Re-watching this video and realized I misspoke big time lol. I wasn't the first person to use a TDI in a hard-core offroad rig. I was the first person (I could find) that used a TDI in a hard-core TJ. Let me explain... For many years I searched forums, FB groups and KZfaq for anyone that had TDI swapped a jeep wrangler but also built it for rock crawling (40s or bigger). I found zero builds that were put together this way. The fact is, in those days very few people thought that the TDI was capable of the power required to turn a big tire. So when I say I was the first guy to do it I'm referring to a big tire TDI wrangler build. Sometimes in conversations like this you don't explain everything in the way you would like lol. That was the case here 👍

In Australia it’s uncommon to have a 4wd with a petrol in it, pretty much every 4wd you see is a diesel .

Good to see Ian on your channel. I remember watching him and Jessie Combs (R.I.P.) on Power Block way back when Spike TV was TNN.

That was a GREAT conversation. You should honestly do these more often, even like an hour conversation with someone like Ian once a month could be awesome, and if you put it on a podcast you may be able to reach new people.

Love Guy Fieri

Thanks guys this Q&A really helped embolden me on my R2.8 decision. I’ve been planning my swap for a few years now and flip flopped between the TDI and R.28 for a while. Thanks for the great input to the community!

I just wanna point out that the Suzuki guys have been pre-tdi swaps for many years now. Maybe not on documented youtube but definitely on forums. Great Q&A guys and all question I would ask. 👌🏼

I decided to do a 2001 24v cummins swap in my 68 f250. It has been a real challenge. I am hoping to have it running by mid summer. Great video, very informative!!!

This was awesome! A lot of guys aren’t honest in true cost of custom fabing new engines into old vehicles. Great conversation.

Nate, your doin big things now bud! Good for you man! I love this channel! And its growing super fast! We're really happy for you!

I love seeing incrediboy featured on your channel!

So much for me thinking a VW swap would be a cheaper way to go... awesome video. Ian’s the man from a fellow Canadian 🍻

That was an excellent discussion. I have been contemplating a R2.8 swap into my 69 Bronco and this has convinced me that based on my mechanical skills or lack thereof, that the R2.8 would be the best choice for me.

Great convo! I think Ian had a good summary at the end of the current situation as it stands today. I've watched a lot of KZfaq TDI stuff, and there's a lot of head scratching moments for folks that might otherwise be avoided with a Cummins. I also see the point of a TDI if you're chasing after weight. Knowing the BMX guy got it done is inspirational for beginners like me, so I appreciate you not downing him too much.

Absolutely one of the best interviews/Q&A iv seen in a while. It’s crazy I used to watch Ian weekend mornings growing up and then to see him with you ( one of my favorite informative builders from the KZfaq world) on a Q&A is kinda wild. Thanks for what you both do for motivation and inspiration. I’ve messaged both you guys individually and have gotten a reply, which is AWESOME! I am a little jealous Ian has his R2.8 running cooler then mine though ( of course he nailed it on the first try!). Keep on what your doing fellas

Great video Nate! Really informative and I would like to pull my 4.0 from my 98’ TJ and swap a 2.8 Cummins. I was thinking about building a 4.6 stroker, but your video is moving me towards the diesel. Time to do my homework.

Great to see my 2 biggest influences in Off -Road fabrication in one place! Their methods in fabrication can be applied in all automotive builds and you can really create anything using parts that where never meant to work together.

I used to watch Ian's show on powerblock back in the day. Super cool to see him again. One problem I have is when he says "if you're honest with yourself", nobody is ever honest when it comes to how much they're spending on their rigs.

I love this video. I have been thinking of this swap for years but never have the money. The big thing stopping me is doing the engine mounts and lining everything up. I'm also waiting to get every last mile from my gas engine. This was so helpful. Thanks to both of you guys. Loving this. Keep it going.

Incredible! When the R2.8C came out I thought it was around $12Gs. Great info for the beginner and the average wrench turner. 🙏

Torque is the name of the game. I am 61 years old. I have a 2001.5 Cummins H O 4X4 completely stock. 245 HP and A Neice broad torque band of 505 at its peal. 🙏 I hope it out lives me. Of course it has cost me in repairs and maintenance but not 70,000. As in a new truck. Thanks for the video.

I have to say thank you for having Ian on for this one. I would have to believe he has the most knowledge on this topic. The swap I had always wanted to do was a Detroit Diesel 6V92 and Eaton 13 speed with a divorced transfer-case into a 1 ton Chevy with a Caprice wagon body. I should have done it in the early 2000’s when I had access to all the parts.

Dude, Nate, it is so cool seeing you talk to Ian, I used to watch him on Xtreme 4x4 all the time. He and Jessi were the best! You both have inspired me so much. One day I'm going to build a true crawler with everything I've learned from you both. Thank you!

I was quoted $39,000 to swap a R2.8 into my TJ by a shop in Prescott, AZ. 😆😆😆 I really thought it was a joke, but nope!

Fantastic Q&A guys. I wish you two lived closer together and made this a regular format. That was the fasted 28 minutes I've watched in years.

I could listen to you guys talk all day. You guys are titans whether you like it or not! I just finished 3 days of watching Ians big tire garage willys wagon build,, and now I'm checking in with all my favorite youtubers channels to catch the closing of EJS! Grest video guys. So glad you can get together and share your experience with us

Wish you had this video out a year ago, getting my TDI swap running right has been a PITA. Not to mention TECH support would have been awesome! Great video guys!

This has been something I have been considering after spending 25k on my LJ without even getting into the motor yet. Thanks to you both for helping me understand that my ass needs that cummins if I do this hahaha

The aftermarket on the TDI's is crazy big. You can get forged con rods, girdles, ARP head studs make make 350hp reliability. They just don't have the same for the R2.8 yet. Also you can get a ALH TDI and make it all mechanical if you're a luddite.

Love diesels. Got a Nissan 2.7 diesel in my range rover classic. Did the entire conversion myself including making the adapter plate. Iv never done a conversion before and did not have a clue what I was doing. Did the conversion with basic hand tools and a cutting torch. Several years later it is still going strong.

Thank you for answering my question!!! I’ve been wanting to do the 2.8 swap in a mud buggy to crawl through swamps which will weight right around that 6500 pound range Ian was talking about.

Thank you for that! Cleared up a lot of questions I had about doing a diesel swap! I’ve been flip-flopping back-and-forth between TDI and the 2.8 Cummins. Super informative, Nate when are you and Ian going to do a build together. I would love to see that!!!

thanks Nate and Ian....i learned a ton from this conversation... i was stuck on a auto trans...but now i think that an manual is the option for a trail rig...and a 2.8....thanks!!!! great video!

I did my ALH mTDI swap into a Vanagon for way way cheaper than $10k, including adapter and self-made engine mounts/cradle. The donor Jetta had 204k miles, so I pulled the head and refreshed all the fiddly bits. There was no cylinder ridge and the cross-hatching was still visible. Awesome engines, and with a 12mm pump it's a torquey beast. Highly recommended.

Now THIS is my kind of video! I'm go glad people are finally really embracing the diesel swap! When I used to live in the forums, all anyone ever spoke about was the 4bt, 6bt and the IDI and powerstroke engines, and most of the speech was just outright hateful. I'm so glad to see that people are coming out of their shells and experimenting with these little efficient diesels. This really warms my heart

Putting an 05 Bhw in a 90 ranger hopefully to pull a small mowing trailer. If not it'll be a super fun efficient truck

I think these discussions reinforce to me that the days of regular dudes learning to build up rigs are going away because factory support and oem builds are just so good. I cant help but think that there isnt much point in doing smaller rigs when you can just buy something even better and use it more than you wrench it. I bought a 96 discovery 1 as my first project truck and rebuilt the whole thing, although I have loved building it, at each stage I ran into issues where it needed a major, expensive upgrade, and all I could think of was if I did all of these things, I might as well have bought a brand new bronco or something because it simply would have been better overall in the end, not to mention all the work id save. I think the cummins R2.8 is a seriously interesting option, and I hope it keeps expanding. My next build I am hoping to do a classic mercedes G wagon cabrio with a manual and swap a cummins into it (the orinigals were NA diesels with like 50hp). Keep up the good content!

I like the addition from Nate right before cutting “and rattle”. 👍😆

Nice! I was really eyeballing those R2.8 before they came out. Just wasn't sure about the diesel in the XJ offroad. Looks like a manual behind it would answer a lot of my questions. Thanks for answering many of my unasked questions Nate/Ian!

I've watched this now a few times :) But the one thing I really can't fully grasp is the r2.8 swap. Each time I calculate it out I'm much closer to 20k. I can't see how a 1.9 TDI isn't half the cost even using the Cotybuilt parts.

Really enjoyed that one a lot. Now you got me thinking again about R2.8 swapping my single cab 2nd gen Tacoma 5speed. And I thought I had extinguished that dream.

Sonic was dating himself with the Over the Top reference. 😂😂

EXCELLENT video Nate & Ian. I grew up around diesel power via farm and commercial tractors. I have a Unimog & its MB diesel power are AWE$SOME !!

I agree with Ian on the torque and manual transmission magic. I did a Toyota 3L diesel swap with a turbo and intercooler in a manual 4Runner with 5.29 gears and 37s. One of my wheeling buddies asked my why I was riding my brakes up a climb. I explained to him that it was climbing a little too quickly at an idle and I was trying to slow it down over some of the obstacles. I can power brake that thing and do slow burnouts in 2wd at an idle. It is basically unkillable in it's lowest gear and you will either climb, lose traction, or break something. I'm currently working on a 6.5TD swap in a FJ80, but this one will be in front of a 4l80e.

Gentlemen, That was the best and most informative discussion of TDI vs. Cummins Crate that I have ever heard. Thank you for this very excellent discussion.

Great interaction! Every time I see Ian I can't help but remover Jessi, Ian and the days of Xtreme 4x4. RIP Jessi!

idk the first thing about diesels but you're making me want to swap in a 2.8 instead of stroking my 4.0 in my xj. But that aw4...

I've been wheeling Toyota diesels off-road for 25 years. In Canada, we got the 3.4l I4 mechanical diesel. I am doing a build right now on a JDM imported 1988 BJ74 Land Cruiser to install 42" tires, and the ONLY part in the driveline that I am not modifying is the factory 13B-T turbocharged direct injection all mechanical diesel. Everything else from the flywheel on needs the upgrade... this 35 year old engine diesel engine is the flying-spaghetti-monster's gift to off-roading. Nice to hear Nate and Ian reinforce what I've believed since the turn of the century.

I love the content with Ian. Ive been a fan of his since xtreme 4x4 days so I think it's great that you two get along.

Great info Nate and Ian! Love it! I don't know if i'll ever do a diesel swap, but now at least I have a little understanding as to WHY i might. It does sound like it has its benefits!

That was great ! If you had a mic going when you and Ian were on the trail it would have made a incredible podcast . Something to think about next time . 👍

R2.8 has slowly been coming down in price over the years as well.

COOL video Nate/Ian! I really enjoy BOTH your guy's channels! Thanks !

Thanks guys. Y'all kept my attention and answered a lot of questions I had about diesel. This was a good format. I'd like to see more of these.

Thank you Nate for getting this together and getting down to the details in desiel swaps. Great content and information!

Two Motor Heads telling it like it is for the benefit of others. Great video guys!

Been planning out my first swap. Going to be a 2JZ though, but dig the tech talk on something I know little about👍👍

I was actually going to ask you about a R2.8/TDI comparison on the last video after your ride in Ian's rig.

Love the video! The ending probably helped me the most. I'd planned on a TDI but lack the talent I've guessing to do it, although some online make is seem doable for us mere mortals! I have run 5.9 Cummins for 20 years so having a baby Cummins fascinates me, although I'm coming from a different perspective of the two of you. I'd rather be closer to 40mpg than blow black smoke all over! I'm not going to run larger than 31" tires.

those birds on the backround are a nice touch of nature

I want a TDI Ford Ranger 4x4 long travel. I feel like that would be a sweet little setup that could do it all.

I swapped an R2.8 for a small block Chevy in my ‘76 Land Cruiser. Luckily, my fabricating Cummins mechanic friend helped at every step. I couldn’t have done it without his help. Now I could.

Super cool video man, really liked hearing you and Ian sharing your insight on motor swaps. Cool format, thanks for the upload.

you should make a diesel "clutch at idle" demo video. seems many people don't understand.

Thanks guys, you answered a bunch of questions I didn't even know I had!

That bmx guy who did his own defender lives in my town lol

I appreciate all your honesty when it comes to pricing the swaps. There is so much misinformation on the internet regarding this topic. It seems as though sometimes it's a challenge to see who can make up the lowest numbers.

I have a 2017 ram 1500 with the 8 speed behind a hemi. I love my truck. Sometimes I wish I had the ecodiesel but then I remember my rig is being built for over landing. I thank you for all your videos. You are the reason I’m doing what I’m doing. I’m building rocker guards and will be building an overland bed rack. Also planning on building a front hidden winch tray and a few other mods and want to buy a Jeep to bash on.

This was an awesome video, and it needed to happen. Having you too guys on the camera at the some time talking shop was excellent. Make it happen again.

Awesome video man and super cool that you got Ian on here to talk with you about this. I use to watch him build rigs on extreme 4x4 years ago when it was still on TV so super cool to see you make this video

Great show ... I was glued to the monitor !

Blew the original motor in my 1973 Jeep CJ5 a week or so ago(number 6 cylinder decided to chuck the rod and put a nice silver dollar sized hole in motor...fun times) and while I planned on swapping the motor and trans at the end of the summer(I hated the heavyduty 3 speed it came with), it looks like I'll be doing it sooner than planned. Cotybuilt and their 1.9 TDI kit keeps coming up in almost every video I have watched. Personally, when I started thinking about engine swapping to a diesel rather than the 4.0 V6 from a 1991 Cherokee(more hp and torque than the other 4.0 V6s that Jeep made), I liked the idea of more power, torque, and fuel economy that you get with a diesel. This will be my daily driver that I want to be able to take down trails to go camping, no super hard-core crawling, just some moderate off-road driving. Cotybuilt has a TDI 1.9 kit with pretty much everything I need for $5500(only thing I'm not sure if it is includes the trans, which if it doesn't I will probably go with the gas 4.0 V6 because for around the same price($5500) I can get a remanned motor and trans (zero miles on either part and they have a warranty) and the other parts I need to install it. I only paid $3200 for the CJ5 and drove it home with no issues and one day I took a turn and shifted to third and a huge puff of smoke came out and I pulled it over and had it towed in. My mechanic and I popped the hood and saw the nice new hole in the motor and the rod just chilling down inside the hole...little bastard didn't even have the decency to blow itself and not be there staring at me like an petulant child. Anyway, is it possible to swap a late 90s-warly 2000s Cummins motor from a Dodge Ram that I can use a plug and play tuner(Think about the old Bully Dog boxes you used to see advertised on Hot Rod TV)? I know some frame reinforcement will have to happen since my Jeep only weighs 3750lbs gross weight and the engine I am asking about putting in it weighs sooo much more than then 4.2 I6 that came in it, and I am sure the 5 speed that mates to even the smallest Cummins engine that is plug and play tunable(as I understand the newer engines are not able to be tuned with a Bully Dog box or something of that sort). This will be my first diesel vehicle ever and wanted to know if it is even possible to put one of the older Cummins engines in the Jeep in the first place. Any info at all about my questions is greatly appreciated, and feel free to really break it down to the simplest answer possible since I don't know anything about diesel vehicles except how to drive them lol. Thanks in advance to anyone/everyone who tries to answer my questions, I don't want to go 4.0 V6 but if a diesel swap isn't really even close in price, I just can't see dropping twice as much money on daily driver. If I can do it for $5500 like the guy from Cotybuilt mentioned, then hell yeah I'll go diesel but $10k (or $14k for the other Cotybult kit) I am gonna have to pass...which sucks because I really want to go the diesel route...

As it sits right now I'm at 2k on my tdi swap and all I have is a car and an adapter. Still need tune mounts ect. Plan to have a about 5k in it when I'm done.

Dude great video, but when I put a VW CJAA 2.0 into my Jeep CJ7 it's pretty close to the torque and hp of the cummins 2.8 I picked up the engine with the wiring harness and variable turbo for $750 in fresno. The cummins r2.8 was just out of my reach on price. I never even opened up the engine just checked the timing belt. Runs great! Love the power and I put the hydraulic engine mounts in and vibration is very minimal!

Diesel swap the world!!! I started with diesels now I have a hard time driving a gas, just feels so weak at low rpm which is were you normally drive at 90% of the time.

Great to see you both together. A vast amount of knowledge between you to. Thanks again

Ahhh... I wish I had your guys budgets! :) So, a 2.8 with the needed accessories, or a TDI if you totally rebuild it and pimp it out with all sorts of goodies, is a +-$15k effort. That's really hard for a mid-western farm boy like me to swallow- I think it's fair to say, if someone is doing the work themselves, that you can pick up a mid-mileage TDI for a few thousand, and with some time and research do a swap without it turning into a $15k project. Yes, there will be some fabrication and some work migrating electronics from the donor vehicle to the new rig, but while it's time consuming there's nothing that's a show-stopper... the electronics on the TDI are really fairly straight forward. So, yes, if you're looking for a rig with a like-new warranty and you expect to be able to pull into a truck stop and have a Cummins service tech work on it, 2.8 is the winner. OR if you're wanting to make a TDI "new", then yes, throw lots of money at that. For us poor fools with limited budgets, that have to put their hands on it to make it possible- a used TDI is the choice. (I sold a Jetta with 312k miles on is a couple months ago... man I miss it! I figure it had at least another 100k in it! To many cars, too little driveway.... :) )

Fantastic video Nate/Ian your dead right when its comes to swaps i done minor swaps gas to gas , never the other way and am considering it in a few years when i retire and will go with the R2.8 Cummins hands down, its not expensive for what it is or what you get, 1st it has a warranty , and comes with everything you need i have watched over a dozen videos on these engines and best of all you can get service or parts for it any where in Canada where i live or the USA, there is a Cummins service centre within 50 to 100 miles of anywhere you drive on or off road, the money part is the easy part, its the build part you must choose to put in the time and sacrifice other things in order to make your build happen to completion , awesome video 👍

This was a great video man! and I normally don’t like the talk videos . You and Ian made this very informative and easy to watch , even though I have no plans... or knowledge to do something like this . Lol that’s why me and the GF are buying a side by side for her to haul the kids around in when they aren’t dirt biking with me

Careful with that bald head and a backwards hat! My Buddy always wears his hat backwards and when sunny out he ends up with a big sideways “D” on his forehead!

Thanks guys answered questions and opened rabbit holes

Two of my favorite 4x4 gurus

This video was perfect, I have been trying to decide what engine to stuff in a Scout 80 with 40's thanks. R2.8 it is now I just need to finish up 20 or so other projects so I can get it done.

Excellent video! Love to hear you and other rig builders spread the knowledge! Keep 'em coming, bud!

Re rebuilding tdis etc before install. Motivation and seeing proof of the work youve done is a great boost and feeling. Fopr the most part after proof of concept is up and running, its no big deal to pull and rebuild. So many engines are sitting on engine stands with chrome valve covers etc and the fun is gone out of the project. Ever notice those stand engines with serious money spent on them after change of heart, wife wants more time and so on. Also most of this is weekend evenings after work. my 2c.

FYI a buddy of mine just bought a 2005 Passat with 110k on it for $2000. This is in Northeast PA. The body was and just about everything underneath was rusted bad. Exhaust was in two pieces. Wouldn't pass inspection without a bunch of work. Also the windshield was cracked. So owner was sitting on a repair bill they weren't willing to pay for. He parted it out and got $800 out of the parts. So the engine ended up costing him $1200. I drove it it operated just fine. Here in PA with the brine they're spreading in the winter if you're not rinsing your undercarriage every week and treating it yearly with something like fluid film it's just not going to last.

Thanks Fellas! Very informative! Much appreciated!

This was an informative video. Very nice to the have the experience and expertise of Y'ALL.

Thank you I'm definitely putting an r 2.8 in my Toyota sequoia for better fuel mileage with the 6 speed tired of 10mpg

I regret telling him or even insinuating that Ian's white jeep would be a garage queen. I stand corrected,.

Thanks for the vid! This fall, I'm swapping the R2.8 into my 1981 Scrambler. Should be awesome!

Nate, how about a 3.0 tdi into your disco? 242hp, 428tq stock (2012 vw toureg), your knowledge on tdi, it would make sense.

Lol Ian needs some sunglasses! Great info.

Now the 2.8 seems like a much more appealing option, I was gonna go with the tdi for cost but it seems like the 2.8 might actually be a bit more affordable in my situation. Awesome video, I've never been disappointed with a Dirt Lifestyle video!

Thanks Nate and Ian. You guys rock! Such good info from a couple of knowledgeable guys!

using an auto trans also shortens driveshaft length which causes problems in short wheelbase. Love this video wish there were more like this comparing true life scenarios and being honest

A newer larger turbo on the tdis will really help keep the EGTs down

Great vid. Very informative. Just wish it had gone longer. Thanks guys!

Awesome convo!

Great vid and I think "someday" the R2.8 makes the most sense for me. 2 Questions I'd love to have answered - 1. R2.8, exhaust - what's available for a Jeep or is it a complete custom fab job? 2. R2.8 - can a guy get a set of jake brakes for it?