Can a 4bt swap be done cheaply with the right planning?
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 188
Likes: 2
From: Ocala, FL
Can a 4bt swap be done cheaply with the right planning?
So I dream of one day having a diesel in my JKU but the price tag kills the idea for now. I work at a sheet metal fab shop and a few of the welders (pretty good welders) think they could do it pretty cheaply.
So my question is where is most of the cost associated with the 4bt swap? I don't have any problem with buying a inexpensive motor and rebuilding it myself to save some money and I think I could get help with a good bit of fab work (motor/transmission mounts, cross members, etc)
Is doing the swap for under $5k a dream or could it be done? I do have access to laser cutters, press brakes, CNC mills, and a few other nice machines that could help me out but I don't really have an understanding of the complexity of the swap just yet.
So my question is where is most of the cost associated with the 4bt swap? I don't have any problem with buying a inexpensive motor and rebuilding it myself to save some money and I think I could get help with a good bit of fab work (motor/transmission mounts, cross members, etc)
Is doing the swap for under $5k a dream or could it be done? I do have access to laser cutters, press brakes, CNC mills, and a few other nice machines that could help me out but I don't really have an understanding of the complexity of the swap just yet.
JK Junkie
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,013
Likes: 0
From: West Richland Washington
So I dream of one day having a diesel in my JKU but the price tag kills the idea for now. I work at a sheet metal fab shop and a few of the welders (pretty good welders) think they could do it pretty cheaply.
So my question is where is most of the cost associated with the 4bt swap? I don't have any problem with buying a inexpensive motor and rebuilding it myself to save some money and I think I could get help with a good bit of fab work (motor/transmission mounts, cross members, etc)
Is doing the swap for under $5k a dream or could it be done? I do have access to laser cutters, press brakes, CNC mills, and a few other nice machines that could help me out but I don't really have an understanding of the complexity of the swap just yet.
So my question is where is most of the cost associated with the 4bt swap? I don't have any problem with buying a inexpensive motor and rebuilding it myself to save some money and I think I could get help with a good bit of fab work (motor/transmission mounts, cross members, etc)
Is doing the swap for under $5k a dream or could it be done? I do have access to laser cutters, press brakes, CNC mills, and a few other nice machines that could help me out but I don't really have an understanding of the complexity of the swap just yet.
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,463
Likes: 165
From: Austin <--> Colorado Springs
It looks like the 4bt swap kit itself is 6 grand for auto's, 5 grand for manuals. Give Bruiser a call and see what they say.
Last edited by nthinuf; Dec 26, 2014 at 10:09 PM.