Potential change of Plan

[Typrus]

Well, I dunno if I could deal with less power than my 62HP Terc has right now. So, I juggled some thoughts. One thought- Cut out 1/4 of a cylinder to display the cylinder, piston, combustion main and pre chambers, injector entry, etc for educational donation to our local Community College Auto programs (previously known as Votech) and keep the tranny until I could find a use for a nice 5-speed.

But then another thought came up. Build a gokart using the engine, tranny, axle assemblies, and hub assemblies I already have. Sure, I still dunno if it'll run or not, but what the hey, why not give it a shot?
So my buddy, who hooked me up with it, and myself will be going over some potential plans and ideas today as well as going through our scrap steel stock-piles, in order to see if we can do it.
Our goal is to be under 1000lbs. Shouldn't be too hard.
Anyone know how much the 1.5L IDI weighs? How about the FF code 020 tranny? I'm venturing to say 500lbs, but I don't know for sure.

So some questions come up... How do I hook up the Glow Plugs? I found a "10 second" relay for under $20... I'd assume you hook the GP circuit up to it and the relay to the battery and ignition? Then, upon first receiving power, the glowplugs will turn on for roughly 10 seconds, then you can start?

How about the fan setup? My buddy apparently hung onto the radiator and electric fans... How are they wired up (I have yet to see them, so if its horribly obvious, don't judge too harshly)?

I know this might be a bit to ask.... Can anyone get me a shot of the shifter linkage? It looks a little bit funky, just looking at it. Not to mention the fact that we'll have to fully engineer our own off of the basic linkage, as the engine will be rear-mounted.

Can anyone tell me if there is anything special about the speedo setup on the Rabbit? I might try just to hook the cable up to a random speedo cluster, just to get a rough idea of speed. With a shifter-cart, 80mph+ is possible  :shock:  and we need to know if we're around a dangerous level. Heh.
Is there an easy way to hook up a tachometer? I dunno if it came stock with one to be honest, but what should I look for, and even if it didn't, would it be horribly difficult to rig one? I don't want to rev much over 5k without doing something to the injectors and IP.


So here's so far what we figured... Independant suspension in the rear utilizing the Rabbits lower control arm and hub assembly. I might pull the front MacPhersons off of my Tercel, assuming the mounts fit. For the toe adjustment, either a tie-rod attached to the frame and the mount on hub with adjustment built in, or a threaded bolt and sleeve assembly.
Fuel tank suspended either above engine or roughly at IP level. Maybe a 2-gallon tank? Ought to be good for a few hours of fun I'd think.
Probably just run straight-downpipe off the back. It is the dual-tube downpipe, and they cut it just post-flange when they removed it. If nothing else we might attach a cheapo Cherry Bomb or something. Have to see how loud it is.
We'll have to rig up a throttle, clutch, and shifter linkage pack. For throttle and clutch it shouldn't be too hard. Cables are manipulatable. The shifter however could be a little tougher.
On a side note, we have several pneumatic actuators running around. We'll have to see how tough they are. Might run them off the vacuum pump and have them do little things like pull the cold-start link, or maybe even aid in shifting. Hell, if they are tough enough, we might even use them for the throttle, just for the novelty.
Fuel supply should be easy. Heck, we could probably even run Off-Road diesel through it since it will be on a kart, not a car.

Brakes will be through the disc assemblies on the Rabbit's hubs. Dunno if we'll use front brakes or not. It'll all depend on whether having the weight over the rear wheels will be enough aid. Otherwise we'll rig up some discs off of something else.

The only accessory we plan to run is an alternator. I have a 55-amp internally regulated one that as far as I'm aware works great. Dunno what I'll do with the compressor. Maybe we could hook it up with an in-line oiler to act as a mobile air compressor. That would be freaking awesome. Although, that is more dead weight.... Compressor plus tank...

Anyone think this'd be kind of cool? Or do we have several votes for me being an idiot?

Oh yes... How does the ignition solenoid work? Just a simple 12v feed from the ignition or on/off switch? Thats kind of a vital one to know...

For the moment... I think I'm all out of questions....

[SMOKEYDUB]

why not just stick a snowmobile engine on a normal go kart and scare the *** out of yourself. Or if its mandatory that you use the diesel then why not just stick it in a rotten rabiit with suspension and handle better. There is alot of  geometry that goes into building a go kart suspension. If you get a rotten rabbit get rid of EVERYTHING that is not necessary to make a go kart like car then you could probably get it done to around 1300 lbs and it would look better    sorry if im ruining your thin it just seems like alot of work for something that wont be much facter than a tercel with the diesel in it. I really dont mean to come across as an ass just trying to help a bit.

Jeff

[jtanguay]

tranny's weighing 500 lbs??? or is that motor included?? i've lifted one up and i'm not strong by any means... i'd say that the block and head only (with pistons and crankshaft & sump) should weigh around 300 lbs or so...  that is considering that a big V8 weighs in at around 500 lbs...

[Typrus]

Well, because its a challenge and because I get to have fun with it.
380lbs safe to say for engine and tranny then? SWEET. Less=better

Because I don't have any money to spend and my friend has next to none either. We have lots of angle iron on-hand, and access to a lot more steel and iron on top of that.

You ever watch Redneck TV?  :lol:

So yeah...... Anyone else? Any other thoughts?

We're the kind of people who enjoy doing things differently. Hell, my friend is building a racing lawn mower (yeah, I know thats an actual sport, but in CO its not common) and I want to put a Tercel Wagon on top of a pickup frame.

Crazy? Maybe. Who cares?

Now... To get that thing out of the back of my car and onto a test stand to see if it'll fire over.

[SMOKEYDUB]

hey man good luck. I enjoy fabricating too, i have things that i just need to build even if there is easier ways (know how you feel with the no extra money thing) anyways keep us posted on anything cool like that.

[burn_your_money]

Anyone know how much the 1.5L IDI weighs? How about the FF code 020 tranny? I'm venturing to say 500lbs, but I don't know for sure.

- with all accessories less the alternator (oil included) the engine should weigh about 250lbs. A typical 5 speed weighs 60 lbs

So some questions come up... How do I hook up the Glow Plugs? I found a "10 second" relay for under $20... I'd assume you hook the GP circuit up to it and the relay to the battery and ignition? Then, upon first receiving power, the glowplugs will turn on for roughly 10 seconds, then you can start?

- that should work, If you want just buy a GP relay (I'll sell one for $5) and hook it up properly. It's pretty simple.

How about the fan setup? My buddy apparently hung onto the radiator and electric fans... How are they wired up (I have yet to see them, so if its horribly obvious, don't judge too harshly)?

-The rad has a temp switch on the side of it. I think the rest is obvious. It is relayed though

I know this might be a bit to ask.... Can anyone get me a shot of the shifter linkage? It looks a little bit funky, just looking at it. Not to mention the fact that we'll have to fully engineer our own off of the basic linkage, as the engine will be rear-mounted.

- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v603/burnyourmoney/shiftkit_11.jpg

Can anyone tell me if there is anything special about the speedo setup on the Rabbit? I might try just to hook the cable up to a random speedo cluster, just to get a rough idea of speed. With a shifter-cart, 80mph+ is possible  :shock:  and we need to know if we're around a dangerous level. Heh.

- Nothing fancy. The gear part that sticks into the tranny is specific to the final drive of the tranny. Use a rabbit speedo for simplicity. You'll need to figure out how to lengthen the cable

Is there an easy way to hook up a tachometer? I dunno if it came stock with one to be honest, but what should I look for, and even if it didn't, would it be horribly difficult to rig one? I don't want to rev much over 5k without doing something to the injectors and IP.

- The tach gets it signal from the W terminal on the alternator. Good Luck finding a tach though, they usually sell for about $100. You can modify a gas tach to work though, the instructions are on this site somewhere

So here's so far what we figured... Independant suspension in the rear utilizing the Rabbits lower control arm and hub assembly. I might pull the front MacPhersons off of my Tercel, assuming the mounts fit. For the toe adjustment, either a tie-rod attached to the frame and the mount on hub with adjustment built in, or a threaded bolt and sleeve assembly.
Fuel tank suspended either above engine or roughly at IP level. Maybe a 2-gallon tank? Ought to be good for a few hours of fun I'd think.
Probably just run straight-downpipe off the back. It is the dual-tube downpipe, and they cut it just post-flange when they removed it. If nothing else we might attach a cheapo Cherry Bomb or something. Have to see how loud it is.

- you will want a muffler, trust me. 2 gallons of diesel should last you about 75 miles. Be careful not to run it dry though, you will kill the injection pump

We'll have to rig up a throttle, clutch, and shifter linkage pack. For throttle and clutch it shouldn't be too hard. Cables are manipulatable. The shifter however could be a little tougher.
On a side note, we have several pneumatic actuators running around. We'll have to see how tough they are. Might run them off the vacuum pump and have them do little things like pull the cold-start link, or maybe even aid in shifting. Hell, if they are tough enough, we might even use them for the throttle, just for the novelty.
Fuel supply should be easy. Heck, we could probably even run Off-Road diesel through it since it will be on a kart, not a car.

Brakes will be through the disc assemblies on the Rabbit's hubs. Dunno if we'll use front brakes or not. It'll all depend on whether having the weight over the rear wheels will be enough aid. Otherwise we'll rig up some discs off of something else.

The only accessory we plan to run is an alternator. I have a 55-amp internally regulated one that as far as I'm aware works great. Dunno what I'll do with the compressor. Maybe we could hook it up with an in-line oiler to act as a mobile air compressor. That would be freaking awesome. Although, that is more dead weight.... Compressor plus tank...

Anyone think this'd be kind of cool? Or do we have several votes for me being an idiot?

- my brother is building a go cart with some friend using vw parts and a motorcycle engine, giv'er man

Oh yes... How does the ignition solenoid work? Just a simple 12v feed from the ignition or on/off switch? Thats kind of a vital one to know...

- yep that's all

[jtanguay]

go kart from a 1.5 diesel engine...  :lol: man if you can make it happen that would be so cool.  you should turbo it  :twisted:

[LeeG]

I tend to agree with SMOKEYDUB, the best field cars are pretty much stock with all the extra bits sliced off.  I built a few aircooled dune buggies in the past, but we had just as much fun maybe more with clapped out beetles with all the doors, glass, fenders etc sliced off.  

But welding stuff together is good sport too, so have at it if your of a mind to.

[Typrus]

We'll see about the muffler. I might just put on some industrial ear-protection-ear-muff-things and terrorize my neighborhood  :twisted:

Turbo it? If I find a random turbo laying around somewhere that I think will work... HELL YES! But before that I'd probably be doing some better injectors, maybe tweak the pump (does Giles do 1.5's?) and possibly build header primaries. The downtube right now would make great header secondaries. I just wonder if that cast manifold is a bit limiting. After all, the faster you can flow it out, the less EGT heat accumulates.

I dunno how we'll monitor fuel level. I don't think there is a flow-switch we could use to interrupt the fuel solenoid.... is there? On that note... Will it run really crappy leading up to the run-out? The tank will be suspended at or above the pump level, so self-priming won't be necessary, but still, sucking air for a few seconds can't be happy to the IP.

I still dunno if it even runs!  :shock:  We'll have to put it on some test stand and put fluids in it to see if she'll fire.


The lower that weight figure drops, the happier I'll be  

This will be fun. We'll try to use a car front end suspension and steering linkage (small car, maybe a Geo or the likes?) so we don't have to "try" to engineer something capable of higher speeds. I doubt we'll see the 100+ it'd be capable of (less than 1000lbs, if we shield it then a low frontal crossection, and 48HP+.. WEEE! lol) but I want to know that we won't have to worry about a welded-together thing won't disintegrate.

[Typrus]

Ok... When they pulled things apart, like I had said they were fairly irresponsible with keeping track of things....

Engine mounts... There is one that looks like it fits into a cup-like retainer on the front that the start bolts go through. There is one on the back of the diff that also connects with the downtube. What other ones are there? I need to start looking at cradle development.

[burn_your_money]

There is one connected to the IP bracket along the timing belt side of the engine. There is one more on the top of the tranny

[VWCaddy]

Some information and pictures/sketches of the shift linkage on the web page below:
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ShiftLinkage.shtml#Introduction

[Typrus]

Nothing I see on the IP bracket, but there is one on the back of the engine that looks mount-ish. Rubber surround and a bolt-through hole...

Have to figure out where the mount for the tranny top went. The rest (I think) are there.

We have an idea for how we'll mount it.
Removable cage, heavy-duty bolted to the Kart chassis. Will double as a test-stand. Engine trouble? Unbolt the cage, hook up the cherry picker, set cage aside, and now there is a seperate stand with all the goodies incorporated.


Still no idea how we'll rig up the shifter linkage, considering it will be rear-engine.


How do I prime the injectors and pump? I don't want to damage them if I can avoid it.


I'm considering, some time along, buying Colorado Biodiesel injectors. Anyone tried them? They are just about an hour away from me, so no biggy to pick up and save shipping. Hygiene is a quaint little town.. Known for its 4wd shop and apparently VW injectors. And the fact that it seems most people get around on ATV's... Farming country.


We're trying to figure out several things. Front suspension and the likes amongst them.
We also need a fuel tank... Anyone have any suggestions? If we can avoid it, $75 is not a cost we can afford for a good Poly tank.


Also...... Realistically... About how much would the 1.5 make with better injectors, MAYBE a re-worked IP, MAYBE a custom-built 4-2-1 header setup, and no accessories, Alternator aside?

[burn_your_money]

How do I prime the injectors and pump? I don't want to damage them if I can avoid it.

Remove the "out" bolt/line and fill the pump with ATF or the likes through that hole. It takes a lot of fuel though

[jtanguay]

with the bulb... could you not place it on the return port on the injection pump and just squeeze like crazy???  or would it have enough suction??? just a thought..