "put the sawzall down".

Congrats on the purchase. Good to see that it found a good home.

I just missed out on an 80's 2wd that ended up going to the crusher, My Bad.

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The custom cabs are kind of rare but for some reason I see a lot of them in southern oregon. I've seen five different ones just in the last few weeks. I think there were two different companies making them, one of them was Fabco out of Hemet, CA. It was a dealer option with new trucks. They made them in 2WD and 4WD, from the late 70's to 89 or so when the body changed and Fabtech didn't want to make a new fiberglass mold. I guess they didn't think they could compete with the newer, slightly bigger (than the original) extra cab, even though the custom cab has way more room. The frame is cut just behind the original cab and two feet are added to it and then it's all welded back together and heavily reinforced. The driveshaft is obviously lenghtened. The extra cab is fiberglass using the original Toyota rear window, and a full width bench seat that comfortably fits three with legroom to spare, it also has an integral roll bar. The bed is the original size, 6 feet. I pulled off the standard Toyota bed to install the flatbed. I'm not sure what you mean by "cross reference with the 1 tons", everything is the same on them as every other Toyota half-ton truck. To make it a true one ton you'd just have to convert the rear axle to a full floater and add some leaf springs or airbags. I have firestone airbags on mine. The front axle is already a one ton. There used to be a good website about the custom cabs but it seems to have disappeared. Sorry I don't have any pics of the frame extensions. The only major drawback is the extended wheelbase, meaning turns are a lot wider than your standard toyota. Do a google image search for Toyota custom cab and you'll see some good examples.

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Nice find and you'll have plenty of job security w/ the project! The price seems about right (4K still seems a tad inflated, but it's in the ballpark at least.).

I've followed a few of the Mercedes 5cyl swaps on youtube and they seem like a decent choice for something like an old full size F250 truck you'd cruise around in. Seems a bit bulky for a Toyota tho and a lot of modification compared to the Toyota KZTE etc import.

Agree w/ Jdemaris in that don't see the gain for a recreational vehicle that you prob won't put that many miles on. How about returning it to the easy to find 22re or even get a full size diesel truck for the shell? Tho I imagine the p.o hacked the crap out of all the motor mounts, wire harness etc with that GM 4.3L swap.

Since the vehicle is for the most part gutted, now would be a good time to remove the shell from the camper to address the notorious floor issues. The subfloor framing/support is particularly suspect.

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No offense but I'd sooner sell it than live with a gas engine. It's diesel or nothing for me. I actually consider it easier and funner to convert it to diesel than deal with the gas engine wiring anyway. I have a 22-RE parts truck that I could just pull the whole harness from but I have no interest in that. There's a bit of modifying required with the 1KZ-T too, mainly motor mounts and driveshaft shortening and lengthening, plus most parts have to be ordered from japan. Whereas there's a bolt in kit available for the mercedes that uses the toyota 5-speed, and mercedes parts are everywhere. I just have to cut out the 4.3L mounts (which certainly were hacked) and weld in the original 22-RE mounts.

I have no interest in a full size truck at this point in my life, although that's a pretty good idea. I like the T100 you modified, plus it's not quite as ungainly as an american full size. I really don't want to hack this thing up any more than it has been, I really like the idea of a small diesel 4x4 camper, and I'm pretty loyal to Toyota anyway.

Would you (baja) care to expand on the "remove the shell from the camper" part of your post? The floor needs some serious work, but I'm not sure how to best go about fixing it. It's hard for me to tell exactly what's going on with it, and it doesn't help that the p.o. hacked it up pretty badly.

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No offense at all. I've never owned a diesel so can only discuss based on what I've read. You seem to have a solid grasp and experience as to what it takes and have had success w/ these swaps. It is all foreign to me and only commented on what I've read.

I do love the campers these guys have made w/ these diesel FJ70's? same Kzte 3L I suppose? (www.tourfactory.de is their site) and if these trucks were available for us I'd prob find a way to cough up the $ for one to build a camper on too. :)

Little toyotas are the bomb and I've owned a couple of these little trucks now. I too can't see myself in a full size truck agree. At the same time, the Sunrader seems a bit pushing it on these little rigs to me at least. They (the camper shell) just seem so big compared to the truck? The Chinook and/or other popups seem to be more manageable? I could definitely see putting my rig on a full size truck (maybe w/ extended cab) w/ 8K+ carrying capacity... but it won't ever happen as well. I'd probably build a smaller camper before owning a big truck.

The best bet for lifting your camper off the truck might be to spear the rear window openings w/ a beam as well as a second beam across the front overhead cab where it meets the back of the cab. Maybe screw some blocks w/ some decent width to the top of the beam where the beam meets the window so as to prevent any tearing? You prob could do all the work without having to clear the car (move it forward out of the way). That's all I could come up w/ at the time and how removed mine. It was a bit sketchy and maybe you can come up w/ a less nerve racking method.

I had the luxury of putting the camper on the ground once I got it off truck knowing I was set on coming up w/ a means to make the shell portable.

I think once you get the shell separated from the frame (not necessarily isolated, just separated) you'll see some of the shortcomings of the underlying support system. Mainly the supports don't extend all the way to the perimeter of the shell and are prone to tearing into the underside of the floor as a result. Also the support area around the gas filler is really butchered. In general there are some really big spans that push the floor to its limit.

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I've followed a few of the Mercedes 5cyl swaps on youtube and they seem like a decent choice for something like an old full size F250 truck you'd cruise around in.

I suspect the 300 Mercedes would be awful in an F250. It has substantially less horsepower and torque then a Ford 300 six gasser which is barely adequate in a full size 3/4 ton truck. I had an Isuzu 3.9 turbo diesel in an F250 and it had just enough power to be useful as a truck and also got 23-24 MPG on empty highway trips. That was great mileage back 20 years ago, especially when diesel was cheaper then regular gas. Now? Still good mileage but a new gas truck driven empty cost less per mile to drive when getting 22 MPG. Dodge offered a full sized truck for one year with a 4 liter natually aspirated Mitsubishi six in the 70s. It couldn't get out of its own way,but didn't have a turbo either. Jeep sold a few trucks in the 60s with Perkins four-cylinder diesels and those were pretty neat.

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I hear ya on the underpowered. I was referring more to the general engine compartment size and the room to work with as opposed to the lack of space in a Toyota. When I say old, I was referring to something like a 1950's or early 60's truck that you would just "cruise" around in locally etc. F250 as opposed to an old F100 etc was just because we're talking in a camper forum.

Those Isuzu's look pretty nice and looked into putting one of those in a 66 Ford had. Was yours the Turbo or NA? And what transmission did you use? When I was exploring this, everyone was using adapters as the "true" 5speed wasn't available in the U.S. (or something along those lines).

Bottom line is I have limited space to work and live in a pretty nice neighborhood. I can't be having junkyard projects laying around my driveway as if I lived out in the country or a farm. The camper in the back alley is pushing it w/ some of my neighbors as it is. You guys are lucky like that! :) I'd prob have 20 dozen projects going if had the space and free reign.

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I'm excited for this one. I saw this beast on craigslist but couldn't convince my wife that I needed another shell of a motorhome at our house...even if it was 4x4. I've got mine I've got to get back together this spring sometime.

Thanks for posting on here. Always fun to see pictures.

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I'd like to find some way of repairing the floor that doesn't involve removing the shell and cab from the frame.

I was referring more to the general engine compartment size and the room to work with as opposed to the lack of space in a Toyota.


You'd be surprised how much room there is under the hood of a Mercedes converted toyota. It's a little tight front to back but there's plenty of room on either side. Here's my buddy's truck:

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Edited by 85Diesel
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I'm excited for this one. I saw this beast on craigslist but couldn't convince my wife that I needed another shell of a motorhome at our house...even if it was 4x4. I've got mine I've got to get back together this spring sometime.

Thanks for posting on here. Always fun to see pictures.

I really like what you did with the roof supports. I'll probably do something very similar, maybe glass the ends in though. Mine didn't come with any, so I'll have to just estimate the curvature.

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I hear ya on the underpowered. I was referring more to the general engine compartment size and the room to work with as opposed to the lack of space in a Toyota. When I say old, I was referring to something like a 1950's or early 60's truck that you would just "cruise" around in locally etc. F250 as opposed to an old F100 etc was just because we're talking in a camper forum.

Those Isuzu's look pretty nice and looked into putting one of those in a 66 Ford had. Was yours the Turbo or NA? And what transmission did you use? When I was exploring this, everyone was using adapters as the "true" 5speed wasn't available in the U.S. (or something along those lines).

I had the 3.9 turbo and it was coupled to a ZF 5 speed from a F250 that originally had a 6.9 International Harvester (later Navistar) diesel. Many oif the early non-Ford diesels in Fords use SAE adapters to fit transmissions with Ford bolt patterns. Makes it easy to adapt almost any engine near the correct SAE size.

That's what makes the 3.9 Cummins so easy for repowers. Cummins makes adapters for the 3.9s to fit GM and Ford transmissions.

My neighbor has a 60s International 2WD pickup with a 4-53 Detroit Diesel two-stroke in it. I don't think it can do over 50 MPH but sounds like it's doing 100 MPH. Very underpowered, but fun.

3.9T Isuzu or Cummins is way too massive for a little Toyota. 3.9 liter turbo Cummins weighs more then a GM 6.2 liter diesel and has equal power to a 5 liter gas engine. If I ever find a 3.9T cheap, it's going in my Chevy-Chinook-Blazer RV. Right now it has a turbo 6.2 and gets 16 MPG at best. A 3.9T would have a bit les\s power but I bet it would get 20-22 MPG.

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That looks great. And I'm currently looking into replacing nissan v6 gas engine in my sunrader with the SD22 nissan diesel engine. But now I'm curious about the 300d engine now. Which 300d engine are you planning to use?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W123

Also interested in performance with a automatic transmission? Or should I also convert the sunrader over to a manual?

Cheers,

I'd like to find some way of repairing the floor that doesn't involve removing the shell and cab from the frame.


You'd be surprised how much room there is under the hood of a Mercedes converted toyota. It's a little tight front to back but there's plenty of room on either side. Here's my buddy's truck:

attachicon.gifP1000085.jpgattachicon.gifP1000084.jpg

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That looks great. And I'm currently looking into replacing nissan v6 gas engine in my sunrader with the SD22 nissan diesel engine. But now I'm curious about the 300d engine now. Which 300d engine are you planning to use?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W123

Also interested in performance with a automatic transmission? Or should I also convert the sunrader over to a manual?

Cheers,

Your going to replace one of the most dependable v6's out there with 140 hp with a diesel that puts out like 63 hp. I don't get your reasoning

Linda S

What year is your Nissan Sunrader and how long have you owned it. I try to keep track of them since so few were made with the v6

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Your going to replace one of the most dependable v6's out there with 140 hp with a diesel that puts out like 63 hp. I don't get your reasoning

Linda S

What year is your Nissan Sunrader and how long have you owned it. I try to keep track of them since so few were made with the v6

Yah, not happy with the options. And really the SD22 was probably never going to happen for me because of the hp. Thats why I'm curious about the Mercedes engine. Since there is not much room in there it's hard to come up with a good diesel replacement. Looking for better MPG.

I've owned it for about 3 years. 18ft. I'm curious about other nissan owners out there.

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Well I personally know about 6 other owners and there are few I kind of know the where abouts but don't know the owner. I was originally told that only 6 were made. Now it looks more like 10 to 15. I get a solid 15mpg with mine. If I slow down I can get up to 17. I consider that super fine for a motorhome. better than the Toyota v6's.

Linda S

Join my group and post pics. The other Nissan v6 Sunrader owners and I would love to see it

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/minitruckcampers/

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Yah, not happy with the options. And really the SD22 was probably never going to happen for me because of the hp. Thats why I'm curious about the Mercedes engine. Since there is not much room in there it's hard to come up with a good diesel replacement. Looking for better MPG.

I've owned it for about 3 years. 18ft. I'm curious about other nissan owners out there.

A good replacement using a diesel is an Isuzu 4BD1T or a Cummins 4BT. Both are straight fours and 3.9 liters. I've seen several installed in Toyota Land Cruisers and a friend of mine has one in his CJ Jeep. Parts are easy to find for either and there are pleny of used engines around. There are also many adapters to mate them to several makes of transmissions. My 6.2 diesel Blazer Chalet is going to get one at some point. Main problem for me is that most good used 3.9 diesels show up for sale out west and not in the Northeast. It cost an extra $1000 to ship which I do not want to pay.

Toyota Land Cruiser when geared right gets an honest 25-26 MPG with either of the 3.9 turbo diesels. I suspect a Sunrader would do 20 MPG and maybe a little higher. Note that those mileage fugures are at 65 MPH. The one negative aspect is the weight. The 3.9s weigh around 720 lbs., whereas the Nissan gas 3 liter V6 probably weighs around 420 lbs.

The 4BT Cummins makes 105 horse @ a low 2300 RPM and also makes 265 pound feet of torque at a very low 1600 RPM. That is impressive. A Nissan 3 liter V6 has to run 6000 RPM to make 126 horse and 4400 RPM to make 123 pound feet of torque.

The Mercedes 5 cylinder turbo-diesels were very reliable but I've never known one to excel in fuel mileage (the 80s vintage ones). I had one in a car for awhile and it only got around 26-27 MPG. Not very impressive but mine has a non-lockup automatic.

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The VG30i is a 3 L (2,960 cc) engine produced from 1986 through 1989. It features a throttle body fuel injection system. It has a long crank snout, a cylinder head temperature sensor positioned behind the timing belt cover, and a knock sensor in the cylinder valley (on California models only). It produces 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp) at 4,800 rpm and 226 N·m (167 ft·lbf) at 2,800 rpm.

These are the correct numbers for the nissan hardbody v6 from 86 to 89. The VG30i was the only model used in the v6 Nissan Sunraders. Not going to get 30mpg but I get a solid 15 at 70 mph and more if I slow down.

Linda S

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I get a solid 15 at 70 mph and more if I slow down.

Linda S

15 MPG @ 70 MPH in a Sunrader sounds like great mileage to me. My diesel RVs at 70-75 MPH only get 16.5-17.5. Considering how much more diesel fuel usually costs in most places - I'd prefer the gas setup these sort of mileage numbers. When I got to northern Michigan last week - gas was $3.99 and diesel was $3.99. Today - gas is now $3.66 and diesel is still $3.99. In New York when I left, gas was $3.79 and diesel was $4.30.

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In Oregon 2 weeks ago Diesel was $.25 CHEAPER than gas.

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Yes, I realize diesel is sometimes cheaper per gallon then reg. gas in some places and/or at some times. Not the majority of them though. Where I live in NY diesel has been 30-40 cents more per gallon for 4 years now - with no exceptions. Where I am now in northern Michigan - a week ago - for one day -diesel was a penny cheaper. That because gas prices had soared up to $4.00 a gallon for a few days and is now down to $3.67. Diesel stayed where it was. When I came through Ohio last week - reg. gas was $3.39 and diesel was $3.89.

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Just to keep this thread on track...I'm working on getting the title sorted out, apparantly there's a lien that I didn't know about because the title was lost. I think I've got it figured out though. I have my eyes out for a low mileage 5 cylinder mercedes turbodiesel. There's one near me with 145,000 miles on it. I hope to start working on it this summer.

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Just was talking to a Via owner the other day it is a small class A motor home powered by a MB V6 turbo diesel I think it is rated around 150 HP after their rather long trip the mileage averaged out to 17 MPG. HP figures on diesels are deceiving because what they lack in HP they more then make up for in torque. I had a TDI VW it was rated 90 HP, at 50 MPH if I wanted to pass some one I just floored it in 5th there was no need to down shift it would climb hills in 5th that no gas VW could match with out a down shift. In a flat out race a gas engine of similar displacement is going to win because of it's higher revs but who wants to race a Toy home? I own a 2011 Tacoma and would trade it tomorrow if Toyota would offered a diesel. What I can tell you if you are going to do a swap use a diesel that is turbo charged the difference is night and day the older MB diesels with out a turbo were absolute slugs.

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Horsepower ratings can be deceiving in anything - gas or diesel. Also - generally speaking - diesels make NO more torque then equal bore and stroke gas engines. The "high torque" claim is a myth. The reason why diesels are known for low-end torque is that most have long-stroke engines. A long stroke - using long connecting rods -works on the same principle as a long handle on a wrench. More leverage.

Light duty gas engines, to the converse tend to have short strokes or are "square" (equal bore and stroke).

When car makers staring introducing "light duty" short-stroke diesels -they lacked torque and horsepower. When turbos were added they became much more drivable.

I can post hundreds of spec sheets on engines that are equal bore and stroke that come in gas or diesel versions. The gas engines always have at least equal torque at the same low RPM and always more horsepower.

It's certainly true that some modern turbo/intercoolded diesels have fantastic torque. So would equally built gas engines if anybody wanted them - but they'd use more fuel.

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Just to keep this thread on track...I'm working on getting the title sorted out, apparantly there's a lien that I didn't know about because the title was lost. I think I've got it figured out though. I have my eyes out for a low mileage 5 cylinder mercedes turbodiesel. There's one near me with 145,000 miles on it. I hope to start working on it this summer.

I was recently offered an 83 turbo diesel for $600 (the entire car). Had near 300K miles on it though. It went to the car crusher.

What do you plan on using for a transmission with the Mercedes?

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