vw tdi kit car

[ChippedNotBroken]

Mmmmm, 2000 lb car towing 1500 lbs. Sounds like trouble to me.

 

[Ian F]

Mmmmm, 2000 lb car towing 1500 lbs. Sounds like trouble to me.

Agreed... but being able to tow a small autocross trailer (for tires and tools) would be nice.

 

[ARCJr]

Unless I'm mistaken, the costs will be:
Smyth Performance kit: $10K
Donor TDI: $3k-$6K (I doubt you'd cut up a car more expensive than that)
Throw on an el cheapo paint job or vinyl wrap, and you're done, if you want.

However, you could start going crazy with...
Full custom body work and paint: $8k?
Top of the line Recaro seats: $4k?
Carbon fiber HRE wheels and tires: $8-10K?

 

[ChippedNotBroken]

Unless I'm mistaken, the costs will be:
Smyth Performance kit: $10K
Donor TDI: $3k-$6K (I doubt you'd cut up a car more expensive than that)
Throw on an el cheapo paint job or vinyl wrap, and you're done, if you want.

However, you could start going crazy with...
Full custom body work and paint: $8k?
Top of the line Recaro seats: $4k?
Carbon fiber HRE wheels and tires: $8-10K?

I don't know why you would count the cost of the donor, most of us already have the donor cars

 

[mark smith]

i will leave a spot on both sides of the center exhaust for steel plates that you can use for a SMALL trailer since i also like to tow tires behind...but 1500 lbs...nah.

jphil is driving this feature..four open track tires and a light trailer..i am thinkin 600lbs with a tongue weight of under 100lbs. and dont you dare say this thing is engineered for it as you are on your own designing the tire hauler that will be safe.

And spacers have to be added to the 205 fronts to clear the coil over lowering struts...prob 1" in front and 1.25" in rear..the body is narrower than a gtm...i am not constrained to gtm dimensions as the car wont share a single panel with the ffr gtm...its a completely different car.

re cost...kit is under ten, i just paid top dollar 5k for a nice 120k donor...if you cant wrap or paint the thing for what you get on ebay for the jetta parts then you will be over 15k. but not by much.

wood and tape lets me sit in something dimensionally close to the photochop and say yae or nay....looks like a solid yea.

mark

 

[nicklockard]

i will leave a spot on both sides of the center exhaust for steel plates that you can use for a SMALL trailer since i also like to tow tires behind...but 1500 lbs...nah.

jphil is driving this feature..four open track tires and a light trailer..i am thinkin 600lbs with a tongue weight of under 100lbs. and dont you dare say this thing is engineered for it as you are on your own designing the tire hauler that will be safe.

And spacers have to be added to the 205 fronts to clear the coil over lowering struts...prob 1" in front and 1.25" in rear..the body is narrower than a gtm...i am not constrained to gtm dimensions as the car wont share a single panel with the ffr gtm...its a completely different car.

re cost...kit is under ten, i just paid top dollar 5k for a nice 120k donor...if you cant wrap or paint the thing for what you get on ebay for the jetta parts then you will be over 15k. but not by much.

wood and tape lets me sit in something dimensionally close to the photochop and say yae or nay....looks like a solid yea.

mark

*pumps fists in the air* Nice. 600 lbs is better than nothing.

Why 205's? I'd like to run stocker 195/65R15 tire/wheels. Would that require spacers?

 

[mark smith]

tires

195 or 205...the diff is only 5mm on the outside(the 10mmm difference is split between the inside and outside)...they both need spacers and will look about the same. there is a good chance that a 225 is the widest that will fit..i am putting fat ones(245 or 255) in the rear but i imagine many folks will want the lower rolling resist of the skinnys so i am including the spacers front and rear. the 930 look is pretty cool when you see it and the air back there is already dirty so the aero drag of the fat tire is not that big a deal...heck its already over 45 mpg anyway right?

mark

 

[Tom W.]

Factory 5 GTM diesel/electric hybrid!

Check this out- http://www.evxteam.org/vehicles/piaxp-entries/item/148-evx-gt

Mark- I wonder who will finish getting to market first???
Kinda cool how your company is helping build some other cottage industries!

 

[jlphil]

What can we sell off the Jetta? Is there a market for the parts?

ARCJr, I am in full agreement with your rough cost-to build-estimate. I just got my donor lined up (within the range you posited), and am proceeding forward in line with your figures. I'm hoping to locate some cool used rims plus modest power-enhancement parts, and explore the possibilities of a wrap or low-end paint, paid from the $15K budget and parts sold off the Jetta during disassembly.

This method has worked for me in past FFR builds; I just need to spend some time familiarizing myself with $$ one can expect from selling used Jetta parts. Windshield, interior panels, fenders, hood, trunk, trim, all seem game at first thought. How much can those parts generate in revenue? Is EBay the best place to sell, or a dedicated VW forum? Let's find out!

 

[nicklockard]

Mark, I sent an inquiry about deposit requirements to your email.

 

[mark smith]

donor is home

after a five hour bus ride from boston to vermont i gave the guy 5 grand and drove home by 5pm friday. car is really nice...almost too nice. turbo cuts out..no biggie mine did same..i will get it chipped and injected this week...make sure it rips..then make kit number 0001 out of the beast.

If you have not chipped and injected your car just do it....even when the turbo is on the thing feels so slow compared to my wagon with the mods....sooo slow. I am into the chipped and injected wagon 30k miles and a clutch...no problems and 50 mpg...why this setup is not the norm is beyond me.

mark

I will keep all the deposit emails but really cant take cash till i am driving around having fun in a body style i know i like....

 

[alphaseinor]

...no problems and 50 mpg...why this setup is not the norm is beyond me.

It is the norm in Europe

 

[owr084]

Well hurry up! I just paid off my Eos and I unless I have something else to make payments on, I just might have to save the money instead

 

[mrchill]

I'm into building one...let me know when you are ready. I even have all the parts ready.....no surprise I'm sure!

 

[bluegraphite]

Caged for racing?

Mark, what a great idea! (Oh god, I'm drooling - how embarrassing!)

I've looked carefully - and enviously - at Simon Hauger's and Nate Hine's versions of rear engine TDIs. (Anyone who is interested can google " Philly's Tour de Sol K1 Attack" and IBW's post about "TDI in a new location" to find pix of the cars I'm talking about.) Some design issues with these however, if you want a competitive trackable & streetable car....

I'm into racing my street-driven B100 TDI, so a full cage in a car like mini-me would be important. A full rectangle 4+ inches above the driver's helmet is required for hillclimbing (described in detail at hillclimb.org) This is slightly more cage than for other kinds of racing AKAIK, as it needs to prevent intrusion. Is it likely that your design will meet this and hence be eligible for the kind of racing I do?

I haven't yet read all the ffr link you gave, so excuse me if you described it there and I missed it.

 

[bluegraphite]

Caged for racing?

What a great idea! (Oh god, I'm drooling - how embarrassing!)

I've looked carefully - and enviously - at Simon Hauger's and Nate Hine's versions of rear engine TDIs. (Anyone who is interested can google " Philly's Tour de Sol K1 Attack" and IBW's post about "TDI in a new location" to find pix of the cars I'm talking about.) Some design issues with these however, if you want a competitive trackable & streetablecar....

I'm into racing my street-driven TDI, so a full cage in a car like mini-me is important. A full rectangle 4+ inches above the driver's helmet is required for hillclimbing (described in detail at hillclimb.org) This is slightly more cage than for other kinds of racing AFAIK, as it needs to prevent intrusion. Is it likely that your design will meet this and hence be eligible for the kind of racing I do?

I haven't yet read all the ffr link you gave, so excuse me if you described it there and I missed it.

 

[mark smith]

dash

after lowering the dash the vents dont line up any more...no biggie...just have to make a few pieces to try to use the molded in vent network under the dash...for those of you that have seen it..very cool.

airbags in the seats..yikes...static electricity warning....i just dont like little bombs...even if they save you when set up properly.

mark

 

[nicklockard]

after lowering the dash the vents dont line up any more...no biggie...just have to make a few pieces to try to use the molded in vent network under the dash...for those of you that have seen it..very cool.

airbags in the seats..yikes...static electricity warning....i just dont like little bombs...even if they save you when set up properly.

mark

I knew that would happen. Keeping the large tubular cross member behind the dash or deleting it? Seat airbag *delete* Don't worry, they aren't that sensitive. Just don't rub balloons on them while walking across shag carpet on a dry day

 

[mark smith]

dash support

It did that on the first car too...knew it was coming a ton easier making new vent pieces than reconfiguring the steering/brakes/pedals/ac/.....

taking time drawing clear cut lines since..you know..you just dont cut up a car every day...

keeping the crossmember is the priority...yes

 

[mark smith]

cutting the car

Made the "big cut" yesterday and posted a few pics on twitter. Wasn't too bad a job..took about an hour and a half.

Regarding the year of manufacture...I am going to great lengths in this project to use the jetta main section and rails all the way to the front of the car. My guess is that most states will assign a correction to the jetta title calling it a rebodied jetta like the hummer replica guys did when the hummers were built on chev suburbans.

mark smith
www.twitter.com/factoryfive

 

[alphaseinor]

Then again, you could just transfer the jetta emblem off the trunk and put it on the hatch... lol... the inspection people here in TX wouldn't know the difference.

 

[jlphil]

EXACTLY my plan! Gonna carefully pry off the "JETTA" letters, & put em somewhere on the rear of the G3F so as not to alarm any gendarmes who may be following/running a computer check on the car. I can leave it titled and insured as a Jetta, what can possibly go wrong?!

 

[mark smith]

update

Been a while since I was on this thread...project moving along with plenty of pics on twitter. Body going well and the rear subframe is happening this week. Will try to post a bit more...vwvortex and ffcobra tend to be the most active so I am there the most....but now that i got a new password I will keep you guys updated. cheers.

mark smith

 

[mark smith]

status

Finalized the rear subframe drawing and welding it up so that the rear body shaping can begin.

mark

 

[Power_Not_Speed]

Thanks for the update, Mark. A configuration like this is going to have some real promise in drag racing, with the TDI's torque transmitted over and through the real wheels.

How will the front suspension be laid out? Will you be modeling it on a current car? I hope this will have the handling to match its looks as this could be an awesome club racer.

 

[mark smith]

front suspension

The first car will have a 1" drop to the stock front suspension...we are keeping the struts but replacing them with coil over units. The track is mved out about an inch so a bit more scrub but not too bad.

For the race crowd I am making a ball joint/tie rod end extension to get the geometry and camber change back to a better settting...for the street i doubt that people will d anything but use the car at 1" of drop.

I am not doing the lsd diff but i would if i raced it...

fun project with a lot of smart guys throwing their 2 cents in...makes for an interesting day

mark

 

[Power_Not_Speed]

A well deserved bump for one of the coolest projects around. Need to update your links here though.

You go, Mark.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smyth-Performance/354477354119?v=wall

 

[nicklockard]

Mark,

Can you give a better estimate of final weight at this point?

 

[mark smith]

Weight

Weight of the car still looks to be right at 2200lbs fully dressed. As somebody said on facebook...ditch the ac and all the fluffy stuff and you may get under 2000lbs if you really wanted too.

Went with a full spyder with a fastback hardtop for the prototype so that i can test the torsional rigidity of the full convert as the first car.

mark

 

[mark smith]

hard top

And by fastback I still mean to use the top from the pics....just removable with an integral cage.

mark