J10 Diesel Conversion Questions

[Fltche]

I have a 1980 J10 Jeep. I want to convert it to a diesel with either the 6.5l Turbordiesel mechanical injection or a 4bt mechanical injection. I am going to match it to a NV4500 manual. I have found an adapter for my 4wheel drive transfer case. My question is will the J10 be able to handle the torque? Will a diesel be a monster and twist my frame or brake drive lines and kill axles? I am looking at turning this truck into a hauling truck. I will be hauling a 24ft boat, horse trailer with 2 horses, ect...

[billyj7175]

It would depend on tire size and how aggressive you get with the skinny pedal...I've seen people destroy drivelines with stock 6 cyl's...

The frame would be fine...

Which transfercase?

Driven with common sense, the axles would be fine...however, an upgrade to a Dana 60FF, or 14 bolt rear, with either a Dana 44HD, or Dana 60 up front would be a great upgrade, not only for strength, but for their larger brakes.

[Fltche]

I am not sure which transfer case it is other than 4wheel drive matched up to a 4 speed... It's a borg Warner I think. The tranny is a T-176 if I am not mistaken. it has one heck of a low first gear. Tires I am probably just going to run 30's and be done with it. Luckily I am not aggressive with the go fast pedal. I was also thinking about adding in some airbag suspension to be nicer to the leaf springs... Any thoughts on that?

[tgreening]

I think I'd pass on the 4bt given your towing needs. Best you'll do out of the box is about 120HP and 250-260-ish ft lbs in the torque dept. you can get a whole bunch more out of the 4bt but after a relatively near point, as power goes up cost rises exponentially. You'd be better off opting for the more conventional diesel with bigger numbers to begin with. Plus they're a whole lot easier to find, cheaper, and easier to source parts for in a pinch.

[Fltche]

The real question I guess is how much room is there going to be in the engine compartment with a 6.5l turbodiesel under the hood attached to a NV4500... I know I am going to be changing to chevy engine mounts on the frame. I wonder if I will be chainging the tranny mounts as well.

[poolmike]

You will be changing all kinds of stuff:thumbsup: I run a 4bt/NV4500 in my M715. 3 years, driven daily, 42" tires, 4.56 gears. For my application the NV4500 is a bad choice due to the gear spread, my 6900lb weight, and tire size. I run pedal to the floor because it is fun, but in a lot of cases, I have too. I don't know the weight of a Waggy, but I would imagine it is a little less.

As far as the frame goes, if I am hitched to a trailer, I can almost get the left front tire off the ground with a hard launch. It does twist, which is good.

[Mikel]

Hey Mike,
How is your other project coming along?
Mikel

[Fltche]

I don't mind changing things out =) makes the project even more worthwhile at the end where i can proudly beam and smile. I just am trying to get an idea of what all I am going to need to do and what parts I need. I am not worried about having to floor the J10... the 258 only has 110hp and not nearly as much torque, the 6.5 turbo has 180hp and around 360ftlbs of torque. It will move the J-10 fine. Even that 258 did a decent job. 258 just won't haul and it isn't a diesel =) Oh and btw the transfercase is a quadratrac.

[poolmike]

Personally, I had a 6.2 built up with a turbo. Lot's of money put into it. Had it in the chassis, then kicked it to the curb when a free 4bt of unknown condition came my way. Still roars 3 years later! I sold the 6.2 for a fraction of my investment to a local guy who put it in a 1/2 Chevy 4x4. I drove it and wasn't impressed. Go with a Cummins.

[Fltche]

I should also metion that along with the turbo I am going to get the army intake for the 6.5l.

[budojeepr]

There's a diesel FAQ sticky on this site. I also documented my 6.5/th700r4 conversion (search for "YADC" to find the thread). I think you'll find a lot of your questions answered in the links on the sticky.

Cool project, may you have good fortune on it!

[Fltche]

Nice project budojeepr. i went through your entire project. It does help with some questions but I find I am still left with my question in regards to the NV4500... BTW your GW sounds great for a V-8 diesel. Would you mind if I pmed you with some questions as I go along on my build? But as for most of my other questions yes it has been answered. i will take a look at that FAQ page now and keep digging for the answeres about the NV4500. that army intake should simplify things especially in WA where my J10 is emmissions exempt. and oh my gosh!!!! so much reading...:eek: All this reading is leaving me slightly confused this is how my brain feels lol :banghead: . Based off the information I have gathered and what I am reading IF and that is a big if... I am understanding this right... The NV4500 will bolt up onto my 1980j10 jeep no problem just so long as I get the adapter for the quadratrac t-case. If I get a GM NV4500 It will go perfectly to the 6.5l Turbo no problem...

[poolmike]

A GM NV4500 is what I run in mine. I recently sold the bellhousing that came from the 6.5 motor. There are different gear sets, try to get one from the diesel with less of a spread between the gears. Transfer case mating could be a problem. I can't help much with that.

[Fltche]

Can you elaborate on the mating issues? I am still in the planning stages but I do have my eye on a donor vehichle that would a sweet deal... I do know that they make adapters for the tcase. so that isn't a issue if that is what you mean by mating. But if you mean on the mounts... that is a different story that i am "unedjimikated" on.:rolleyes: Engine mounts are no problem... that is a matter of a SBC engine mount conversion... I know that the frame can handle it without reinforcement... the rest will take it as well as long as I play nice with the go baby go pedal. So this build has a lot of potential if the last two questions I have work out. If I can get that trany and my t-case where they will mount and play nice without a ton of hassle I will start this project and make a thread with my progress.:thumbsup: So my fingers are crossed.

[poolmike]

As long as you can bolt the trans and transfer case together, all you will need to do is fab up a crossmember. Shouldn't be a big deal.

[Fltche]

Then the project is a go. :thumbsup: I will keep you guys posted on my build as I aquire the parts. oh and one more question... I read in the posts that other people modified the clutch on the th400's that they put in. A) why did they modify the clutch? and B) can I use my stock clutch pedal assembly to hook up to the NV4500?

[poolmike]

Don't know if they are the same, but I use my stock M715 clutch pedal with a CJ7 clutch master cylinder.

[Mikel]

I used a stock brake cylinder from a '63 Wagoneer as the clutch master cylinder. Dirt cheap and works great with a Dodge NV4500 setup.

[Fltche]

Sounds like I will be able to keep my regular clutch setup. Sweetness :D . Sounds like overall not a terribly difficult conversion.

[jaber]

A couple of discrepancies that I'm seeing.

I have not heard of the QT being mounted to a manual trans. Dont think they could handle the shock from dumping a clutch.
If your first gear is extremely low, then you probably have a T-18.
If for some reason you do have a QT, then I would find something else, as parts are very hard to come by.
Dont mean to throw a wrench in your plans, but I'm sure you want it right the first time. Finding out what you really have would be a good starting point. ;)