Turbo Diesel Cabriolet Project (with head porting pics)

[gldgti]

Thanks mate - its nice to have a car that we enjoy cruising around in so much that also uses hardly any fuel, best of both worlds for sure.

After driving it home tonight can't get enough of the off the line torque, its quicker from a standstill than all my previous cars. My mk3 with the big turbo used to be slow off the line but had loooong legs, this is quite the opposite really but I wont have to lose the off the line accelleration when its tuned up!

I guess I should make a point that when I describe these characteristics I'm really talking about the way it responds to normal driving inputs rather than actually trying to go fast - its the characterstics of the powerplant that you get during normal driving that you live with 90% of the time - thats why i drive diesel

[Jarred]

great work!! love your reasoning and DIY skills!

[Dub Toffee]

Can't forget to mention how fun it was seeing this puppy
in the flesh. Was a tidy project
That was running like a Swiss watch.
Thanks for a run in it mate, your going to so much torque when u boost this thing all the way

[gldgti]

Thanks mate. New radiator is in and working great, probably a good thing given the extra heat loading of the big engine and intercooler up front.

Last night I fitted my new turbotech mk2 boost controller (good for 60psi!!!) and took the car for a little run - hit 22-23 psi easy as you like! But the little turbo probably wont last long like that so I've dialled it back to about 17psi. All the IC piping/connections are holding out no worries which is great, and the intercooler seems to be doing a great job where it is for now.

I've turned the fuelling up a little but this pump is seriously limited in its fuelling capacity - I can't make it smoke really which means all the extra boost only gives a little more power

still, it lights up the tyres pretty well

I think I'm going to need to put a bigger pump head on it mainly because its still slow at high speed/load. Just doesnt have much once your at freeway speeds, which just feels annoying considering how fast it is around town now. Anyway that'll be the next project.

Still no milage figures yet unfortunately, I've only use one full tank that I measured the km from and I forgot to work it out but its somewhere between 5-6l/100km which is great considering i've been using full throttle most of the time

[hiho]

An inspiring build Ayden! Love your work

[gldgti]

Thanks man!

Little update for this puppy - I'm buying a house so my coilover budget has been put a fair ways down the list - I'd like to go for some weitec's when the time is right - but I was having major issues with the handling on the lowered springs and bilstein touring class shocks, because of the extra weight of the 1.9, the intercooler, pipework etc.

Anyway I've had a set of hottunings sitting around for ages doing nothing, so I fitted them on the weekend along with new Prothane rear beam bushings.

I never really liked the hotuunings for their insufficient rear shock length and seemingly rediculously high spring rate, but in the cabrio with the fronts wound about halfway up (ride height same as on the lowered springs) and the rears a touch higher than before, they are a lot more comfortable and stable than the springs/shocks I had before.

The extra weight of the cabrio makes a bit of a difference to the comfort factor, and then add in the heavier engine and the front is really quite good.

I still cant fathom why the hell the rears are so short, but its working OK, mainly notice it on large undulations when the car "drops off" an edge in the road - because there's only about 15mm of compression under the normal weight of the car, the back of the car falls rather quickly - other than that its fine really.

Anyway the "long and the short" of it is that the cars handling and comfort have improved significantly and I haven't spent a cent, so I'm happy.

To make it even better, the balance has shifted to the rear a bit making it simple and easy to drive it a bit like a pug 205GTI, if you know what I mean

[gldgti]

UPDATE

First service yesterday, did liquimoly engine flush and MoS2 treatement, changed the oil cooler to an old one (the aftermarket new one I fitted during the build had crushed, making a seal with the oil filter impossible!).

Also rebuilt the injector pump with a 9mm head instead of the 8mm one that was on there - this equates to ~26% more fuel and has really livened it up, with more in it to go. no figures yet but its not slouchy!

[Dub Toffee]

maybe your both going to need a neck brace a helmet and a 6 point harness he he
Nice work Man!!

[gldgti]

Updates....

So the cabby is going very nicely now.

Boost control pretty sorted, currently running about 17psi. Fuelling is maxed out until I get some bigger injector tips.

The sun came out today, and wifey was away aswell so I took the car out to stretch its legs a bit . A perfect evening for a drive and the car performed beautifully the whole time. It was a great opportunity to test the engine/trans setup out with some extended high loads. EGT's peaked out at only 1100 F so with more fuel its got a lot more power in it yet.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/tGF6Bk2Qr7U

[Dub Toffee]

Bring it on! SOLID build man

[gldgti]

purchased new disks/pads and shoes today lots of work this weekend (changing the gearbox aswell!)

[Greg Roles]

Ahh, how I miss diesel tinkering....bloody business....hang on, it will end up paying for diesel tinkering.....carry on.

Jealous of the fun you are currently having all the same!!

[gldgti]

Thanks Greg -

well it was a pretty easy gearbox swap, the old box was a CHB and the new one is a DFQ - dfq has longer 4th and 5th gears and a large input shaft.

While i was in there I swapped out hte old diesel flywheel for a slightly lightened and balanced SEAT flywheel - engine revs very freely now and the idle is smoother.

The longer gears are much nicer and the car feels pretty fast now considering

I managed to get the new disks and pads on the front (also swapped the calipers for some not so worn ones) but didnt get to the rear shoes yet.

Test run was a bit of fun though - thinking "right, get up it, through the gears..... wow thats quick... hang on, new disks and pads, not bedded in yet.... gently gently!

[hiho]

Glad the gearbox is a good one. What work was done to the flywheel? Is it possible to lighten/balance it without mounting the assembly on a crankshaft?

[gldgti]

Matt, I can't tell you what was done to the flywheel other than I can see that its a bit lighter than original, and it has non-original balancing marks on it too.

I dont see why you couldnt balance the flywheel by itself statically.... the only way to balance the whole assembly would be dynamically as far as I can reason.