VGMNSTR's 2001 Reflex Silver TDi

[vgmnstr]

I bought this car just over a month ago, having to drive across the country to get it (and suffer the greyhound on the way over).

I'm currently on my first tank of 100% Biodiesel, and it runs like an absolute dream.

Current Mods:
Replaced Hi/Low beams with Xenon/Kapton 5000K bulbs
B100 soy biodiesel (not really a mod, but its quite a change)
1/2 of the back seat removed (haven't figured out how to take it out yet)

Planned Mods:
Greasecar auxilary fuel system
Euro tail lights (I have considered LED bulbs)
Floor mod, which consists of extending the floor rear seat was, then putting an amp rack and a 15" speaker in place. I plan on mounting the spare over it to conceal it all. I have to move the spare for the greasecar fuel system.
Some form of MP3 cd player
Some new speakers for the pannels
If I can afford wheels and tires, I'll get 'em
A custom spoiler a head of the hatch glass to help trip up the boundry layer air (which = >MPG!!!)
More...

[Toad]

Sweet, an aux fuel system and a thumpin audio system plan. Sounds like your gonna have loads of fun.

[vgmnstr]

Got my euro light switch and installed. Probably took less than a minute to do. Rear seat and backrest are also out. Also took off the decorative engine cover as seen in the above picture. I think the ALH engine just needs to be shown off, plus it will give me better access for working on the fuel system. Speaking of, haven't started fabing my speaker enclosure or the fuel system yet, so I had better get on it before the snow gets here.

[vgmnstr]

Just finished diesel fuel vent in the filler neck. It should alow me to fit in another 1-1.5 gallons of fuel during a fill up, and should extent my range about 100 miles.

Some pictures to show what I am talking about. The first two are not of my car, but a separate forum on how to remove the vent. The third picture is my car. The sock wasn't a required tool for the job, but the rubber boot around my filler neck was almost completely filled in with road dirt. Apparently the two previous owners drove in alot of dust

[vgmnstr]

The aux fuel system arrived a few weeks ago and I just got around to installing the first few pieces. Weather and shop space permitting, I may have it finished by the weekend.

No word yet on the sound system. I spend most of my funds on the fuel system, but it will save enough money to buy the tunes shortly down the road.

The car has now adopted he name "Buckie" from its ancient predacessor (My first car, an 86 Lebarron GTS).

[CoriBug]

You definitely have some interesting plans for your TDI!! Can't wait to see pics. I'm sure Buckie loves the yummy Bio he's getting now. Where do you buy your Bio - what company? Daisy only gets Blue Sun.

Cori

[vgmnstr]

Well, if I have to shell out for comercial bio, it's either B5 at the local BP Amaco (the only gas station for miles that sells bio) or B100 at the local consumers coop (made from local iowa farmers soybeans). Mainly, I make my own B100 from waste oil i collect around town.

[vgmnstr]

The aux fuel system was finally finished at 8pm central time. After much stress and modification to the setup, it finally works. I would have taken pictures, but when I accidently knocked my camera case off of the table in the garage, I thought it wouldn't be important to pick it up right away. I didn't see the camera fall into a bucket of oil that was just in the right place at the right time. I'll take pictures when I get a chance.

[vgmnstr]

I was able to clean the camera up and convince walmart to exchange it for something else, so here are the new pictures. Hopefully they will load. They did set me up with a better camera than before!

A guide to the pictures
1-2: Buckie with yours truely
3: Extra switches for switching fuel sources
4-5:My extra gauges. The far right one doesn't seem to work right, and I just found out an hour ago that the temp sensor is loose and it is loosing coolant.
6: The unusual modifications. Recoginze them anyone? Heated fuel filters and lines.
7: What little trunk space is now taken up by the spare? But why?
8: To make room for the new aux. fuel tank.

The car now holds approximately 30 gallons of fuel, burning at a rate of 45 mpg. How many times will I have to stop to use the restroom before I run out of fuel?

[vgmnstr]

Next stop, soundsystemville!

[vgmnstr]

Finally got around to filling both tanks. B100 in the heated tank, and probably around b30 in the main tank. I can't get the lines heated enough to burn veg. yet, so it will run b100 until I can fix it. Works pretty good though, considering none of my other bio-coop members are able to run b100 with our cold temps now. More fuel for me I guess!

My latest pic, with both tanks full. The second on the dash doesn't read full, since I parked on a slight hill, and the sending unit is rather picky.

14 gal aux tank + 16 gal main tank = 30 gal * 50mpg = effective range of 1500 miles.

Needless to say, I waved goodbye to the gas station attendant as I drove away!

[vgmnstr]

I've went through a few cd players in the last few weeks before sticking with the one I like. I got a cheapo for free from my sister, since I sold her my old car and let her have the cd player that was in it. That had some blinking lights in it (annoying!) and didn't play mp3s, so it had to go. I put in a Kenwood KDC-X890 with a bluetooth add on and the g-analyzer, and I am happy with it.

After a nice midwestern ice storm left us with massive power outages and downed trees, debris was kicked under my car and tore apart my plastic skid plate. That had to go too. I just finished up the install of a Dieselgeek Panzer skid plate earler this evening. I forgot the camera, so no pictures yet. I'll take some pictures later. Maybe when I take it off for pictures, I'll have it engraved to say "If you can read this, you're F*cked!"

[Beetlemania]

Lovin' the fuel mods! So very cool. Nicely done on the switches!

[vgmnstr]

Originally Posted by Beetlemania

Lovin' the fuel mods! So very cool. Nicely done on the switches!

I'm not too fond of the switches. They're cool in the sense that they are red, and have an LED that says when they are on, but they are plastic and absolutely crap/cheap. I think I may have found a set of aircraft grade metal safety switches to replace them with. I'm also thinking a recessed metal plate in where I cut the hole, and drop some regular LEDs in to take the place of the ones in the switches, just for show.


Here are the stereo and skid plate pictures. I actually had the opportunity to test out the skid plate today when I was out at my fuel coop. The gravel in their filling area was uneven and I scrapped the pan. Got my first love marks. Then some more on the way out.

[vgmnstr]

I just finished installing my new shift boot. It was a bit of a pain, but it still went over pretty easy. The only really tough part was resusing the staples and getting them in the new boot. It's a handmade boot from Overheadcam's Mom. Check it out. It looks sexy!

[Beetlemania]

Aren't they great? I didn't use the staples, though. I just wrap it around the rubber seal underneath. But your installation does look more complete than mine does.

[vgmnstr]

I have confidently worked out a method of filtering used cooking oil for the SVO system on my car. I have yet to burn any, as I am still working out the bugs of the kit.

Very near future goals:

Update SVO wiring panel and wiring in dash.
I've decided to ditch the old safety cover toggle switches, and go with some more standard (and ALL METAL) heavy duty toggle switches with rubber covers. I'll be removing a slightly larger cutout section to install a contoured piece of metal for the switch panel. It will also feature some LEDs for each accessory to indicate power. I plan to also do some rerouting and extending the fuses for the aux fuel kit. The purpose of redoing the panel is because I need to add some accessories.

Add an accessory... The VegTherm.
In order to boost my SVO temps to a safe level, I'm installing an in-line 240w solid state fuel heater. It will allow SVO usage in the winter, and quicker switchover time in the summer. It has a thermal regulating switch to keep it between 150F and 176F.


Distant Future:

Reroute SVO Fuel/Heatcore lines.
I would really love to find ample room to reroute these lines through the cabin of the vehicle as opposed to the undercarriage. I live in great fear that I may tear up one of the lines any time I run over something like a stick, twig, or animal carcass. Cabin mounting would be tedious, as there are areas where space and routing is limited, such as under the passenger seat. The mechanism for tilting, sliding and moving the seat is so complex it is hard to get around.

[dnyed]

Congratulations! New Beetle TDI's are so awesome! Cool looking, fun to drive, comnraderie, and 40+ mpg's to boot!

Keep up the good work!

[bigsexyTDI]

Man I can't wait for you to get this thing operational...

I am wanting to do the same thing to Smaug...

[vgmnstr]

Aug 13th: My first successful burn of WVO takes place. I make a 200 mile round trip from my home town to see my grandmother. In hot weather, the car consistently holds fuel temps above 150F, which is the safe burn limit. The VegTherm inline heater is installed and plumbed, but not wired up for use. That would take place in a few weeks. I've also faxed the appropriate forms to the Iowa Department of Tax and Revanue to be set up with a permit to burn "special fuels", and pay the necessary taxes to keep me out of jail.


Sept 1st: After a long night, a case of beer, and a few hours of much needed Wii action, the VegTherm is wired up and ready. Road tests cut my fuel switch-over time down from 20 minutes to 5 minutes in 65F weather.


Sept 2nd: First road test with the VegTherm. A concert at the Taste of Madison, WI yields me a 500 mile round trip on WVO. The car performs wonderfully, and maintains safe fuel temp. I was able to watch the temp rise and fall between 165F and 175F as the temp switch for the VegTherm was cycled (it's supposed to do that if you are confused). The car is and has been struggling the past few months to build any decent speed on the highway (or any acceleration for that matter), so more repairs are due down the road.


Sept 11th: We remember NY, but I celebrate because my "special fuels" permit came in the mail today. I can now LEGALLY burn WVO and pay taxes for it. If you're curious about why I chose to set up the car to burn FREE fuel, and then pay uncle sam taxes on it, it's only 21.5 cents/gallon. I don't ever remember paying that little for fuel, so I am happy to do so. It sure beats paying $3/gallon for pump diesel.


Sept 12th: Simple driving tests reveal the cause of my power loss is a dead MAF. $102 including shipping is dropped on ebay, and the waiting game begins.


Sept 25th: Fedex finally delivers the new MAF. After waiting for the better part of 2 weeks, installation takes less than 10 minutes, and the car is roaring down the road faster than I ever could have imagined. It's almost like driving a completely different car. Now I can cruise at 80, with the AC, and hit the pedal to pass. Before, doing 80 without the AC was a complete joke.


Here we go... pictures: