well, ive changed my mind.

[Ldub]

I dunno. He did get that monster of a motor to fit, but I dont recall the key ever being turned. Was there ever an update to that project or was it dropped as a failure?

Go turbo diesel.

I'm about 99% sure Coach sold the project to Alaska VX & he's now in charge of bringing the beast to life.

[pbkid]

sounds to me like no one has really done it before...could be interesting to see what happens...thinking about talking to indi 4x and some of the other isuzu specific people and seeing what they have to say about the swap...i think a turbo diesel would be bad ***....could make for a beastly sounding VX too..
im not too worried about the body damage because i love using the car for offroad and mountain rally and whatnot so it wouldnt surprise me if it got some more in time so no use in fixing whats there...just making it functional...basically just fix the headlight which i already have a new one and getting a new bumper...
alright well keep your guys' eyes out for any info on a swap for me/a credible shop that could do it since that seems to be the first thing that needs to be fixed...the bumper and exoskeleton will be soon afterward =)
oh and while im tearing everything apart im wondering if it would make the SAS cheaper? because if so i might look into that too....im sure that will leave me with more options for motors, trannys, and transfer cases...
thanks for the help and support guys

[Triathlete]

There are a ton of top notch custon off road fabricaters in Colorado. Find a local 4x4 club and start talking to those guys. They can lead you to someplace reputable.

[ZEUS]

oh and while im tearing everything apart im wondering if it would make the SAS cheaper? because if so i might look into that too....im sure that will leave me with more options for motors, trannys, and transfer cases...
thanks for the help and support guys

More options, yes! Cheaper... maybe... it depends on what you find! Another reason I mentioned the S-10 is because people have swapped in 1st gen Bronco axles and suspensions as a unit into the front of them. So in one fell swoop, you get a coil suspension and a Dana 44 - the old Bronco suspension is the simplest you could imagine (besides leaf springs). I also believe a kit was developed to install an XJ Cherokee axle into an S-10 but I think that was riding on leaves.

Damn you... you are making me want to track down an S-10 and early Bronco for my own VX!

If there is a diesel that will bolt up to our tranny then cool but as I learned from Billy, the TOD t-case should be swapped out if doing an SAS - maybe he will chime in when he stops running! Just research all you can and find out what axles came in the same WMS to WMS width as our VX to see what your axle options are. Then see what drivetrain would bolt up - passenger drop or driver drop t-case. But when doing a full drivetrain swap, it really is cheaper to start with a complete vehicle so you can take the computer, fuel tank and pump, sending units, wiring harness, etc. along with the engine, tranny and t-case. There are lots of little issues that pop up when doing any swap... such as motor and tranny mounts of course, radiator hoses coming out on the passenger side when the new motor needs them on the driver side, heater plumbing and wiring, power steering setups, the need for custom headers and exhaust to avoid hitting everything, shift cables, drive shafts with proper flanges or yokes, brake lines with the proper fittings at each end to match the hodge podge of parts used, wiring harness splicing... the list goes on and on! Just be aware of what you are getting into and don't take it lightly. Keep us informed!

EDIT: Hey, there is Billy!

[Triathlete]

If you do a SAS some of the things to think about are there are sensoer on the front axle for the ABS and the TOD. In order to retain those you would have to find a way to transfer those sensors to the donar axle. I plan on doing aweay with both those systems ( I don't like the ABS on the trail and don't really need the TOD). I will go to a manual transfer case (low gear options not available for the TOD T- case and possibly twin stickable). The most frequently used axles are the late model waggoneer or Toy axles. The rest I am still researching.