HC turbodiesel estate.

[MattyE]

Hi Owain!

I'm doing this conversion too (on a 78 magnum saloon) - will be good to see how each other tackle the challenges when it comes to fitting the engine! looking over on Si's thread on retrorides, hes used a lot of non standard parts (like that awesome tubular manifold for a start) which i definatley dont plan on replicating!

My magnum thread over on retrorides

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/ ... due-update

[1972nail]

I've owned a Viva E Coupe, a 1256 4 door a 1256 Auto and a 2300 Sport SL and all had the same tunnel. Vauxhall always made things as simple and universal as possible so one size fits all.

Oh and I forgot - a 1159 HC 2 door and Magnum 2300 4 door ... and they had the same tunnel too.

Only f##d made it complicated by fitting different tunnels to suit different options..... Just shows that the Vauxhall design team had better forward planning and considered the possible permutations and produced an economical design to suit.

[bikingnutcase0]

Hi Owain!

I'm doing this conversion too (on a 78 magnum saloon) - will be good to see how each other tackle the challenges when it comes to fitting the engine! looking over on Si's thread on retrorides, hes used a lot of non standard parts (like that awesome tubular manifold for a start) which i definatley dont plan on replicating!

My magnum thread over on retrorides

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/ ... due-update

Hi Matt,

Yes, will be excellent to see someone else's take on things! I think we'll be approaching it from different directions, I'm out for as much power/torque as I can reliably get, which will involve some pretty fruity modifications, probably tubular manifolds and porting/three angle valve job ect (I have access to flowbench/valve cutting equipment/mill/lathe ect.). Most people think its a waste of time on a diesel, so I might possibly break a little new ground here and there. My engine is a naturally aspirated one I already had, so some work is necessary to convert to turbo in any case, and while I'm in there I may as well go all-out!

However issues like engine mount fabrication will be identical so might be beneficial to discuss! I liked Si (B8D)'s water pipe solution.

He didn't show any sump fabrication detail, I think he'd already done it when he was converting it for use in a Chevette. I was gonna make mine big-winged with trapdoors, I don't know if it'd be beneficial for you to do that as insurance with the re-located oil pickup ect, probably not necessary really though.

I have a Corsa with 1.5td isuzu engine (tuned up somewhat), that I run on home-made biodiesel at around 15p a litre. So where your motivation is obviously economy, I'm not at all bothered if mine returns 20mpg so long as it goes well! However even though I've seen my Corsa go down to 24mpg on a weekend of navigation rallying and heavy use, it still returns 40mpg+ on a long run, so hoping my Viva will return similar figures. Part of the motivation behind the manifolds is to do some pulse-tuning and hopefully improve charging and scavenging, and hopefully torque off-boost. If it works it should allow lots of low-rpm economical cruising.

Have you sourced a clutch yet? I did find a type of Manta/Ascona 203mm driven plate that would work with standard Isuzu flywheel/pressure plate a while ago, when I was still trying to hunt down a Manta 'box to use for mine, will see if I can find the specs. My R22 box however has different input shaft spline (I think) so requires a different clutch. Luckily the guy I got it from had used it with the 1.7 Isuzu in a suzuki sj410 tip-over, and gave me the clutch with it, so I have a pattern for mine. My Corsa has a mk3 Astra f16 big-block gearbox, I spent ages researching/buying clutches for that so if it's the same I might already have three clutches lol!

I had a look at your RR thread, nice work on the door cards btw, I might have to use some of those techniques as mine are a bit wibbly-wobbly too.

Anyhoo, good luck sir, in your noble quest!

Owain.

[bikingnutcase0]

I've owned a Viva E Coupe, a 1256 4 door a 1256 Auto and a 2300 Sport SL and all had the same tunnel. Vauxhall always made things as simple and universal as possible so one size fits all.

Oh and I forgot - a 1159 HC 2 door and Magnum 2300 4 door ... and they had the same tunnel too.

Only f##d made it complicated by fitting different tunnels to suit different options..... Just shows that the Vauxhall design team had better forward planning and considered the possible permutations and produced an economical design to suit.

Hehe! Well, the simplicity and modular interchangeability is why I like Opel (Vauxhall) cars, I'm happy to hear that the same applies to some extent to the pre-Opel brit Vauxhalls!

[MattyE]

Hi!

yes your quite right, I will be aiming for economy and a tidy install rather than all out power!

I do plan on doing the usual "white ring mod",tweaking the fuel and adding a boost controller etc.. It will be cool to see what you can get out of one of these engines with the head work etc! looking forward to your updates!

for the sump I plan on chopping up a corsa combo tin sump and likewise making a big wing with a decent windage plate & trapdoor (the engine im using is from an astra and it has the aluminium sump with a central bowl which will not clear the crossmember in a million years)

as for the gearbox, I've managed to get a manta box and will be using a combo of manta and isuzu clutch bits

can't wait to get past all the bodywork (which isnt my forte - luckily it is my old man's) and get onto the fun oily stuff

[black8driver]

Yes another one being done.. good luck on it it was quite an easy conversion.. on mine been using mine dailey for over 3 years now and love it..
And sorry if you sent a question that I never answered.. thats unlike me I always try.. im happy to help anyway I can. I work in wilts too so not far from you.. you are welcome to have a look at mine for any ideas or drive it.. but you wont be dissapointed 110 hp and 140ftlb of torque with new turbo but I havent started playing with fuel yet so so I think 180 ftlb and 140 hp is very achivable without going silly.. oh and it regularly does 60 mpg....
Nice work on the welding too mine is about to recieve some more new body sections soon before bits start to fall off lol..
Si

[pbottomley]

Good as always to hear the estate is getting some love Si.....

I must say your TDi HC is rather good squire...

[bikingnutcase0]

Hello Si!

Very nice to meet you!

Dont feel bad, in hindsight my question may have been in the form of a rambling post on a build thread, which would be unlikely to stand out!

I'm a massive admirer of your work on your car, especially all the little pipes and brackets and things that dont usually get noticed, you've done them all so neatly, you're obviously an excellent engineer, very well done indeed!

I'm afraid I may have to copy your gear selector mechanism, Rose-Joint and Clevis's/Clevii(?) are a great idea!

I'd love to have a look at/go in yours! All those infinite little details eg. attaching the Accellerator pedal to the lever on the pump, what cable, how ect, (I could go on all day with other examples!) it's good to have greater perspective/see how others have achieved it, even if you do it differently yourself in the end.

I've aquired a small amount of experience with the bosch pumps after playing with my 1.5td Corsa. I have a Bosch manual that may provide some useful info, and many hours trawling migweb and other forums have yeilded nuggets of knowledge. If I can be of any possible assistance (even just as a sounding-board to talk to while you're thinking..), Don't hesitate to ask.

The Voltswagen IDI 1.9 diesels use a similar pump, and people have done many exciting things e.g. played with different shaped plungers in the boost compensator diaphragm assembly ect ect. Consensus with those and the Peugot 1.9 DTurbo is that with indirect injection theres a ceiling of around 170-180BHP that you cant get past because of the spread of the flame front out of the pre-chambers, but I'm not aiming for that kind of sillyness so should be ok!

My Corsa seems to eat big-ends if I get too greedy with the power output, so I'd not recommend going too wild! However I'd imagine your 180ftlb and 140bhp should last a good while.

It's possible to swap the end plate and pump plunger assy from bigger pumps of the same family for more fuel if theres not enough from the standard pump. I've increased the preload on the diapragm spring and rotated the plunger on mine to iron out puffs of smoke when you plant it, before the turbo spools.

I've also bought a long rotary cable with an aluminium knob on the end, and modified the max fuel screw to connect the end to it, hopefully I can have in-car adjustment of boost (via bleed valve) AND fuel (via rotary cable). If nothing else it'll allow me to wind the fuel up waaay beyond the smoke point on demand and cover tailgateing motorists in soot...........

Anyways I'm rambling, good luck with the bodywork repairs!

Regards, Owain.

[black8driver]

Luckely ive got use of a dyno at work so can try out any mod I do.. the std pump is more than capable for quite a bit more power. Mine spiked to 160 ft lb of torque before with smaller gt15 turbo and was instant with no lag however it really choked it too end and simply would not flow enough air to burn enough fuel abouve 100 hp..
Now flows lots more but is laggy.. I can turn the fuel up some more but im enjoying no smoke atm.. ive got a bleedvalve on the boost compensator line for small adjustments but I need to put a fair amount on preload on the diaphramspring to slow it down a bit.. im going to grind a new plunger and space the top to give even more adjustment then I can turn up main fuel a bit change the inlet. Make a bigger exhaust. New intake pipe and filter. And advance the pump around 2 deg I will leave it at that.. im running a egt gauge now too so I can keep an eye on the temps.. but im not going wild.. 140 hpbisfine.. its my daily driver so its not about power for me its just nice to show up the gti boys now and again for a giggle.
Si

[bikingnutcase0]

Hehe, I'm seriously jelous of your Dyno privalages! I work as a technician in motorsport engineering at Wiltshire College, on another college site theres a sun RAM 12 dyno that's had the control box thrown in the skip (and hence is now useless), I've found a quote for five grand to have it retro-fitted with datalogging kit and converted into a inertia dyno, and for another 500 they'll fit a hand controller for the original eddy current brake. I keep relentlessly pestering for some cash to do it, but not got anywhere yet.

Yeah that's the conclusion I reached, we've already got a fair-sized piston in our pumps by all accounts.

Bleed Valve in the diaphragm pipe is a very good idea, I'd not thought of that! Spacing the lid up and extending the stroke, to go with a new profile of plunger is also an excellent idea! Inspired!

My turbo is off a Mercedes Vito Van, will likeley be the same, lots of flow potential but laggy. I've got a bleed valve to adjust boost to start with, and a Collins -31 actuator 'cause the standard one appears to work from vacuum instead of pressure. The bleed valve isn't gonna do the "lag" any favours, but is a quick/dirty/simple solution to be going on with. I have a ball-and-spring valve/dawes device on my Corsa turbocharger, but that doesn't live up to the ideal "completely closed until boost pressure is reached and THEN opens" idea it's supposed to, so I'm tempted to try closed-loop electronic boost control on the Viva engine to help it spool quicker. Probably try a couple of 555timers to begin with, or my friend is building a segway using Arduino microprocessers, depending how he gets on I might use one of those instead if the 555's are too *Bleep*/tricky to make work.

I've been intriged by the idea of a VATN variable A/R ratio turbo, but can't really be bothered with the hassle sorting out a control system. And I already have a normal turbo that's serving as a doorstop at the mo lol!

I love having a tuned diesel, takes many people by surprise! Especially the smell of chips from my biodiesel lol! I can't wait to be able to do that in a rwd car with some seventies' charm!

Owain.