Motor Swap for Petrol Delica

[rhdpanda]

I have a 1992 Exceed High Roof manual petrol Delica and have come to realize that I don't have the power to haul cargo and people at Florida highway speeds (which is 75 - 80 mph). I have been doing some research and I am seriously considering doing a motor swap. There are a few options that I have available to me. One of the options that I have looked at is changing over to a 4G64 DOHC motor which came in the late 90's Gallant which would give me a small power gain but would open the possibility to modify it later. Another option that I found is doing a swap to a 4G63 Turbo motor from an Evo III of IV. While the swap is more in-depth but will give me more power right away but would greatly reduce fuel mileage. The final option that I have looked at is doing a full 4D56 Turbo diesel swap. It will involve the most work but will give me the most reliability and allow me the option of using WVO and Bio Diesel. I am torn between which direction to go an I would really like to hear what input that community can give.

I am not really worried about the price or the difficulty.

[Golf Cart]

Panda,

PM Josh and get his input. He swapped the other way from Diesel to Gas. You might want to PM Glen at CCAuto, as he did the swap for Josh.

I'm not a mechanic but I think you would also have to look into gear ratios as well. I'm not sure if you could just plunk in ponys and expect to gain a higher top end speed if the gearing isnt in line with the increase hp.

Sounds like a fun ( and alot of Ben Franklins) project.

Good Luck
Golf Cart

[docsavage]

My petrol 1990 L300 has the 4G64 in it which is rated at around 115 hp. It moves the stock van very well in my part of the world (lots of hills and lots of highway). I have not tried towing yet, but suspect some loss of speed on the hills. With the big rubber I have on it now there is some loss of momentum on the hills, but it is still alot faster than my old diesel with the same rubber.

I'm not sure why yours would have the 4G63 in it. From my perspective, the best bet would be to put the turbo on it from an early vintage Dodge Cirrus (or Stratus, can't recall which off hand) turbo. There are a couple of sites on the web which detail adding the turbo to a 4G64 or 4G63. There are also kits available for a few thousand dollars which have everything you need. Starting cheaper would be an exhaust header and a cleaner flowing exhaust (dump the catalytic converter if possible), port and polish the intake manifold, freer flowing air filter.

If it is power you want, you will have to spend a lot of money on the 4D56 to get anywhere near the power of a 4G64. There is no fuel economy gain (from my experience in both) but of course you can run veg or bio. I'm not sure reliability is a lot better from some reports on this site, and it will be alot more to repair when things do go south.

[rhdpanda]

I'm not sure why yours would have the 4G63 in it.

Sorry if i didn't make it clear before but the motor that is in the van is the 4G64 SOHC.

I'm not a mechanic but I think you would also have to look into gear ratios as well. I'm not sure if you could just plunk in ponys and expect to gain a higher top end speed if the gearing isn't in line with the increase hp.

I am really looking at the swap not to gain a higher top speed, but more pulling power. I sometimes have to transport Japanese Drums (which are made from thick wood and are very heavy) and I feal like I am straining my motor just trying to stay up to speed.

[josh]

I swapped from diesel to petrol, and find I have way more power. I would never switch the other way on these vans.

Josh

[FalcoColumbarius]

My Chamonix has the 4D56T in it and will have no problem doing 75 or 80 MPH (except on very steep hills). The fuel consumption, however, changes dramatically as you go faster. Optimum fuel consumption/cruising speed is around 60 MPH (100 to 110 KPH). Another thing you ought to think about is that with a diesel engine you need to operate the vehicle in a different manner that with gasoline vehicles.

Falco.