Hawk Greenway traveled about 1,000 miles, from western Colorado to Bend, to pick up his modified 1999 Toyota 4Runner on Monday at Import Performance.

The northeast Bend shop is one of the only places in the U.S. where Greenway could get the vehicle he wanted — a Toyota SUV powered by a diesel engine.

The Japanese automaker does not sell diesel-equipped vehicles in this country, according to its website, although it offers them in other countries.

So U.S. consumers who want a diesel-powered truck or SUV must swap engines, or find a shop that can convert gasoline engines to use diesel.

“It’s hard to find competent guys to do diesel-engine conversions,” said Greenway, who lives near Aspen. “It’s kind of a unique vehicle. It should … last forever.”

Import Performance, located off Northeast Empire Avenue between the Bend Parkway and Boyd Acres Road, is one of two shops in the country that will drop used diesel engines into Toyota trucks and SUVs, said owner Gabe Christian. He’s also had customers from Baja, Mexico, Texas, Washington state and Wyoming.

Christian, 36, opened Import Performance 9 1/2 years ago, specializing in high-performance import cars, similar to those made popular in the “The Fast and the Furious” movies.

The work sometimes included engine conversions, he said, so swapping gasoline engines for diesels on trucks and SUVs wasn’t a big leap for the company.

Christian began the diesel swaps about a year ago. The first he put together for himself, believing a market existed for the conversions. He was right.

“Someone found out I had it, bought it, and I shipped it off to Georgia,” he said.

Toyota diesel enthusiasts have started Internet forums and blogs devoted to their interest, with one even suggesting supporters write Toyota and request the automaker sell diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. Diesel aficionados like the engines because they get better fuel mileage and last longer than gasoline engines.

When Christian posts a Toyota diesel sale on his own website or Craigslist, he said, people call from across the country.

Import Performance buys used trucks and SUVs in Japan, has the vehicles cut in half and ships the front sections to Bend — minus the seats, dashboards and doors. His technicians essentially need the drivetrain, engine, transmission and wiring to install in another vehicle, either one supplied by a customer or owned by the shop.

Price varies based on the vehicle and engine models, Christian said, but the conversion starts around $6,000 and can climb to more than $15,000 for newer Toyota Tacoma pickups and 4Runners. The conversions take about three weeks to complete.

While Christian did not want to give specifics, he said the engine swaps have improved his business. To keep up with the work, he hired a new technician about five weeks ago, freeing up another to concentrate on conversions. All Import Performance technicians are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

“You’ve got to be sharp,” Christian said, referring to the skill required to perform the conversions. “You’ve got to know wiring extremely well and have the theory.”

Christian agreed to answer a few additional questions about Import Performance and its engine conversions.

Q: How did you get started swapping engines?

A: I’ve been doing performance stuff since I opened the shop, Honda cars and Nissan cars. In those engine swaps, you do the same things. It kind of just changed into (Toyota trucks and SUVs.) I’ve always been into Toyotas. I worked at (the) Toyota (dealership) here in town.

Q: What problems do you encounter?

A: One of the main difficulties is getting those parts in from Japan. Everything has to go through customs. Now, I’m affected by everything that happened in Japan (since the March earthquake and tsunami).

Q: You advertise the swaps as half cuts. What is that?

A: The truck is literally cut in half behind the front seat. They send the whole front end. We need everything to make the conversion look right. They cut it in half for me (in Japan), and throw it in a container. It’s pretty wild.

Q: What do you do with the leftover parts?

A: We just send them to the wrecking yard … recycle it.

Q: What is the appeal of Toyota trucks and SUVs with diesel engines?

A: It’s a Toyota motor, which lasts a long time, and diesels, of course, which last a lot longer than gas engines. It’s completely feasible to get 400,000 or 500,000 miles out of it.