Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

This is a place for us to share progress on and upgrades to our vw diesels.

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avocado
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Post by avocado »

bscutt wrote:hopefully not "de-ionized"...
that's usually what it means
Good call, Bob. It is distilled and not de-ionized. I had somehow superimposed "DI" for distilled in my mind...
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
bscutt
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Post by bscutt »

So I am very impressed with your project. Once upon a time I might have tackled something like that, now time and arthritis make that sort of endeavor a little too hard for me so I just have to dream about them. :~)

I'm a fan of the old air-cooled VW buses, a friend had a very nice one that I got to drive about 30 years ago. Not very fast but fun to drive. I hope you are able to get it all road-worthy - I'm sure you will based on what I've seen so far. Getting the bugs out of a project like this usually takes a while, but most of my rolling restorations have been like that.

Anyway good luck with it, I hope to see some pictures when you get it all worked out.
Bob

'06 Jetta TDI
'82 Rabbit 1.6NA
Honda, 99 GMC Suburban, '41 Chevy Coupe
avocado
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Post by avocado »

bscutt wrote:So I am very impressed with your project. Once upon a time I might have tackled something like that, now time and arthritis make that sort of endeavor a little too hard for me so I just have to dream about them. :~)
Thanks bscutt!

Things are a bit stalled right now - spent a day replacing hoses and re-plumbing the radiator - but I'm itching to get back into it.

Maybe sometime when I'm down in DC you can check her out... :D
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
bscutt
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Post by bscutt »

sounds good to me!
Bob

'06 Jetta TDI
'82 Rabbit 1.6NA
Honda, 99 GMC Suburban, '41 Chevy Coupe
avocado
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Post by avocado »

Status update:

1. New coolant lines are installed I've poured coolant in...will probably need to add some after I start it up and get everything circulating.

2. Sliding door is fixed.

3. Steering Wheel locking mechanism now works for the first time in years.

4. Unfortunately, when I say "works" in #3, I mean "actually locked the steering wheel...but doesn't appear to be fond of letting it go after all this time apart". Ugh. Hopefully lube and gentle coaxing will fix the issue.

Left to do:

1. Valve cover gasket.

2. Head gasket check.

3. Fix headlight wiring/replace relay.

4. Debug fan relay/thermostat wiring.
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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Post by avocado »

A copious amount of white lithium grease (Wirth brand) applied via plastic spray nozzle attached to the can has effectively freed up my steering column. I can now start the bus again.
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by avocado »

Making progress...

1. Valve cover leak solved.
2. Oil geyser from dipstick: fixed.

Still need to verify/debug the radiator fan.

Hopefully I can go out for a drive tonight...
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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(at least temporary) Victory!

Post by avocado »

Solved my radiator fan issue (which was actually two issues: bad ground on the fan and wire going into the wrong hole on the radiator thermostat) and...I can drive without my coolant boiling over!

Got the bus up to a sustained 55 mph - around 3000 rpm - for a mile or three without any major issues.

My oil pressure is a little low after she warms up to those temps, which I think is due to a leak where the sensor screws into the oil cooler (ugh, what a hassle of a space to get to), and the fact that I put some seafoam into the crankcase to try to help the rings along (thinking I had a stuck ring after a lot of blowby). It's something I'll be keeping an eye on moving forward.

I installed indicator lights in my dashboard for the following so far:
- glow plugs powered up
- coolant level sensor

I have a third light which will either be used to tell me when the fan is running (I want to get a sense of how often it's fired up) and/or hooked up to the stock glow plug indicator.

Took a drive yesterday where I overheated to about 215-220 before pulling over, followed by the coolant boiling over. That said, I saw about 8-9 psi indicated on the boost gauge, which was pretty cool.

Next steps:
1. Install boost gauge and perhaps oil temp gauge.

2. Make template to see where tranny is hanging to see if it's where it should be hanging (the tranny is supported by the engine in the rear, and I have heard a tiny whine on some shifts that I want to make sure is ok...the TO bearing is also making some noise...)

3. Start working on some of the interior bits.

4. Measure heater cable and accerlator cable so I can have real cables made up for the cold start lever and accelerator, respectively. Current solution is a kludge.

5. Install bumper.

6. Install exhaust pipe.

7. Fix turn signal and high beams.

8. Consider installing smaller, lower output puller fan on the radiator to maintain a draw through the radiator at all times while not hosing the battery.
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
Fatmobile
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Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by Fatmobile »

Just caught myself applauding you,..
actually clapping my hands together, :D .
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
avocado
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Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by avocado »

Fatmobile wrote:Just caught myself applauding you,..
actually clapping my hands together, :D .
Thanks Fatmobile! That really means a lot!

Cheers!
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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Quest to run cool....

Post by avocado »

Ok. Seeing H2O temps around 185-200degF cruising around town. I think the fan is running a bit to keep 'er cool, but that's ok.

My main concern, however, is that the fan is pressurizing the engine compartment with hot air and that I'm sucking hot air into the intake as a result. Plus, I would like to get the fan usage down as much as possible: both from a battery perspective, and from a "I don't want it to fail" perspective.

And while all of this is driving around during the summer in 80+degF temps, it's not a sustained slog up a highway in 90+ temps, loaded to the gills with camping gear and hippies, so I figure I can work towards bumping up the cooling capacity a bit.

Here's my plan:

1. Add duct-work on the radiator to direct the air downwards out of the engine compartment. Here's how the radiator sits now...:
Image

2. Add a secondary radiator after the heater core, currently amidships under the bus. I'm going to use a Ford Econoline radiator core ($30) which has the same size fittings and rig it up so that air is directed over it via louvers (which i'll have to figure out how to fab or grab). I'll eventually install a fan too. This should provide a smidge of additional cooling - probably take the edge off what the radiator is dealing with when traveling at full speeds - and saves me from having to run full size radiator hoses under the bus. My main concern there is that they'd be exposed to road hazards, where the current lines are not.

I may have to figure out a way to open and close the louvers depending on the season though...

3. Install a thermostatically controlled oil cooler. I've got the stock oil-cooler, but this will be an additional tube-style cooler that I have lying around. Should take 5-10 degrees off the oil temps.

Anyway, that's the plan. I'm hoping that my low oil pressures (20 psi at operating temperatures) are due to the issues mentioned in a previous post (leaking at the sender) and others (using 10w-30 because it's what was around, running seafoam in the crankcase to unstick rings), but bringing down oil temps will hopefully help, regardless. It'd be a shame if I had a bad bearings or some such though... Only time will tell!
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by avocado »

Took a run last night in the hot weather after putting some tin around the radiator fan outlet so it blows the hot air down and out of the engine compartment instead of into the engine compartment. It's been really hot out so I was curious to see how she performed.

In general, I was running around 195-205degF H2O temp, but after a long slog up a hill it went up to 210-215 and stayed there. Ended up overheating (H2O temp up to 220degF and boil-over of coolant out of the overflow reservoir) even after I cooled down.

I assume that I'm not doing any damage when this happens, right? Given that water temps aren't getting aggressively high (230+) and that I'm pulling over as soon as boil-over occurs?

Regardless, it looks like the radiator in the engine compartment isn't going to cut it alone - which is probably not all that surprising, but I had to give it a go. My interest in having it there was based around two things: (1) I want the install to be stealth, and (2) I would prefer to not have coolant hoses dangling below the bus for when I'm up in the mountains or on trails (infrequent, but occasional).

Next step is to install an aux radiator downstream of the heater core with a scoop to push air into it. Doubt this will get me over the hump, but for $30 it's an easy test and those hoses were small enough to run though my old air-cooled heater ducting, so they're not exposed. Hell, if I see a reduction in temp, but not quite enough of a reduction, I can always put a couple of those puppies in parallel: they're cheap enough and small enough. We'll see.

Goal is to be running in the 195-205 range with the fan only coming on periodically (long hard slogs....what temperature is it tripped at?). Probably install an aux oil cooler to help me get there, but the water temperature is the first thing to bring within spec.
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
avocado
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Posts: 206
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by avocado »

Uploaded some new pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avocado_to ... 082958980/

I've been diligently installing the aux radiator, which is inline and downstream of my heater core. The aux radiator itself is a Ford Truck heater core.

Basically I made a shroud for it with an air scoop so I can (hopefully) get some ram effect air and some aux cooling. There's no t-stat or valve in this line, which may be a problem when its really cold (and possibly for startup) but I don't think I'm going to take too many trips in the winter. And I can always make a cover for the scoop for winter driving as necessary.

Tail pipe is (hopefully) installed in a stable way, as are bumper and trailer hitch. Looking forward to taking a ride when I get home from work tonight....assuming my brazes on the aux rad don't leak! :shock:
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
bscutt
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Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by bscutt »

I'm very impressed - after 20+ hours on my Rabbit this week (timing belt, water pump, hoses, motor mounts, pump reseal which failed and new pump is on the way, half a dozen small problems that added 4 hours to the job, and who knows what else), I can thoroughly appreciate the massive effort required to do what you've done. Congratulations for the progress so far.
Bob

'06 Jetta TDI
'82 Rabbit 1.6NA
Honda, 99 GMC Suburban, '41 Chevy Coupe
avocado
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Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Re: Converting a 1971 VW Camper to a Turbo Diesel

Post by avocado »

Thanks bscutt.

I feel like I'm moving in slow motion...so close and yet still not reliably on the road! It can be frustrating, but I hope I'm getting close...
Currently working on shoehorning a 1.6 TD out of a 1984 Jetta into a 1971 VW Camper (Hardtop)

"Huppity Hup! Rev! Rev! GO GO GO GO!"
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