I've been craving building SOMETHING with a diesel in it, with some resonable performance for some time now.
I've noticed a few threads about diesel motors, and most people seem to abandon the idea pretty quickly.
It seems like a Volkswagen (VW) TDI motor, or a semi-modern Mercedes Benz (MBZ) would probably fit best. I've more-or-less dismissed the idea of a heavy duty truck engine, simply because of the weight involved, though they would be excellent power houses.
For the TDI's they're available in 1.6, 1.9, and 2.0 sizes. The 1.6 and 1.9 are identical for purposes of mounting, and transmission choices. As for the 2.0 it seems to be a different animal, though I can't get more information to verify that.
I'd prefer the 2.0L as it comes with 134 HP and 247 ft/lbs! I imagine that motor, would be probably every bit as quick as a stock 240 motor in a 240. Maybe a bit quicker. The 1.9 only makes 100HP and 177 ft/lbs.
The 1.6 and 1.9 have adapters that will attach them to either a suzuki samurai or toyota pickup 5speed trans.
There are also several MBZ diesels, though probably the oldest I'd like to install is the 3.0L turbo diesel usually found in the E300D's. These make 174HP and 244 ft/lbs. I know of no manual transmission that would mount to it, and a manual is my preference.
None of these are really super performance motors. I'd love to see over 200HP and 300 ft/lbs.
However, the great thing about diesel, is the power is available nearly instantly, and you could run the beasties on biodiesel, and get FAR better fuel economy than a gasoline motor.
So, this is just my little brain storming session.
Anyone else considered using a light duty diesel engine that produces reasonable power? Anyone have any other suggestions for this list?