It's a 96 XJ. All you have to do is keep power going to the PCM and don't remove any of the input/output wires. Sure if you don't pull the bulb the "Check Engine" light will burn your eyes out, but that's easy. The PCM will just think that every sensor is out of range. Also I'm really trying to make this look like it rolled out as just any other engine option, so all the unused OE wires, plugs and general harness stuff are going to get wrapped up and tucked away.

There is some dispute on the Jeep sites as to what generates the tach signal. But all that's in the distributor is an old school Hall-Effect sensor. I've run the Dodge trucks and vans with the OBD2 JTEC PCMs at work with bad distributor pickups and the dash tachs still worked. So I figure the input has to come from the Crank and/or VSS. I don't have ABS or security features on this truck so I know that stuff isn't involved. But we'll see if I'm right or not once it goes in. The wost thing that could happen is I'll need a tach buffer and run a universal tach.

OK I'm trying to test posting pics a little differently, since I've got a bunch.

SO the first is the adapter I got a buddy to weld up. It's a line fitting that fits the stock Benz oil pressure port with a 1/8" NPT union on top. I test fit it and the OPS hits the filter housing. I could clearance the housing, but I can just as easily add a 1" spacer to the sender. The second is my $5-million dollar vacuum manifold. All I can say is I had a ton of brass fitting laying around and that's what I made. It's lame and pretty ugly, but I think it's better than a bunch of plastic "T" fittings, and I can just strap this up to the fender to keep it out of the way. The last three are of the stock Jeep Denso alt mounted to the Benz. Again, it's not the prettiest work I've ever done, but it works. I've got to get the rest of my pulley parts to get the right setup and I need to make a spacer for the lower ears. I'm just glad something from that horrid Ford FE build I did a few years ago came in handy, I used the adjuster from that.

Modding the pan is not necessary for XJ swaps, you have to do some mods to the steering and trac bar reguardless, so why are you guys going to all that brain damage? So long as you get it as high as you can and still close the hood and foreward enough to change the oil filter, the pan will clear the front diff. The rest of the stuff has to be adjusted for clearance anyway.

FTE, it's just trading one aggravation for another. I'm dealing with a 2wd version so there's no diff to worry about. All I've got to do is get the steering cleared. If I can do that by copping the pan, rather than the steering, that's how I'd like to go. Ideally pulling the mechanical pump, flat plating that sump and going with an externally mounted electric pump seems like the best way to go. But I don't have all those parts on hand right now.

I like the look of your alt solution as it appears fairly straight forward and functional. Your method combined with the turn buckle route for adjustment strikes me as a perfect alt setup. For me, I'm looking for as many KISS solutions as possible. Thanks for sharing the detailed photos.

Don't forget about the trac bar, seems like you are taking the more difficult route. If I had to do it all over again, I would still go for the steering, trac bar mods than mess with the oil pump and pan, why reinvent the wheel.

See from my POV I'm not reinventing the wheel. Not that I don't respect your oppinion but I'm just taking a different approch. I'm staying fully aware of the fact that steering mods are probably in my near future, but before I jump in and do all that I'm going to try it this way. Out of all the OM617 swap threads I've read(mostly Toyotas and Rovers) oil pan mods greatly out number redsigned steering. IMHO not enough people have done the XJ swaps yet to conclusivly say "This is the best/easiest way!" Right now it seems like it's all still in the "testing" phase and we're all sharing info and trying to improve on what will work best for us. If I can get by with just hacking up the front of the oil sump, well then it's 20 minutes worth of cutting and welding well spent. Once I start test fitting the motor I'll have a better idea of what I'm going to get stuck with. Right now it's all just spit-balling and bench racing.

The two things that seem paramount about this engine going into this chassis that I have found are:
1) Placement, placement, placement
2) Having the correct front springs. You have got to use springs with the correct rate to keep them from over squatting once the weight of the motor is resting on the chassis.

I'm hoping to be test fitting stuff within the next week or two, so that'll give me more in hand data to work with. Keep the info rolling guys!

My response was to your idea of removing the sump and going with an external pump, not 20 min of cut & welding the pan. you are correct about the other swaps needing pan mods, as they are in other rigs, but your doing an XJ and I have been there and done that. Trust me, I spent way more time than you have trying to figure out the best/easyiest way to solve this issue, being one of the first to do an XJ (I did mine BEFORE any adapters were available) and am just trying to save you some time.

FTE - did you use the Ford truck steering box or was that someone else?

Well I got the alt all straitened out. It'll only run one belt, but that's not a major issue.