tdi into 80's toyota van

3baudios

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Location
winston NC
TDI
93 eurovan AHU (almost), 88Fummins, 01 alh golf, 91 toyota alh
Has this swap been done? they are RWD so i would assume they share the transmission with a toyota 2wd truck? is there enough room?
 

Bad_Vision

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2017
Location
Grand rapids Michigan area
TDI
1985 Toyota pickup TDI swapped.
Has this swap been done? they are RWD so i would assume they share the transmission with a toyota 2wd truck? is there enough room?
The alh TDI is taller then the 22r engine. For my swap I had to do 2" body lift to shut the hood and to clear the vacuum pump against the firewall. Not sure the van would clear but as for the trans it will mate for sure with the adapter plate sold by Acme.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
I didn't get a chance to work on many of these back in the day, but my memory is that the stock gasser engine is canted at something like 45 degrees from vertical.

My guess is that you would need to do the same, perhaps working to shorten the height of the intake manifold.

 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
The Toyota TownAce sold in North America as the Van used the 4Y pushrod engine and it's sitting vertically. I don't know for sure but I suspect that engine is even shorter than a 20R/22R. The obviously OHC engine in the photo is probably a 2C non-turbo diesel. I'd say there's a fighting chance that the VW engine block and head would fit in the van but the accessories around it are anyone's guess; it's a pretty tight engine compartment. I can tell by the photo that the intake manifold on the VW engine is on the "wrong" side compared to the original Toyota diesel engine. The later Previa is the one with the engine canted over at a steep angle.

It's been a long time since I've seen one of the TownAce-style Vans on the road. Around here, they all rusted out a long time ago, and weren't considered to be worth saving. I drove one of these once when shopping for a vehicle back in the day. Slow, and yet scary at the same time. Best way to describe ride and handling is that there wasn't any.
 

jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
TDI
Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
i have a 2ct lite ace and the engine is nowhere near 45 degrees, maybe you're thinking of the previa that had a nearly horizontal four config ? i think an ALH could be made to fit as it's not really much taller than a 2c and i have to disagree on it being taller than a 22r (which was never offered in a NA toy van) 22r is a very tall four banger with it's massive VC housing an oversized rocker rail ... ALH is a relatively compact power dense unit
 

jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
TDI
Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
the van trans, if manual, is a modified version of the w series truck box, so theoretically you could use a 22r bell and a craptastic a**e adapter ... or you just buy this entire lite ace 2ct 4wd i have rotting away and swap the entire driveline :)
 

3baudios

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Location
winston NC
TDI
93 eurovan AHU (almost), 88Fummins, 01 alh golf, 91 toyota alh
The van sold very quickly. I'm trying to find something that will seat the whole family and I can put my ALH into
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Lots of Vanagon VAG inline engine swaps running around. Someone here even has one with an ALH in it.
 

3baudios

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Location
winston NC
TDI
93 eurovan AHU (almost), 88Fummins, 01 alh golf, 91 toyota alh
I've had a vanagon, they rust out quickly and are now becoming very very expensive. Looking for something that seats six or seven and was built before 1995 . Don't want to have to plug it in for state inspection
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
I've had a vanagon, they rust out quickly and are now becoming very very expensive. Looking for something that seats six or seven and was built before 1995 . Don't want to have to plug it in for state inspection
FWD, seats 6 - 1966 Olds toronado:



Perfect car to convert :D
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I've had a vanagon, they rust out quickly
And the Toyotas didn't???? :D:p:):confused:;)

In your area especially, ANYTHING from 1995 and older is likely to be riddled with rust issues, and anything that you'd buy from that era that has not been subjected to the salt will soon be.

I am not sure what exactly you are after here, nor do I know how large your family is (or will be). However I do think that any older vehicle, especially something as fiddly and hands on as something that has an engine swapped into it that was not there before, is going to fall far more into the hobby car category than a reliable family vehicle.

And I am also not sure that going for something that old strictly to avoid an annual inspection is necessarily the wisest choice either, given the fact that it will almost certainly be less of a headache to maintain a newer as-built vehicle, inspections and all, to carry your family around. Even if it is gasoline fueled.
 

Zeitgeist

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2004
Location
Cascadia
TDI
'04 Variant and Vanagon mTDI
I have an ALH in my Vanagon. No rust. It's a very nice people hauler. I prefer my Eurovan, though.
 

3baudios

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Location
winston NC
TDI
93 eurovan AHU (almost), 88Fummins, 01 alh golf, 91 toyota alh
the early 90's audi's were double galvanized fairly thick metal and hold together quite well. the 100/A6 with a third row seat is my ideal but they are getting hard to come by. I am looking for something w/o any rust ( west coast?) then plan to keep with the fluid film to slow the salt attack.
 

Zeitgeist

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2004
Location
Cascadia
TDI
'04 Variant and Vanagon mTDI
We've owned a '94 100CS Quattro Avant since '06 and it's been a very reliable rust free kid hauler that we've now passed on to our daughter. An ALH would have a massive amount of space to fit in there. They're stupid easy to replace the timing belts, even with the stock V6; an ALH would be even easier.
 

Bad_Vision

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2017
Location
Grand rapids Michigan area
TDI
1985 Toyota pickup TDI swapped.
Do a 2nd or 3rd gen 4runner they are 4 door roomy and will take the alh with little effort if you have the skills.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Those 4Runners are based on the compact HiLux (not called that here) pickups. They are hardly what I would call "roomy", and there is no room for a 3rd row seat unless you made it for toddlers only. Even the big Sequoia's 3rd row is a tight fit. Minivans are FAR more useful for families with more than three children.
 
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