Seth just finished his winter project: a VW diesel conversion on his CJ-3A. Last November he bought a 1949 CJ-3A, but didn’t discover it had a bad block until he pulled the engine apart. So he decided to install a VW engine, while keeping everything else as close to original as he could; it still has the t-90, Spicer-18, Saturn overdrive, Dana 25/41 (lockrite F/R). As a result, the new engine produces 110hp/190ft and he is averaging 38 miles per gallon!
I asked Seth a few questions. Here are his answers:
1) What gave you the idea to us that engine?
I’ve always been a fan of diesel swapped jeeps. My CJ-5 has a Mercedes diesel in it. When I started rebuilding the CJ-3A I realized the l-head would need some work. So, I thought rather than spend money on that, why not put a TDI in it? The engine was already sitting under the work bench as a spare for my daily driver (TDI jetta wagon). I have a small lathe & mill in my basement. It took endless nights making chips and taking measurements. But it’s in and it works!
2) Did you run into any unexpected issues?
I ran into many issues. Some were expected, others were a total surprise. My biggest challenge is that this was not a previously documented swap. So, I was on my own. Honestly there were a few times I almost threw in the towel. The biggest issue was just physically fitting the engine in the jeep. My goal was to keep the jeep as untouched as possible. that meant leaving the drive train in the stock location. I wanted all original driveshafts, cross member and trans cover, etc.
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