importing 3l td Surf to the USA

[freeride_this]

Hey everyone,
this is my first time on these forums and was wondering if anyone could help answer
a few questions i have about importing a diesel hilux surf to the US. My plan is
to convert it to biodiesel so i can have a nice rig w/o the oil thing...

The things that are most important right now are...
-where should i try to import it from? should i look at directly from japan or australia/UK?
I know there are certain restrictions coming into the US like emissions etc, but
does anyone know how difficult and expensive it may be?
-second, does anyone have experience converting to LHD/RHD? Would it even be worth
the effort and money?

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

Alex

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Hi Alex, and welcome to the nuthouse.

As far as I am aware the US has a rule about grey imports should be over 15 years old before they are viable to import.

You may well be hard pressed to find a decent 93 3.0 Litre in Japan now since they would have more than likely come to here or Aus.

I seem to remember there was a guy in the California area who would buy half cuts and then convert US 4runners to be 3.0 Litre TDs - try using the search facility to see if the thread is still here.


Trev

[Sancho]

I think they had diesel 4runners on the continent so it might be worth looking in France or Germany for one with the wheel on the right side to start with. They appear on ebay fairly frequently.

[Karma Supra]

Or Stick diesel Running gear into a USDM 4Runner.

[logey79]

with respect mate, but given the choice of trucks the US manufactures and the price of your fuel, why would you want a little 3.0 diesel surf?

[roundhouse]

with respect mate, but given the choice of trucks the US manufactures and the price of your fuel, why would you want a little 3.0 diesel surf?

There are no small diesels avail in the US.
Only 6 & 7 liter engines which cost $45K new.

The price of the petrol is $3.00-3.50 a gallon.
And the price changes 2 or 3 times per day. Up or down 3-10 cents.

Thats about double of what it was 3 years ago.
We are not used to it being that high, and most people drive 20,000 to 30,000 miles a year.

We have a 99 GMC Yukon 4wd, gets 11 mpg city driving, 17 hwy. My parents used it to tow a 28 foot Airstream camper, I think you call them caravans?
Got about 8 mpg towing.

That 3.0 L diesel & 20 mpg city looks good!
The price of oil isnt going down anytime soon, probably never.

The wife has a 96 4Runner 4wd, 3.5 V-6 petrol that gets 16 city and 20 hwy, and a Beetle tdi that gets 42 city and 42 hwy.
She put 147,000 miles on the 4Runner in 5 years.

[RodLeach]

Ouch - 8mpg!!

Anyway - Best bet is to look at shipping costs. from whatever port is nearest you to whichever port here takes your fancy.

If i were you, I would look at ones for sale here an then work out logistics on getting it to a port. If you brought mine for example i could drop it off at the Southampton dock - they put it on a ship destined for whichever port you choose then you just get down the dock an get it!

Im not sure what regulations an laws are in place with regards to exporting from the uk - Over here if a vehicle is over 10 years old its not a problem, just get some bills for £xxx an then sort out the MOT an your away!

You may have to get things like the headlights adjusted so they point over to the right instead of the left as they are needed here.

Its possible! ANYTHING is possible. I would just become very friendly with someone who can help you out here an read up on exporting/importing cars.

Worse thing for you is the pathetic exchange rate situation! Im not sure what our prices are like compared to yours but double them an thats what your looking at paying. Bear in mind a Diesel 4Runner would be worth a few $$ 2nd hand in america an then add to it that its a Hilux you shouldn't be facing a large depreciation in the vehicle.

[roundhouse]

The easiest thing would be to get an engine from JArco
http://www.jarcoinc.com/
and swap it in.

The 2nd gens with the 3.0 V-6 are very cheap, about $750, once the head gaskets blow.

I have a 1995 with a blown engine that I got for free.

Cant decide which engine to swap in.
Ive swapped a 5.0 Ford from a 1990 Mustang into a 1974 Bronco, and thats easy, very little wiring for the computer.

And the 1UZ Lexus 4.0 V-8 is a good swap too.

[freeride_this]

The easiest thing would be to get an engine from JArco
http://www.jarcoinc.com/
and swap it in.

The 2nd gens with the 3.0 V-6 are very cheap, about $750, once the head gaskets blow.

I have a 1995 with a blown engine that I got for free.

Cant decide which engine to swap in.
Ive swapped a 5.0 Ford from a 1990 Mustang into a 1974 Bronco, and thats easy, very little wiring for the computer.

And the 1UZ Lexus 4.0 V-8 is a good swap too.

thanks for the replies guys!
i'm pretty much gathering that it's easier just to buy a used 2nd gen runner over in the US and import a new engine for it...

would you recommend a surf engine if i'm looking for a 3l T Diesel?

other than that, what would other good engines be?

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

thanks for the replies guys!
i'm pretty much gathering that it's easier just to buy a used 2nd gen runner over in the US and import a new engine for it...

would you recommend a surf engine if i'm looking for a 3l T Diesel?

other than that, what would other good engines be?

If you are meaning 3 litre by 3l then the 1KT-TE engine would be the one to go for, you would be advised to try and get a 1/2 cut rather than the engine, then you would have all the wiring including the ecu too.


Trev