Compact Diesel trucks that we can't get here

[3930dave]

While i wish the manufactures could bring these here, i may have to build one before long.

But i doubt one will be available by the time i need it. Been thinking about doing a small Cummins swap into an old blazer. Simple, relatively easy, and probably can be done under $10k.

If you want it Done Right...... or in this case....... At All !

That would be a sweet swap.... post pics Please if you do it !

Buddy of mine put a cummins into a late 80's Chev CCab 1 ton, to use as his race hauler.

If the truck is in any kind of decent shape (meaning mechanically sound) when you are done with it, you can sell that combination in a heartbeat, for decent money.

Rgds, D.

 

[jonnyc1999]

I had the opportunity to buy one of those Diesel Scouts when I was 16 years old. It was in great shape and "only" needed a new starter motor to run. Unfortunately I was waist deep in a '57 Willys Jeep rebuild and my dad told me I couldn't have another project. I still regret not getting that Scout, I've never seen another one like it in the 17 years since. I think if I could find one now I would HAVE to make it my daily driver, just out of coolness factor. BTW, the price on it was $600.

 

[oliver28472]

Don't forget the 1/2 ton Dodge pickup with a 6-cylinder diesel. A combination that was best forgotten. My Dad had one and it stayed in the shop. Had a big "Diesel Power" decal on the side of the bed near the back. I think it was a '78.

 

[Sysop]

There was a small run of Ford Rangers in the 80s that had a small diesel engine. The non-US Rangers had diesels for years and still do. Ford decided for us that we don't want small trucks in the USA...

 

[3930dave]

I had the opportunity to buy one of those Diesel Scouts when I was 16 years old. It was in great shape and "only" needed a new starter motor to run. Unfortunately I was waist deep in a '57 Willys Jeep rebuild and my dad told me I couldn't have another project. I still regret not getting that Scout, I've never seen another one like it in the 17 years since. I think if I could find one now I would HAVE to make it my daily driver, just out of coolness factor. BTW, the price on it was $600.

If I could fix my Flux Capacitor, that one would be Mine !

This thread is probably going to drive me crazy, get me divorced, or both ! :laughing:

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

My friends dad had an 80' scout II diesel, what a great truck, we would go road hunting all day and wouldn't burn a half tank of fuel, between 30-35 mpg
and it would go any where. the only downside, it wasn't a speed demon by any means, topped at at 85, but i'd sacrifice that for all the other pluses.
Mahindra is supposed to be selling a nice SUV in the states soon with a nice turbo diesel, 32 to 36 mpg.

Conspiracy, what anti-diesel conspiracy ?

Let's see, IH Scout, designed in the 70's, heavy truck and drivetrain, and getting mid 30's back then !

Back to fixing my Flux Capacitor..... :blacksmith::wizard::magician:

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

There was a small run of Ford Rangers in the 80s that had a small diesel engine. The non-US Rangers had diesels for years and still do. Ford decided for us that we don't want small trucks in the USA...

The Mazdas we had back then had I think a Perkins diesel in 'em. Contractor down the road from me had one, as his light runabout - worked the heck out of that engine and couldn't kill it.

Rgds, D.

 

[aczlan]

I've been driving my Saturn to work daily, and the 35mpg is great. But I need better ground clearance and 4x4. And realistically i may only be able to keep the Saturn going for another 2 years with the miles i put on. A CRV wouldn't be bad, but a little diesel truck would be great. 5 spd stick and four doors. Or a medium sized diesel SUV would work as well.

TDI a CRV?

There was a small run of Ford Rangers in the 80s that had a small diesel engine. The non-US Rangers had diesels for years and still do. Ford decided for us that we don't want small trucks in the USA...

IIRC, it was the Courier which was actually a re-badged Mazda B2200 or something like that. Dad had the Mazda variant and used the Courier manual.

Aaron Z

 

[wmonroe]

Conspiracy, what anti-diesel conspiracy ?

Let's see, IH Scout, designed in the 70's, heavy truck and drivetrain, and getting mid 30's back then !

Back to fixing my Flux Capacitor..... :blacksmith::wizard::magician:

Rgds, D.

A diesel scout...I want one!

 

[dfkrug]

Here is a late 90s Chevy LUV, sited in Ecuador in FEB of this year. These were based on the
Isuzu Faster pickup truck, but assembled all over the world, and under different badges, incl
Holden, Opel, etc.

The LUV badge was used in the US from 72-81, and was dumped when the S-10 came out
in 82. Isuzu then used their own name, and "P'UP" badge. Also, "Rodeo", but that was not
a pickup in the US.

Now the Isuzu pickups are called the "D-Max", but I saw none on this trip.

Diesel was available on these LUVs, but this one is gasoline. Note the similar vintage
Toyota HiLUX 4-door behind it.

 

[Sysop]

IIRC, it was the Courier which was actually a re-badged Mazda B2200 or something like that. Dad had the Mazda variant and used the Courier manual.

Aaron Z

The Ranger was introduced in mid-1982 for the 1983 model year and had an available 4-cylinder 59 hp 2.2 L Mazda/Perkins diesel. In 1985, a Mitsubishi-built 2.3 L turbodiesel with 86 hp replaced the Mazda diesel engine. The diesels were no longer an option after 1987.

The Early Ford Ranger Diesel Engines

1983 Ranger production began January 18, 1982 at the Louisville Assembly Plant,[3] hitting showrooms in March.[4] Available engines were the 72 hp (54 kW) 2.0 L and 82 hp (61 kW) 2.3 L OHC four-cylinders, a four-cylinder 59 hp (44 kW) 2.2 L Mazda/Perkins diesel, and a 115 hp (86 kW) 2.8 L Cologne V6. In 1985, a Mitsubishi-built 2.3 L turbo-diesel with 86 hp (64 kW) replaced the Mazda diesel engine

Ford Ranger (North America) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They were tough little trucks with tough little engines.

 

[Jim Shooz]

Here's a tv commercial we had back in 1999 about the performance of the Hilux

Bugger - YouTube

We have very few American trucks/utes whatever you like to call them (although we generally think if it hasn't got about 18 wheels or more, it aint a truck) left hand drive, high fuel consumption, high price. Toyota would have the major share of the market with Nissan, Ford/Mazda, Holden(Chev)/Isuzu, Mitsubishi, taking the other half. The fact that Japan drives on the same side of the road as us has a bearing on what we get. China has started marketing their Great Wall utes here but I have yet to see one on the road. Rumor has it that quality might be a problem.

 

[Jim Shooz]

Well that will get banned but that B word was given the go-ahead by the New Zealand Broadcast Complaints Authority and the commercial ran for years.

 

[3930dave]

The Ranger was introduced in mid-1982 for the 1983 model year and had an available 4-cylinder 59 hp 2.2 L Mazda/Perkins diesel. In 1985, a Mitsubishi-built 2.3 L turbodiesel with 86 hp replaced the Mazda diesel engine. The diesels were no longer an option after 1987.

They were tough little trucks with tough little engines.

And, therein lies the problem....... they were interfering with the Big Truck = BIG Profit mantra that Detroit prefers. Never forget Big Oil either.

"Customers didn't want them" - yeah, right. Not for everybody, agreed, but there is always a substantial market for these type/size of vehicles - look at the # of people today driving Sport Cutes today.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Here's a tv commercial we had back in 1999 about the performance of the Hilux

Bugger - YouTube

We have very few American trucks/utes whatever you like to call them (although we generally think if it hasn't got about 18 wheels or more, it aint a truck) left hand drive, high fuel consumption, high price. Toyota would have the major share of the market with Nissan, Ford/Mazda, Holden(Chev)/Isuzu, Mitsubishi, taking the other half. The fact that Japan drives on the same side of the road as us has a bearing on what we get. China has started marketing their Great Wall utes here but I have yet to see one on the road. Rumor has it that quality might be a problem.

Wow, you get great trucks, and your TV commercials are even way better than ours - I gotta move !

My Kiwi slang is rusty, I was thinking "Tough Little B___________ ", forgetting that it was a generic exclamation point.

Thanks for the vid, I had a good chuckle !

Rgds, D.

 

[dfkrug]

China has started marketing their Great Wall utes here but I have yet to
see one on the road. Rumor has it that quality might be a problem.

Funny video, Jim. That Toyota is basicly the same as my 2004 Tacoma V6 4x4 Xtracab. Tho the
diesel engine sure is loud. Last time I was in NZ (early 90s) or in Oz (late 80s), Toyota
seemed to be the preferred 4x4.

Here is a Great Wall, seen in Chile last FEB. Nice looking, and numerous. Probably fairly cheap, if
my visit to the Chery dealer was any indication. The model is a Wingle 5 CRDi, so I guess it
is a 5 cylinder diesel. Looks pretty new. (Who comes up with those names?)

 

[dfkrug]

How about a Tata, perhaps made in India?

This is a Tata Xenon Dicor 2.2l. It's a DI turbo diesel.

Note the large wheel hub center caps. Rollbars in the small cargo bed seem very
popular here, tho they usually only serve to support high-mounted lights.

 

[RFB]

I know this is stretching the genre, but i would really like a full one ton Toyota Diesel, like an F-350/450 puller.

 

[3930dave]

How about a Tata, perhaps made in India?

This is a Tata Xenon Dicor 2.2l. It's a DI turbo diesel.

Note the large wheel hub center caps. Rollbars in the small cargo bed seem very
popular here, tho they usually only serve to support high-mounted lights.

df - would you know if those center caps are just decorative, or by chance would they be covering old school mechanical locking hubs ?

Given the prevalence of these diesel trucks from low cost manufacturers like these two, I'd say we are looking at the real reason that the EPA is protecting the domestic US market from their "pollution".

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I'm not surprised reading this 2012 Oz review, as I knew the 4motion was impressive.

Volkswagen Amarok Review | 2012 TDI420, Eight-speed Auto, Single-Cab Page 1 of 2 | Reviews | Prices | Australian specifications

My money would probably still go into a stick truck, but that 8 spd Auto does sound impressive too.....

That Amorak would absolutely kill in the Canadian marketplace, and IMO, do at least OK in the US market. It would be perfect for long-haul towing a 5,000# boat or camper around, with truck payload on top of that, and still get decent fuel mileage.

Adding a brief 2013 review, as the tow rating was bumped up a bit....

More TDI Power and Towing Capacity for the Volkswagen Amarok 2013

Rgds, D.