|
Yes any 20+ year old project vehicle is going to start showing its age and ask for parts offerings...If your the kind of person that anticipates such events then you get what you expect.
Being a monocoque chassis L400 and onwards...what kills them is rust...my van is basically rust free which made the purchase of a rolling project a solid choice. the older L300 toaster body uses the 4D56...I see them getting imported into the USA quite a bit due to the 25year import laws...early L400 should be exempt now too.
Also mine is a very rare 5 speed manual transmission...But 20mpg rolling a 2t hippo body around isn't bad
I do like like old Toyotas and Nissans, but so does everyone else so they are expensive.
The 4M40T was enough of a solid platform that Mitsubishi adapted it into the common rail DOHC 4M41...Not easy to work on and more expensive parts...
If I was going to do another similar period diesel it would be something with a ISUZU 4JB1T engine Like our Australian domestic Holden Rodeo ute/pickup...
I believe in the states you had the Isuzu Trooper...The 4JB1T and following 4JJ1* series of ISUZU diesel engines are all solid performers and a little less likely to have head/gasket issues like the Mitsi 4M40 engines.
You see a lot of built 4J engine on Thai racing skiffs.
Anyway being a diesel only 2 things can go wrong, feul delivery and compression. No ignition system.
and being a 4 banger SOHC only 1 head gasket and cam. In other words about as simple as wrenching on a van engine gets...
|