T5.11 to T6

[merlot]

i recently bought a T5 2010 mod from auction....180.000k's
twin turbo CFCA motor
found out on drive home that motor is blowing smoke
thats when i get into the whole CFC thing

so i kept checking auctions and up comes a 2017 Trakadu
35,000 k's.....bi turbo...burnt out camper so no mech damage

i am presently swapping out the engine
its also a 4 motion and has lots of other good parts which i will be usig eg.brakes,hubs,all coolers,radio,leather steering wheel,seikel shocks,exhaust,rotating seats(although they do need recovering due to roof melting and dripping on them)with armrests,cluster(has heaps more features than 2010,i just hope its compatable)

i rang my "go to man" today and told him what im doing.i said i swapped the ECU out too and he told me it wouldnt start unless i swapped cluster too...ah well,i was planning to do that anyway
first thing tomorrow ill swap cluste rand if theres a problem,i will put back the orig ecu before i get too much put back on

i also plan to use T6 front end as it has a bullbar...bonnet,front guards are different but they look like they will fit

today i dropped new engine into eng bay and started connecting
this is first time for me so been taking it slow but now starting to get really keen,seing it come together

will post mor pics as i get closer

russ

[jonathan_k]

Keep us updated on how you go russ, legendary. Are you building a campervan for Chuck Norris? Looks like you've got a good place to do it!

There's a few of us too wimpy to swap out the rear diff for a locked one.

[LogicprObe]

Can't wait for the next instalment as well!

[merlot]

i could use chuck norris
those engine hoists need 3 people to steer them
when i finish this vw i will be putting decent wheels on the hoist

today got lots done
the engine bay is finished
swapped the guards(wings) and bonnet over and spent half a day aligning same.....wings needed extra mounting hole drilled,and side lights are different so need to rewire same
happy with result tho
dry fitted the bullbar so no drama when i go to fit it tomorrow
hope to finish axels tomorrow,then a lay day as need to go into town for some wire to make loom for 02 sensor

but its getting there

[LogicprObe]

I have the same style of hoist but the wheels are bigger and mounted to bars that can slide out to give more stability.
I'm thinking of putting pneumatic trolley wheels on it so I can pick up rocks with it and move them around the garden.

[merlot]

i cant beleive how lucky i was to pick up the 2017 trakkadu with only 35000k's given my predicament
admittedly it was in townsville,but thats prob why the low price(i paid $6300 after fees)
i fitted the new front today and must say its taken my 2010 van to a new level of aesthetics
fitted drive shafts and hubs/brakes today so all thats left is:
bleed brakes
connect exhaust(need adapter made as new header pipe is larger dia trhan old header.i could swap the mufflers but getting lazy now)
swap out cluster
make a longer loom for DPF? pressure sensor(t6 is mounted near tailshaft where t5 is mounted on engine)
wire in different wing clearance lights
top up power steering tank(i swapped out full steering rack because t6 rack had low k's tie rod ends)
put the wheels back on then see if it starts

because it looks so good,i have decided to go the full monty and fit the 4 motion drive line.But not for a few weeks yet,i want to recover from this episode first(am an old fart and need a break)

this van should see me out,but not sure whether to blank off recirc cooler?...has D suffix and DPF...van had DPF light on all the time,prob due to oily exhaust....i just dont want a repeat

the last pic is an atv lifter which i use to lift my can am spyder
it was really helpful helping me with the weight of the hub/cv joint and shaft combined(i didnt split them as was swapping both out)...these were really heavy and im working alone...when finished i flipped the wood and used same as a stool

T6 front end

[The_Hawk]

This is an awesome build. Watching with interest.

[Bryn23]

Im enjoying the build, not a bad pick up on the trakka, for that price, its a score.

[merlot]

got started around midday and the focus today was on the cluster swap
i wasnt convinced the clusters were the same,as the reset buttons on both are slightly different

so i started on the wreck,and removed the radio,the steering wheel,the cluster and the ignition switch
i wanted to change ignitions anyway,as my switch was diabolical....9 times out of ten i couldnt get the key to come out
its a real laugh when you go shopping and have to leave your van with the key in the ignition
could be difficult to explain to the insurance co
when i was talking to go to man,i mentioned this and he said it was prob the gearstick lever button on the side
anyway,better to have a near new ignition

so carefully removed the bits i wanted,then moved onto the 2010 go van
first thing i noticed was how easy it was to remove cluster.....not like the T6 which was way more difficult

so then i matched up the 2 clusters,and to my dismay,they are totally different
now i am looking at swapping out the complete dash
i was contemplating doing that anyway,but not just yet,i want to get the van going first and i cant without the T6 cluster

as you can see...diff shape and mounting
i did contemplate grinding the lugs off but hey,i was desperate

thats when i had an epithany?
keep the outside of the cluster,but swap out the inside....i mean,the stuff i want is inside the cluster
this proved to be extremely easy....4 screws and the whole thing comes apart
and surprise..both clusters are identical inside,mounting,everything

so i changed them over(while fervently giving thanks to any deity i could think of)boxed the thing up,then went to fit same
alas,what i hadnt seen was an inside of glass which looked like a spider had been in there

you can see the grot left side bottom on the glass inside
so i pulled it apart again and cleaned the inside of the glass
unfort when i went to fit same,i noticed a large piece of white fluff which refused to budge,so i pulled it again and ended up with a perfectly clean cluster



im really relieved i dont have to swap the dashes out(yet) as im going away on monday and would really like to fire this van up before then

removing and cleaning the inside of the cluster on the T5 proved to be really easy

should finish tomorrow or sunday

russ

[merlot]

Im enjoying the build, not a bad pick up on the trakka, for that price, its a score.

it keeps getting better
apart from:fridge,heater, bed convertible,water pump,proper roll out awning
....today i looked under the drivers seat(rotating base of course)and i think i spotted an invertor

russ