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I wanted to build up a 4WD diesel LUV from a 82 PUP diesel 2wd 5speed and 81 LUV 4wd gas 4speed. Now that I have both vehicles and was about to start the project, I have seen postings on the 4X4wire Isuzu BB that suggest the c223 diesel engine trucks transmission has a unique bellhousing that will not mate with the gas engines. If this is true, could I swap the bellhousing from the diesel truck's 5 speed 2WD tranny onto the gas engine LUV's 4 speed 4WD tranny? Thanks in advance for any help or info.

From what I've heard, some of the C223 trucks actually have a seperate bellhousing that just bolts to the trans. In the Isuzu gas motor world, just about all the manual transmissions have the bell housing integrated with the front of the transmission. You can't really take it off short of taking the entire trans apart. So, you might have a bellhousing that comes off on the 5spd, but the LUV tranny would not accept it. I think you are basically stuck on this one. The only way I can think of that might work is if you can remove the rear plate (part the bellhousing bolts to) from both motors and swap them. I've never heard of anyone doing it from diesel to gas, but I have heard of it being done between gas motors. The diesel motor may not have similar mountings for the plate though, or it may not even have the same sort of setup.

Still in the planning phase on this one, both rigs are here, but I'm not ready to start tearing down until I've got a start to finish plan. I assumed that it would be a seamless swap because the clutch components are the same for the diesel 2WD and the gas 4WD. I'll have to crawl underneath the both and survey the situation visually.

I replaced my 1.8 gas burner in a 80 4X4 with a 2.2 D from an 86 isuzu .
(1)---make custom motor and tranny mounts
(2)---make custom stearing linkage
(3)---install 4" lift the diesel is a taller motor than the gas burner.
(4)-- take the front half of the diesel tranny and bolt it to the back half on the gas burner if you want to keep your transfercase while tranny is apart their is on shaft that will have to be turn down to fit the diesel front half of the conversion. you ask why the tranny work because the starters are on different sides of the motors.
(5) install custom glow plug wiring and ride.

sparkchaser, was the diesel trans a 5 speed 2X2 ? If so, did the conversion end up with a 5 speed 4X4? I would be very interested in exactly what is needed /or required to make the conversion from 5 speed 2X2 to 5 speed 4X4.
TIA for any info on this topic

The 4X4 gas burner had a 4 speed in it with 4:56 gears and the 2wd deisel had a 5 speed with 4:10 gears. So I ended up with a Deisel 4X4with a 4 speed and 4:56 gears you can start of on flat ground in third gear top speed is 65MPH and the engine sounda like it is about to come out from under the hood. I normally drive it at about 45MPH around town and use it on the farm.Another good poit is fuel mileage I installed a second inline fuel filter at the tank and I run a mixture of half fuel and half pre filtered burnt motor oil .With the end results of 47 miles to the dollar.I dont count it to the gallon because the oil is free and I have to change the inline filters about every 4 tanks .

sparkchaser, Does that mix cause any more smoke and soot than straight diesel? Has it caused any engine problems? what do you use to pre-filter?

thanks,

Smokes about the same and I use the cheap plastic 5/16" inlet and outlet fuel filters from walmart as the pre filters .