Shop cleaning: Misc parts for sale

When I first started rebuilding VW engines and built my first diesel (VW 1.5l NA!) in a cabin in Wren, Oregon by the wood stove one snowy winter,  TDIs where not even a reality in my orbit.  At that time the internet was barely off the ground, dial up and AOL were king and all tech info came from the Bentley or the Poor Richard's classic tome, "How to keep your Rabbit Alive".  VWdieselparts.com was the mecca, Jack the kind and saintly sage, and the 1.6TD engine was the holy grail and the fastest way to achieve VW diesel Nirvana.  Imagine that?  My how things have changed.  While still a respectable lil power plant and a great diesel engine to work/learn on my shop and diesel inclination/fascination has moved us towards the next generation of VW diesels, the TDI.  This leaves me with lots of good tools/parts that after shedding my fair share of blood sweat and tears with I'm now ready to part with.

As I clean the shop this spring at each corner I am discovering gems from that era that would no doubt still sate the appetite of many--from the shade-tree DIYers to the up and coming dubbers cutting their teeth on the A1/A2 VW diesel platform.  So here you go, a few little hard-earned things that I'm finally ready to part with, with more to come shortly:

 Build your own 1.6TD Injection pump!  A great beginner project for the well initiated.  These are the guts from a 1.6TD IP (non-JX model) cleaned up and ready to turn your NA IP into a true TD IP.  Includes everything pictured but no guarantees it's complete!  Been sitting around too many years for me to be sure.  The boost pin appears to be from the 1.9TD IP which is considered inferior to the 1.6TD pin BTW (top R in pic).  $90 including S/H to the lower 48 states.  If you want a Bosch seal kit to for this IP include an extra $20.  Combined with IP below and a seal kit for $150 shipped lower 48.

 We used this IP for display at fairs and expos during our grassroots biodiesel days.  Most of the IP guts are still intact, with the top cover, cold start cover/arm, throttle arm and distributor head removed for viewing.  Again, "probably" complete, but not guaranteed.  Too long opened to know for sure.  $50 including S/H to the lower 48 states.  If you want a Bosch seal kit to for this IP include an extra $20. 

When is the last time you checked and adjusted the breaking pressure of your injectors??  You want to run 155 bar, then shim the injector till it gets there.  Bosch injector shim assorted box.  These are Bosch factory shims for all 1.5, 1.6 and 1.6TD injector nozzles.  These little suckers are precision milled shims not production run washers and they were spendy and hard to source back in the day.  Multiples of most sizes.  $75 shipped lower 48.
 If you're interested in a factory Bosch injector tester (AKA pop tester) let me know (justin@greaseworks.com), I might be willing to sell mine to some intrepid soul.

Eurovan automatic transmission cooler upgrade.  This is everything you need to give your inherently hot running EV auto trans the cooling it needs.  New ports screw into trans and eliminate the engine coolant that "cooled" it from the factory and gets you front mount cooling via this radiator.  Slick and efficient, a no brainer for anyone running an automatic EV.

 Vanagon 86-91 AC switch assembly.

Top view.  Includes pigtails.

 Rear view.

Spring snow and escape to Monterey

It's been wet, really wet here.  Sometimes it gets very old especially when the second day of "spring" at the valley floor looks like this:

But this is a fluke, a freak month of near record precip that must be a rude joke by good ole mother nature (even with those eons-old chewed up teats she can still lay a good one on us!).  So we regain a small semblance of comfort and head south to sunnier environs: Monterey, CA.

Fill up at biodiesel station in Pheonix, OR.

Our 93 TDI EV loaded down with the family, provisions and 4 bikes.

B99 for $4.24/gal.  Cheaper by a quarter than all the freeway diesel pumps from Monterey to Corvallis.














On long road trips like this, especially when we drive all night red-eye style (6pm-6am time slot for ease of kiddos), and everyone is asleep I dream of big performance mods, stacked compounded turbos and 50+psi boost.  Will it ever happen? That I don't know, but it always starts with a dream so I guess I'm part of the way there :-).  For now my humble little TDI EV w/stage III build/tune 20psi max is just a dandy and a great way to pass the miles on the open road.  And at 30+mpg it's tough to beat in terms of functionality.

Splendid Garden Eels

Other than the sunshine, another great reason to go to Monterey!

Easily overlooked and likely to be missed by even a sneeze is the Splendid Garden Eel exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I could spend a whole day in somnolence just staring at these little guys....