1974 Corvette TDI...

From the WTF Dept...

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/4935830810.html

This is a one of a kind project car. It has been my daily driver for the past 3 years and has treated me well but its time to move on. It runs and drives well but needs someone with more patience than me to finish the cosmetic work. The inside is rough and needs the attention to detail and wiring prowess that is beyond my level of patience. One update on the car. I did a quick primer paint job on the car. Most of it came out pretty good however I ran out of time in the garage and so there are a few touch ups that need to be done. I still think it looks great though.

1974 Stingray Corvette with T-tops 2002 VW Diesel Engine Toyota truck 5 spd transmission Acme Adapters adapter plate to put them together Excellent tires

This car gets 55+ mpg and is a blast to drive! I am looking for $5,000 obo. It cost me about $12,000 to put it all together. I can do partial cash and trade but there are not a ton of things I am looking for. A few of those include 7x12 (ish) enclosed trailer and guns. Unless you have an old Triumph car or a Triumph motorcycle I don't need any more vehicles.

If you are in the market for a TDI motor than you will know that they don't come cheap. Get this one that runs and drives and in a project car you can make all your own!

Any questions or to take a look email me and I will get right back to you.

Based on my screen name alone, I need that.

A corvette I actually like.

Looks like he does quality work:

If that POS cost $12k to put together he must be an idiot.

he might be including the cost of the TDI engine and it's donor?

Personally, I didn't realize the TDI engine was so tall

cool!

I'll bet an aftermarket cow induction hood would cover the engine.

I'd pay good money to see a Duramax C3.

...What

Is he using great stuff spray foam to seal firewall holes?

kill with fire after taking rims off

That's way too many untrimmed zip ties for $5000.

Edit: And great stuff foam, really? With a $12000 budget you'd think the guy could at least afford some foil tape.

Hmmmmm.

If that was priced like a dead battery-pack Insight......it would scratch the itch I have for a 50 mpg 2-seater.

Maybe I will just raid the penny-jar & take my empty beer cans to the recycling center, send $100 to ELIO.

I'd be less likely to die from electric-fire fueled fiberglass fumes from Zora's nightmare and will at least get a t-shirt.

Whatever that is sticking out of the hood (coolant reservoir, fuel tank?) is not a stock part of the engine. I guess it fits with the rest of the car though.

I very much like the idea of that engine in that car but i very much DISLIKE the idea of ruining the looks while doing so. Hole in the hood would be a dealbreaker for me, but im guessing it doesnt actually NEED to be there and it just happened because it was easier than modifying the oil pan to sit the engine lower, or something like that.

The part sticking through the hood isn't even part of the engine, its something the owner made.

i like everything about that

The drinking side of me likes this... alot.

bgkast wrote: Looks like he does quality work: If that POS cost $12k to put together he must be an idiot.

Shoulda let someone here do the work- Challengers could have done that for less than $2k, and look light years better.

I think.

(on a side point- that powertrain in a locost, with a decent body.... could get some serious fuel economy).

Son of a...

That's actually damn tempting... not for the Vette conversion (I'd yank the TDI stuff and sell the Chebby), but as a donor to install into my crusty 1800ES.

I need to take measurements of my TDI and B20 and see how they compare. A B20 barely fits under the hood of an 1800. I wonder how hard it would be to convert a TDI to a dry-sump to reduce the height...

I agree $5000 is a lot, but it saves much of the foot-work in getting the trans adapter (which IIRC is NOT cheap) and the Toyota trans.

Berk.

Hmm... looks like the adapater isn't too bad. $500 for the base kit and $700 with a bit more stuff:

http://www.acmeadapters.com/store_engine.php

alfadriver wrote:

bgkast wrote: Looks like he does quality work: If that POS cost $12k to put together he must be an idiot.

Shoulda let someone here do the work- Challengers could have done that for less than $2k, and look light years better. I think. (on a side point- that powertrain in a locost, with a decent body.... could get some serious fuel economy).

In reply to your side point, meet Max:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/build-your-own-car-zm0z13amzmar.aspx

In reply to The_Jed:

I read that story a while ago- and while it's interesting, I really don't like that motor- while it's "green" with respect to CO2, it's very, very, very not green in all other measurements of pollution. Whereas this TDI engine was certified for a car in 2002- which says that if you can get it to run, it will be better overall.

edit- a quick check at the EPA says that the TDI was certified as Tier 1. Not amazingly great, but much better than a unregulated diesel, like the Kubota.

Drives me nuts when people paint themselves as an environmentalist only to be that way in a very tiny manner. And almost anti environmentalist in others.

How do you stand driving that daily for 3 years?

I didn't realize the Kubota was a "non-green" engine. That makes sense though, since I think it was sourced from an industrial application, i.e. intended to be installed in a forklift or tractor or some such.

There's a nutcase (term of endearment) on ecomodder who has achieved similar numbers with a Kubota in an Urba Centurion.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/urba-centurion-update-kubota-diesel-100-mpg-mixed-23497.html

I wonder if they could have done better with a TDi?

There's also a C3 Vette with a V8 GM diesel (I think) that gets around 40 mpg (again, I think). I'll have to see if I can find it.

Found it. It's a 6.5.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/corvette-v8-diesel-conversion-40-mpg-us-avg-1128.html