Urba Centurion Update - (Kubota diesel, 100+ MPG in mixed driving - Fall 2012 on)

[changzuki]

Dottie says "Thank you Redneck" !

~Dottie

[changzuki]

Migrating the replacement transmission back into Centurion..
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This is most easily completed with engine and transmission as a unit, unless your custom body is not mounted and you have an open frame to work with. ----> Remember, with the Spitfire's X-style frame, you cannot put this thing up on a lift and go up through the bottom.
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Seeing no extra nuts or bolts floating around can mean one of two things here at 9 Main St:
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1) Assembly is correct and nothing was overlooked or left out, so we're ready to continue..
2) Assembly is mostly correct with few things overlooked, a couple of fasteners are now lost in the depths of the loose stones below, so we're ready to continue...
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Before the installation of the 4spd with overdrive, a couple of notes:
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A) Ensure the electric overdrive solenoid works!
It's going to be real tricky to obtain access once buried in Centurion.
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B) Fill up the transmission now, as long as everything is ok and you're sure you won't need to remove the speedo gear, or the solenoid. Transmission filling after installation is easiest through the passenger wheelwell area..
(Do a little research on the correct oil to use with these Spitfire/OD units!!!!)
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C) Make sure you have some type of way to adjust your pivot point on the engine/transmission assembly lift chain.
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To further understand item "C" above, let's review the D850 with the 1966 three-rail transmission:
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And compare the above to the same D850 with the 1980 single-rail transmission and overdrive unit:
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The much longer and heavier 1980 setup is going to take a slightly different "arc" to get it back into the tiny Centurion.
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We may need to call in reinforcements to help! (And that can only mean one thing!)
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~CrazyJerry

[nemo]

If you have the clearance on the front underbody just jack up the rear of the car. To bad it isn't like my 73 Spitfire. Remove the trans through the interior of the car.

[changzuki]

The Great American Challenge
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by nemo

If you have the clearance on the front underbody just jack up the rear of the car.

To bad it isn't like my 73 Spitfire. Remove the trans through the interior of the car.

nemo,
Yes it would be nice if the tranny could come out through the cabin - but - then I'd have to enlist someone to lift it out (I doubt I could.. Yes, weak, I know..)
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One of the issues in this segment revolves around extra length of the transmission w/overdrive and the lack of a step in the design of the Kubota D850 oil pan. It's a full-depth front-to-rear pan and that makes for a conflict with the front crossmember and then shoves the transmission top cover into the firewall...
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Sometimes the only joy to be found is.......

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~CrazyJerry

[BobS]

Dottie looks like an older puppy, not an older dog. No grey hair in sight. My Papillon has gray brows and muzzle and he's only 9. She might be our first immortal. Too cool.

Read through this thread for the nth time and was struck by the very first sentence: " The Centaurian's drivetrain has hopefully been reinstalled for the last time." Irony, huh?

Question: I know that you have a real feel for the Kubota's capabilities and I believe that you will prevail. But, if for some reason, there is just not quite enough power to pull the new tranny's gearing, will you consider moving to the next size larger Kubota? I think all of us are very interested in the minimum capability needed in a car to get safe Interstate performance.

And I confess to serious envy of your mix-and-match skills with car parts. I am just now starting to research putting a $200 Prius 1.5L engine into a 1st gen Insight so I can hook the "gas pedal" to the vvt-i to vary displacement while running WOT. If you have any direction for me it would be greatly appreciated.

Press on regardless and best of luck.

[BobS]

Double entry goof.

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by BobS

Dottie looks like an older puppy, not an older dog. No grey hair in sight. My Papillon has gray brows and muzzle and he's only 9. She might be our first immortal. Too cool.

BobS,
Dottie is quite a dog for sure...
This runt of the litter has outlived all her brothers and sisters and surpassed the breed average. She's not ever been fed a lot of the garbage dog food that most get.
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What the earlier photos don't show are:
- The haziness over the eyes and this causes her to bump into things unless there's a lot of light. The wild rabbits here simply step aside and Dottie whizzes right on by....

- Most all her teeth are ground down to nothing. I have to chop and mash any food since so she won't have a hard time chewing it.

- Then there's the seizures that happen about every 10 minutes (sometimes more). This is a deterioration of part of the brain in Jack Russells, and oddly enough her name "Dottie" reflects the dimentia...

- Liquid Magnesium drops help substantially with the seizures.

- She's nearly deaf. If you clap behind her ears - nothing - not even a twitch. So I really have to watch her outside since she'd never hear a car.

In spite of all that, she's a firecracker on the trails and dirt roads and will go half throttle or so for an hour with no problem.

As for her ageless looks, this is where history comes in. Below is a series of pics when she was just a year old. Keep in mind the other dog in the pic was around 11years and 14lbs at the time and was tortured by little-bitty-Dottie. Notice Dottie had no white on her face as compared to the pics earlier in the thread... What a great little companion she's been!
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Over and out for now!
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by BobS

Question: I know that you have a real feel for the Kubota's capabilities and I believe that you will prevail. But, if for some reason, there is just not quite enough power to pull the new tranny's gearing, will you consider moving to the next size larger Kubota? I think all of us are very interested in the minimum capability needed in a car to get safe Interstate performance.

Hi BobS,
My apologies if I'm reading into this way too much.
This is a fair question and this response starts out looking back to one of my original reasons for:
- Swapping a 4cyl gas for a one-lunger diesel to build a 115 mpg diesel bike "Changzuki"
- Integrating lithium into the Go-One3 to create the high-speed "Aurora"
- Completing the Kubota 850cc "Centurion" and putting it to the test at the 2014 Green Grand Prix
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The Ecomodder homepage says it best:
Welcome to EcoModder.com, an automotive community where performance is judged by fuel economy rather than power and speed.
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Taking that into consideration makes your question really tough to say for sure if I'd ever adapt a bigger engine into Centurion. Assuming for a minute that were to happen, I don't really believe it would ultimately answer the question:
"I think all of us are very interested in the minimum capability needed in a car to get safe Interstate performance."
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A larger engine in Centurion would yield "X" for performance and "Y" for mpg, but neither of these would likely apply to the same engine in something like Redneck's Geo Metro, brucepick's Accord, or UltArc's Aerostang. Different aero profiles, weights, etc.... I'm leary of blanket statements/assumptions that are really only exclusive to a particular car (as in this case, Centurion)..
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If a larger engine were the answer, what would the fuel economy numbers look like? And perhaps more importantly, there would still be the nagging arguments of safety with such a low-slung light-weight car. These arguments aren't from me (I'm quite happy with Centurion) but rather from others who have expressed thoughts on these topics - more or less negating any engine change outcomes..
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IF (never happen) I was still 22, I'd frankenstein a Cummins 5.7 12v into Centurion and fuel map it to run with 60psi boost - and fuel economy be damned! I setup my 98 Dodge 2500 exactly this way and it's pretty thrilling!!
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Now back to reality:
Depending on the weather and my work schedule, Centurion will hopefully make the 1.5hour drive to I-81 for an interstate speed test.
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Pending the outcome of that (pass or fail), not sure I'm currently ready to walk away from Centurion as she currently stands: 210 miles - just coming off the full mark. At least not yet - maybe never!
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That was the "Pulse"..... Now for the "Glide".....
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~CrazyJerry

[BobS]

Jerry
I see what you mean about Dottie. She, like I, skipped the gray stage. If you have a particular diet you are feeding her, I would love to get it in a PM. It, of course, would always carry the title "Dottie's Diet".
Walk away? I'm betting never. Too much fun. But combining an engine's parameters with gearing and a CD would give builders a starting point, even knowing tho that you have maximized pretty much all the optimizations.
Wishing for great Interstate numbers. Good luck.