1.9Tdi Full Conversion

[DirtyDerv]

Having now driven my Felicia pickup round for a week (commuting 70 miles a day) with a 1.9mtdi conversion on the original gearbox, I have decided its a bit, you know, w*nk. TBH I dont think the previous owner did a very good job because even though it has the same (AHU) engine as my old Audi A4, its much slower. With the standard felly box it should accelerate quicker! Plus it struggles to get past 75mph (am I really that fat? :think: ). 

 

My thoughts are to try and transplant the entire engine and gearbox from a newer VAG diesel, probably a SEAT Toledo or similar because their so cheap. I have read TeflonTom's build thread (twice...  ) and the most difficult thing seems to be getting the driveshafts sorted, at least one of them needs to be custom/cut and shut. Wiring should be easy, these conversions (in other VAG cars anyway) have been done before so theres loads of info on how to strip the wiring down to the basic "standalone" engine loom.

 

Dont get me wrong, I understand their is a huge amount of work involved, but my last project was fitting a mk3 golf GTI 8V into a '73 bay window camper so I'm no stranger to fabrication.

 

Now this isn't going to happen for a while, I have plenty to get on with first like sorting the bent/battered/rusty bodywork, brakes which are broke and dont brake etc. oh, and build a garage to do the work in... but I would appreciate anybody's suggestions, recommendations, observations etc.

I'll also be watching the Horton Skoda conversion closely as it's a pickup with a modern VAG engine...

[Phil-E]

I always dreamed of a Felicia Fun with a PD130 engine and gearbox in it.

 

Your other option is to get the current TDI conversion working properly. It sounds like it's not been setup/tuned correctly.

 

Phil

[DirtyDerv]

Hi Phil,

I agree 130 pd would be awesome, I borrowed my mates Polo with that engine and it was so impressive, so grunty, so many MPG...

 

I definately need to get the current setup working better, as I said the conversion won't start for a while due to other commitments, but I think that is prob best left for another dedicated thread.

 

Just in case anyone wants to see the "f*ck-up-truck"as it has affectionally been named by my friends   :

[Phil-E]

Yeah I had a PD130 Cordoba and the torque was addictive!

 

The PD105 I have now isn't too bad but doesn't quite have the shove the 130 had.

 

I think a 130 would be great fun in a pickup!

 

Hehe. Looks nice!

 

Phil

[DirtyDerv]

Lol, it looks ok from that distance, but up close you see the grey primer was one coat thick, badly applied over the original white, the bonnet is black with a Subaru Forester bonnet scoop (looks a bit ghey but required to clear the TD inlet manifold), and the wheels look like they were polished... using force and a kerb, repeatedly, on both sides...

But hey, it's got potential and a load bed big enough to carry building stuff for the garage etc.

[TeflonTom]

If you want to do it right first time, put the engine in the back.....

[DirtyDerv]

If I went engine in the back it would seriously hamper future use for carrying cement mixer, blocks, building materials, MX bikes etc...

 

If I was to do it right first time, I'd do a 4wd/syncro/4motion diesel conversion  , but I really cant justify the time/effort/expense of that!

[DirtyDerv]

Tom, if your looking for the next extreme conversion for a felly/pickup maybe consider an early Audi S4 or RS4 engine (twin turbo V6, quite pokey) mated to a front wheel drive audi gearbox (same bellhousing, easy enough) for a true mid-engined weapon...

[satchellm]

If I went engine in the back it would seriously hamper future use for carrying cement mixer, blocks, building materials, MX bikes etc...

 

If I was to do it right first time, I'd do a 4wd/syncro/4motion diesel conversion  , but I really cant justify the time/effort/expense of that!

A really good friend of mine a few years ago had mk2 golf syncro, rare as gold dust, then i'll be dammed if another good mate of ours turned up with one!!!! Dam rare cars and neither of them paid much for them, both been moved on now but the first one is still around locally. Running gear sorted that and a G60 lump (rather than a 20V turbo- no offence Tom) Find one and make it happen!!!!!!!!!!

[TeflonTom]

Yeah g60 is old school muscle which I've very fond of, sadly you need to get the supercharger overhauled at every 3rd oil change.

[DirtyDerv]

Last night I parked the truck next to my old Audi A4, and I thought "yeah, that engine and 'box would fit in the back, I could put a load cover on and no-one would even know..."

 

This forum is dangerous for my pickup, it keeps giving me ideas... :no:

[DirtyDerv]

Going to post this here as I dont want to clutter up Hortons conversion thread;

Those guys have (if I'm reading correctly) used the entire front end from an octavia i.e. engine, gearbox, driveshafts, wishbones, subframe struts. This seems to have been fairly straight forward (minimum chopping around). I also understand (again correct me if I'm wrong!) the mk1 Octavia and mk4 Golf share the same chassis.

Soooo, could I buy an entire mk4 Golf TDI and do the same thing Horton have done? I worry the geometry would be all wrong?

[DirtyDerv]

This thread seems to have died, time for some more ideas me thinks. 

I've just been doing some digging on google, the Skoda Felicia has a front track width of 1420mm. The VW polo (1996-1999?) and Seat Ibiza (same age ish) seem to share the same platform and have a front track width of 1430mm. I wonder if it would be possible to use the engine, gearbox and driveshafts from one of these with the original Skoda struts + wishbones? The 5mm difference each side could be taken up by the CV's?

Does anybody know if the Skoda hubs are compatible with the VW/Seat CV splines?

 

I might take a wander round some scrappys with a tape measure and try and measure the distance between the inside faces of the hubs.

 

On another note I have seen 2 Felly/Caddy pickups mentioned on other forums which have used MK3 golf set-ups (inc. gearbox etc) but very little detail on what parts were used or modified. Anybody know anything about them?

[DirtyDerv]

Another quick snippet from google, VW Lupo has a track width of... 1420, same as the Felly

[TeflonTom]

I must have missed this, yes the vw 22 tooth spline will fit a felicia hub, but the outer joint is too big to fit physically behind the uprights, the polo ones are smaller but the shoulder on the joint fouls the bearing surface so you need to use a 5mm spacer between the hub and cv joint.

As for subframes, yes pretty much anything could be made to fit with a bit if chopping and welding.

[DirtyDerv]

I'm hoping (it's a long shot I know...) that I can find a solution which can retain the stock suspension and hubs, and that doesn't need custom driveshafts.

[DirtyDerv]

Sorry, forgot to say thanks Tom!

[TeflonTom]

!The driveshafts are the least of your worries tbh, its the controls like the gear linkage, clutch control, wiring etc that will cause you the biggest headaches.

[DirtyDerv]

Mostly worried about the driveshafts because custom ones are so expensive!

Clutch; I think one of the Seat's uses a cable clutch? Pretty sure it's mentioned in your build thread Tom, so I'll take a look at that.

Gear linkage; there will be fabrication but would like to use the cable shift system, guessing a polo/Ibiza system will be closer to the right length than the golf ones.

Wiring: at the moment will prob just use my current MTDI AHU setup on the new 'box, just to get it back on the road ASAP then look into PD engine installs later.

On another note there's a guy on clublupo that used lupo driveshafts with golf inner cv's, if the measurements check out that might be the way to go.

[TeflonTom]

Yes you can use a golf inner cv joint on a lupo shaft, they bothh have a 33 tooth spline, but they are slightly different lengths, you need to turn the inner ball cage round 180 degrees so the shorter lupo spline fits in the recessed part on the joint.

6n polo and lupo shafts are identical, same running gear.

[Jordan975]

Has anyone had any luck with their projects changing to a 130pd? Does a Fabia engine and box fit? 

[Vins]

Hello everyone, has anyone then carried out this enterprise and wants to exchange some advice? I would like to put the AAZ engine which is much more like AEF but I don't know whether to leave the original gearbox or it will destroy. I have the engine and gearbox of a seat toledo available, but I don't have the drive shafts .... Help me