914 Diesel build.... Options

[PatrickB]

Not the best picture but shows the construction of the mount. For those not familiar with old VW water cooled, there's a big rubber donut in that goes in the opening with a bolt through the middle. Plate on top of the donut has 3 bolts that tie it to the casting off the engine.

[Chris914n6]

You need a drivers side engine mount. No doubt about it.

You can hard mount the crossbar to the engine and use 911 engine sport mounts at the body. I'll see if I have a clear pic of my setup.



Can't see it behind the exhaust but the tube is vertical with a 3" gusset. Tube is 1.5" thick wall and plates are iirc 3/16". It's 20-30 lbs beefy or at least it feels like it. Bolts to the factory engine mounts.

[PatrickB]

You need a drivers side engine mount. No doubt about it.

You can hard mount the crossbar to the engine and use 911 engine sport mounts at the body. I'll see if I have a clear pic of my setup.

Thanks, looking forward to seeing it. I think we'll use what we've got short term with another mount on the other side, but may build something else in the long run. soft mounts at the bar to the body makes a lot of sense to me.

[stownsen914]

Agreed with reinforcing your crossbar where the notch is. The first version of my fabricated mount/crossbar for a 911 engine in a /4 chassis broke in the middle due to flexing. Fixed by triangulating in my case.

Cool project, by the way!

[PatrickB]

Agreed with reinforcing your crossbar where the notch is. The first version of my fabricated mount/crossbar for a 911 engine in a /4 chassis broke in the middle due to flexing. Fixed by triangulating in my case.

Cool project, by the way!

Thanks. Next issue:
Rad should be mounted by the end of the day. Honda civic rad and fan of unknown vintage is going in beside the motor driver's side. According to Kennedy's sheet it should be big enough. It will work to try, if it's not big enough I'll have to go custom to keep the rad in this location.
VW inline 4 cooling system of this vintage has an overflow bottle that plumbs into the system 2 ways . Bottom of the bottle has a fitting that hooks to the heater hose lines. Pressure cap is on the bottle and is the fill point for the system. It also has a small fitting on the top of the bottle that allows a small flow, I think it's an easy way for the sytem to bleed itself among other things. I've seen the line to the top of the bottle come from 3 different places depending on the year of the car.
1) out of the top of the rad
2) part of the upper rad hose molded in
3) out of the fitting on the front of the engine that feeds the top rad hose. This is the one I'm set up with.

Thermostat is at water pump (lower rad hose at engine)

I have a bottle out of the same type of car the engine came from, not finding a good spot to mount it. Should be the high point in the system...
May have to put it in the trunk but trying to keep everything in the engine bay.
Any suggestions? Need a pressurized reservoir with a heater hose fitting on the bottom and a small hose on top.
MAY try to use a standard overflow bottle out of something if I can find one to fit, and take a rad hose off to fill the engine or put in a bleed somewhere on the top rad hose if I have to. The Honda rad does have a pressure cap.

[Rob-O]

subscribed!

[PatrickB]

Honda rad installed. Lower rad hose from mk 2 jetta is a direct fit. Upper hose is going to have to be a cut and add a solid piece in the middle deal... having to make a custom piece for a heater hose hookup on the back of the head, not enough room for a stock part. Going without heat for the moment but want to install a heat/defrost box later. Came up with a cone type K&N filter at the Bothwell car show (huge 1 day show about 2 miles from my house) that I made fit with some stainless pipe and a rubber elbow. Need to add a support brace to make sure it stays put. Still need fuel lines, wiring, and exhaust to make it runnable. Would like to run it at the autocross this weekend but don't think I'm going to make it.

[2mAn]

I had visions of a watercooled VW motor install... Rad could be mounted on one side of the engine bay, and an intercooler on the other... with your metal sculpted sides, the scoops from a Boxster may fit like they were meant to be there

[PatrickB]

subscribed!

You were right, at least the main part of the shell is the black car. Took the seats and backpad out so we could do a small repair on the hinge mounts for the engine bay door... car was black. Both doors and part of the front at least off the blue car. that must have been scary to have the 360 running right beside you looking at the size of the hole in the firewall!

[porschetub]

I'm wondering about the gearbox... The gearing may be low for a diesel, and I'm wondering how the 901-based box will hold up to diesel torque...

--DD

Yea me too ,even the crappy early model 60 hp diesel Golf motor can eat out an 020 five speed after not that long.

Been running this exact engine on an 020 for a lot of years. Put at least 350,000 kms on it. Replaced one gearbox about 15 years ago not long after I got the car. I guess it depends how you use it.... I don't baby it though. The fuel and boost was turned up a lot of years ago, I'm not shy with the throttle, and I occasionally pull a 1000 pound tent trailer with it. I don't think I'll have problems with the 901. I do run synthetic oil in the 020 though... I wonder if that helps? Made it shift smoother.

No was joking really this box had been abused,no guestion about it ,was told it was fine by the PO and was pissed of just for the hassle of changing it as I payed little for it,my son drove the car after fitting and said it was shifting ok but made a "strange noise",turned out the crownwheel was on the way to migrating out the bottom of the gearbox,after years of working on Golfs this was the first case of breaking diff rivets I had come across.
Good luck with what you are doing,I like it when people think out of the square,will be following your progress (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) .

[PatrickB]

I'm wondering about the gearbox... The gearing may be low for a diesel, and I'm wondering how the 901-based box will hold up to diesel torque...

--DD

Yea me too ,even the crappy early model 60 hp diesel Golf motor can eat out an 020 five speed after not that long.

Been running this exact engine on an 020 for a lot of years. Put at least 350,000 kms on it. Replaced one gearbox about 15 years ago not long after I got the car. I guess it depends how you use it.... I don't baby it though. The fuel and boost was turned up a lot of years ago, I'm not shy with the throttle, and I occasionally pull a 1000 pound tent trailer with it. I don't think I'll have problems with the 901. I do run synthetic oil in the 020 though... I wonder if that helps? Made it shift smoother.

No was joking really this box had been abused,no guestion about it ,was told it was fine by the PO and was pissed of just for the hassle of changing it as I payed little for it,my son drove the car after fitting and said it was shifting ok but made a "strange noise",turned out the crownwheel was on the way to migrating out the bottom of the gearbox,after years of working on Golfs this was the first case of breaking diff rivets I had come across.
Good luck with what you are doing,I like it when people think out of the square,will be following your progress (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) .

I did buy one VW with an 020 that had a gear coming through the case.... but it was an original tranny in a car that had 450,000 kms on it. I can live with that. I think the 901 should be at least as strong as the 020. Besides, I have 2 spares! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/evilgrin.gif)

Update: Rad is now hooked top and bottom, waiting on a neighbour (millwright/machinist) to finish making me a custom water outlet for the back of the head so we can get it hooke up without more body surgery. All that's left after that is fuel, wiring, and a trip to the exhaust shop. Pipe off the turbo is straight up for now just to keep the engine bay clean for the trip to the muffler shop.

[914forme]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) Your not going with a trash can stack poking out the engine bay. All the kids are doing it now with their diesel Pickumuptrucks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

In reality your closing in on this, I sure would not let a neighbor slow me down, I would be wiring, adding fuel, and might even just tack a system together and take it to the shop to have one made.

Oh hell who am I kidding I would break out the MIG and TIG and get it done. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

[PatrickB]

Rad in, custom water outlet from back of head for space...
Working on fuel today. removing electric pump from under the tank. the injection pump has it's own vane pump in the front for a primary pump. Wouldn't hurt to leave the electric, but it would run constantly instead of shutting off because the injection pump bypasses excess fuel back to the tank. Would make priming the system really easy but I don't want to listen to it.
The exhaust is straight up just until I get to the muffler shop.

[Porschef]

No shit... Well would you look at THAT!!


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Rob-O]

Nice!

[PatrickB]

Nice!

Lots to do yet.... Need some fuel line. Nothing open close today, nothing tomorrow anywhere here. For now using a big inline filter under the tank. Wanted to use the mk 2 diesel filter setup and still might down the road, but it will require some more fabrication and I want to get this up and running. Need to hook a return line back up to the tank. The hard line from front to back is still there but the flex line at the front isn't. Got the upholstery out so we can do a little repair to the hinge for the engine bay door without starting a fire... Marc did have a pretty big hole cut in the firewall didn't he!

[tomeric914]

The exhaust is straight up just until I get to the muffler shop.

YES! Straight up chrome stack with a flapper on it. Don't complicate things with an exhaust out the back.

[Rob-O]

Nice!

Lots to do yet.... Need some fuel line. Nothing open close today, nothing tomorrow anywhere here. For now using a big inline filter under the tank. Wanted to use the mk 2 diesel filter setup and still might down the road, but it will require some more fabrication and I want to get this up and running. Need to hook a return line back up to the tank. The hard line from front to back is still there but the flex line at the front isn't. Got the upholstery out so we can do a little repair to the hinge for the engine bay door without starting a fire... Marc did have a pretty big hole cut in the firewall didn't he!

He did. I wasn’t lying when I said that the crank pulley was an inch from my elbow when he had the 360 in there. Super dangerous...no loose clothing!

[914forme]

The exhaust is straight up just until I get to the muffler shop.

YES! Straight up chrome stack with a flapper on it. Don't complicate things with an exhaust out the back.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) And the technical term is a rain cap.

[PatrickB]

The exhaust is straight up just until I get to the muffler shop.

YES! Straight up chrome stack with a flapper on it. Don't complicate things with an exhaust out the back.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) And the technical term is a rain cap.

Well.... My kid and I have talked about going straight up, but just as a joke. Probably black with a rain cap for that farmer look.... What's there now is part of a factory pipe for a '93 golf just flipped upside down. Not hard to make this engine smoke like a pulling tractor, just have to spend a few minutes adjusting fuel delivery. I will take a video of it running this way before it goes to the exhaust shop just for grins and giggles.
Initial plan for the exhaust is just a straight pipe out the back. A turbo makes a pretty fair muffler all on it's own. This engine is quieter with no muffler than the 2L was with a muffler by a long shot. If I don't like it there's lots of room to hang a muffler across the back of the car.... maybe like something off an old Camaro with two exhaust outlets just to confuse everyone.