A different kind of build alh content

[JonThomas91]

So I've been planning this build for a while and slowly gathering parts. I'm probably not going to start till the beginning of next year but I've got an interesting collection of parts.
To start I bought a running and driving 2002 vw jetta for $400. It had a minor front end collision destroying the hood front bumper and headlights.
Next I got a tdi to to jeep 4.0 adapter from td convesions with a custom pilot bushing for $1200.
Then a jeep 4.0 bellhousing for $60 on ebay.
Now for the interesting part that makes this unique
I got a ar5 transmission from a 2006 chevy Colorado as commission for selling the truck $0
Yes a ar5 bolts directly to a jeep 4.0 bellhousing with no modification whatsoever just use slightly shorter bolts for the lowest 2.

As far as the chassis its going into I'm keeping it a surprise for now..

 

[A-man930]

Following

 

[AndyBees]

Following ...

 

[ToxicDoc]

How will the gear ratios work out for the diesel rpm range?

 

[JonThomas91]

They should work quite well the tdi has a relatively hight redline not too different from a gas engine. I tend to favor low rpm at cruise for the best possible fuel mileage. With the setup im planning 1500-1600 at 60 with a 3.08 rear but if it drives poorly I'll switch to the 3.55 axle

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

They should work quite well the tdi has a relatively hight redline not too different from a gas engine. I tend to favor low rpm at cruise for the best possible fuel mileage. With the setup im planning 1500-1600 at 60 with a 3.08 rear but if it drives poorly I'll switch to the 3.55 axle

That would be really nice, depending on how heavy the vehicle is. If it's heavy and has a lot of drag, you may want to rev a bit higher. EGTs could be a problem otherwise. TDIs don't move a lot of air at low revs.

 

[JonThomas91]

It will be on the heavy and large side but will be also be heavily optimized for fuel economy and a small motor as well as not having ac or power steering it will be lowered with lightweight wheels, llr tires and many small modifications to improve the aerodynamic drag and make the motor do as little work as possible

 

[AndyBees]

I cannot image your ALH doing very well at 1500-1600 RPMs at 60 MPH in a regular Jeep or Cherokee!

I have a .77 4th gear and a 4.57 R&P which translates to about 70 MPH at roughly double your planned RPMs (3075-3100) in my Vanagon with 215/75/15 tires. Even on the level, the engine in my Vanagon would tend to lug at 1600 RPMs @ 60 MPH. It handles a 1200 lb camper quite well even loaded with at least another 200 lbs or more. IIRC, peak torque in the ALH engine is approximately 1900 RPMs. There is a considerable difference in torque at 1600 RPMs vs 1900 RPMs. My set-up has a Stage 1 tune, otherwise, it is basically stock. It does spin an AC Compressor and Power Steering.

There are spreadsheets, etc., available to input your data to see the results.. For comparison, 4th gear out on the road in a Jetta TDI is extremely close to the ratio of my Vangon in 4th (only a 4-speed transmission). Although my spreadsheet is set-up for Vanagon Transmissions, a Custom line is there to do input data necessary to see how tires, gears, R&P, etc., translate. I'll be gland to share it with you. Just PM me with your email address. Of course, you will need Excel Spreadsheet on your PC or have access to it someplace.

My Vanagon gets 30 to 34 MPGs from tank to tank, depending on driving circumstances. Pulling the camper with four people on board as well as all their adventure stuff for a month long road trip, it will do better than 26 MPG (documented on two very, very long road trips) as well as over 80k miles on it since August, 2012.

Maybe I am missing something, but I'd hate to see you disappointed.

EDIT: Here's what I've determined.

The AR15 Transmission gear ratios are:
1st - 3.75
2nd - 2.26
3rd - 1.37
4th - 1
5th - 0.73 (overdrive ratio)

OE tire size is 205/75/15 which rotate approximately 744 Revolutions Per Mile.

So, using the 3.55 Ring and Pinion, based on my Excel Spreadsheet , approximately 1925 RPMs = 60 MPH in 5th Gear (not 1500-1600 RPMs unless you go with taller tires). Taller tires would certainly cause lugging which is not good for your ALH TDI engine. Using the same data, the 3.08 R&P jumps the speed to 69 MPH.

Something to compare ...

The bone stock ALH TDI engine's Peak Torque is 155 ft lbs at 1900 RPM

The 2006 Chevy Colorado 2.8-liter I-4 gas engine has 175-hp
That 2.8 engine has 185 lbs.-ft. @ 2,800 rpm

 

[JonThomas91]

With the wheels and tires i'm planning on using the 3.55 gears would put me at 1828 Rpm at 60 so I'll start out with that setup. I'm happy to get any input on this build I can. I'm not able to order many parts till winter is all over since I get laid off for about 3 months when it gets really bad out... but when I do I'm planning on getting the 165 whp kit from kerma unless I can find a setup that would work better for my goals

 

[1.9ZOOK]

Got me hooked on what it is going into....
Stock the ALH runs between 2100-2500 rpm @ 65-70mph

 

[JonThomas91]

So I've made some a little progress on the build having pulled the old engine and set the tdi in the engine bay.

So much room for activities... such as replacing the starter that was almost impossible before. This isn't quite how its going to be I plan to notch the frame and get/modify a steel oil pan to lower the motor about 2 inches. On a side note im not sure if i should mount the pcm under the hood or in the cabin to keep it out of the weather and im also wondering if a aftermarket civic radiator is enough to keep the engine cool...

 

[Alberta 7.3]

Looks like it's a beachball (97-03) F150

 

[JonThomas91]

You are correct it is a 1999 f150. I didn't want to say what it was at first because I didn't want any naysayers about how this is too small of a motor for the truck and i should just get a 4bt but after seeing the builds on here i know it will be just fine.

 

[Alberta 7.3]

Well, a tuned ALH would get similar numbers to a stock 4BT, but the 4BT tips the scales around 750 lbs. For the asking price of a 4BT, you can buy a couple complete running TDI cars to have all the swap parts you'd need. The ALH should be able to move the truck around, just bear in mind it isn't going to perform like a race truck or haul heavy loads.

 

[JonThomas91]

Even a stock tdi should surpass my goals for power my main goal is all out fuel economy. This truck is what I'm calling phase 2 of my build it started out with a 1999 F150 4x4 4.6 manual transmission and manual transfer case. I'm a far more efficient driver than most I started getting 17-18 mpgs in a truck thats only rated 14 combined but thats still not good enough so I slowly modified it to where it is now getting a consistent 24-25 mpgs but thats still not enough so onto phase 2...

 

[JonThomas91]

For phase 2 I bought this truck a 2000 f150 2wd with 4.6 and automatic transmission. Then I put a djm 4/6 lowering kit on it and pulled the motor and transmission. Along with the tdi swap I will be looking to remove as much weight as possible while still having a full interior and working radio. My goals for this truck are under 3800 lbs and to get at least 40 mpgs

 

[Mozambiquer]

That's really cool! I had the last of that body style truck, the 2004 heritage. 12 mpg was normal for that one...
I saw a 1970's ford f150 that someone did an ALH into, as well as a Studebaker truck so I'm sure it'll do fine for a 99 f150.

 

[JonThomas91]

Ya the tdi should be more than adequate to replace the 4.6 what a terrible engine but I've managed to do decent with it. Ive logged the fuel mileage since I got it and the fuel savings vs epa mpg has been enough to pay for the truck

 

[[486]]

I'm planning on one into my '93 f350 when the IDI that's in it finally dies

make sure and upsize the turbo significantly, the stock one is already being pushed past its peak efficiency when cruising at 75 with the frontal area of a golf. I was reading 8 psi exhaust backpressure to 3-4psi intake. Might just be very poorly programmed stock vane control maps, either way little bit bigger could see 1:1 or better emp/imp

 

[Mozambiquer]

Ya the tdi should be more than adequate to replace the 4.6 what a terrible engine but I've managed to do decent with it. Ive logged the fuel mileage since I got it and the fuel savings vs epa mpg has been enough to pay for the truck

That's pretty good for a 4.6. I have had a few 4.6s, and I think they're a fairly solid dependable engine, without the cam phaser problems of the 5.4, but not powerful enough for the fuel economy... I bought a expedition with the 4.6 on a trip to North Carolina so I could tow my Passat home. It worked and was cheaper than a rental truck or a tow. It was really gutless and got an average of 9mpg.

 

[JonThomas91]

I notched the frame a bit to try to get the motor sitting a little better but it just wasn't enough so I decided to move the motor back an inch or 12

Thats much better! Now I need to get to building the motor mounts...

Had to make sure the dash would still fit

 

[Andyinchville1]

Ya the tdi should be more than adequate to replace the 4.6 what a terrible engine but I've managed to do decent with it. Ive logged the fuel mileage since I got it and the fuel savings vs epa mpg has been enough to pay for the truck

HI,

Great info ... where did you log your numbers to get all that data?

Thanks

Andrew

 

[JonThomas91]

Ecomodder.com

 

[Mozambiquer]

I notched the frame a bit to try to get the motor sitting a little better but it just wasn't enough so I decided to move the motor back an inch or 12

Thats much better! Now I need to get to building the motor mounts...

Had to make sure the dash would still fit

That engine bay will be empty! Imagine a mechanic opening that up...
Seriously though, I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.

 

[JonThomas91]

Ya I took inspiration from wrench every day.
Its kinda a combination of 2 of his projects plus I wanted the engine to look as small as possible in the trunk with a side benefit of lowering the center of gravity and making it easier to work on

 

[PradoTDI]

Wow, cool project! I will be interested to see what kind of mileage you can squeeze out of that setup. I've recently started daily driving my 4200lb LandCruiser/ALH swap and have had two fuel-ups at just under 24mpg. Mine has a 0.69:1 5th gear ratio, 4.88 diffs and 235/85/16 tires, putting it at around 2150rpm at 60mph, and 2500rpm at 70mph. With the current Stage 1 tune the power is adequate, but I'm going to upgrade to a Stage 4 soon. Granted, my LC is basically a brick on wheels, but it really doesn't like lugging at all, and is happiest if I keep it at or above 1900rpm.

 

[mannytranny]

I'm impressed. As someone who recently inserted a 3.5/6R80 into my 2001 F150 4x4 regular cab I admire your dedication. I learned a lot about how to make the stock gauge cluster work with Frankenstein's help so if you need any ideas feel free to hit me up.

Mine makes around 400 hp and 500 ft lb but only gets 14/17 mpg. Yours should be the polar opposite of that...

Best of luck!

 

[TDIMeister]

Following

 

[JonThomas91]

I was originally planning on using the stock gauge cluster and I still might but ideally I would like to use a aem digital dash.

 

[JonThomas91]

My original plan for intercooling was to use a massive fmic I had left over from another build but I didn't like how much piping would be between the turbo outlet and the intake manifold that could add a lot of boost lag and clutter up the engine bay... So instead I built this