Diesel vs Gas LJ70

[Nicad]

Hello, new member with a few questions. I am quite intrigued by the LJ70 platform and hopefully looking to purchase one. The vehicle will be a replacement for a string of Suzuki SJ410's that my father (Who lives in the Bahamas) has owned over the last 30 years. The Suzukis have been quite reliable, but I find them lacking in giving any confidence at speed (say 60 MPH) and crash protection. Some items seem to corrode and rust out very quickly such as exhaust systems and radiators.
What I am looking for is a vehicle that will first and foremost be reliable, durable and easy to service. There are no mechanics on this island that have proven to be very good at dealing with oddball issues, so my plan is to be able to do most of the maintenance myself. The less tech the better. I have never worked on a diesel and was wondering if they are in most cases the superior LJ poweplant? Fuel economy is not a prime consideration.

I would probably source this vehicle in Japan, but also maybe consider buying one out of Venezuela as there seems to be a lot there.
My other alternative is to buy a Jeep TJ, but I have a feeling the forum members would not find this to be as well made a platform as the LJ-70.

Suggestions and tips appreciated.

 

[emrahdeniz]

The gas version (FJ70) has leaf springs but diesel one has spring suspension. This is very changing your ride comfort if that is important for you.

 

[Paddler Ed]

That's partially correct; in the 70 series there were a number of engines offered, and then 2 different chassis configurations.

"Light" and "Heavy" versions of the chassis differ between coil all round vs leaf all round, whilst the engines range from 2.4 litre (ish in the "light") to 4.2 litres (In the "Heavy")

So, the light came with:
22R (and possibly 22RE) petrol (gasoline) engines
2L-T Turbo diesel
1K Turbo diesel

The Heavy came with:
3B Diesel
13BT turbo diesel
3F petrol (and variations of the F-series engine)
2H diesel

Hope that helps a bit,

Ed

 

[emrahdeniz]

Thank you for the correction. Nice info.

 

[Ben]

Welcome to the club Nicad.

The 2.4TD in the LJ70 and LJ78 is a bit under powered. A far better option is a KZJ70 or KZJ78 as this uses the 1KZ-T 3 litre TD engine and has much more power and torque.

70 is short wheel base 3 door model, 78 is the long wheel base 5 door model.

 

[watrob]

This is what the all coil 70 series chassis looked like?






You then take out the small diesel or petrol engine and you drop in a 12HT?




Then you have economy, diesel and plenty of power