Wanted: Small Diesel 4×4 Pickup For Veggie Conversion
My girlfriend loves the mountains. She frequently hauls her dogs and ski equipment up to the Sierra Nevada range or up to Oregon to hit the slopes in the winter. For anyone who has driven to the mountains in the winter, you know it is much easier to pass by the chain control people if you have four wheel drive and snow tires instead of pulling over and chaining up in the bitter cold, or shelling out big bucks for someone else to do it.
She came up with the idea of getting a small diesel 4×4 and running it on Biodiesel. I must admit I liked the plan, although I’m a big advocate of SVO (Straight Veggie Oil) as it can be attained for free. Small trucks are great; they are easy to park and maneuver in city traffic, they get good gas mileage, pollute less than larger trucks and you can still haul a ton of stuff (scooters, beds, gravel, dogs). Diesels are pretty cool too; they are torquey, get good mileage and run forever if you take car of them. And of course I love 4×4’s and I’m all for alternative fuels, so the package did sound appealing. The only problem is there aren’t very many trucks in the US that meet these requirements.
I spent hours scouring the internet for small diesel 4×4’s and I cam up with a very short list of possibilities. The first, and best in my opinion, is the Mitsubishi Mighty Max which was also sold under the Dodge brand as the Ram 50 or D50 and under the Plymouth badge as the Arrow Truck. I believe the Mighty Max was available in the US from 1982 through 1996. The reason I like the Mitsubishi is it came in 4×4 and with a turbo diesel four banger, the 4D55 (later replaced by the 4D56). The 4D55 puts out a respectable 83 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque. This means that compared to other diesel trucks of its size it could actually develop a little speed on the road. Fortunately the Mitsubishi diesels were also very popular outside the US so there are numerous low mileage motors floating around and parts are still readily available.
Mighty Max
Option number two is the Isuzu Pup or more correctly P’up. Like the Mitsu, the Pup was also sold under the Chevrolet brand as the Chevy Luv. In my own personal searches it appears that the Isuzu diesel 4×4’s are a bit more common than the Mitsubishi’s and have quite a cult following. The C223 diesel engine became available in 1981. Producing 58 horsepower and 93 lb-ft of torque the diesel powered Isuzu achieved a remarkable 33 mpg city/44 mpg highway. The C223 diesel also proved to be extremely robust and it was not uncommon for them to go 500,000 miles between rebuilds. With production running into the mid-1990’s there were plenty of Pups made. Also like the Mitsubishi this truck had a large following outside the US so parts availability isn’t much of a problem. While the Pup is a naturally aspirated truck there are also plenty of upgrades available from bolt on tubochargers to complete turbo motor swaps. I also heard mutterings of a factory turbo, but I have a feeling it was only available on the gas powered engines.
Isuzu Pup on the trail
Nissan/Datsun also made a small diesel pickup from 1981-1986 called the 720. Unfortunately in the US the diesel was only offered in the 2wd truck, however a swap into a 4×4 would probably be a straight forward endeavor. Sporting a naturally aspirated SD22 diesel engine up to ‘83 when it was replaced by the SD25, the Datsun is similar to the Pup in performance, and like the other two trucks parts are readily available for this vehicle.
While I heard rumors that both Toyota and Ford made small diesel 4×4’s for the US market, I couldn’t find any concrete evidence to prove it. However, many of these companies sold small diesel trucks in other countries such as Canada and Mexico. This led me to investigate the last option, importing a truck to the US. After sifting through mountains of info from government sites like the DMV, to private accounts of bringing cars across the border I decided to throw this idea out the window. It appears to be an incredible hassle with high odds of failure and an extremely high price. The chances that you could buy a vehicle and have it not allowed into the US were too high for me to seriously consider.
Despite the fact that these trucks are hard to come by, they are still remarkably affordable, usually in the $1500-$5000 range. Now if anyone knows where I can find one of these diesel 4×4s at a decent price please let me know. If I do succeed in my search and convince my girlfriend to actually buy the truck, look for an in depth write-up on straight vegetable oil conversions.
Pup in the mud
-Bill Mertz
biodiesel, SVO, straight vegetable oil, 4×4, diesel, small truck, pickup truck, pickup, green, pollution, alternative fuel
February 27th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Hello, I had the same idea as you, I recently just bought a 1983 mighty max turbo dzl, 4×4, with 84k miles on it, but the body is shot, and i have a 1988 mighty max gasser, 4×4, with a worn out engine but the body in that one is in excellent condition. so i am going to swap them over this summer. and maybe throw on a little lift and bigger tires.
March 11th, 2007 at 1:00 am
If you are still looking for a Dodge or Mitsubishi diesel D-50 4×4 I have one I could sell(1983) along with a complete parts rig D50 (1984). It is cherry inside and last year I had the 4D55 entine rebuilt in Eureka and found a new turbo unit off the shelf at a dealership in Klamath Falls(probably the last in the country). It is a sweet setup but I hardly drive it and my wife thinks it and the part rig should go. Heck, we have five vehicles for two people. The truck drives like a tractor in 1st and 2nd, which is great off-road then kicks it in the upper gears. I love it on the highway at 70 and feel it just wants to hum along all day. A bomber stock truck. It is painted gold with a brown strip and has a tall, matching shell with camp light. ~~johnnybee@charter.net.
March 14th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Johnny,
I sent you an email but haven’t heard back.
How much, where are you located and do you have pics?
-Bill
March 15th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
I drove a Ford Ranger in the mid-80’s that was diesel powered. Let’s just say that it was… very slow, and noisy. Mine was 2wd, but I believe that 4wd was also on offer. This particular motor was NA, the truck was a standard cab, and the tranny was a 4 speed manual. I really didn’t enjoy freeway merging.
I can’t really recommend it, but at the same time it wasn’t that awful. It didn’t break. So there’s that. Probably better as a work/hunting/wood hauling type rig than a cruise up to the lodge for a day of boarding rig.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger
March 16th, 2007 at 12:10 am
johhny b get with me dmoneygage@gmail.com
my number7074592602
7073676328
5125697204
March 26th, 2007 at 8:15 am
The Ford Ranger was also available with the same 4D55 Mitsubishi enigne in the 80’s. Prior to that, it had an even slower 2.2L engine developed by Perkins and licensed to Mazda, model GB 4.135 .
The Toyota was available in a Diesel, but is extraordinarily rare.
The problem with all of the diesel trucks you’ve listed and the ones above is that they were only made for a few years in the early to mid 1980’s.
Many other countries see diesel as a common fuel. Alericans see diesel as a smoky, noisy, less practical fuel.
Many more diesel vehicles are available overseas.
My plan is to import a Mitsubishi 4D56 and install it in a Gasoline truck. I’ve heard the 4D56 and the 4G54 (2.6L gasoline) engine share the same mounting points and transmission bellhousing bolts.
Good luck with your search.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I have a 1981 Datsun longbed 720 diesel pickup for sale in OC, CA. 175K orig freeway miles. We got from original owner who used as vending delivery truck. Oversize 4.5′ camper shell. Stored 7 yrs. New battery. Tags good to 10/08.
See pictures and contact info. in Craigslist.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Hello, I have a really nice low mileage 1984 d-50 mighty max turbo-diesel 4×4. The body is near perfect. It also comes with an extra turbo which is the hard part to find if you need one. I plan on putting it on ebay but can make a deal before that if you want. I’ll get you pics and specifics if your interested. You will have a hard time finding a nicer one. The price is $4000. My ebay username is tutheck if you want to check out my feedback and see that I’m a straight shooter. Thanks, Jon
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:57 am
JON:
Please contact me regarding your ‘84 d50. I’m looking for a small diesel p/u.
Thanks.
Charlie
October 26th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Hi Charlie, How can I contact you? Thanks, Jon.
December 16th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
I have 3 gas Dodge D50’s, 2 are 4×4 and the other is 2×4. I am looking for a Diesel 4×4 little pick up, does not have to be a Dodge but has to be 4×4 and Diesel. If you have a Dodge or Mitsu body does not have to be in great shape, I am willing to buy just motor to swap out in my gas, but also interested in any other little diesel 4×4 you might have. Please respond back to Logan or Kami at 541-979-0874, we are from Oregon.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Ranger is history after 2009. StPaul plant is already on notice to close. Small light pickup will be available from Mahindra of India!That’s
February 4th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Ranger is history after 2009. StPaul plant scheduled to close end of 2009. Don’t despair. Mahindra, of India, makes Scorpio/Appalachia.
Appalachia small pickup 2or4door. 2door 120inch
wheel base, diesel, 7.5ft longbed, tie-downs on
3-sides. Approx $20M. Google it “Mahindra, Uruguay, pickup truck”. For those not smarter than a 5th grader, Uruguay is South America. Site is English-mui bueno! May be the end of line for my 1980 Toyota Hilux
Tom
February 26th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
After purchasing the perfect small diesel 4×4 pick-up, why not buy mud terrain tires to go with it. These tires are used in 4WD actions because they provide outstanding grip during driving on slush.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:03 am
http://nashville.craigslist.org/car/629965222.html
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