This is a work in progress, and will look like one for some time to come. The vehicle in question is a '96 Honda Passport (also known as the Isuzu Rodeo).

For reasons unknown, the Passodeo decided to eat a spark plug one morning. Ceramics and machined moving steel are a bad mix, great clouds of billowing smoke ensued.

Why a 6VE1? This area's rebuild shops had at least a 2 month lead time, if they were even willing to even specify one. A rebuilt 6VD1, on reasonable terms, could not be located. A used JDM 6VE1 popped right up. Days of rummaging forums later, the 6VE1 was ordered.

Comparing the two engines, the 6VE1 looks to be a better laid out engine. Some bolted on pieces were integrated in to the block casting and coolant ports were relocated to require fewer rubber-metal interconnections.

Step 1: remove body (Looking back, this could be the better choice.)
alt. Step 1: Remove most things other than the body. We went as far as unbolting and moving the front axle.

Take note that Isuzu uses a 'forward pull' clutch. If you haven't encountered one, read up about them before beginning.

Intake Manifold: Using the 6VE1 intake, with 6VD1 injectors stuffed in to it for compatibility with the existing electronics. A bit of grinder work on the manifold helped the fit. At present, the intake control valve is not connected, so the high RPM performance may be a bit less than optimal. It turned out that there was an air leak in the cobbled together intake that caused a check-engine code, or two. Sealing the joints with silicone tape partially cleared up a few of them. Someday, we will have to install a customized intake system.

Exhaust manifolds: 6VE1 bolted right up to the stock exhaust system

Bell housing: Mated up after relocating some guide pins. Only a small sheet metal cover remains to be fabricated.

Throttle: Mounted the 6VD1 cable actuated body on an aluminum adaptor plate. I'll upload an openscad file. Attaching the intake to the air filter box, took a bit of hacking and hacksawing.

Engine oil dipstick: Checking the oil level may require a contortionist's assistance. 

Since 6VD1 accessories are on separate belts and the 6VE1 uses a single serpentine belt, some re-rigging had to be done. Mostly, we just swapped the pulleys.

The radiator fan was destroyed while the engine was in the warehouse. The conversion to a serpentine drive causes the fan to rotate in the opposite direction, so a replacement was needed.

Pwr. Steering: The ECU is expecting a signal from the power steering pump. If we get a check engine code, we'll go back and swap the pumps.

Wire Stretching: Sensors were re-arranged and a larger intake manifold means that there are a lot of wires to be moved, cut and spliced. The cam sensor could not be transferred from the older engine, so the new sensor's plug was spliced in to the harness.

Crankshaft sensor: This was the part that prevented immediate success. Could be that it was damaged or wired differently, but the sensor from the 6VD1 dropped right in. The car started up on the second try.

MAP sensor: Another sensor that needed to be spliced in. In testing, it appears to use the voltages for power and signal. However, the red wire is not +5V from the ECU.

The result: There are a few check engine codes to sort out, but it is running quite smoothly and has very good performance.

Ordering replacement parts in the future will be amusing. Should I order both '98 Trooper and '96 Passport parts, then return the one that does not look right? (This just happened with a potentially faulty MAP sensor.)