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GreenHornet · 02-22-2014, 03:05 AM

Hey Gang,

To expand a bit on the above post. The brakes I think will be honestly overkill for the 1.4L TDI output and such a light weight car. However it gives me the piece of mind knowing that even if someone wanted to upgrade the engine to the 1.9L 4 cylinder bigger brother they could handle it. The brakes would still be more than adequate even if the 4 banger was modded for say 280hp and 400 ft/lbs of low end torque. Imagine that in a car weighing under 1,500lbs :-) I can not stop grinning thinking about it

While I definitely prefer the smaller more fuel efficient 1.4L and hopefully down the road a .8L 2 cylinder TDI :-) The 1.9L would be really interesting and be really fun to test out for a few days LOL.

So getting back on topic again using the stock Lincoln Mark VIII brakes complete will eliminate custom fabrication and help free up time to speed up the work needed on the rear end suspension.

#11 the interior I will expand on here. The interior will be designed in a way that is modular and highly customizable. Color selection, Seats, Trim, gauge cluster, and carpeting will all be able to be tweaked to your individual likes among other things.

#12. The Scan gauge I will make standard as I think its a great tool for everyone even if they are not hardcore ecomodders like some of us :-) You can not beat it for the cost. So I will build this tool right into our gauge cluster for a more permanent finished look.

#13. Water?Methanol Injection I will make this standard also as I think the benefits of a properly set up and designed system for the TDI is of great benefit not only for performance but also efficiency. Another benefit is that water/Meth injection gives your internal engine a steam cleaning which helps promote engine longevity. The biggest benefit to me however is that it reduces emissions across the entire RPM band. Whenever I can gain performance, efficiency, and decrease engine wear and emissions in one modification it is a no brainer decision. Another plus is that it can help reduce EGT and that is always a good thing as well!

#14. The hybrid drive system I could write an entire article about it so here I will keep it short. This component really should be standard because of all its benefits it brings us but the added costs for some are not worth it considering the car equipped with diesel only will see over 100mpg :-)

#15. The body design will start as soon as the rolling chassis is completed and dialed in :-) For me this is the one part of the project that I am actually most excited about. This is the one part of the project that can really have some positive effects on performance and fuel efficiency if done properly and care is taken. Things we will incorporate will be optimized front grille blocking for the 1.4L TDI engine that can also be modified easily if engine upgrade (1.9) is desired. We will give it a nice rounded shape for aero benefit. The headlights and taillights I am currently looking into are the Audi TT units. The front bonnet will incorporate full frontal wheel skirt.

The Bonnet will be of a one piece design that folds forward like you would be used to in the Triumph GT6! For engine overhaul and major work the bonnet will be able to be easily removed by a single person due to its feather light weight and small size. So access to the engine compartment bay will be really nice. The Bonnet will hide the windshield wipers internally for better aero. There will be no visible antenna as the car utilizes an internal antenna for infotainment system. The front windshield has not yet been decided on. This part I will update as we move further along. As far as as the overall design I am leaning toward the forward folding canopy design as you would see in the Chevy Corvair Monza GT Concept. I will style it more inline like the XR3 hybrid but the difference will be roll down window potential which neither the XR3 or Monza GT had. I think its important to have a manual window roll down option for safety during a roll over situation. So this will be incorporated into the forward canopy design. Another benefit of the single forward canopy design is the easy access to the cabin as well as when parking in tight urban environments.

The back of the car will taper for better aero benefit and also incorporate full wheel skirts. We will also incorporate a boat tail design into the equation similar to what the VW XL1 looks like. The rear section will fold upwards like the front bonnet as one piece for easy wheel and trunk access.

This is the basic strategy and game plan for the body design. I think now at this point I have written enough details to my body plans that people can get a good idea of what I am shooting for style and looks wise. Everyone should also have a basic understanding of the materials I will use to create the aero body shell and interior cabin.

So now it is time to get on with the rolling chassis I will update the thread with pics as the process continues on. I hope everyone still stay with me on this as its about to get much more exciting.

GH :-)

02-22-2014, 03:05 AM	#137 (permalink)
GreenHornet Master EcoModder Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Oregon Posts: 429 Thanks: 41 Thanked 108 Times in 68 Posts	Hey Gang, To expand a bit on the above post. The brakes I think will be honestly overkill for the 1.4L TDI output and such a light weight car. However it gives me the piece of mind knowing that even if someone wanted to upgrade the engine to the 1.9L 4 cylinder bigger brother they could handle it. The brakes would still be more than adequate even if the 4 banger was modded for say 280hp and 400 ft/lbs of low end torque. Imagine that in a car weighing under 1,500lbs :-) I can not stop grinning thinking about it While I definitely prefer the smaller more fuel efficient 1.4L and hopefully down the road a .8L 2 cylinder TDI :-) The 1.9L would be really interesting and be really fun to test out for a few days LOL. So getting back on topic again using the stock Lincoln Mark VIII brakes complete will eliminate custom fabrication and help free up time to speed up the work needed on the rear end suspension. #11 the interior I will expand on here. The interior will be designed in a way that is modular and highly customizable. Color selection, Seats, Trim, gauge cluster, and carpeting will all be able to be tweaked to your individual likes among other things. #12. The Scan gauge I will make standard as I think its a great tool for everyone even if they are not hardcore ecomodders like some of us :-) You can not beat it for the cost. So I will build this tool right into our gauge cluster for a more permanent finished look. #13. Water?Methanol Injection I will make this standard also as I think the benefits of a properly set up and designed system for the TDI is of great benefit not only for performance but also efficiency. Another benefit is that water/Meth injection gives your internal engine a steam cleaning which helps promote engine longevity. The biggest benefit to me however is that it reduces emissions across the entire RPM band. Whenever I can gain performance, efficiency, and decrease engine wear and emissions in one modification it is a no brainer decision. Another plus is that it can help reduce EGT and that is always a good thing as well! #14. The hybrid drive system I could write an entire article about it so here I will keep it short. This component really should be standard because of all its benefits it brings us but the added costs for some are not worth it considering the car equipped with diesel only will see over 100mpg :-) #15. The body design will start as soon as the rolling chassis is completed and dialed in :-) For me this is the one part of the project that I am actually most excited about. This is the one part of the project that can really have some positive effects on performance and fuel efficiency if done properly and care is taken. Things we will incorporate will be optimized front grille blocking for the 1.4L TDI engine that can also be modified easily if engine upgrade (1.9) is desired. We will give it a nice rounded shape for aero benefit. The headlights and taillights I am currently looking into are the Audi TT units. The front bonnet will incorporate full frontal wheel skirt. The Bonnet will be of a one piece design that folds forward like you would be used to in the Triumph GT6! For engine overhaul and major work the bonnet will be able to be easily removed by a single person due to its feather light weight and small size. So access to the engine compartment bay will be really nice. The Bonnet will hide the windshield wipers internally for better aero. There will be no visible antenna as the car utilizes an internal antenna for infotainment system. The front windshield has not yet been decided on. This part I will update as we move further along. As far as as the overall design I am leaning toward the forward folding canopy design as you would see in the Chevy Corvair Monza GT Concept. I will style it more inline like the XR3 hybrid but the difference will be roll down window potential which neither the XR3 or Monza GT had. I think its important to have a manual window roll down option for safety during a roll over situation. So this will be incorporated into the forward canopy design. Another benefit of the single forward canopy design is the easy access to the cabin as well as when parking in tight urban environments. The back of the car will taper for better aero benefit and also incorporate full wheel skirts. We will also incorporate a boat tail design into the equation similar to what the VW XL1 looks like. The rear section will fold upwards like the front bonnet as one piece for easy wheel and trunk access. This is the basic strategy and game plan for the body design. I think now at this point I have written enough details to my body plans that people can get a good idea of what I am shooting for style and looks wise. Everyone should also have a basic understanding of the materials I will use to create the aero body shell and interior cabin. So now it is time to get on with the rolling chassis I will update the thread with pics as the process continues on. I hope everyone still stay with me on this as its about to get much more exciting. GH :-) Last edited by GreenHornet; 03-05-2014 at 05:23 PM..