Hi everyone.

I live in New Zealand and have started swapping a vw 1.9tdi into a 1999 xj.
I am using the excellent parts provided by evguy who also has a build thread on this forum.

There are a couple of differences with my swap, firstly i am actually starting with a diesel model, a 2.5 vm with reliability issues. Secondly my jeep is RHD.

I will be doing a 2 inch lift, and swapping in a ford 8.8, mainly for the disk brakes. I have a fairly large gtb2260vk turbo to go on so should hopefully be looking at around 200hp.

Having put engine/box together and had a quick test fit it appears i may be able to leave the box/transfer in their original position, with just some minor mods to the great engine mounts i purchased from evguy.

Will put some pics up shortly, right now i am after some advice, being RHD my trackbar appears to run the opposite way and is impacting the front of the oilpan, would it be a major safety issue if i was to heat and bend the stock bar down or foward 2-3" then modify it to become adjustable to allow for the lost length? Will not see and heavy offroading just daily driving and a little bit of towing.

 

Bigger axles are always good, but if you're just doing it for a disc conversion, look into doing a ZJ swap. All you need is to find a pair of backing plates and the rest can be bought from your local parts store.