Petrol to diesel conversion
Submitted: Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 19:35
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neviam
Giday all.
I have a 93 Ford Raider with a tired 2.6 that is getting close to shuffling off this mortal coil. I am looking at a couple of options but want to keep the raider (yeah I know, but have grown attached to it). My last outing to
Stockton Beach saw it huffing along the high tide mark let alone any real work so I want to give it a little more in the grunt department.
Option 1 is to rebuild the current motor and add a super charger with a clutch (like an air conditioner compressor clutch). This would be the most straightforward.
Option 2 is to replace the motor with a 3lt diesel. This will require heaps of work and a greater cost.
I did think of a V6 petrol but this would cost around the same as the diesel option but I am after power not speed and retain some sort of economy (hence the clutch in option 1).
Any thoughts on which way to go and why?
Reply By: Matt M - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:01
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:01
Neviam, the clutch on a supercharger is a pipe dream from people who have watched MAD MAX tooooo many times!!! It doesnt happen! How is the air supposed to pass through the turbines of the compressor if it is not spinning from the engine drive?? It would at least be parasitic to your horsepower and at worst, totally suffocate and stall the engine!
If you want to go the Supercharger route, then once it is fitted and the engine built and tuned to suit, it runs all the time, you only use more fuel if you use more throttle??? You would never want to switch it off after you have it runinng properly, but it is a very costly option!!
The diesel isnt a bad option, although again, not cheap and quite involved, with tanks, pumps and maybe aditional lines??
How attached are you to this rig really?? Arent the new Couriers Turbo diesel and v6?
Matt.
AnswerID:
35840
Follow Up By: ross - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:33
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:33
Matt clutch driven superchargers are now a reality and have been since Mercedes won the Le mans in the 1920s.They won by having a switch on the accellerator that activated the blower thus saving the engine for when they needed the power rather than running it full time like their competitors which wore the motor out.They are available for commodores and presumably other cars from
Newcastle Rod
Shop.I think the advert is in Just Parts Peddler.There are also other blower ads as
well
Neviam why not fix your raider up with a stock motor with the view to upgrading to something newer in the future.Emotional attachments to cars are not rational and may wear off quickly once you start doing engine swaps/performance mods.Once youve got a new 4x4 all traces of your past romance with the raider will dissipitate.
FollowupID:
25881
Follow Up By: Matt M - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:55
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:55
I guess anything is possible if you have an unlimited budget, but fesible??
There is no additional wear to an engine to just have a supercharger fitted to it. It allows for improved volumetric effeciency over the entire rev range but unless you are putting the boot into it, it runs with all the manners of the origional engine, theoretically, you can improve economy!!!
I would also think that if they have been so sucessful since the 1920's then we would have every performance car for the last 83 years would be utilising! Seems like the only 'common' ones are the continuous ones, GM Vortex Sprintex. To me the numbers do the talking.....this is a Raider we are talking about not Vic Brays Doorslammer!
FollowupID:
25882
Follow Up By: ross - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 23:32
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 23:32
The reason superchargers never took off in the past was because of the inherent inefficiency of the seals inside which meant the blowers needed regular rebuilds.With modern technology these problems are being overcome.Sprintex,a British company which sold out to a
Perth company sells high precision blowers to Toyota for its MR2,Holden for its V6 and have been negotiating with Ford for its twin blown mustang 4.4 V8 to be fitted to its local falcon. They also fit their blowers to new landcruisers and range rovers.
FollowupID:
25899
Reply By: neviam - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 20:50
Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 21:40
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 21:40
Were you happy with the power when new?
Then just rebuild it, it will be the same as new... bleep loads cheaper, and no engineering issues..
Insurance companies DISPISE cars now that have non original donks, so you would be screwed there.
No matter how attached to the Raider you are, trading it in may be the best, cheapest, and most logical option..
YMMV
AnswerID:
35859
Reply By: Eric Experience. - Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 22:34
Friday, Oct 31, 2003 at 22:34
Neviam.
The motor in your raider is an
astron 2 australian made with a maxda head on it, any of the australian made magna motors will bolt striaght up to it. I would go for a 3litre v6 but you have to get the pajero manifolds and water pump and electronics. The 3Iitre has much better fuel economy than the 2.6, i can understand your attachment to the raider as there is no other long wheel base wagon to replace it. Eric.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: neviam - Saturday, Nov 01, 2003 at 14:21
Saturday, Nov 01, 2003 at 14:21
Eric,
I was under the impression that from late 92 Mazda started using their own design. We are talking about the 12 valve EFI engine.
FollowupID:
25914
Reply By: Eric Experience. - Saturday, Nov 01, 2003 at 22:21
Saturday, Nov 01, 2003 at 22:21
Neviam
YOu may be right about the maxda motor but, the 12valve head on the bravo was on a mitse block, anyway the gear box may be the same so the mitse will still fit, I suggest you take a triton v6 for a
test drive just to get a feel for the power and then worry about the detials. Eric.
AnswerID:
35927