well, ive changed my mind.

[pbkid]

well ive made a little bit of a life change. i wont be selling any of my parts off of my vehicross, im keeping it....
the basic break down is that it would cost me 15-20K to get the type of cars i was looking at, and i wouldnt even be nearly as happy as if i had my VX back. so....im gonna take a loan out once i get a new job and get everything repaired...which means i need to ask some favors of you guys...
1) i need to find a way to get a better/stronger motor in my VX...can i do a chevy motor of some sort? or is trooper/rodeo my only choices?
2) gonna need to find somewhere around colorado that i can have someone do the motor swap. i dont care if it costs a little more i just need someone who will do a good job because i dont wanna have to do this again in a couple of years.
3) need some help finding parts to repair the body damage...however i want to replace some parts with offroad parts instead of factory...meaning ARB style front bumper and possibly very very strong tube frame to surround the hood and fenders...along the lines of EXO skeleton.

im looking at more like end of summer to be doing all this but i want to get my research done now so that i know how much im gonna need to borrow and where i can get it done and where to order parts from.
thanks for all your help in advance, because i know you guys....

[IndianaVX]

pb,
great news......another vx saved
good luck with the project. you know we're backin ya.

david

[ZEUS]

Swapping different motor type = swapping different tranny and x-case, most likely... and you were talking about swapping in a solid axle before anyway. With such an undertaking I am thinking donor vehicle(s). Which vehicle though? hmm... I think an inline six would be too long for the VX, so Wranglers and Cherokees might be out. The best rig in my opinion would be an S-10 4x4; 4.3 V6, 700R4 or 4L60-E, NP231 = lots of hop-up potential and parts availablity in a reasonably inexpensive package! To keep things emission legal, you would have to do your research, but I think you would need an engine the same year as yours or newer - I could be wrong though. You seemed to be fond of Toyotas though, so maybe a rolled pick up or 4-Runner will present itself. Either way, it is hard to come by a decent solid axle 4x4, the right size, with fuel injection, and for cheap, so you may be swapping in an axle from a different truck anyway, if you are going that route. It depends how crazy you want to get and how handy you and/or your friends are and $$$; but you have lots-o-options if you get creative. Otherwise, you might just consider following the KISS method and just swap in another 3.5L and concentrate on bodywork. I saw a 2nd gen Troop for $1500 yesterday - no guarantees on engine life in any scenario though man. I wish you luck and don't let this project get you down! My CJ-5 has been growing and evolving ever since I took it apart 8 years ago... probably shouldn't have told you that...

[MZ-N10]

if someone can fit a ls1(or was it lt1) in a vx im sure there are plenty of engines to choose from. if u dont really have to stick with a truck motors, u have alot more choices. but from what ive read, ur best bet would probably be a diesel. maybe someone with more knowledge bout them will chime in.....

if u come to the bay area theres a few shops that might do the swap for you. but remember most shops dont deal with anything that isnt oem. u might want to check with people with civics/ae86/240sx, those cars do alot of swaps and maybe they can point u to a shop by u that might take on the swap.

[Ldub]

Good news young feller !
Glad to see you're planning to remain with the herd. Truthfully, I don't know which way you should go, rebuilding or used would be the most economical solution & leave a larger portion of your budget for monster bumpers/exo skelitons etc. But the diesel option has advantages too...especially with the price of gas on the rise. Then there is the "roll your own" option of making your own fuel from waste resturaunt oil.
Lots of different ways to go...which ever solution you choose, at least you'll still be in a VX.

[WormGod]

if someone can fit a ls1(or was it lt1) in a vx im sure there are plenty of engines to choose from. if u dont really have to stick with a truck motors, u have alot more choices. but from what ive read, ur best bet would probably be a diesel. maybe someone with more knowledge bout them will chime in.....

if u come to the bay area theres a few shops that might do the swap for you. but remember most shops dont deal with anything that isnt oem. u might want to check with people with civics/ae86/240sx, those cars do alot of swaps and maybe they can point u to a shop by u that might take on the swap.

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.

[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.