I got a friend with a "man lift" and it has a small diesel 49HP naturally aspirated and it looks like it could be a totally self contained unit that would easily fit under the hood of my 93 dakota 2wd... I know people swap these small diesels into stuff but what do I do about a transmission? I would ultimately like to put it behind a NV3500 but if I did it soon I would just have to keep the auto. How do these guys atatch them to regular old transmissions? This could be the ultimate run around truck for me and with a small turbo I would think a few more HP would not be hard to get. Also if I don't end up with this particular engine is there a source of readily available engines like this that I should be looking into? I rarely ever feel the need to go over 70 MPH so I figure the power would be livable. Just got the wheels turning in my head when I saw how simple that engine was....

Most of those small diesel swaps use Cummins 4BT's which are found in old bread trucks and other delivery vehicles as well as things like Bobcats, etc.. There are adapters available for virtually any transmission. The downside ... those 4BT's are NOT cheap. You could do a Gen 3 hemi swap for less! As for the engine you mention, I'd suggest you do some Google searching.

There are a number of VW alh swaps (99.5-04 Jettas, some Passats, and the hatchback model) too. I have an 01 Jetta diesel and it is a great little engine. I have the euro 6 speed behind it too so I get about 55 mpg highway real easy.

Daughter's VW diesel bit the biscuit ... at 607,000 kms.

Yes it seems the 4BT would be easy, just put my trans guts into a 618 case and it would bolt right up but man those are way to expensive to justify for this swap. Also they are very heavy, much heavier than the ole 318 and noisier than this little bity diesel.

No way on the VW, I have had terrible luck with those for some reason.

Here is a build thread for a early 90's dakota that someone swapped a 4bt 47rh combo into. IIRC 4bt will take the same adapter as the 5.9 6bt.

https://www.4btswaps.com/threads/94-dakota-4bt-swap.7949/

Is it a Mitsubishi 49.5 hp diesel like used in the GA-500 tractors?

https://www.manytractors.com/farm-tractor/mitsubishi/models

The Mitsu “forklift diesel” was used in late 1970s Dodge pickups with manual transmissions,
and my fuzzy memory that it was also used in Chrysler South American assembled cars

wiki

The 1978 models also saw the introduction of the first diesel powered Dodge pickup truck. Available as an economy choice in light-duty trucks and B-series vans was Mitsubishi's 6DR5 4.0 L inline six-cylinder naturally-aspirated diesel, rated at 105 hp (78 kW) at 3500 rpm, and ~230 N·m (~169 lb·ft) at 2200 rpm. The diesel used standard Dodge manual and automatic transmissions via specially made adapter plate which had the LA V8 bolt pattern. This rare factory option, VIN code H, was the result of fuel crisis and the collaboration of Chrysler and Mitsubishi.[9] The engine, while being trustworthy and having far better economy than any other engine in the Dodge lineup at the time, suffered from low power output and was considered to be underpowered by American standards, even though it was previously used in the Japanese 3.5-ton cab-over Mitsubishi T44 Jupiter Truck and in industrial applications. Because of the low sales, it was phased out quickly, and as a result, it became practically a single-year specialty.

Biggest problem with an industrial diesel is that they are setup to run at constant speed and don't take well to changes in throttle.

More precisely it's the injection pump that's setup that way. So to make it a drivable engine you're going to change the pump.

Dodge Dakotas built in Brazil years ago had a factory option of a Brazilian built Detroit Turbo Diesel, but that engine had head gasket troubles.

https://www.4btswaps.com/threads/brizilian-turbo-diesel-dakota-pickup.22018/

Cummins 2.8 crate engine would be the way to go

https://www.cummins.com/engines/repower

And people think the 4BT is expensive?

I don't think this is an exercise on how to save money. The devil is in the details.

The Mazda B2200 mini pickup of the 1980s had a Perkins diesel of 60 HP and a manual trans.

I have had several Perkins diesels in equipment and found them durable but very, very hard to start in cold temperatures.

https://barnfinds.com/sweet-oil-burner-1984-mazda-b2200-diesel/

It would take a hell of a lot of driving to ever see a payoff for a diesel swap using used components, let alone buying a new engine. Price of diesel now negates most of the fuel savings.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but a CNG bifuel conversion is the way to go if savings on fuel costs is the primary concern and there is access to the CNG in your normal driving routes.

ultimate low cost fuel option, widely used in 1929 to 1946 difficult period

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas_generator

but, every few thousand miles you have to clean up the byproduct tar from every nook and cranny in fuel lines and carburetor jets.

Works best with least tar using the nearly pure carbon from charcoal, petroleum coke, steel-making coke, etc

sample quote

A 2010, Mother Earth News article discussed and showed pictures of a wood gas powered engine installed in a pickup truck.[17] As part of the BBC science series "Bang Goes The Theory", a Volkswagen Scirocco was converted to a design by Martin Bacon to run on used coffee grounds, and after its build in 2010 was driven solely on coffee from London to Manchester successfully. Part of the team are now working on a more advanced design leaning towards top speed as opposed to range.

On September 14, 2011, at the Bonneville Salt Flats a truck modified with a wood gas powered engine set a new world speed record for vehicles powered by wood gas with a speed of 73 mph.[18]

end quote

An older small mechanical injected diesel about 50-75 HP should get 50 MPG and be capable of running at least partially on used oil from my repair shop. I had a 93 cummins ram I routinely ran on used oil from the honda dealer I was working at for several years.

Detroit Diesel 6V53T wish I knew how to work on one.
Best sounding engines ever!

Super charged 318 V6 that makes less HP and weighs twice as much as existing 318 V8?

Is your little diesel a
Deutz D2.9L4 49 hp ?

from

https://www.jlg.com/en/equipment/en...pic/400-series/400s-telescopic-boom-lift

Looks just about exactly like it