TIGON Diesel Hybrid

[GreenHornet]

So what do I have in store for the 1.4L TDI?

Well I guess its time to update this a bit and let you all in on what I have been working on lately.

First I purchased another 1.4L engine complete along with the entire fuel system, cooling system, electrical system, ignition system, all sensors, and pedal assembly. The donor was a VW Polo 5 speed manual.

Thanks Taz you are the man!

Second I teamed up by random luck with Darkside Developments = Darkside Developments - Home the premier UK based diesel tuning specialists while I was trying to find a courier broker to ship the engine and parts to the US. They will be providing all the engine performance parts for the 1.4L TDI buildups along with TDI tech assistance. Our first goal is to achieve 150hp reliably out of the little guy and then go from there :-) We are going to see what this 1.4L TDI is capable of.

Some things we will be doing to upgrade the engine and achieve our 150hp goal is swapping out the waste gated turbo for a new VNT Turbo specifically the GTB 1749B Turbo. Swap the ECU to a VNT based 1.4L unit. Give the VNT based ECU a good tune/remap. Delete the DPF code in the ECU since our car will not have a DPF. We will need to port the head, upgrade injectors to the PD 130 units, PD 150 rods and pistons, and possibly coat the pistons if we really want to get serious. We will also be designing our own custom carbon fiber intake for the unit along with carbon fiber engine cover just to snaz it up a bit oh and last but not least we will be running a methanol water injection system to increase fuel economy, increase performance, reduce emissions, and finally keep the internals of our engine carbon free and sparkling for a long time to come LOL

The engine will get a full rebuild replacing all gaskets, bearings, and camshaft with a performance unit along with a real nice paint job!

Now about the engine it had 98K km on it and I purchased it complete for 400GBP. The rest of the parts mentioned cost an additional 200GBP with a little extra on top for the exceptional service!

Third I have teamed up with some great local guys who are extremely knowledgeable to take care of the engine rebuilds as well as all mechanical fabrication and electrical hybrid prototype design. They have a full engine rebuild shop along with CNC prototype equipment and the skills and knowledge to fabricate anything I can think up! They got all the nice tools and toys I don't This will really help speed up the build time and bring the TIGON platform to life!

hmmm what else well I have been playing with the body design a bit and starting to teach myself some 3D modeling so I can throw some 3D bling up soon lol

Expect with in the next month or soon after to start seeing some engine rebuild picks in the photobucket :-)))

Catch you guys later,

GH..

[sheepdog 44]

This ... thread.... is .....12 pages of pure gold!

GreenHornet, what state do you live in?

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by sheepdog 44

This ... thread.... is .....12 pages of pure gold!

GreenHornet, what state do you live in?

Hi Sheepdog 44 :-)

Well I used to live in good old New England not far from you. I grew up in Portsmouth NH as a kid and after my high school days joined the military and now find myself on the opposite end of the country in the Portland Oregon Metro Area.

I am glad you are liking the thread its only going to get wayyyyy better as the real action is just about ready to begin The concept has evolved over the better course of a year to what it is now. There has been tons of changes not only in concept but with parts and engines among other things. The last year was spent pretty much fighting myself as to what direction to take. Right when I thought I had it figured out a new idea popped into my mind and it all changed. Currently I am set on the mechanical and electrical details just need to keep working on the body kit design. So in other words at this point there is no going back or changing its time to start building so to speak

If you have any questions feel free to ask away anytime,

GH

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by GreenHornet

How is Brazil my friend?

It's a real mess. Let's see if there will be some significative improvement after the 2014 FIFA World Cup. A lift on the restrictions to light Diesel
cars in the local market is not likely to happen so soon, altough the pro-Diesel lobby became a little stronger recently

When I ever finish this car I am gonna have to bring it down so you can take it for a spin

That would be nice. If you would come to take some days off here we could eventually bring it to a track-day

[GreenHornet]

Hey gang,

Well its been a bit since I have posted so I thought I would drop in and give an update. I just got in a big crate full of 1.4L TDI parts out of a Polo :-) I am expecting the next crate to be here sometime next week. Once this crate arrives it will give me every necessary diesel part to drop it in and make it go essentially. However I will be upgrading parts for fuel efficiency and power potential as things move along.

Things took longer than expected with the holidays and with all the logistics. However everything has now been sorted and I have a solid source for 1.4L TDI parts as well as a way to get them here.

So the project must go on lol :-)

[Econoguru]

Great article...1.4 tdi Pump deuse is a great engine.

[CFECO]

What is your plan for the body construction?

[GreenHornet]

My plan for the construction is to do foam sandwiched core construction with composite materials. This technique is used often in boat and airplane construction as well as with some kit cars. They also use these techniques at NASA! The majority of kit cars use fiberglass with some kind of plywood material for strength. This is good choice for cost but most plywood is heavy. So I am looking at other material as potential sandwich core to save weight and increase durability. The main thing that I need to keep in mind is the cost because some of these core materials like Aluminum Honeycomb can be very expensive.

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by Econoguru

Great article...1.4 tdi Pump deuse is a great engine.

Hi Econoguru,

I also think the 1.4L is a great engine and very versatile. I like the fact we can utilize many of the same 1.9L internal parts for upgrading purposes. This helps out a lot with availability and to keep costs low. The 1.4L really is a 1.9L with one cylinder missing. It was built for smaller more fuel efficient cars like the Polo and Lupo. This engine can easily push 150hp and over 200ft-lbs of torque without compromising fuel efficiency. This is more than enough power for a small compact car that weighs 2,400lbs or less. Put this engine into a car that weighs 1,400lbs and you have a very capable sports car that will also return incredible fuel economy. In a car like the Polo with its stock gearing it returns over 60mpg US and 52mpg US combined. Most all people see better than this fuel economy. Same as what you can expect out of the Jetta, Passat, and Golf TDI 1.9L 4 cylinder versions here in the US. Most people get better than the EPA advertised fuel economy out of there TDI vehicles.

I looked at the 1.2L but after learning more about it I decided that the 1.4L was definitely the way to go. It is much harder to get parts for the 1.2L engine also the way the engine is designed makes it not as durable in my opinion. The electronics are more integrated making it tougher to make changes. The 1.4L is much simpler in this regard. Here in the US we also have PD 4 cylinder engines so getting parts for building up the 1.4L internals are possible here in fact. There was just to many advantages to the 1.4L vs the 1.2L when I penciled it out.

So these are some of the reasons in the end I decided to go with the 1.4L PD TDI.

It was nice talking with you and thanks for stopping by hopefully we can talk more again take care,

GH :-)

[CFECO]

Originally Posted by GreenHornet

My plan for the construction is to do foam sandwiched core construction with composite materials. This technique is used often in boat and airplane construction as well as with some kit cars. They also use these techniques at NASA! The majority of kit cars use fiberglass with some kind of plywood material for strength. This is good choice for cost but most plywood is heavy. So I am looking at other material as potential sandwich core to save weight and increase durability. The main thing that I need to keep in mind is the cost because some of these core materials like Aluminum Honeycomb can be very expensive.

I am familiar with Composite construction. Foam core works well with aircraft because the foam is shaped to the wing Airfoil shape and covered with Glass, Burt Rutan style. For a car body you need to build a body shape buck to lay the composite and core over, and remove the buck later. I will eventually have to build a body based on the rear "half" of a VW Beetle and the rest my own design in full composite. Just wondering in some detail what you plan. Building a full scale car to pull a female mold off of, to later lay-up finished body parts in, is quite the project.
Also, I Was looking at a a Can Am Spyder 3 wheel motorcycle today, and it looked to have a very desirable front suspension for a light 3 wheel, or 4 wheel car. Just sayin...