Purple Tom's Corrado TDi - gone

[Laser Mark 0]

Nice work Tom.

 

Really liking the idea of a diesel Corrado.

 

Can't wait to see it completed

[KipVR 1]

Hi Tom, I'm really interested in this conversion, I'm so glad you're doing it!

 

What do you do about driveshafts and fuel pump? Can you use a G60 intercooler?

[Purple Tom 0]

Neil - annoyingly my donor doesn't have the cup holder or the centre sun visor - I nearly didn't have it because of that but decided I better not look a gift horse in the mouth ;)

 

Mark & Mark - thanks, it'll be hard work but worth it I reckon!

 

Kip - thanks. I'm going to be using the VR6 driveshafts with new outer CV's as they're needed for the widetrack conversion. The 5-speed TDi gearbox has the same output flange size as the VR so they're a bolt-on part. Fuel pump wise I don't actually need anything other than the engine-mounted injector pump because that also acts as the lift pump. However for ease of fitment I'm going to retain the 8V in-tank pump and wire it through an intertia switch to an ignition live feed. Not only will this get around the problem of having to use a different fuel sender unit, it'll also mean that when I come to look for bigger power I won't have any issues with fuel pressure at all. The guy in america (G60ing) has used a G60 intercooler on both of his conversions and while I like the idea of it as far as OEM fitting goes, I'd rather fit a decent FMIC as there's loads of room in front of the radiator and I'm going to have to fabricate boost pipes anyway so I might as well do it properly with more power in mind later on.

 

Thanks for the positive replies so far, I wasn't sure how a TDi conversion would be accepted in general because it's not exactly in keeping with all of the big power petrol engines. However I really like the idea of reasonable performance coupled with great economy, and I really needed something to do :)

Edited March 28, 2011 by Purple Tom

[Pat_McCrotch 0]

Out of interest, does anyone know if a Passat Dashboard fits in a Corrado.

 

Thinking more for future reference, everything on a Corrado dash is obsolete so it'd probably be less hassle to switch over to it.

[Purple Tom 0]

Neil - having removed the dashboard from the Passat yesterday and the dash from the VR about a month ago I can confidently and categorically say no. They are totally different and the only thing they really have in common are the clocks. The Passat's dash doesn't even bolt through the bulkhead like on the Corrado, it just slots in to captive holes in the bulkhead and the majority of the securing is done via large pressed steel brackets that bolt to the inside of the bulkhead. Shame really!

[easypops 8]

Nice one Tom.......I've been waiting for this thread to appear and as expected your cracking on at a good pace already :dance:

[moneypit23 0]

Looks like a good idea, i think we'll see more of these with the astronomical cost of fuel.

[Walesy 0]

Nice, its surprising there's not more of these around by now, could well be a useful thread for a lot of people in the future :)

[fla 9]

agreed with all the comments above. Would also be nice to know any 6 cyl diesels that would fit...

[Walesy 0]

Yeah, if Im honest I think if I was going to the hassle of a TDi conversion I'd probably be wanting something a bit newer with lower mileage and better tuning ability, although I accept that it would be a much harder conversion!

[Yandards 0]

Nice work, I assume you will be adjusting the TDi dash clocks to make them a little more Corrado like?

 

As I have run a B4 Passat estate for the last 3 years they are pretty solid cars and whilst the running gear is the same nearly all the body panel fitment etc is an evolution on from the Corrado in terms of manufacturing techniques, the dash as already mentions is more Mk 3 Golf than Corrado, the door membranes are the moulded foam type stuff, there is a lot more plastic on the underside to protect the car from salt and stones etc. Only snag is that they don't seem to be massively durable when it comes to tweaking more out of them - the turbos are quite weak and the ECU loves to detect an overboost condition and dumps into safety mode.

 

How are you getting around the drive by wire throttle, I guess it's just a straight bolt on job, it does mean you can fit the VW cruise control kit (about £60 from the stealer including the stalk!) as a bolt on option, you just need VAG-COM to enable it.

 

As for the cupholder, these were an optional extra hence the reason you don't see many about - they were also about £50 when you could still buy one.

 

I have a friend who fitted the same conversion as this to a MK 2 Golf, it was very quick indeed so well worth the effort.

 

As for the intercooler, the 1Z engine uses the standard G60 style intercooler in the standard G60 location on the Passat for the 1Z engine (90 bhp) and the AFN engine (110bhp).

[Purple Tom 0]

I have looked into the feasibility of the later 16v PD engines, along with the 6 speed box etc. The conversion is very possible however I just can't afford it. The donor vehicle alone would be way out of my price range so I'm just going to do the best I can with what I've got to be honest.

 

Yandards - the DBW throttle is easily dealt with by swapping the whole pedal box from the Passat into the Corrado, this also sorts the clutch and brake switches out. I know what you mean about the overboost problem as my Ibiza suffers from the same issue, but the N75 valve is often the culprit and can be changed to hopefully solve the problem. The weak turbo issue will be solved when I go VNT but as I stated earlier I just want to get the thing running and iron out any niggles to begin with. My long term plan is to rebuild an AHU complete with some nice modifications but it all comes down to cost in the end! I plan on making the needles red in the clocks and perhaps altering the colour of the faces but its not a top priority at the moment, the mechanical side of it concerns me more at the minute.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Purple Tom

[Supercharged 2]

Awesome!

[joby 0]

Really intersting write up! Good luck with it all

[lilfuzzer 1]

Nice work Tom was thinking of doing a tdi as the next project but the vr needs to be finished first I will watch with interest how you get on as I still want to do this some day so I can have a rado as a daily and the vr as a weekend toy.

 

keep up the good work

[oldskooliain 0]

Have you been on Dragons Den with this idea yet?

[dalhalvaig 0]

I can see this will become a regular read and I'm there with lilfuzzer on the daily and weekender...can you believe I was about to start a thread the other day asking if anyone had done a TDI C

[ziderapple 0]

Excellent work Tom, I can appreciate the conversion being done with budget in mind, sure a newer PD lump would be nice but I am sure you'll be more than happy with the end result. I also quite like the fact that the engine will be from a similar era, plus I'm happy that your posts are readable and free of txt spk etc. :-)

 

Keep up the good work and good luck with it all, I shall be following this one.

[junkie 0]

I love the research that's gone into it and how it reads as a very easy conversion just swapping parts with no mods, I hope it works out that way and don't get too side tracked once stuck in as that's when you blow the budget.

[Diesel Junior 0]

Great thread Tom, have you checked out the Corrado database, there are loads of Corrado TDis over here in mainland Europe...http://www.corrado-database.nl/index.php?item=search&resultset=corrado&motortype=7&bouwjaar=&kleurcode=&info=&verlang=

[coullstar 0]

Looks like you have it all planned out. Will be intersting to watch. Im still not sure on a diesel Corrado though.

[TheDubFather 0]

TDi FTW!

[mikkijayne 0]

Ironic that I'm mentioned in this thread, as my Corrado TDI is the one thats now getting the V8 :D

 

PD engines are nice, but far more complicated than the early ones to fit, and still very expensive. Theoretically you can get the same power from the VE-pump engines like the AHU and AFN for a lot less money and they are almost plug and play. I say theoretically, since I still haven't found anyone in the UK who can remap the damn things since they require eproms burning and sockets soldering to the ECU. The Americans can do it, but thats prohibitively expensive, so thus far mine are stuck at 110hp :(

[Purple Tom 0]

Thanks for the responses everyone :)

 

Diesel Junior - hadn't heard of the Corrado database before, it's nice to see there's plenty more! I'd a feeling that there must be some in mainland Europe because of the amount of Corrado's over there but I hadn't seen any. Looks like there's a good variety of engine choice too, I like the PD150 conversion...if only I had the means :lol:

 

Coullstar - I'm not sure either! I really don't know what its going to be like but I'm hoping it will just be a good frugal daily drive. It's going to be widetrack, have all new suspension components, decent brakes and a nice comfy leather interior so it should be generally a pretty nice place to be. I've just ripped all of the soundproofing out of the Passat (which was nice and quiet internally), so I've got an idea of how noisy it'll be. Power wise I know its going to be slow to begin with but it'll easily do 90mph on the motorway which is all I need to begin with. I can begin to chase more power/torque once I've got it reliable.

 

TheDubFather - looks like you're a bit further ahead than me! Get yourself a project thread started! I hope to have a picture very similar by a week on Sunday ;)

 

Mikkijayne - I wondered whether the same car was getting that V8, good luck with the conversion, should be awesome when its done! Reading some of your threads on other forums has really helped me out, so thank you :) I know what you mean about remapping the ECU...I plan on upgrading to VNT and an AFN ECU before much else but then I can have a go at remapping myself....can't be that hard can it? ;)

[Jim 1]

Will definitely keep an eye on this one - nice work so far Tom!