Ultimate-Engineering

16/04/2026

So you need to fit the Blue oil pressure switch to your PD engine, but don’t know where it goes.
Remove this small b**g with a hexagonal key and replace with the factory Blue oil pressure switch that fits the cylinder head of the original JX 1.6TD engine.

16/04/2026

As we move away from the VNT15 of the older VE pump engines such as AFN and move to the VNT 17 used on the newer bigger horse power PD engines it has been necessary to create a solution to using these turbos clocked for the 50o engine angle.
Attached are some images on how I do this.
I can now offer the drilling jig to get the dowel pin location spot on so you can reindex the oil inlet and outlet to be as vertical as possible.
Also the actuator mounting bracket needs to be re drilled as per the VNT15 and the shorter VW push rod needs to be used to give the best clearance from the engine block. (Thanks go to Rocco for sharing this useful pushrod upgrade)

16/04/2026

A somewhat late entry on the work with the Porsche tiptronic gearbox conversion.
I offered the TDI engine and gearbox up to a T3 syncro to see if any additional work was required to get it to fit.
It’s a big gearbox and even in a syncro with its lower engine and gearbox it will still require bodywork modifications to get it in place.
I don’t want to cut into this syncro, so I’m going to fit the package into a 2wd van I have which has already been modified to take the longer Renault UN1 gearbox.

04/02/2026

For those looking for the correct auxiliary belt to drive just the alternator when fitting the Golf or similar PD engine into their Transporter Mk3.

27/01/2026

A little more progress on the balance shaft delete on the 2.0L BRT PD engine.
Gear removed and swapped for sprocket from a 1.9L PD engine.
Chain and tensioner fitted.
Also A4/ Passat oil pickup pipe and adapter fitted ready for sump adapter and standard JX sump.

22/01/2026

Collecting parts for the 996 gearbox conversion.

19/12/2025

14/12/2025

A little progress on the 2.0 8 valve PD engine.
Getting it ready for a 50o install.
This is a BRT code engine from a VW Sharan, Seat Alhambra or Ford Galaxy. Power output 140hp, 310Nm.
After removing the sump the first big difference from the 1.9 PD’s I had worked on before was seeing this style of oil pump with balance shaft assembly.
This needs to be removed to mount the engine at 50o with the JX sump and Ultimate Engineering sump adapter kit.

https://ultimate-engineering.co.uk/sumpadapter.html

The balance shaft assembly is gear driven, so crank sprocket, chain and oil pump are also required for the balance shaft delete. These items can be sourced from the 1.9 PD engine.
The balance shaft assembly is fed with oil from a port in the engine block. This point must be blanked off to prevent loss of oil pressure when doing the balance shaft delete.
To do this I drilled the hole out to accept a 1/8 BSP tap. Once tapped and cleaned with carb cleaner a 1/8th BSP blank was fitted after applying thread seal/thread lock.

Next job is to remove the crank shaft timing gear and fit the sprocket for the chain driven oil pump.

06/11/2025

A question that comes up quite often is "what clutch and flywheel should I use for my 012 gearbox conversion?"

Here is a list that should help you find the correct parts. The clutch for the 012 gearbox is the 228mm version. The newer cars after 2001 with the 6 speed gearbox use a larger 240mm clutch. This flywheel has a different ring gear with different tooth count and tooth size. The starter motor for the 012 5 speed gearbox must also be used with the 228mm clutch/flywheel set up.

Duel mass flywheel (DMF)
VW
028 105 266A

Audi
038 105 266AB
038 105 266AK
038 105 266AN
038 105 266D

Skoda/Seat
03G 105 266BQ

Full clutch kits
LUK
600 0029 00

Sachs
2290 601 045

31/07/2025

Some of the items I will be taking to the VW T3 Bus Meet this weekend to sell.
I look forward to seeing you guys there for this great T3 get together 😍

28/03/2025

Rolling road print out for AFN engine at 50o with JX exhaust manifold and complete JX exhaust system. This shows a very minimal power loss from a 200,000 mile engine.