Toyota K-Type engines in Thailand are used for:
Ouch… i have found 2… to satisfy my need to build something…
Not sure about elsewhere, but here the aftermarket parts are available, doesn’t breaks the bank and the engines are as easy, if not more easy, as a honda clone…
Anyway… either floating on wood or charcoal or just as a stress relieving fun project…
I want to refurbish / rebuild them entirely and make them woodgas ready…
These are the old Toyota 4K engines
1300 CC low compression engines
Lets see what i can build with them.
This topic i will enjoy as a “stress relief” project, also to see how efficient a watercooled, blower charged engine can run. With heat recovery from anywhere possible.
Enjoy the venture…
Yes we will. Thx Koen for sharing. Crazy guys with those boats. Some neighbour overhere goes there a lot and showing some now and then.
From the looks of that photo, and knowing how dangerous speed boat racing is… You can probably find a lot more with better scuba gear. 
I like those K engines, old , easy fix, can be adapted for woodgas…
Are those easy to find in the place you all are at ?
I’ve worked with cars almost all my life, and can’t remember ever seen one in Sweden 
Which cars/year models?
Without checking I seem to remember at least the old square shoe box Nissan Micra had K engines. I could be wrong.
Maybe you’re right, i can’t remember that engine, with the distributor placed “in the middle”
Maybe the rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet?
It sure looks like a sturdy, reliable engine though.
I don’t think many Japanese cars were sold in my state until the oil embargo’s in the mid 70’s jacked up the gas price enough to get peoples attention. I remember the Honda motorcycle dealer had a few cars in the late 60’s but they were about the size of a go-cart. I seem to remember 12 inch wheels. If it was non-US then it was probably a VW or some British sports car. Of course I was living around Detroit then and driving anything foreign could get hazardous to your health.
The fun of these engines, coz i can’t get the real US engines here, is that anything can be easy adjusted to any spec desired.
can play around with ignition timing, cam timing, Compression ratio , the lot.
And, they are watercooled, for anybody that wants to run a home system to get heat and electric…
Based on the wise words of SU, i choose these to put a genhead on instead of any aircooled newer engines.
The difference in displacement ( bigger) compared with a twin 660 Honda to run a slightly upsized generator for household, will benefit the use of woodgas.
I still have the twin Onan to run with an 8000 watts gen, but, once this 4K runs, i will mount this Onan genset to the 4K with belt at different rpm ratio.
Convert the gen output to DC, feed into a Hybrid solar converter, makes it reliable for constant voltage/Hz,
I will choose the Rpm load somewhere between 2000 and 2200 rpm for the engine and between 3600 and 3800 for the genhead and work from there.
The same plans overhere but no time to experiment. Bridge rectifier is waiting for connection to a two cyl genset. No hybrid just normal solar inverter. If something goes wrong inverter pops and my machines keep running. Cant affort breaking them with runaway generator.
Here is a add I found of a Starlet. 1300 cc and more then 200 hp. Sturdy engines. 
I’m anxious to see you proceed with this project Koen. I have had the same plan for a couple of years but never seem to get caught up enough to pull the pin. I have an Front assemble from a Honda Civic that I want to free the engine from and mount to a 10K Miller welder/generator I have. Sounds like just the same project. I was thinking chain drive but as I think about it changing rpm ratios would be much easier with belts.
Koen,
I think the equivalent available power plant here in the USA would have to be Ford, Chevy, or Volvo red-block 4 cyl. engines. Like Tom said, those old Toyota engines were not sold in quantity here, back then. I noticed the Wiki article mentions 1980’s Toyota forklifts, which may be available.
Volvo/Penta 130 marine drives were the “red-block” engine I think, Some boat racers used 1970’s Ford Pinto engines, and there is the well-known GM “Iron Duke” engine. Pretty much all are now antiques as most all “moderns” are 16 valve DOHC fuel injected types.
yeah Mike, it all depends what’s available at location…
I just stumbled on these, cheap , and… the aftermarket parts are also cheap and easy to find…
I still have 1JZ ( 4 pieces) 2 JZ (1) and 2UZ V8(2) Toyota engines to do…
dang difficult to find cheap aftermarket or diy availability…
