gas to diesel ???????

[rabbit82]

My friend bought a really nice gas truck with a bad engine. He was talking about putting in a diesel and we where discussing what all would need to be done. He is no stranger to VW diesels, he has several, but he has never switched one over. The return fuel line is there (plugged off) and the bracket for the fuel filter is there.
What all would be involved in changing one over?

Thanks

[R.O.R-2.0]

was it diesel originally? or gas?

[rabbit82]

As far as we know it was gas. I may have mis spoke about the fuel filter bracket, but there is a place where the filter would go. I haven't seen it yet and can't remember exactly what he said about the filter area. 

[R.O.R-2.0]

As far as we know it was gas. I may have mis spoke about the fuel filter bracket, but there is a place where the filter would go. I haven't seen it yet and can't remember exactly what he said about the filter area. 

if it was originally a gasser, then the fuel lines are on the wrong side of the engine bay to be useful in a diesel swap..

the place to mount the filter bracket is on all mk1 cars, even sciroccos, and they never came diesel..

[rs899]

the place to mount the filter bracket is on all mk1 cars, even sciroccos, and they never came diesel..

...except on the '81 Cabriolet I am currently converting, I guess...  I found a mount off a Jetta TD that I can use.

I can't think of much else that needs changing.  Going to use the positive coil wire as the stop solenoid.  Probably need to figure out how to operate it and the starter without the fuel pump relay and bypass the fuel pump.  Eventually I need to do something about the cat, but the entire exhaust system needs replaced. This one has a 4-2-1 manifold with a flex pipe that I think I will keep.   I am going to use a Ford relay for my glow plugs.  This car already has an FF transmission so I am OK there.

[R.O.R-2.0]

the place to mount the filter bracket is on all mk1 cars, even sciroccos, and they never came diesel..

...except on the '81 Cabriolet I am currently converting, I guess...  I found a mount off a Jetta TD that I can use.

I can't think of much else that needs changing.  Going to use the positive coil wire as the stop solenoid.  Probably need to figure out how to operate it and the starter without the fuel pump relay and bypass the fuel pump.  Eventually I need to do something about the cat, but the entire exhaust system needs replaced. This one has a 4-2-1 manifold with a flex pipe that I think I will keep.   I am going to use a Ford relay for my glow plugs.  This car already has an FF transmission so I am OK there.

if you dont remove the cat relatively soon after the swap, you will be left wondering why your car is CONSTANTLY losing power...

gasser cats clog real quick, because none of the gasses are present in diesel exhaust to activate the catalyst fully, so it just clogs with soot...

[rs899]

Yeah, it won't be there long.  It may well have been gutted already.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Yeah, it won't be there long.  It may well have been gutted already.

i would check.. or just cut it off while the engine is out of the car..

when the downpipe is unhooked from the engine, it makes it alot easier to cut the cat off, and weld a chunk of pipe in place of it..

i dont think it will take much longer than a week or soo, to clog the cat enough for you to start noticing a lack of power..