![]() 05/07/2020 at 14:50 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
I’ve been authorized by my wife to attempt to purchase this should the bidding remain pretty low... It’s here in Langley somewhere....
What does oppo think? Have I succumbed to cabin fever related craziness?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
![]() 05/07/2020 at 14:50 |
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https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1997-jeep-wrangler-11/
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:02 |
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Never buy someone else's project car.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:04 |
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I don’t know anything about the TJ or that TDI but I’m a fan a diesels. So looks good to me.
You should email for location and scope it out yourself if possible , get that upper hand on the personal bid limit !
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:04 |
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But...it's so nice
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:07 |
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![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:08 |
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As long as you’re planning on swapping a straight 6 back in, sure!
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:12 |
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The front bumper is stupid for on-road use.
And for the current $3000, the price isn’t bad. But I have a feeling the price will go into crack pipe territory.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:12 |
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I was in the ‘never buy another person’s project’ camp until I read the ad, it seems to have been driven extensively since the swap, so there’s not the typical worry of ‘why do all this and then sell it?’. Having a shop do the swap gives me hope that you won’t be asking questions only the previous owner knows the answers to.
I second this, go see it in person if possible. I would also give the shop that did the swap a ring and see if they can tell you anything about it and to get an idea of what they’re like and if they can be helpful in the future.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:13 |
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The photographs of the engine bay show areas to check first. There are too many wires crammed into each battery terminal. It doesn’t look like there was much care taken in that area of the engine swap. The rest of the wiring looks a bit haphazard as well. The impression I get was that it was more important to get the engine in there fast that to do it right.
I’m not sure the Dana 30/35 axles are going to have any longevity for serious off-road driving. Wasn’t the Dana 30 what was used in the Jeep Liberty?
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:16 |
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This is the kind of bad decision we come to Oppo for. As the owner of a smaller, diesel off roader, you should definitely do this.
That said, the real answer probably lies in how you feel about turning your own wrenches and solving unique problems. Having to pay a shop to work on unique problems can get expensive in a hurry.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:17 |
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They wanted to make a jeep less reliable?
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:19 |
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I’d buy it! Earlier on in the year there was a Ford Ranger with a manual and a tuned TDI engine for sale. The spec sheet was amazing. 40 mpg, more power than even a 4.0 Ranger, more torque, and the truck itself was extremely tidy for a Michigan truck. It was literally better than the factory vehicle in every way.
This looks even better as a lot of care went into the build on this one. Unfortunately, that means it’s going to command a pretty price 6 days from now. It’s already at $3k.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:20 |
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I’ve seen it done, I hear the 1.9 PD isn’t a great match for these.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:26 |
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IIRC, the 30 is actually pretty good, more robust than the 35, but I’m far from an expert.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:28 |
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I’ve seen kits for Mercedes swaps too. Those decals have to go.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:53 |
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It’s overall pretty cool, but t he wiring in the engine bay looks kind of shoddy, so that would give me pause . That front bumper thing is stupid, too, but that’s a personal choice.
But if the price stays low enough it might be worth it.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 15:57 |
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Yeah, I doubt the price will stay low, but if it does due to the border staying shut.... who knows!
![]() 05/07/2020 at 16:02 |
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https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-isuzu-vehicross-5/
Come on, get this instead:
![]() 05/07/2020 at 16:40 |
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That’s a lot of red wire to have been a in-house swap. Yikes. Also, doing
the bump and grind @ Moab w/4.56s in a locked
Dana 30 with
that baby sized
pinion is, uh,
bold.
Although neat, n
ever a big fan of the TDI swaps. Big coin for what it is (~$6
500 in parts without the diesel or
turbo upgrade
).
The fancy ass Advance Adapters LS swap kit is $21-
2200 or something. Gen1/2 is cheaper by a few hundred. I know, I know,
boo LS swap.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 16:43 |
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The PD (Pumpe Düse which mean injector-pump) 1.9 TDI are extre mely reliable (its a cast iron block and has 2 valves per cylinder) and quite simple , the only issue is with users not using o il with the correct spec that ends up hurting the cams ; in Europe they are known to stay alive longer than the rest of the car they are put in .
![]() 05/07/2020 at 17:22 |
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Yeah, but you’d buy a LOT of things... in fact, you DO buy a lot of things!
![]() 05/07/2020 at 18:27 |
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That 1.9 TDi from VW is certainly a better choice than the VM Motori derived unit that Jeep put in their diesel powered Wranglers...
![]() 05/07/2020 at 19:19 |
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The Dana 30 is workable and upgradable until you go past 33 inch tires and really hammer it off road. The Dana 35 can be improved but it’s cheaper in the long run to just get a TJ with a Dana 44. Four cylinder and base 4.0 TJs came with a 30 up front and a 35 out back. The rear 44 with a limited slip was a popular option for 4.0 TJs and then the Rubicon came along and threw in front and rear 44s with selectable lockers.
You can run 35 inch tires with the 30/35 combo if you keep it on the pavement but if you only do that then I’m just not sure why you would make the sacrifices to own one.
This TJ though.... it’s pretty neat and looks cool and all but combining late ‘90s Chrysler with early aughts VW just sounds punishing, especially when you were not the original Dr. Frankenstein.
![]() 05/07/2020 at 22:55 |
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If the price gets to high you can always commission a fresh build.
http://www.cotybuilt.com/off-road/1-9l-tdi/1-9pd-turn-key-builds.html
They offer 2.0L JKs as well
.
![]() 05/08/2020 at 09:33 |
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When I was looking at the BaT auction for your Jeep, I saw this and fell in love.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-volvo-122s-33/