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Small diesel truck - at last
Ken, since you're already on the Wet Coast, why not look at some of the Japanese imports?
There's a company in Vancouver (there must be some in WA & OR too), I talked to them when I was out there early this month, that custom imports vehicles from Asia, new or used, any model you want, for you.
As a 'one off' end-user import they are exempt from meeting US standards.
They had all sorts of diesel Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, M-B G-wagons, plus all the usual cars, in both right & left drive models too.
Might be worth looking into.
Best of luck.
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Small diesel truck - at last
I think you'd have to do a little more than just swap engines, especially with a 4X4.
Most diesels run a different final gear ratio than gas trucks do. The diesel mill turns slower than a gas one so it needs to have a lower final gear set in order to keep the same top end as the gas truck.
As long as you stay with a top tier manufacturer parts aren't an really issue, both the manufacturer and specialized after-market shops can source them in most cases. The independent shop I uses services many Euro & Asia spec'd vehicles and doesn't seem to have a problem getting spare parts.
It's different up here, the spread between premium and regular is much wider, but I've shown time and again it's usually cheaper to drive a vehicle using premium than regular. This is even more so the case now that regular is E10 or E15 in most places.
Best of luck.
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Small diesel truck - at last
Ann, as usual, has made some excellent points.
One I would like to clarify though. It doesn't matter where you buy your diesel fuel, if it's not used on the road in a licensed vehicle it's road tax-free, period.
Keep your receipts and send them in to your State Revenue people (usually accompanied by a form from them) and they'll send you a refund cheque.
Best of luck.
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Small diesel truck - at last
Ken, you're right, nothing on that truck seems to fit conventional wisdom.
It could be that the Toyota ECM has been 'de-tuned' already to take into account for the E10 fuel.
I must say though that on none of the samples I took between here & Florida on several trips did I encounter any Ethanol in premium fuels. The way the legislation is worded the Ethanol content is a requirement that is based on a percentage of total fuel sold, so if they can get enough Ethanol into the system in regular and mid-grade they don't need to add it to premium and most aren't.
As for the economy of it, here's how it works (in my particular case), my SUV (mid-sized with a 5.0 liter V8) gets a pretty consistent 18 mpg on regular gas, on premium it gets a an also consistent 21 mpg on premium.
That's a 16.7% increase in mileage, as you pointed out, the difference in price per gallon is almost always under 10%. When I brew my own premium by using additives, the cost difference is about 2% per gallon, but I'm still getting Ethanol.
The part I find hard to believe though is that your truck actually got worse mileage on better fuel, it just doesn't make sense from any angle. If nothing else you were putting more BTU's (energy) per gallon through the truck, so it should have gone further on a gallon all things being equal.
Best of luck.
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Small diesel truck - at last
Ken, there's a down 'n' dirty way to get your trucks ECU to 'relearn' the new fuel.
Pull off your positive battery terminal, wait ~5 seconds, then touch it to the negative lead for a second. This will clear all stored data, including 'soft' error codes by discharging the memory. It will be then reset to factory defaults.
Just be sure you've got straight premium (not part regular) gas in the tank and fuel lines. Then drive it the way you normally drive. It may take a while for the truck to relearn your driving style and conditions, but it will happen.
Frank, we had a local fella up here was much the same way, except it was $20 gas and the tailgate always down. Everyone laughed about it because his wife probably weighed nearly what the truck did and she was always with him! 
Best of luck.
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