4BT Diesel pro's and cons

[JAFHR]

Hey all, I'm looking at a 1967 bronco with a 4BT Diesel and a 5spd trans. Great installation and runs very nice. Very loud with the top on. With the guys our there who have done a diesel conversion, is it worth it? Why would I want a diesel instead of a good gas motor. It certainly has some torque and drives nicely.

worth paying the extra bucks? Does the frame need to be strengthened. I know the dana 30 in the front would have to go for a much stronger front axle.

Thx

 

[nvrstuk]

Buy a set of Bose Noise Cancelling Head Phones...

Sorry...they are too loud for me. I had a '99 Cummins back in the day... couldn't stand the constant racket. Can't talk to anybody standing next to ya, order coffee at a drive up or bank window, get's to ya (least for me).

Good mileage, engine lasts a long time, weighs a TON, loud, lots of torque,

To me there's no advantage for what I do with a Bronco.

Some guys love 'em, that's cool. Disadvantages for me outweigh the advantage (mileage).

 

[Pa PITT]

... I've got one & I've had it for about 10 years I suppose.
Mine was so dependable .. until it died & won't start .. I thought I knew most things about my diesel . I'm sure it'll run again ..
.... I'm a farmer & use mine on the farm .. I COULD NEVER use mine in the summer when it was a gasser. It'd be hot in 10 minutes. I'm running the same radiator as my gas motor had & It' doesn't even have a fan blade on it . I'll get to 220 in the summer but I can flip on the elec fan & in 2 minutes it's down to 100*.
Power Yes it's got torque. My fuel mileage on the gas motor was about 4mpg . On my diesel I believe it's about 15 mpg...
Yes It's noisy. But I drive a 2000 dodge 24valve daily & it's noisy also .
It's great for me but I don't think most folks would like the diesel.
..........
.... Crazy BUT WHAT I hate worse about mine is every time I'm in the pasture ... EVERY COW IN THE TERRITORY COMES A RUNNING. Almost every farmer has a diesel & they feed out of them . SO No matter where I go hunting here comes the cows.

 

[Pa PITT]

Which 5 speed does the one your looking at have in it. NV4500 dodge . Or our ford 5 speed.

 

[JAFHR]

Buy a set of Bose Noise Cancelling Head Phones...

Sorry...they are too loud for me. I had a '99 Cummins back in the day... couldn't stand the constant racket. Can't talk to anybody standing next to ya, order coffee at a drive up or bank window, get's to ya (least for me).

Good mileage, engine lasts a long time, weighs a TON, loud, lots of torque,

To me there's no advantage for what I do with a Bronco.

Some guys love 'em, that's cool. Disadvantages for me outweigh the advantage (mileage).

LOUD, LOUD, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T HEAR YOU. I just went for a ride in the bronco. Holy crap, it is loud. It was a fun driver. What can you do to lesson the noise. I'm already half deaf. This will send me over the edge. It does have it's cool factor though. Don't know how far I could drive it without loosing my mind

 

[JAFHR]

Which 5 speed does the one your looking at have in it. NV4500 dodge . Or our ford 5 speed.

It's got the Ford ZF 5spd

 

[spap]

I really like diesels but 105 hp and only 265 foot pounds is pretty easily had with a lo PO 5.0 v8
Torque is down low at 1600. But still depend what you want to do with it.
I rather have a gas motor in a bronco though. Yea gas Mileage might be better but I don’t really care about that in my bronco

 

[garberz]

Pros - it’s a diesel
Cons - it’s a diesel.

Mark

 

[68ford]

Imagine a 351w with a carburetor off of a 1600 single port VW, and a 2500 RPM rev limiter.
Doesn't sound like much fun to me ;D

 

[nvrstuk]

PaPITT...the cow comment is funny as HECK!!! we were cattle country so I totally understand but everyone grows Timothy Hay now and makes 10x the money.

 

[Broncobowsher]

They shake like mad. Amazing how much the hammer parts for what little power they make. They can be turned up but they are nowhere near clean once you do that. Ancient 6BT but missing a couple cylinders. Really freaking heavy. Killer dowel pin exists on those just like the 6BT.

In a low power bread truck they are great. Make a great engine for a generator or a backhoe. That is what the 4BT is, an industrial engine. We have one at work running the backup fire pump, another in a backhoe. Stuff where the weight doesn't matter or is a benefit.

So you are looking at a Bronco someone swapped one into. What did the engine come out of? Some of the injector pumps are designed for a constant speed don't like to play well on the street. Was the engine modified anyway? Pretty common to do crude modifications for more power. Guessing they did it the simple way and no intercooler as well. Being they left the d30 in the chassis I am going to guess it isn't installed as good as you think it is. This stuff needs to go in with thought to all parts, this sounds like it was an engine and transmission were found and dropped in and nothing else changed to accommodate it. Enough to make it move and get rid of it.

 

[Qumanchew]

All depends on what you want to do with the bronco. Years ago I built an Explorer Sport Trac with a five speed and 4bt. It was my daily driver and tow rig. In that I loved it, but....it was a "modern" vehicle that was well insulated and sealed so the noise was bearable. I put over 90k miles on it and it never missed a tic. My work changed and I needed a full size truck so I sold it.

Would I put one in an early bronco? No. I'm not saying I wouldn't use a diesel, just wouldn't be a 4bt. In fact I'm just finishing up an Isuzu 4bd1t swap in my 66. Much more refined engine, smoother, quieter, higher redline etc. They were built to be an on road engine.

 

[spap]

I just saw the cow thing. That is so funny
Pa Pitt is the pied piper for cows
You need to get a video of that

 

[LUBr LuvR]

.... Crazy BUT WHAT I hate worse about mine is every time I'm in the pasture ... EVERY COW IN THE TERRITORY COMES A RUNNING. Almost every farmer has a diesel & they feed out of them . SO No matter where I go hunting here comes the cows.

PaPITT...the cow comment is funny as HECK!!! we were cattle country so I totally understand but everyone grows Timothy Hay now and makes 10x the money.

I just saw the cow thing. That is so funny
Pa Pitt is the pied piper for cows
You need to get a video of that

Not to get off-topic......
It’s not only cows who have the diesels figured out. I live down a dead end road that makes a 90* turn to the end. Only four houses, three of us had horses and each of us drove a different diesel truck (my F250, the others were a Dodge and Chebby). If you were outside when one of the trucks turned onto the access road - not visible from any of the houses, like clockwork the corresponding horses would stop grazing and ears would prick up when they heard “their” truck make that turn. When I pulled in, only my horses paid any attention....they all could distinguish the different sounds of the diesels.

 

[SteveL]

Pros - it’s a diesel
Cons - it’s a diesel.

Mark

Best answer yet.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Not to get off-topic......
It’s not only cows who have the diesels figured out. I live down a dead end road that makes a 90* turn to the end. Only four houses, three of us had horses and each of us drove a different diesel truck (my F250, the others were a Dodge and Chebby). If you were outside when one of the trucks turned onto the access road - not visible from any of the houses, like clockwork the corresponding horses would stop grazing and ears would prick up when they heard “their” truck make that turn. When I pulled in, only my horses paid any attention....they all could distinguish the different sounds of the diesels.

My brother's cat would do that in college. The cat would perk up before you could hear the car pull in. And only his car would perk up the cat. If he came back on foot or with his girlfriend the cat would still be napping when he came in instead of waiting at the window. Weird cat.

 

[JAFHR]

They shake like mad. Amazing how much the hammer parts for what little power they make. They can be turned up but they are nowhere near clean once you do that. Ancient 6BT but missing a couple cylinders. Really freaking heavy. Killer dowel pin exists on those just like the 6BT.

In a low power bread truck they are great. Make a great engine for a generator or a backhoe. That is what the 4BT is, an industrial engine. We have one at work running the backup fire pump, another in a backhoe. Stuff where the weight doesn't matter or is a benefit.

So you are looking at a Bronco someone swapped one into. What did the engine come out of? Some of the injector pumps are designed for a constant speed don't like to play well on the street. Was the engine modified anyway? Pretty common to do crude modifications for more power. Guessing they did it the simple way and no intercooler as well. Being they left the d30 in the chassis I am going to guess it isn't installed as good as you think it is. This stuff needs to go in with thought to all parts, this sounds like it was an engine and transmission were found and dropped in and nothing else changed to accommodate it. Enough to make it move and get rid of it.

The engine was out of a 1994 ? I forgot. It was installed by a conversion company in The Portland Eugene area. He spoke a great deal about the injectors. The engine is not modified. There is a large intercooler installed in front of the radiator. The transmission installed is the Ford ZF 5spd with the correct adapter set. Really drives nicely. Surprisingly good power. Just so fricking loud in the cab. Guy says with the top off it's much quieter. Is that true?

 

[Digger556]

Pros - it’s a diesel
Cons - it’s a diesel.

Mark

Hahaha, that's a great answer!

Diesels are just a different animal. Different type of power, different noise, different drivetrain considerations.

Pros:
Great torque
Bulletproof
Great mileage
Easily tuned for much more power.
Unique in a Bronco
Good for a working / towing rig

Cons:
Generally louder (4BT is real loud)
Narrow(er) rpm range. (4BT has a pretty low redline)
Shakes the truck more.
Heavy (750 lbs vs 500lbs)

The reality:
If you can tolerate the noise, they are pretty cool and useful. A local guy has one that is stretched and lifted. That rig is a true workhorse and gets great mileage too.

Personally, I like a diesel in a Bronco, but Im going with a newer 2.8 ISF.

 

[Nothing Special]

I used to like the idea of a diesel in a trail rig. Good mileage, great low-end torque. Then I followed one on the trail. It STUNK!. Generally I don't mind the smell of diesel exhaust, but living in it in my open vehicle for about an hour on a low speed trail cured me of wanting a diesel trail rig. I don't know if it stunk in his vehicle, but I don't want to subject my friends or family who might be following me to what I dealt with on that trip.

 

[Yeller]

I have one in a backhoe, love it. But no way I want one in a vehicle. Noisy and shakey, the vibrations are the out for me.