T-18 / T-90 Swap (l-134) Aka Tdi

Me too.

 

Time to install The transmission is in for a test fit.... The problem is......I assembled the trans in my basement! haha that was fun lugging up the stairs. I wheeled it on the jack as far as I could then up the stair to the wheel barrow then into the garage. everything went together smoothly. I needed to install it to figure out how much of my floor needs cut out.. I want to have that part finished before the final install so I can weld nuts and paint the underside. I made the hole large so I will be able to remove the top cover without dropping or pulling the trans. Still have lots to do, but Im slowly chipping away at it. I also modified my throw out bearing collar to make up for the extra thickness of the bearing retainer spacer. I removed 1/4" of material allowing the bearing to press on farther. Then faced it for length. That should give me sufficient space for the bearing to retract and avoid the pressure plate.












I cut off these unneeded ears to make the case a little slimmer.



almost as skinny as a t90! haha....almost











Its a tight fit....... now ive got some sheet metal work to do.

 

So many little unexpected details arise with this swap.



Solved! (dont worry the seat frames had already had the legs replaced)



Its tight but it works.



Everything is painted. I also welded nuts on the tub so I can do everything from above when working on the tranny.



Trans cover



Pulled the tranny back out and painted the tub underneath and on top.... then I put all the gaskets in the transmission, and bolted everything together, cleaned and painted it! Its done and ready for the final install.












I would be a little farther ahead on this but I spent the afternoon yesterday running to get this trailer. I saw it on craigslist really cheap so I couldnt resist. Ive been looking for one just like it for a long time! 6x12.

 

Thanks Stan! My jeep would be honored to hang out with GJ! It has the experience and character my jeep lacks!

Im almost done with the swap....Finally! Ive made a great deal of progress over the past few days.... Been working too much to post... haha! I had to make or modify a bunch of tiny things that seemed to eat up way more time than it should have....!

All the cluch parts needed shortened or lengthened... the ebrake stuff needed relocated or extended. I aded little spacers to the skid plate for now... I plan to put some strategic bends in it so I can remove the spacers to gain 3/8" of clearance.. As of right now I have only lost 3/4" of Ground clearance.

I finished the rear driveshaft last night... moving on the front today. I also have to move my turbo downpipe a about 2" to clear the front shaft...

3/4" cross member spacers to replace the factory 3a 1/4" spacers


Narrowing the clutch pivot by 1.375




Done!



Lengthening the clutch rod by 2"



Made 1" extension for clutch clevis. (I re purposed a hunk of the shift lever I cut off the t-18)



3/4" spacers installed



Rear driveshaft split...



Turning it down so it slides inside of the newly cut tube....



Fitting/truing/phasing...



All welded up....



All said and done its 15" from center of the u-joint to the front of the flange.



Done!

 

The jeep is done... Here is a video and a few pictures of stuff i haven't posted yet...

Front driveshaft, lengthened and rebuilt with new u-joints.






Clutch Rod and clevis... I extended it about 1.5" That is a section of t18 shifter lever I re-purposed. Drilled and threaded on the lathe. 5/16-24.


New seatbelts... Before I had the cage I would prefer to be ejected... haha! Not so much anymore. Retro airplane style belts from summit. $24 each.



And here is what I (and maybe you) Have been waiting for.......