Inappropriate diesel converted shite

[RichardMoss]

 

Piper PA-28 Cherokee TDi.  The (crappy) Lycoming O-360 engine, which produces 180hp from a 5.9L flat 4 aircooled motor, is replaced with an (even more crappy) inline 4 cylinder Thielert Centurion which produces 135hp from a 1.7L Mercedes A-class 4 cylinder water cooled unit. The cooling system is a lesson in poor design and poor execution - just take a look at all the hoses, pipes and jubilee clips.  The picture shown here is actually a Diamond DA42 which was designed to used the Centurion - the Cherokee retrofit is nowhere near as well executed!

 

Other than a significant reduction in fuel costs, they have little going for them.  Squeezing that much power out of a 1.7L unit that has to run at high rpm for long periods (climbing for example) leads to overheating, blown gaskets, cracked heads and even injectors being spat out of the engine!  The gearboxes have to be replaced every 300 hours, the fuel pumps every 600 hours and the whole engine every 1000hours.    No wonder that warranty claims (aided by a bit of embezzlement) bankrupted the company.

[cort16]

That really is a genuinely nice old car now. It always struggles to find a home when its sold. I think its problems are 1) the slush box and 2 ) its a shit colour and not a great respray

 

If you buy it back again I have a mate locally who is a great spraypainter. He produces brilliant results despite doing it all in a chicken shed for a couple of hundred quid.

 

I reckon resprayed silver/blue or another more appealling colour than black and a manual conversion it would sell easily for better money

 

I know it was an original factory order black car but black just doesnt suit it IMO

It's had about 5 different paint jobs all of them shit. Defo needs a manual conversion the slush box is awful.

[CortinaDave]

Ha ha. Yep the paint job when I bought it was gash, so I was pleased when I heard it had been re sprayed again by someone after my ownership.

 

Then I saw it at a show and noted that the new paint job was also, in fact - Shit.

[Ronnie L]

Not exactly a conversion, but certainly inappropriate ... back in the late 60's / early 70s BMC / BL did a diesel engined version of the Farina Cambridge / Oxford. I think it was meant to appeal to taxi owners but it didn't sell in big numbers. Bloke I knew bought one new in '68 (F registration). It was (Trafalgar?) blue with a grey roof. Quite a smart looking car but boy was it slow, noisy and smokey. He didn't keep it long. To make matters worse I think the diesel they fitted was the 1500cc version, whereas the standard petrol cars were 1600 cc. Bit daft as there was a 2.2 litre diesel available, which was fitted to black cabs and would have shifted the old Farina a bit faster.

[DodgyBastard]

Picking this up tomorrow with my pal...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inappropriate enough?

[Jim Bergerac]

Not exactly a conversion, but certainly inappropriate ... back in the late 60's / early 70s BMC / BL did a diesel engined version of the Farina Cambridge / Oxford. I think it was meant to appeal to taxi owners but it didn't sell in big numbers. Bloke I knew bought one new in '68 (F registration). It was (Trafalgar?) blue with a grey roof. Quite a smart looking car but boy was it slow, noisy and smokey. He didn't keep it long. To make matters worse I think the diesel they fitted was the 1500cc version, whereas the standard petrol cars were 1600 cc. Bit daft as there was a 2.2 litre diesel available, which was fitted to black cabs and would have shifted the old Farina a bit faster.

 

In some foreign parts they received the Marina with that 1500cc engine.

[KruJoe]

Inappropriate enough?

I wouldn't kick a Corrado out of bed for farting, whatever was under the bonnet.

[cobblers]

Yeah I always fancied a pop at a diesel Corrado, I had grand designs of a pd150 thing and a 6 speed box plus a bit of a remap. Would make a cracker of a motor!

[KruJoe]

I believe Skattrd has plans for a similarly equipped Rocco.

[catsinthewelder]

I think we're all missing a big one here!

 

 

 

fifty years of progress later

 

 

And which is older?

 

 

I've had a hankering for some inappropriate diesel shite since I got that 'Fryer to the fuel tank' book about ten years ago.  I had serious thoughts about converting my Wolseley 16/60 and am still tempted to convert the VW.

 

I think replacing the VW with a Commer before I get the spanners out would make for an easier conversion as well as a more desirable end product.

[hairnet]

corrado spill........

 

how come??

[DodgyBastard]

corrado spill........

 

how come??

It's a friends mid life crisis gone sensible dizzler, he bought it a month ago but we're on our way to Hartlepool this morning to collect it.

[tooSavvy]

Someone has pug dizzled a MM1000. FrighteningWhilstDriving too!

 

TS

[chaseracer]

In some foreign parts they received the Marina with that 1500cc engine.

 

The front suspension might just cope...

[PiperCub]

 

Piper PA-28 Cherokee TDi.  The (crappy) Lycoming O-360 engine, which produces 180hp from a 5.9L flat 4 aircooled motor, is replaced with an (even more crappy) inline 4 cylinder Thielert Centurion which produces 135hp from a 1.7L Mercedes A-class 4 cylinder water cooled unit. The cooling system is a lesson in poor design and poor execution - just take a look at all the hoses, pipes and jubilee clips.  The picture shown here is actually a Diamond DA42 which was designed to used the Centurion - the Cherokee retrofit is nowhere near as well executed!

 

Other than a significant reduction in fuel costs, they have little going for them.  Squeezing that much power out of a 1.7L unit that has to run at high rpm for long periods (climbing for example) leads to overheating, blown gaskets, cracked heads and even injectors being spat out of the engine!  The gearboxes have to be replaced every 300 hours, the fuel pumps every 600 hours and the whole engine every 1000hours.    No wonder that warranty claims (aided by a bit of embezzlement) bankrupted the company.

 

Had forgotten about these! Not only Piper but Cessna diesel'd (used Jet-A1/Avtur fuel or diesel) it's 172, I flew one registered G-ECON from memory and it was OK, the Piper on the other hand was less so, gave me a few nervous moments when the prop pitch started cycling midway over a heavily populated coastal town........ not recommended, stuck to the Avgas drinkers ever since! Haven't seen any around the local airfields for years although I don't know if the commerical flight schools still use them in their small twins (DA42's) or not.

 

Also, back to cars - I recall that L.Gardener esq put diesel engines in some pretty high end sports cars in the 30's, Lea-Francis? Lagonda? Can't remember which exactly. He did it more to prove a point & advertise rather than as an actual commerical exercise.

[Richard]

Somebody around here used to have a Nissan 260Z with a diesel engine that even I though sounded a bit agricultural.

[MrBiscuits]

About 10 years ago I worked for a garage equipment company. To get our new emissions tester through VOSA approval I spent many days 'smoke' testing a motley collection of tat at Perkins in Peterborough.

 

One was a ropey white rover 400 saloon (early wedge shape) that had been converted to Prima power - apparently a pre production prototype. I guess rover weren't too impressed with the racket it made and went with the pug unit instead....

[DodgyBastard]

Had to stop at my favourite photos spot on the A68. The Corrado is smoky and sounds like a tractor too...

 

 

DSC_4630 by srblythe, on Flickr

[Lacquer Peel]

I remember seeing a Volvo 745 retro fitted with a Perkins Prima several years ago on eBay. It'd probably go alright with an intercooler and tweaking.

[Matt]

Picking this up tomorrow with my pal...

 

Inappropriate enough?

 

Me likey. Corrado good looks with proper fuel economy.

[jakebullet]

How about a nice* diesel crapi / range rover thing?

 

 

Moar here: http://www.adrianstomcat.co.uk/Capri.htm

[forddeliveryboy]

There's a bloke in the Traction Owner's Club who has bolted an XUD (and two Skoda gearboxes) under the bonnet of his Traction. Similar performance I suppose but why go to all that trouble only to gain a nasty cambelt where there was once none?

[dollywobbler]

Two gearboxes?!

 

As far as I know, there are two XUD Tractions, both using Skoda gearboxes. Seems a good conversion to me. Gain a cambelt maybe, but get a lot more economy and gain such luxuries as an actual oil filter.

[forddeliveryboy]

Well, the original was never known for wasting fuel - mine would usually return 35, falling to 29 on long runs at 80+. I'd say an XUD would struggle to beat 35 at a steady 80-85, bolted into one of these cars. Fitting a four speed box would have more effect on economy, for longer journeys.

 

Unless you're a taxi or delivery van, I can never see the point in fretro-fitting a diesel for economy. Otoh, if you've an older Mercedes with the 200 or 230 badge on the boot, fitting a six-cylinder oil burner could be argued to be an improvement.

 

I think the first Skoda box broke and required replacement. Not sure which one your magazine mentioned/featured.

[dollywobbler]

Have never done a mag feature on them, just seen them at various events. The one I've looked over most had a five-speed Skud box, still using the original gear lever. That must be a feat of engineering in itself. Finding reverse appeared quite difficult...

 

This is the first one I met. 

[castros_bro]

Do I win?

 

[Bren]

How about a nice* diesel crapi / range rover thing?

 

 

Moar here: http://www.adrianstomcat.co.uk/Capri.htm

More economical than a V6.

 

It probably handles better as well.

[overrun]

Do I win? steam3.JPG

The builder of that, should be publicly flogged.

Bet it isn't much quicker than standard, too. Lol.

[scruff]

They are dog slow.

 

Check this one out. The engine is from a Sherman tank!!

 

P1010428 Steam Tractor Engines Wixford Warwickshire 29-03-2012 by rodtuk, on Flickr

[castros_bro]

The builder of that, should be publicly flogged.

Bet it isn't much quicker than standard, too. Lol.

 

These are modded to make them faster, if you look closely there is a large "clockwork spring" device under what was the boiler tank which was used to store kinetic energy as the machine slowed down, this could then be released to help accelerate from a standing start. Useful for stop-start operation as in the notorious 1902 traction engine jams of the Oxford Ring Road.