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Engine Specific Info and Questions => Non VW Group Diesel => Topic started by: dubCanuck1 on September 19, 2006, 10:45:17 am
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Hi all,
I have a buddy who came over to shoot the breeze and was impressed with my diesel collection. He then wondered what kind of work it would take to put a 1.6 or 1.9 VW TD into a Ford Ranger he has sitting at home.
If anyone's got info, please let me know.
Thanks
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I'm also thinking an Audi, longitudinally mounted engine would do the trick too.
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engine shouldnt really matter. Best bet would be to just drop the money on an adapter and bolt it to a trans. I would probably look for a decent t-5 (more adapter options) and have a drive shaft built.
better brush up on those welding skills.
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What's all involved in an adaptor plate? I want to put a 1.9 TD into a mazda b2200 or b2600
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better brush up on those welding skills.
In progress.
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Good luck on finding a 'ready made' adapter plate. I've been running down every lead I've seen for the last three years and the only adapters you can buy hook the VW to a Suzuki Samurai trans or the Toyota W and R transmissions. Nothing for any trans Detroit made.
Don't think you could make an adapter to the Mazda trans in a Ranger or Mazda truck, input shaft is recessed too far into the bell housing already.
I building my own adapter to mate the VW diesel to the GM 60 deg V6 style bell housing, and a Borg Warner T5 trans. Looks pretty good so far.
Piper106
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Anyone have any pictures of an adaptor plate? It might be easier for me to just make the truck FWD...
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actually the mid 80s rangers used either mazda or Mitsu trannys I believe.
Call advanced adapters. Or Kennedy Engeneering.
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2 or 4 wheel drive?
I am swapping a 1.6TD into a 2wd toyota pick up using the toyota automatic transmission. I'm working on motor mounts now. So far its been pretty strait forward. The nice thing about putting these engines in a truck is that there is plenty of room in there
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Id eventually like to put a 2.4td in my Jeep but I want to keep the auto transmission (Toyota AW4). But for simplicity I might go to a 5 speed.
Or Ill just find a 4BT Cummins
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My mechanic got a perkins 4 cyl diesel engine into a mazda pickup. Everyone who wanted to buy it wanted to know how the heck he did it haha... that thing had mad torque... he sold it for 3500
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Has anyone ever tried making the truck FWD? by using the front of a 4X4 and say a fox transmission, that way there is no adaptor plates needed. Obviously custom axles would be required
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^ Would there be room between the truck framerails to get the VW motor and tranny low enough and far enough forward to line up the axles? The VW frame members are quite wide compared to a truck's.
Would the VW gearing be low enough to get the truck moving?
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I dont think you could get a transverse engine in there, which is why the fox tranny would be used as it attatches to a longitudal engine.
Gearing is the next issue that would need to be addressed.
I know I would need custom axles but I'm not sure if they would work as they mount to the tranny pretty far back in the engine bay. I'm thinking there will be issues turning and overstretching the CVs
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I would think the simplist way to accomplish this would be to find a competent machinist.
Have an adapter plate made to go from the engine to Ford transmission, then you don't have to customize anything else in the driveline.
My dad procured a Mercedes diesel really cheap, and as soon as the fussy bugger locates a truck to his liking, that's what we'll be doing.
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I agree with MacGyver.
The other issue with a ranger, the older 4x4s had that swing axle style front end where the axles, diff and outer joints are all integrated into one large unit, it would be almost imposible to convert to any other style of differential.
Newer ones got A arm style front ends, but even with those (or any other similar 4x4 front suspension), there isnt much room in the outer CV joint area to come in from a different angle. The VW CVs wont handle much angle according to what I have read from people who wanted to jack one up.
On the other hand, if you want to build a rock crawler/bush buggy/tractor, toss out the ford engine and tranny and drop in a golf/jetta engine & auto tranny turned 90 degrees (engine and axles in front-back orientation), with custom axles hooking up to ford differentials. Super low gearing!
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So, what about an old Mercedes Diesel engine? They were longitudinally mounted (weren't they) and weighed about the same as a Ranger (maybe more).
I guess it doesn't have to be a transverse engine or a 1.6TD. Didn't Audi also have some longitudinal 5 cylinder diesels?
Any others? Volvo? Toyota?
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Yup, volvo, MB both have common in North America longitudinal diesels in cars. Toyota, Nissan, Mazda all did some trucks in the 80s. I think Rangers even came with a mazda diesel in them, but it wasnt very common.
You could probably pick up a engine/tranny from one of those for less that you would spend on an adapter plate for VW onto a longitudinal tranny. Or for slightly more, the entire truck, saving all that swap hassle.
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Finding a diesel truck is near impossible, plus the parts availability and upgrades are no where near what a VW engine will offer.
I do have access to a diesel MB, the problem is that is has 1/2mill kms on it, it was raced during it's last stages of life and it doesn't provide much more HP then the 1.6NA.
I can't justify spending 3k on a car just to take the engine out of for a truck. It's just not practical enough for me.
That being said though, would it be easier to build an adaptor plate for a MB or volvo tranny rather then a truck?
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The mercedes diesels probably weight at least twice as much as the stock ford ranger engine -- if you've ever looked at one of these, it's about the size as a small block V-8. Much heavier built that the mitsubishi and mazda diesels that were offered in the ranger in the early 80's. Getting a toyota truck and putting the VW diesel in it might be alot easier. But then again, I'm putting a VW diesel in a subaru, so obviously not one to pick the easy route....