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Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
An interesting choice for a first "car" to say the least. On a sidenote I also tend to prefer vans.
What about using recovering exhaust heat for hot water?
That sounds nice. I am favorable to vegetable oil usage as a motor fuel too. BTW would you eventually also consider trying water injection? Assuming you might be able to use the residual water released by an air conditioner, seems like a good option to improve fuel savings while it also decreases the NOx emissions, at a relatively low overall cost.
I usually take a full alternator delete with a grain of salt. Have you never considered fitting your van with a starter-generator? It may provide auxiliary power under certain conditions, while under others it may also improve the engine-braking which is quite critical on Diesels.
It's not so hard to find commercially-available electric rooftop air conditioners usually meant for trucks, either 12-volt or 24-volt. Not sure how easy it might be for you to find a 48-volt compressor there though, but since it would require a lower amp than either 12-volt or 24-volt it may be a good idea. And now with so many cars resorting to the 48-volt mild-hybrid setup, in a few years it might increase the availability in junkyards 
Not sure if a belly pan would really have any benefit regarding corrosion protection. Probably if it doesn't get any drain plug, if moisture accumulates between it and the stock floorpan it may become a matter of concern. Maybe coating the underbody for some added rustproofing before you fit the belly pan might also be worth.
An electric radiator fan is usually great on a Diesel, and since you plan to use vegetable oil as a fuel this may allow you to switch from regular Diesel to the vegetable oil quicker. |
Thanks for all the fantastic input!!
i did think about exhaust heat recovery but wasn't sure how to go about it as, unlike the coolant, we are now talking about temperatures above the boiling point of water.
I don't know anything about water injection! i will look into it, it sounds very interesting!
I don't know a lot about motor-generators but i read this very interesting page:
https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/...generator.html
It would be amazing installing one on the driveshaft and having some motor assistance and regen! seems like it'll be expensive but i will look at what i can find!
Yea i did find some rooftop AC units but i'm not too interested in adding more height to the van and the new ones are incredibly expensive. my other thought was a portable unit with the ducting exiting through the floor.
I agree on the belly-pan. but if i can get some cheap corro-plast i might try it and test it at some point.
Thanks again for your input!