So I was debating a 1990's VW MF code 1.6TD-IDI engine hopped up with a Giles modified injection pump, K14 turbo, and about 15-17psi boost. This will give me a seriously significant boost in power over the stock 69hp & 98-ft-lbs...Giles can build the pump to put out 150hp & 225ft-lbs if I run 20psi boost even, but I'm trying to keep some longevity here. 110hp/195ft-lbs in a lightweight Samurai will be pretty adequate.
this is the lightest of all of the Volkswagen turbodiesel options, and wait is definitely a concern, as one of the Samurai's biggest attributes are its extreme lightweightness & size. 286lbs vs 185lbs for the 16 valve all-aluminum Suzuki 1.6L G16 engine. That was a definite plus to the Suzuki engine/trans/transfer case - with a hopped up 8v or a 16v EFI (or 4x motorcycle carb conversion setup), power would be adequate, 16v fuel economy isnt bad, & the whole setup is incredibly lightweight...
The 1.9 IDI & TDI engines weigh a slight bit more with a 1" taller & longer block and bigger crank throws. But the perks to going bigger displacement & mTDI may outweigh the slight weight gains (30-40lbs?).
Also, a slight bit more weight up front will help out with my long-term plans of doing a Samurai factory spec LWB stretch. An Aqualu marine-grade 5/32" plate aluminium body tub would be the ultimate if I can pull it off financially. For less than half that, I can wait for an EBI Samurai reproduction rear half LWB body tub to become available later this year, and graft the stock type replica steel tub onto the front half of my SWB US Sammi. future body Work repairs will definitely be easier with steel, but that aluminum tub is seriously a rugged, and it would take a lot even to put a little dent in it! The aluminum tub with some wrap around bumpers tying back to the frame from the sides, and some serious Rock sliders to protect it from side-impact would definitely be slated for the ultimate rig. I am really trying to build this thing with longevity and fuel economy in mind as well as utilitarian purposes, and hoping that I drive this well beyond my retirement age and then some. 40 years old now.
Doing the LWB stretch and adding 150-200lbs more in engine and transmission over the aluminum Suzuki gassers will help ballast out the chassis for better towing capability, as I would really really like to pull a small motorcycle trailer behind this with a couple of dirt bikes, or one of my dirt bikes and one of my street bikes.
