TDIinto 99 Chevrolet S10 Pickup

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
i am considering doing a TDI conversion on a 99 chevy s10 pickup what i need to know what years & engine serial are my best bet also would the ecm give lots of problems with say immobiliser or other reasons that it is not in a vw, i assume i would most definitely require the accelerator pedal for the drive by wire, i cannot see anyone offering an engine conversion plate for this conversion i have done a few conversions in my time so i was gonna have a go at the adaptor backplate myself,
any help or suggestions in this matter will be greatly appreciated, also if anyone has or knows of a suitable engine for this as most salvage yards sell the accessories seperate and for this project it would be a must to get a fresh engine out with all ancillaries attached
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
Lakewood makes a VW 4cyl to T5 bell housing. Easy as pie. Use any motor you want to, just send the ECM to a tuner for them to remove the immobilizer, any unnecessary DTC's, and pep it up. No reason not to!
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Hi Whitbread,
sounds interesting wondering if you would have any contact details for lakewood, the ecu part worries me more han the rest of the conversion, i am originally from Northern Ireland big time Diesel Territory i have done several Diesel conversions when i was there always making the necessary plates etc my self however 10 to 15 years ago diesels were really simple no ecu's to contend with, probably my most difficult conversion was when i put a Nissan Td33 in a 1983 Jaguar XJ6 5-spd Manual this engine came out of a forklift it was a 6-cyl 3.3 ltr turbo, my biggest problem with it was the industrial governor didnt wanna go over 75mph had to make an insert for the mechanical govenor setup to keep it from cutting back at 2800 rpm. i even put a Daihatsu 3 cyl diesel non turbo in a Honda silverwing motorcycle it originally was a v twin shaft drive actually this was a pretty straight forward conversion as far as i can remember now, problem in America donor small diesel engines are scarce and usually at a ransom price, i am seriously considering bringing a shipment of used diesel engines in from my home country, gotta find out the legality of it i have been told dont know how true that you cannot import diesel engines to USA but no problem if they come into USA if their destination is Canada, perhaps you or someone on the Forum knows more about this i do have friends that can source the engines for me in Ireland the Breakers yards there are loaded with small 4-cyl turbo intercooled diesel engines at very affordable cost as compared to here , if anyone knows more re the importing of diesels please reply
P.S. Land Rover Disco 200 Tdi & 300 Tdi engines are readily available over there, VW TDI'S also 1.9's stock at 130hp &150 hp
 
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markd89

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
1978 VW Bus 1Z TDI
I'm not a laywer, but I think if you imported engines that were sold here (i.e. VW TDIs), you could probably do it. There are others doing this. Some are reputable and some not so reputable.

You could possibly make a nice little business if you offered good parts reasonably...
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
Hi Whitbread,
sounds interesting wondering if you would have any contact details for lakewood, the ecu part worries me more han the rest of the conversion, i am originally from Northern Ireland big time Diesel Territory i have done several Diesel conversions when i was there always making the necessary plates etc my self however 10 to 15 years ago diesels were really simple no ecu's to contend with, probably my most difficult conversion was when i put a Nissan Td33 in a 1983 Jaguar XJ6 5-spd Manual this engine came out of a forklift it was a 6-cyl 3.3 ltr turbo, my biggest problem with it was the industrial governor didnt wanna go over 75mph had to make an insert for the mechanical govenor setup to keep it from cutting back at 2800 rpm. i even put a Daihatsu 3 cyl diesel non turbo in a Honda silverwing motorcycle it originally was a v twin shaft drive actually this was a pretty straight forward conversion as far as i can remember now, problem in America donor small diesel engines are scarce and usually at a ransom price, i am seriously considering bringing a shipment of used diesel engines in from my home country, gotta find out the legality of it i have been told dont know how true that you cannot import diesel engines to USA but no problem if they come into USA if their destination is Canada, perhaps you or someone on the Forum knows more about this i do have friends that can source the engines for me in Ireland the Breakers yards there are loaded with small 4-cyl turbo intercooled diesel engines at very affordable cost as compared to here , if anyone knows more re the importing of diesels please reply
P.S. Land Rover Disco 200 Tdi & 300 Tdi engines are readily available over there, VW TDI'S also 1.9's stock at 130hp &150 hp
Google is your friend man http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=330122

As for the ecu, that's the easy part now. Shoot Mike at www.tdtuning.com an email. He's VWMikeL on here also. All the unnecessary crap can be removed from the ecu so it's running completely standalone. No immobilizer or any junk like that to worry about. You can also get a flash loader so you can change the tuning anytime you want for any adjustments or changes in setup. Numerous people on here have done it with great sucess.

No need to import any motors. An ALH with a tune, 10mm pump, race 520 nozzles, and a 17/22 or 1756vk or 2260vk will be a snappy and smoke free 170whp/325+tq which will really scoot an S10.
 

onlyn8v

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
Long Island NY
Matt- There is one problem with that bellhousing. No-one knows what flywheel it was designed for. The guy who had it made never told anyone, and as I am aware his project was abandoned. Even if it is the Chevy bolt pattern, no one makes the flywheel for the vw to chevy, so there is an adapter needed there, or a new flywheel made.
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
Matt- There is one problem with that bellhousing. No-one knows what flywheel it was designed for. The guy who had it made never told anyone, and as I am aware his project was abandoned. Even if it is the Chevy bolt pattern, no one makes the flywheel for the vw to chevy, so there is an adapter needed there, or a new flywheel made.
Bolting trans to motor is a much bigger issue, flywheel is a minor one. Anyone with a CNC lathe can make one easily for you. With some basic measurements and clutch specs, you should be able to have South Bend, McLoed, Yella Terra, etc make you one for $400-600. The fywheel you'll need is very simple and could really even be made on a manual lathe and bridgeport without much difficulty either.
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Tdi-chevy s10 conversion

My S10 has the gm NV1500 5-SPD Manual,it dont have a removable bellhousing, Does anyone which T5 transmission the Lakewood housing is designed for as it looks like i will have to get a T5
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
I'm going to take a shot and say the bolt patten on the front of any T5 is the same once you pull the bell housing off. Do some junkyard hunting and find out!
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Thanks Whitbread,
everyone on this forum is so helpful, have done the truck measuring so i think i can make it fit without cutting the ft crossmember now the hunt is for a tdi engine fairly complete at a sensible price
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Turbo manifold & flywheel

i am going ahead with the TDI >>> Chevrolet S10 Conversion
a few questions i need answered,
for RWD i need a turbo exhaust manifold from a car with engine long ways 1= Will a passat or A4 1.8 Gas TURBO MANIFOLD work for me to allow a front entry starter or does it have to be a Passat TDI item?
2= Will a passat manual flywheel of gas engine work or again does it need to be a TDI?

these are a few start Questions no doubt as i move on there will be lots more head scratching and questions to be answered
i do greatly appreciate all the help available from the club members
you are all real enthusiasts with a legacy of knowledge to go with it
when i get going on this project i intend to photo document the progress & setbacks of course hoping it might help if someone else is as crazy as me to do similar
Thnks A Lot for now
Eric
 

markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
At least the ALH turbo outlet is pointed to the rear already, so no need to change that one. You just make a flange and weld up a custom exhaust. Easy. The starter may be more tricky. You need to be sure the starter turns in the correct direction. It is not just a case of bolting one up that engages the flywheel. I would use the flywheel designed for the engine, but maybe a different clutch setup.
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Just bought a complete 2002 VW Beetle TDI today with a shot auto transmission should have all the bits required to make it run ,also bought a new GM T5 Transmission for $404 on Ebay, i now need to buy a Lakewood bell housing,
does anyone know if the Lakewood bellhousing keeps the Engine at a slant or does it change it to verticle,
couple of things i will still need, Flywheel & passat starter motor + passat exhaust manifold to leave clearance for a front mount starter, was wondering if the A4 or Passat 1.8 Turbo Gas exhaust manifold is adaptable for this as they are a lot easier to find than a Passat TDI
Another question will a golf or jetta manual flywheel work with a starter engagine from the front or is the ring gear bevelled for rear entry only, hate to ask a bunch of questions but i wanna get most of the ingredients rounded up before i make the big attack on it,
Also if anyone needs 2002 Beetle parts i will basically have a complete rolling shell to sell either complete or section out, it has a really nice set of Alloy wheels shod with really good 16"tires, interior is cream colour leather, will be selling all at reasonable prices any interest just Holler at me on 540-797-7776
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Hi
just pulled the tdi motor out of beetle boy that wiring would really scare the crap out of me , there is several vacuum lines goin to the firewall does anyone know if i will need to worry about these going into the S10, looks like i will need to ask the vw experts alot a questions before i have smoke out the back pipe
 

onlyn8v

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
Long Island NY
Just bought a complete 2002 VW Beetle TDI today with a shot auto transmission should have all the bits required to make it run ,also bought a new GM T5 Transmission for $404 on Ebay, i now need to buy a Lakewood bell housing,
does anyone know if the Lakewood bellhousing keeps the Engine at a slant or does it change it to verticle,
Not sure, the only info about it is the motorgeek forum post.

was wondering if the A4 or Passat 1.8 Turbo Gas exhaust manifold is adaptable for this as they are a lot easier to find than a Passat TDI
Absolutely not
Another question will a golf or jetta manual flywheel work with a starter engagine from the front or is the ring gear bevelled for rear entry only, hate to ask a bunch of questions but i wanna get most of the ingredients rounded up before i make the big attack on it,
Good luck, because again, no one knows (or posted) what is needed to make the Lakewood bellhousing work. To my knowledge, no one has completed a swap with one. The easiest solution might be to take a GM flywheel blank and have the VW crank pattern drilled in. Then you should be able to use the GM starter. (Will prob have to use a mini starter)
 
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EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
there is a hell of a bunch of wiring in one of those TDI bugs, does anyone know how little of the wiring i can get away with using in the Chevy S10 Conversion i was planning on keeping as much of the chevy wiring as possible and only really using the essential vw wiring that it would take to make the engine perform as normal as possible
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
anyone know where i could possibly have a flywheel tailor made for the tdi using a Chevrolet S10 clutch, i have just lowered the tdi into the S10 just to see how i am room wise, the a/c compressor had to go too wide at the lower level a/c compressor wouldnt go down past steering box, i am working on mounting the S10 compressor above the pas pump, i think i can get this to work without too much difficulty, waiting for the Lakeland bell housing they tell me its about 3 weeks out, gives me time to figure out a few things like the motor mount brackets, i plan on using PASSAT TDI cone motor mounts dont wanna go too solid as i couldnt stand that vibration tremor all through the vehicle
 

Ski in NC

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Location
Wilmington, NC USA
TDI
2001 Jetta ALH 5sp stock
Rotate the engine so cylinder head is more toward passenger side, and shift engine centerline toward passenger side too. This may give you clearance for the ac comp to steering gear. Also consider moving engine forward.

Rear trans mount can be modded to handle new fwd aft position and any rotation.
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
there was just too much needed tried tilting more probable about 3" too wide at the compressor, anyhow i think i can get by this hurdle easily by mounting it right on top
 

LukeWilson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
Location
Ottawa, ON
TDI
Toyota 4x4 TDI, 2004 Allroad TDI
What us TDI Toyota guys do is just redrill the stock Toyota flywheel to the TDI bolt pattern. This means that you can use the original Toyota clutch and pressure plate. Could you not do that with the Chevy or does the adapter screw things up?
 

onlyn8v

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
Long Island NY
EricWoods, I have contacted a few people that I know that were involved in the production of the Lakewood/quicktime bellhousing. It was designed to work with the passat flywheel and starter. So, you can get a custom clutch made with a GM hub. The transmission it was designed for was a GM t-5. Rotating the engine will mess with the shifter position, so you dont want to do that. As far as i am aware, the bellhousing makes the engine/trans combo 90 degrees
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Thanks Dave,
i have a Lakewood bellhousing on order i have a T5 box awaiting the b'housing i bought a golf flywheel & clutch kit i was going to replace the clutch friction disc with a Chevy disc and then do whatever modifying i need to do with the release bearing,i may have to get a diesel passat starter from the uk unless someon can confirm that one from a 1996 Passat manual will do the trick
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
Thanks Dave,
i have a Lakewood bellhousing on order i have a T5 box awaiting the b'housing i bought a golf flywheel & clutch kit i was going to replace the clutch friction disc with a Chevy disc and then do whatever modifying i need to do with the release bearing,i may have to get a diesel passat starter from the uk unless someon can confirm that one from a 1996 Passat manual will do the trick
The starter from a 04-05 passat tdi is what you need. It works fine with the manual flywheel for an 01E (what bell housing the lakewood is based off of).
 

EricWoods

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Location
Hardy,VA
TDI
99 JETTA TDI
Update run into a problem chevy flywheel didnt look like it would be able to be drilled for the VW plus a suitable clutch wasnt easy either, going a different way about it now, i have a 5-spd toyota pickup gearbox mid 90's have a bare bones kit ordered with Jeff at Acme it comes with a toyota drilled to VW pattern flywheel so a Toyota clutch will simplify that issue, i have an Audi A6 TDI 1.9 Turbo & Exhaust manifold coming from N.Ireland should help with room for stater motor, ust getting ready to send my ECM off to Mike to do the needful, the wiring is the part i am dreading most
 
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