1982 m-TDi Rabbit Pickup ?'s

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
Ok guys, I have some questions about swapping in a TDi driveline (eng & trans) out of a 1997 Passat into my pickup. I want the truck to look entirely stock including the wheels and interior(aside from a few gauges), thus the M-tdi. My main question is what 5th gear should I run as the truck will have the stock 13" rims. It will spend most of the time on the hwy @ 65-70mph. The other question is what turbo I should run. I am going for optimal mpgs.
Please review my thoughts:
Engine: Alh pistons, arp head studs, repair the crank sprocket, full rebuild w/ new bearings, Giles mtdi pump, lightly upgraded injectors, ?turbo?. I think Ill bite the bullet and get the s&P automotive radiator+intercooler setup unless anyone has ideas otherwise.
Transmission: mainly stock, will need gearing upgrades as recommended by ya'll.
The rest of the swap in I think I can handle, and if I get stumped Ill post!:D
Im 18 and going to college full time so, I wont be able to actually do the swap until summer 2018, but I still want to get my ducks in a row!
 

ManicMechanic

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2017
Location
Saint Cloud, Florida
TDI
03 Golf, 00 Golf, 02 Beetle
If you want fuel mileage why not just run the engine bone stock. The ecm can be made standalone pretty easy. If you want to figure out the best over drive measure the height of your tires and use a gear calculator to find what RPMs you would run with each option. You can find the gear calculators on some of the 4X4 parts sites.
 

2many diesels

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Location
Nor Cal
TDI
rabbit pickup 1z swap Audi A4 Quattro ALH. 02 Beetle TDI. 99 Golf TDI. 03 Wagon TDI. 914 Porsche ALH t
I agree with ^^^^. Also, don't run the 020 trans. If you do, come see me i'll give you a bunch of them. Run the 02a with 2000 or later shift linkage and shift tower. Trans will have the right gearing. You will have a 50 mpg truck on the hiway.
 

whitegm1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
CALIF
TDI
1980 Rabbit Pickup/AHU Diesel, 5spd, 12mm IP, .216 nozzles, 45mpg
Hello Brady,
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=440146
As you can see this is what your talking about,it is a direct bolt in, it will do 100 mph due to gearing, could use another gear or taller tires, it all works fine.
I drive it every day, will go 1500 mi on one fill up with 2 tanks, have gone across low desert numerous times with no problems.
Mark
 

damac

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Location
bay area,ca
TDI
none
i am no techie but am currently doing a similar project. i have been working on it 9 months and its still not on the road. i wanted something simple so i got a rover 300 pump from uk ebay from a supposed runner. im using alh stock engine right now.

im putting it into a mk2 golf and after lots of reading went with hydro clutch, a company makes a bolt on kit for stock pedals. i also will keep stock tire height overall and was told to run mk3 tdi tranny for gearing. i am using mk4 shifter controls and tower. i had to grind, cut drill and bolt that for my car.

custom exhaust ive been told 2.5"

i am leaving the injection pump and stock injectors alone for now to get it running and decided on holset he2000wg turbo, lots of people seemed to like them.

i also decided to get that sp unit to save myself some time i want ac and am actually having some trouble mounting it right now. will definately need to raise and push back on my core support to get it to fit. and i need room for intercooler pipe on battery side.

other side is easy for other intercooler pipe but my coolant hoses come out of unit on drivers side and the lower one even with raising is real close to starter. not sure if i can put extreme 90 degree hose on and then run it back up and around yet. im dealing with a game of inches it seems because of stock location of ac condensor. i have a feeling i will revisit that part later as it takes up the whole front grill. if i could get something shorter it won't cover the intercooler top of that unit.

im so itchy to get it running and was gonna make a build thread later, i probably should have done it sooner though to get more help.

i have a commute that isn't the smoothest almost all freeway miles. i try and leave at times i can go with the flow which will be at close to 80mph average. on the same kind of trips i would get 43mpg all day long with rabbit and stock 1.6td, trying constantly to drive in the boost so i didn't have to let off the pedal.
 

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
Ok, thanks guys for the input! Any recommendations on actual gear sizes and where to purchase? Im running stock 13" rims. I would go to 14" but don't know where to find some. Damac recommended a holset he200wg for a turbo. Any thoughts? Also what do ya'll think of s&p radiatior intercooler combo? Thanks!
 

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
I ended up selling my 82 pickup. Bought my 2003 jetta w/ the money.
I still had my wrecked 81 pickup though.
I was fixing to haul it to the scrap when a buddy of mine told me he had a low milage 1z motor for sale. That was in March, and I ended up buying it from him. I bought a welder and chopped the front off the wrecked truck and the front off the rusty rabbit. Then welded the rusty front to the truck. It turned out alright. Don't make fun of my welds it was the first time welding.



Sorry for the poor quality pics.
Got a .658 5th gear and all the basic stuff to make the engine run stock. Picked up a rover 300 tdi pump from a guy on uk ebay. It was fully rebuilt so I didnt have to worry about it. Got all my swap pieces from Sal at s&p. Put in a like new dual mass clutch. Had the local exhaust shop run a 3" turbo back pipe on it w/ a 6" hidden tip. So far everything is stock, just a wisp of smoke when lugged, stock wastegate settings and stock injectors. Thanks to Jason (nomorotors) I will be putting some 205's in. Right now it has just enough power to hold 75mph with the taller gear up a decently steep hill.




Turn signals are on the way, and I have a hood just need to get the latch hooked up converted everything to leds they are pretty nice. Putting insurance on it today. Ill post once I get some milage numbers and more pics when its entirely finished.
I wanted to say thanks to Ray (Ray_G) for his inspiration, help and countless odds and ends parts. And thanks to all the help from the TDI club!
 

nomorotors

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
Location
Athens, AL
TDI
99.5 Jetta 5-Speed, 01 Jetta 5-Speed, 02 Jetta 5-Speed Conversion, 04 Passat 5-Speed Conversion, 05 Passat 5-Speed Conversion, 05 Passat Wagon
Nice job man!!
-Jason
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Ah, the simplicity of a M-TDI!

I like the chopped front end look, lol... makes me think of 2 face from Batman. A y reason you didn’t replace the entire front pan?

Looks like you’re using some strut spacers...2”? Nice tails, too!

Why a 6” tip, especially if you’re hiding it? 3” is enormous on that engine... I planned the same, but the tubing is still hanging off the garage rafters.

-Todd
 

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
The main reason for not taking the whole front piece is I dont know how to get it off, and the left side of the donor rabbit was rusted to pieces. Easier to chop and weld lol.
Yes has 2" spacers on the front need to install the rear lift as well. I was afraid of the tip hitting the ground so I didnt let it come down much Ill probably move it down more in the future. With that 3" it sure growls when the engine is low rpms. I was very blessed to get my hands on a set of those clear tails. I think they look way better. My prother is in the process of rattle canning the front and black fender gray as well as the lago blue hood! Wish I hadn't sold the tailgate, I already left all my contents that were in the back in an intersection when I took off to fast.
Oh by the way this is my first time posting pics, so Ill try to get the sizing right next time.
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Getting the front off is just drilling out a ton of spot welds and some stitch welds in the frame horns.

I need to build my front spacers, but it may be easier to just buy them. Mind me asking where you got yours? How about the tails, although I probably wouldn’t drop the coin on them... they can be pricey.

I see tailgates for sale on Vortex. Plan on spending a couple hundred+ then shipping. I’ve seen nice ones fetch around $500.

-Todd
 

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
I really wanted it lifted so I bit the bullet and bought the spacers here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-MK1-Lif...597903?hash=item363244b64f:g:z14AAOSw-PFaiZ7i
Looks like they might be fairly easy to build. The kit comes w/ lift plates for the rear as well. Just havn't put them in yet. I can hook you up w/ the tailights for 160$ which is what I pay for a set. I think I will just use a piece of plywood for a while. Im a full time college student so I dont have a big budget for this thing.
 

brady rogers

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
oklahoma
TDI
03 jetta 5sp TDI, 2010 bmw x5d, 81 1z MTDi Caddy, 97 jetta tdi
Oh by the way my initial budget was 1500$ to build this thing. But you know how budgets are, My final cost is right at 2900$
 
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