mk1 cabby gas to diesel swap questions

[54321chris]

Hi all,
  Newbie question.  I am thinking of trying to drop a NA diesel and 5 speed from an 85 Jetta into a 1980 cabby.  Will I have everything I need, or will I need to source some things off a mk1 diesel?  Are the mounts/axles/wiring harness/etc off one of these cars going to work?  I'm looking at 700 for both cars, so it's definitely looking cost-effective at this point.  Any pointers and/or links to similar projects are appreciated.

[8v-of-fury]

Welcome to the board!

I am currently in the middle of a gas to diesel swap myself !

http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16560&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Thats on of my first threads on the subject.. it may help you a bit. Do you by any chance know what code the trans is? that will help us a little.. I dunno if the 85 diesel ever came with 100mm axles or not? the cabby should have 90's.. and this trans will more then likely be 90's too.

You will need a Passenger side motor mount out of an mk1 diesel. It will replace the current Bracket for the Injector Pump. When swapping brackets it is necessary to remove the IP.. so this would be a good time to change the timing belt and tensioner as well

Keep us updated!

and once again, welcome to the Forum! this truly is the best place to get solid answers!  :wink:

[subsonic]

My 85 NA had an ACH tranny and 90mm axles.

[54321chris]

Thanks a lot guys!  I contacted the guy who has the cabby for sale and he apparently made it a "permanent convertible": shaved down the lip for the top, removed the windows and regulators. So it's not looking quite as desirable as before.  Is it prohibitively expensive to undo what he's done to the car?  It currently runs, is rust-free, and has new seats and nice wheels and new tires, so there's still some merit to the car, and it's super cheap (sub 500).  I'd have to buy a top as well, since the one he took off was trashed.   :?

[arb]

Thanks a lot guys!  I contacted the guy who has the cabby for sale and he apparently made it a "permanent convertible": shaved down the lip for the top, removed the windows and regulators. So it's not looking quite as desirable as before.  Is it prohibitively expensive to undo what he's done to the car?  It currently runs, is rust-free, and has new seats and nice wheels and new tires, so there's still some merit to the car, and it's super cheap (sub 500).  I'd have to buy a top as well, since the one he took off was trashed.   :?

How creative and cheap are you ? You could fabricate a simple rag top and frame like the jeeps have. No motors, just steel tubes with a rubberized fabric covering it. Most boat shops will have this canvas. Did he beef up the floor / rocker panels ? It sounds like this was a hard top to begin with. They rely upon the door aperture for part of the strength. Without extra materials below, your door will gradually get pinched in the door frame.

[54321chris]

It definitely started out as a convertible, according to the VIN.  Anyone know of any threads with a custom/homemade top?  I'd be willing to consider it.  I'm going to look at it this evening, so I'll post about it tonight.

[54321chris]

Well, this idea is scrapped.  The car was in much worse shape than I had initially thought.  I'm just going to do some body work on the car that the diesel is currently in, a 1985 Jetta.  Thanks guys.