1st gen Tacoma ALH

ManicMechanic

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Oct 6, 2017
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03 Golf, 00 Golf, 02 Beetle
Nice looking mounts. I thought about doing something like that on my Samurai but there is zero room in front of my engine. You should find some rubber plugs to put on top of the open pipes at the motor mounts to keep them from filling up with water and dirt.
 

vtpsd

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Vermont
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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Nice looking mounts. I thought about doing something like that on my Samurai but there is zero room in front of my engine. You should find some rubber plugs to put on top of the open pipes at the motor mounts to keep them from filling up with water and dirt.
Good idea, I was going to put drain holes in them, but a plug would be sweet.

I think I might add another brace from the bosses on the block below the manifold to the horizontal bar to help the stress on those top bolts.
 

Exenos

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Ontario
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02 Golf
So no torque rod or anything to act like the dogbone in the vw? I dont like how my mounts turned out and I'm thinking about re doing them in the style you used since I've saw it used a lot.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
So no torque rod or anything to act like the dogbone in the vw? I dont like how my mounts turned out and I'm thinking about re doing them in the style you used since I've saw it used a lot.
No torque arm, the hydraulic mounts are very wide set (about 25" apart), so hopefully I dont need one. I do think I am going to add a bolt-on strut from the horizontal bar to the bosses on the block below the manifold to triangulate the brace some.
 

1.9ZOOK

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Dec 13, 2015
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Downstream of a Volcano
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ALH Samurai
Yeah,it mounts to the 7 bolts on the T-case with soft rubber mounts.
At first I was concerned of the distance between mounts,but it hasn't exploded yet...lol


don't mean to highjack,just showing similar mounts.....
 

jason_alh

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Saskatoon SK, Canada
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2003 Jetta TDI
That looks like a pretty stout design zook. With my Jeep I only built a front frame mount into the aluminum engine mount. In addition to the aluminum bolted connection I added a steel bracket that meets (3) bolts into the engine block and ties into the front frame mount. I hope this is enough to hold the torque and weight.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Zook, that design looks like you are arresting a lot of the torque back at the output. The taco just has a typical rubber block, so its not arresting too much torque. However, My truck is only going to be doing light wheeling but mostly road use with mild power, so I think it will be fine.

I am going to add that lower brace, mostly because playing with my new tubing notcher and band saw is fun.
 

CBM

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Jan 3, 2016
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VA, Williamsburg
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2005 Passat
I used 3/16 plate and .120 wall ERW tubing. The mounts are hydraulic passat BHW TDI mounts from a b5.5. The engine angle ended up at about 5 degrees, and the rear diff is about 6, so that should be good.


I was wondering why you chose to use this tripod style motor mount on the front vs attaching to the side of the block? I am researching for a 3rd gen swap so any insight would be appreciated. Nice work on the mount btw.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
I chose this style of mount because it seemed simple to me. There is not much room on the injection pump side of the engine to make a traditional mount, and the extra room around the turbo is really nice too.

I just finished adding a little more structure to it, I will post some pictures of that.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Here is the additional bracing I added to try and relieve some of the stress off the top two bolts. I made it removable separately so teh whole truss can easily come off in the truck to service the front of the engine. Just tack welded in these pics.

On a side note, does anyone know what the thread is on those bolts in the block that I am using for my plate shown here? Mine are so crusty and rusty, that I cant really tell. I need to run a tap through there to clean them up, but I am doubting myself as to what thread they are supposed to be.





 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
I actually got this truck running and drove it up and down the driveway. My wife had our daughter on sept 4th, so I was home with them for a while. I got a bit of shop time in while they both slept.

First impressions, Damn, its acutally pretty fun. It breaks the tires loose and slides around on the gravel easily. Way way better than the stock engine.

Things to complete
-wiring cleanup
-fab coolant piping
-fab exhaust
-swap rear diff from 3.59 to 4.10

Not sure how long this will take, the newborn thing is pretty all consuming, but at least I can start the truck and move it around when needed.
 

nitec

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Jan 30, 2006
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Ottawa, ON
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1.9TDi PD
Dana,

congrats! That's great news - all the best to Morgan and the baby!

haha you can just forget shop time for a few years I guess...most I haven done to my projects in the last 10 months is unbolt an IC and bolt a new turbo on...I've been thinking about starting the car for about 3 months now :)
 

jmodge

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2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Not sure how long this will take, the newborn thing is pretty all consuming, but at least I can start the truck and move it around when needed.
First child? They are more fun than working in the garage
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Thanks Emil! Its super cool to have a tiny person. Its a bit of a challenge to be going to work and missing most of her awake time. I basically see myself as the support person who keeps the gears turning while Morgan is a full time mom. I am so glad she is not working too, that would be crazy hard.

The sleep thing is a bit of a challenge, but we're already getting a halfway decent pattern established. I am hoping that I can get a night or two a week in the shop after she goes down to bed. We shall see. There are a lot of other things that take priority over car projects.

Also, you might like her name. Lydia.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
I have been really bad about taking pictures. This one is ****ty, but the charge piping is all done, and looks halfway decent considering how pipes have top run all over the place with a counterflow VW motor mounted longitudinally. As you can see, there is lots of cleanup to do in the bay, but I love that part.

 

jimbote

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spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
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Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
dude! looks awesome! warms my heart to see other tacoma builds... i've eclipsed 160k on mine and love it ever time i feel that boost come on ... i'm sure you'll enjoy yours to the fullest also
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
dude! looks awesome! warms my heart to see other tacoma builds... i've eclipsed 160k on mine and love it ever time i feel that boost come on ... i'm sure you'll enjoy yours to the fullest also
Thank you! I want to thank you for all your documentation over the years. There are lots of toyota swaps documented out there, but not too many that are done to a level that I would consider a good, roadworthy truck. Yours is one of those that has been through it all and you have proved that it can be done. I have followed a lot of your leads after reading your trials and tribulations over the years, so thanks again.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Were you able to use the VW belt tensioner and pulley system?
Yes, including a complete (non cut-away) AC compressor. That was one of my main goals, to use the ALH accessories with no modifications.
 

jason_alh

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Saskatoon SK, Canada
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2003 Jetta TDI
Did you have to do anything special? Lift the engine higher or lift kit?

It seems most of the Toyota swaps are using a simplified mechanical tensioner because the A/C pulley hits the subframe I believe.
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Did you have to do anything special? Lift the engine higher or lift kit?
It seems most of the Toyota swaps are using a simplified mechanical tensioner because the A/C pulley hits the subframe I believe.
Nothing special as far as I can tell, I tried to match the angle of the engine tilt that it was in there originally (i think about 4.5 or 5 degrees up from horizontal.

My adapter from Randy is about 2" thick, so the engine is 2" further forward than some other conversions, that could be something to do with it.

I did have to cut down the driver side diff mount sleeve a bit and turn the nut down a bit on the lathe to get adequate clearance for the AC compressor.

Other than that, I dont know what i did differently. It was a priority of mine to be able to use off the shelf ALH accessories with no modifications.
 

3baudios

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Mar 20, 2008
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winston NC
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93 eurovan AHU (almost), 88Fummins, 01 alh golf, 91 toyota alh
Great project Dana, i hope to be also following with a TDI toyota at some point, just need to find good shell. I have an AHU and the ALH that is still in my mk4. I was thinking of which i should put in my eurovan and which i should put into toyota X (when ever i find it) thinking of trying the alh into the eurovan as i have read of issues with the coolant port on what will be the firewall side of the motor when mounting an ALH. It seems with your thicker plate you were able to use the factory flange? Also, congratulation on your first born, i will have my 5th coming this winter, they are amazing investments of your time :)
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
Thanks Bill, congrats on #5, that must be a handful!

I have been slowly working on the truck since I last posted. I have the downpipe built, which literally took about two weeks. (not a lot of shop time right now, just focusing on helping the little girl get the sleep she needs is a full time job, plus I have a full time job, plus I am still constructing the house we live in)
 

vtpsd

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03 jsw TDI, audi 90 AHU swap
I managed to squeak in some fragmented shop time between working and newborn care. Got the downpipe done and the exhaust tacked together. I made the muffler in a straight section so it can be removed and straight piped if "need be"

I got fancy and polished the welds where the pipes can be seen, mostly because my MIG welded stainless welds are not very pretty.

I got the exhaust to exit just like the stock, maybe even fit a bit better than stock with plenty of clearance over the rear axle.







 
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