Engine refit

[ssim33on]

Hi i'm reasonably new too all of this, and i was just thinking about how easy / difficult it would be to fit a 1.4 lupo diesel in my moggie, just to decrease the fuel costs, as it is my everyday car.
I ask about that specific engine just because i have one in the garage as i was going to put it in my old audi A2 when the head gasket went.
If it is difficult can anyone suggest an easier fit, with the same or similar mpg

cheers Tom[frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

Welcome to the forum! Great idea - I've been asking for a while if anyone has a small diesel in a Minor. It will all have to be custom made I'm afraid. Also max revs will be low on a diesel - so top speed will be low. You can help that by fitting a 5 speed gearbox and a lower final drive ratio (3.7) but all more expense... An LPG kit will be less expensive and likely to show much greater economy if you do decent mileage. Do let us know how you get on !

[kennatt]

I agree with bm an lpg kit would be easier to do and just about half your running costs,but you allready have the engine so maybe doable I've enquired about lpg for my scimitar to improve the 19 mpg about £600,DIY fitted £1000 ish for garage.If you measure up you may find that the engine will fit without too much cutting about just a case of mounting points,the problem will be with mating to the gear box or what box to use. JLH on the otherside,Oh dearI'll be banned from here now Could probably give you more advice than anyone else. I'm a bit worried about LPG, round here it's steadily increasing used to be about 60p a litre now 90 and the gov being the highwaymen that they are will soon cotton on and start whacking tax on it as soon as they see more usuage,so could become a wasted exercise.

[ssim33on]

YEr i have most of the parts of the 1.4 engine i.e. the gearbox, and pretty much all the other little other bits.
Its just when i was driving my A2 it was getting 70+ mpg, it was such a great practical car, my A2 had over 200,000 miles on the clock before the head gasket went, but the only disadvantage was the cost of buying one. Too have one in my moggie would be so useful as im doing about 200 miles a week.

Cheers Tom

[chrisryder]

your best bet would be to keep the minor RWD, and convert the engine. Rather than convert the minor to FWD to keep the engine and box normal.

Could be worth googling or what-have-you to see if there's a bellhousing made to fit that engine to use a readily available RWD gearbox.

Such bellhousings are available for zetecs, k-series, and redtops, as they see regular use in kit cars. The cost of getting a bell housing made to suit your needs could well be prohibitive to any fuel saving you'll achieve.

[chrisd87]

You would also need to cost in changing the back axle to the Escort type (the Minor axle won't be able to cope with 144lb/ft of torque), plus upgrading the brakes (assuming this conversion makes the car a fair bit quicker).

Another problem could be getting the engine's electronics to work. As far as I know, Megasquirt is not suitable for diesel engines, so you'd be stuck with the original ECU, which might not co-operate.