Scorpion F.I. ideas/questions

[spooled10v]

A few weeks ago I picked up a 1980/81 Beta 2.0 F.I. engine with the hopes of installing it as-is and running the L-Jetronic. Sadly the engine was flooded and not worth rebuilding, the harness and injectors in bad shape, and the ECU missing. It did generate a few useful parts which has me brainstorming a new direction for my Scorpion.

I intend to run VW Digifant2 (cheap, plentiful, familiar) using the Beta intake manifold and end-drive distributor setup. The Beta distributor is rusty junk but a VW 16v dizzy seems like it will fit and I'll need it with the Digi2 anyway. Marelli and Bosch must have shared designs or ripped each other off they're so similar where they mount to the cam/head. My Beta fuel rail is in poor shape and if the injectors weren't rusty they would still be wrong. I was going to use Vanagon injectors with the Beta rail but stumbled on a better solution. By chance the VW 1.8t Golf/Jetta fuel rail has compatible injector spacing, favorable inlet/outlet locations (the Passat/Audi one hits the throttle), and a VR6 regulator is the right pressure for the Digi2 system. The mounting tabs even line up with the manifold such that I can drill/tap new holes for securing it near the old ones. Score!

My first questions involve swapping the Beta exhaust cam with distributor drive to the Scorpion. Do I need to remove and change the whole cambox or is it enough to fit the cam and endplate to the Scoprion? Can this even be done in-car without pulling the cambox? I'm not seeing an easy way to remove just the cam with the lifters in the way short of removing the shims and holding all the lifters down at once. How do the F.I. Beta and Scorpion cam profiles compare? I've already done a timing belt/waterpump/tensioner job so I'm comfortable timing this engine and have a shim assortment handy.

Next, the Beta intake is pretty big. I've seen pictures implying it can fit in a Scorpion but I'm sure I'll run into clearance issues somewhere. I have the Beta alternator bracket/oil filter housing so moving the alternator down is no problem. Relocating the coil and related electronics is also not a big deal. The smog stuff and air conditioning are long gone. How about the shift linkage vertical rod coming up from the crossmember? My Beta intake cam box is cracked so I'll keep the Scorpion one and find a way to plug the old distributor hole.

Where's a good place to put the coolant temp sensor? There's two sensors in the head already, one I'm sure is the gauge, how about the other one? I was thinking about tapping a hole in the cylinder head water outlet where the thermostat would be if it were not external.

Fuel pump, airflow meter, and 02 sensor I have covered.

I hope to collect most of the parts from the pick-n-pull tomorrow and get going on this soon. It's been over a year since I've driven this car except around the block to stir the oil. Things I repaired years ago are breaking again from disuse.

Thanks!

[Frezer]

You'll need to change the cambox too: the end-drive dizzy does not fit too a regular cambox. That is, if US spec injection cars have the same alterations that the Euro ones have.

I believe that the only clearance problem is the the vertical shift linking rod. Will has a nice picture in his photo gallery showing all the modification needed for a regular carb to injection upgrade.

The second coolant sensor in the head is for the high temperature light. I guess the two i.e. coolant sensors have to be placed somewhere between the T junction and the pipe going to the radiator.

Hope this is of any help, good luck with the project!
Merijn

[John Allen]

how are you planning on tuning that to your specific engine? If I were you, I would just opt for a MegaSquirt now or use the stock Bosch L-jet from a FIAT.

Where in Seattle are you located?? I have PLENTY of parts AND I have a Scorpion with a Beta manifold installed if you'd like to see one in person. The modifications are pretty simple and the coolant temp sensor options are numerous. We should get together and discuss them. BTW, the Seattle X1/9 group is having an informal get together down in Chehalis at Wayne Wright's house on May 31st... It would be a great way to meet some of the other local guys and get a decent day trip as well..

Let me know if you'd like to meet. email is jallen(at)oz(dot)net (replace the "at" and "dot" with the appropriate characters)

[davidb]

To my knowledge a VW Digifant is a K-Jetronic variant.
I had an '84 Vanagon. As far as I can remember all '81-
'82 Lancias were L-Jetroinc variants. Given your Audi
[nee VW] knowledge it may work. My advise would be
to keep everything as quasi-stock as possible re: the
fuel system. Swapping/moving the distributor may pre-
sent a problem for end-drives. Csaba advised me un-
less one goes electronic, points & condensors are NLA
for those setups. Sometimes I think D.J. was on the
money for putting a 2 ltr. injetted engine in his Scorp-
ion. Want a nightmare? Do what I am putting in 42
DCNFs in my Scorpion. It's your call . . . Blah,blau,
blau. Good luck.

[Will]

I'm not very familiar with the VW Digifant but my understanding is that it's basically a digital version of an L-jet with knock sensing electronic ignition along the lines of the Digiplex ignition used in later Lancias. And uses the smaller Bosch distributor like the Strada- shit....it is the Strada righht? (John O., got yer ears on?).

You can reflash tables in the VW version, can't you?... although at close to the same displacement I seriously doubt it's necessary. The clocking will be off by about 30 degrees beteween the throttle position switch the Lancia uses and the throttle position sensor the VW uses- just use a backer plate and rotate the mounting.

The two sensors in the head are for the gauge- one is a NTC thermistor that makes it go up and down, the other is a grounding switch that pins it out and lights the overtemp light .

The coolant temp sensor in the betas is in the steel rail that goes down the middle of the motor. You'll want to grab that from your donor car, I'm not sure if the VW Digifant setup uses a thermo-time sw/ 5th injector setup (I don't think so- I think it's digital timed) but if it does, you'll want to grab that out of the rail as well.

Good luck :)

PS> I don't know how many VW heads are on here, suffice it to say if you ever sell your car it will confuse the HE11 out of the next owner :)

[John Allen]

Just funnin' ya Will. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of knowledge this site offers up...

The Digifant in the Golfs were an L-jet variant, though I don't know if it can be reflashed. I suspect it uses the same coolant temp sensor as the FIAT Bosch system and the end drive distributor from a SAAB should work fine. It has a Hall-effect trigger, the same as the VW, and mounts exactly like the one the Betas used. An interesting thing to note here is that the turbo SAABs had a boost retard/vacuum advance capsule if you wanted to go the turbo route without mapped ignition (though mapped ignition is superior).


I'm not very familiar with the VW Digifant but my understanding is that it's basically a digital version of an L-jet with knock sensing electronic ignition along the lines of the Digiplex ignition used in later Lancias. And uses the smaller Bosch distributor like the Strada- shit....it is the Strada righht? (John O., got yer ears on?).

You can reflash tables in the VW version, can't you?... although at close to the same displacement I seriously doubt it's necessary. The clocking will be off by about 30 degrees beteween the throttle position switch the Lancia uses and the throttle position sensor the VW uses- just use a backer plate and rotate the mounting.

The two sensors in the head are for the gauge- one is a NTC thermistor that makes it go up and down, the other is a grounding switch that pins it out and lights the overtemp light .

The coolant temp sensor in the betas is in the steel rail that goes down the middle of the motor. You'll want to grab that from your donor car, I'm not sure if the VW Digifant setup uses a thermo-time sw/ 5th injector setup (I don't think so- I think it's digital timed) but if it does, you'll want to grab that out of the rail as well.

Good luck :)

PS> I don't know how many VW heads are on here, suffice it to say if you ever sell your car it will confuse the HE11 out of the next owner :)

[DJ]

My first questions involve swapping the Beta exhaust cam with distributor drive to the Scorpion. Do I need to remove and change the whole cambox or is it enough to fit the cam and endplate to the Scoprion?

If you can find a dizzy base adapter from a Euro Delta Turbo HF car the dizzy will mount directly onto the stock Scorpion intake cam box. Or you can fabricate an adapter plate pretty easily. Otherwise you'll want to install the boxes from your FI Beta engine.

I HIGHLY recommend that you find a FIAT Strada end-cam dizzy unless you plan to turbo (then go with the Saab dizzy as John mentioned). The Strada units are Bosch units with a MUCH more robust trigger mechanism with no fragile internal wire. Bruce's Parts Bin (http://www.fiatparts.com) used to have a bunch of new Strada units.


Can this even be done in-car without pulling the cambox? I'm not seeing an easy way to remove just the cam with the lifters in the way short of removing the shims and holding all the lifters down at once.

There's really no reason to want to try this. The boxes come off and go back on really easily. All you need is a set of new gaskets.


How do the F.I. Beta and Scorpion cam profiles compare?

Will has done a lot of cam profiling and should probably be the one to speak to this. Not really a big difference, though.


Next, the Beta intake is pretty big. I've seen pictures implying it can fit in a Scorpion but I'm sure I'll run into clearance issues somewhere. I have the Beta alternator bracket/oil filter housing so moving the alternator down is no problem. Relocating the coil and related electronics is also not a big deal. The smog stuff and air conditioning are long gone. How about the shift linkage vertical rod coming up from the crossmember?

No real issues with the alternator. You will also find that the Scorpion dizzy will barely clear the fuel pressure regulator but I think it's better to go with the end-drive dizzy.

You'll need to put an offset in the vertical shift rod. See the attached picture and PDF with dimensions for doing the mod.


Where's a good place to put the coolant temp sensor?

It's not the best quality picture but if you look closely in the attached picture of my engine bay you can see where I put my sensors. One is in the coolant outlet on the head (sourced from a FI FIAT Spider) and the other is in the coolant tee where the small nipple used to be. The FIAT outlet also had a nipple which is where the sensor is now mounted. A small amount of drilling and tapping is required but nothing too difficult.

One thing that you need to give some thought to is your throttle assembly. John Allen made a very nice one and I built a variation of his. I've also attached a picture of my throttle assembly which was built with hand tools and parts from my local hardware store (except for the eccentric cam).

[John Allen]

One thing that you need to give some thought to is your throttle assembly. John Allen made a very nice one and I built a variation of his. I've also attached a picture of my throttle assembly which was built with hand tools and parts from my local hardware store (except for the eccentric cam).

I thought that linkage looked familiar! Very nice job! I like the way your cable boss is situated, a little nicer placement than mine.

I have a suggestion to make the shift rod mod a little easier. On mine, I made the lower half exactly as you (and Mark Rawlin) showed but the upper pivot doesn't eed all that cutting and welding. I ground off the mushroomed back side of the upper ball joint (to remove it from the rod), I cut a 3/8"-16 all-thread coupling nut down to 1" length and spot welded the ball joint (removed previously) and then sed a bolt to mount this to the rod. It works perfectly and eliminates a lot of the alignment issues to weld up using the 'normal' method. I'll have to see if I have pictures of mine to post.

[Darren]

You could also go with the Monte Hospital DCOE linkage, which is a neat solution, albeit a lot more expensive than altering the existing selector rod.

http://www.montehospital.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27_22&products_id=540

Nice install DJ!

[Will]

I'm seeing a lot of interestring stuff here- I've never had the opportunity to see DJ's car in person. That's certainly a fancier and nicer looking setup than I did on my BB conversion, I just made a quadrant roughly folowing a pattern Dave Shindle had and bolted it on. I have to say one thing, though DJ- I would consider one minor change.

The part that holds the throttle cable looks like it has a single point mounting with the load offset from the pivot point. I would be real concerned that this part might twist and roll the cable off of the outside of the cable sector (cam). I see you have a bent part on the outside presumably to keep the cable from binding in the sector mechanism, and I'm only looking at a picture, but the possibility of the cable rolling off and getting stuck in there (holding the throttle open) would prompt me to refabricate that cable-holder part so that it goes under the manifold-to-plate bolt next to its existing mounting bolt. Then it would have 2-point mounting. Just a hopefully-helpful suggestion, I'd hate to see anything bad happen because "didn't think of that", I do it all the time! You'll note on my BB mod in the photo album I used both manifold bolts, my cable was at the TB so very close to the vertical shift linkage.

..speaking of which, LOOK AT THAT THING from Chad, that's interesting? I wonder what happens when you have the part move WITH the engine/geabox? It also looks shorter between the offset arms, would love to drive that and check it out. Very interesting.

Cams between FI Beta and Scorpion are identical profile, scorpion inlet cam is retarded several degrees and nobody has ever figured out exactly why. My theory is the terrible stock Scorpion inlet manifold might have something to do with it, since the 1800 FIATs do not have the retarded intake cam. Even the FIAT 1800s that have the almost identical 4-1 exhaust manifold have standard cam timing, so it seems to me that the intake is the only unique difference? Downstream exhausts are similar length, etc. Valves/heads/pistons also identical AFAIK.

I think the VW guy only needs one sensor (coolant temp), I don't think he uses a the thermo-time switch and I'm not even sure the Digifant uses a 5th injector, it may be PWM enrichment. I just referenced the thing on Wikipedia because I don't know much about them at all, according to Wiki they have a 16x16 lookup table, and possibly adaptive learning on the later ones. If they have a lookup table, even if you couldn't flash them without a scan tool back in the day, it's a sure bet somebody has an EEPROM version of what must have originally been a socketed chip in the original construction, there are simply too many of them out there for someone not to have implemented this if the original lookup table were fixed. (VW heads are the most over-the-top modders out there IMHO!)

Hey, John- you got a picture of YOUR throttle assembly so I can live vicariously? I really need to clear out the 3000+ pounds of computers blocking in my car so I can get back to work on it, anybody want to start a video game development studio using ten year old hardware? I'll throw in 1000 hours of motion capture data. :)

[DJ]

You could also go with the Monte Hospital DCOE linkage, which is a neat solution, albeit a lot more expensive than altering the existing selector rod.

Actually, I'm not so sure it's more expensive. Between the welding and the re-plating I'm sure I paid more than 70.00 GBP for my modification. But my metal fab guy is an "artiste" and somewhat expensive. :eek: But, then, I don't worry about any of his welds failing either.

But, come to think of it, that also included welding and plating of all the other parts of the shifter assembly, too.

[DJ]

I'm seeing a lot of interestring stuff here-

FWIW, that picture of the engine bay is a bit dated and a couple things have changed since then. I'll get a current picture later today so you can "compliment" me on the clever idle air adjustment arrangement I built using parts from Home Depot. (Really!) :D LOL!


The part that holds the throttle cable looks like it has a single point mounting with the load offset from the pivot point. I would be real concerned that this part might twist and roll the cable off of the outside of the cable sector (cam).

What you can't see in the picture is that the cable guide/holder is held in place by resting against the base of the throttle shaft upright. It's really not going anywhere.


I see you have a bent part on the outside presumably to keep the cable from binding in the sector mechanism, and I'm only looking at a picture, but the possibility of the cable rolling off and getting stuck in there (holding the throttle open) would prompt me to refabricate that cable-holder part so that it goes under the manifold-to-plate bolt next to its existing mounting bolt. Then it would have 2-point mounting. Just a hopefully-helpful suggestion, I'd hate to see anything bad happen because "didn't think of that", I do it all the time! You'll note on my BB mod in the photo album I used both manifold bolts, my cable was at the TB so very close to the vertical shift linkage.

I appreciate the suggestions but I'm having trouble visualizing what the heck you're talking about here, Will.

FWIW, the eccentric/cable clamp I used was one I had acquired somewhere along the way over the years. It can be seen in the attached picture of all my "raw" materials. I think you can still find similar items at some of the regular vendors (like Pierce Manifolds (http://piercemanifolds.com/)).

The generic throttle lever on the left came with the Weber "big throat" throttle body and was cut down and used solely for a throttle stop. The cable clamp/eccentric was cut down slightly to fit initially. I later found that I had to also reduce the overall radius to achieve full throttle.

Also, FWIW, the aluminum angle was used to fabricate the uprights for the throttle shaft and the aluminum shaft was quickly replaced by a stainless shaft because of the way it attaches to the throttle body. That is, drilled, threaded, then attached with set screws. I didn't feel the aluminum shaft would hold up very well.

The bronze bushes and circlips were straight out of the bin at Ace Hardware. The bushes were simply slipped into the holes in the roughed out uprights and cut by hand with a hacksaw blade to provide grooves for the circlips.

The thick aluminum stock for the base plate was probably the rarest of all the raw materials as it was salvaged from the old plutonium processing plant at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility. :eek:

All-in-all, it was a LOT simpler to fabricate that I had initially imagined.


Hey, John- you got a picture of YOUR throttle assembly so I can live vicariously?

You can see John's throttle assembly here (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=581).

[Frezer]

The i.e. setup in your car looks very impressive DJ! Have you done anything to support the MAF, or is the tubing supportive enough?

[DJ]

Thanks for the kind words.

The AFM is just supported by the air tubes. I was initially concerned about this method not being sufficient but it's quite solid.

I hope to soon go with a Megasquirt system (Yes, John! I'm gonna do it!) so the piece that will replace the AFM will be MUCH lighter.

[John Allen]

thanks for posting the link, DJ.

I did make one small change after taking these pictures - I modified the shaft so that in the case of the set screws coming loose from the TB shaft it wouldn't back out and fall off. Basically the modification will allow the set screws to be almost completely out and the throttle will still work.

Believe me, I KNOW you will get to the MS at some point. I'm not one to make fun of you, I still have a fully fabricated turbo system that I have yet to mount AND the EDIS distributorless ignition is sitting there waiting for me to get off my a$$ and install it!

BTW, if you ever need to find a replacement rubber tube that connects to the TB, I had found a really nice duct from a mid 80's Toyota truck that fits the TB and is soft, available and cheap (unlike most Beta ducts).

One other thing, you did plug the vacuum ports under the trottle shaft plate you made, right??

[Will]

I'm talking about this DJ- and if it has a FLAT against the angle bracket thing then you should be OK, buit like we said, I can't tell from the pic:

I'm going to (try) to attach a pic, what concerns me is the bolt under the cable-holder tab allowing the cable tab to rotate around it, translating the throttle cable location to where the yellow circle is- out of line with the sector, quadrant, cam, whatever we are calling it. And then the cable hooking the assembly as shown by the yellow lines- the green represents the change (IMO) that solves this possibility.

I was offered a bunch of 1/4" 7075 plate from an optics plant that "might have some thorium oxide on it".

No problem if I wash that off on the property line and let it run down onto the neighbors, right? :) Or should I wait about a billion years before I go pick it up?

[Scott H]

Last night I put the final clear coat on my intake. The plan is to take off all of next week from work to do the Megasquirt install. So, tonight I rush home so I can put the pieces all together on the intake for real. I think each of these pieces have been on and off at least 25 times. I have just a few more parts to order, fuel lines, fittings, air filter, and the fuel filter.

After I got the intake together just a little while ago I am ready to go and poke around a bit more at xrp.com to get the last few part numbers for the fuel line fittings. Before I go shopping I see this thread. It must be an omen.

When you live in frigid hell, a guy has to have Winter projects. I was hoping to have this installed by now but am close. Heck, it was only 65F here Sunday so I think I am still in Winter so I am not really past my deadline - HA.

I have been wanting to do an EFI conversion so this was the time to do it. I started the week after Christmas in ernest. I had looked at the Spider intake and also the Beta. I realy didn't like those Bosch injectors. No parts available if you really want a bigger flow. Being in the heart of E85 country that is a real option and the Boschs would never get that done. Since there was going to be a ton of modifications and compromises regardless of which manifold I chose, I decided to start from scratch.

This is what it came out like. Pics are as of a few minutes ago.

>Scott

[Darren]

Wow Scott, that's some fabrication work! Looks fantastic! Look forward to seeing an update from you once you've got the megasquirt sorted.

[spooled10v]

Thanks for all the great replies! Lots of interesting reading and images to get ideas from.
John, you have email. I'd very much like to look at your conversions.

I gathered most of the Digifant2 parts this week to spend the holiday messing with them and the car. A friend of mine and fellow Audi owner runs a specialty German wrecker, a little cash and some brews got me all I needed. I've run Digi2 on every Rabbit I've ever had, with engines from 1.6 to 2.0L, so I expect it will work here too. Perhaps not optimally but good enough to enjoy and far better than the headache I've had with carbs. Though not programmable, I have an exhaust analyzer, and can exert some control over warmup / open-loop mixture via the airflow meter. I'm avoiding any permanent changes to the car as much as possible just in case.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/betaintake.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7040)

My Beta intake slowly filled with rusty water for years, flooding and ruining the once good engine, so it spent a while in the solvent tank. Next came a larger throttle I found at the wreckers on a Porsche. It neatly deletes the cold-start valve which Digi2 doesn't have. I'll have to port the intake a little to match the larger throttle. Digi2 doesn't care about throttle angle, just idle and full-throttle conditions, so the Beta switch will work. As for the fuel rail, it fits so closely I can slot the holes in the VW mounting tabs and use spacers to mount it directly to the intake. Looking at DJ's pictures I just noticed why people are building throttle shaft extensions so I'll have to give that thought next. I have plenty of junk throttles with cable guides/cams/eccentrics to make fit.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/beta16vdist.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7039)
The 16v distributor fits just fine. One stud lines up, one misses completely, and the third is blocked by part of the housing. Two would probably do it but I'll grind back the housing for the one and make a special tab for the other so all three can hold it. It has has a hall-effect trigger with little wires but not as fragile as what was left in my rusted Beta distributor. The only way I've had these fail is when the plug gets knocked off. It has no internal advance which is how I need it.

Anything special to note when swapping the cambox? The Scorpion workshop manual I have (orange cover, photocopied content) is helpful to a point except for the pictures. I'm going to remove both from the core engine today to see how it all goes together. I figure the bolts get tightened in a crosswise sequence like a head but to what torque? Is there a cam end-play adjustment to check or adjust? Audi cams have bearing caps and a thrust surface requiring no adjustment.

I haven't checked the wiring diagram yet to see where the Scorpion gets a tach signal from. Negative coil terminal like the Audis? My car already has an electronic distributor installed by some previous owner. The coil has a transistor behind it with a squareish aluminum heatsink. I read something about an electronic adapter required when going from points to electronic ignition. Hopefully this is already present or unnecessary for me. I had to add a high resistance ground to the tach output line in my 4000 to make the old tach read correctly with the Motronic ECU.

That's it for now. Thanks again for the interest, replies, and pics. More to follow as I tear into it this weekend.

[davidb]

I admire your undertaking. Tenacity will follow. Head to crankcase
bolt torque is 61.5 ft/lbs. Cam tower to head is 16 ft/lbs. Given your
knowledge you know it's a Chris-cross progressive tightening for both
+ a re-tite after a few warm-ups. Good Luck !

[spooled10v]

Now I know why you included the head bolt torque in your reply. I started pulling everything I wouldn't need out of my Scorpion yesterday. It was going well until I tackled the intake manifold. You're not supposed to remove it in-car as far as I can tell. I managed to do it, it'll never go back in though, and have met with a new problem. Someone has done some pretty heavy porting to my head and intake, matching both to the gasket and polishing it all. I'm looking at some serious time and effort to match the Beta intake, if there's even enough material in the casting, it's pretty close. I could just radius the ends of the runners a little and install it figuring I'll do it right when I find a 2.0L bottom end. Today it's time for a break from it all and to rethink the project a little.

[Will]

There's a special bent wrench for the intake manifold, International Auto Parts stocks it and I think it's 12mm. You just found out the "hard" way! :)

We have all found out our share that way, consider yourself indoctrinated! and from your writing, it definitely sounds like you know your way around an engine so go ahead and order the wrench while your hands are healing :)

[DJ]

Actually, the only "trick" or "special" tool that's required is to use a 1/4-inch drive socket and extension. A 3/8-inch drive doesn't have sufficient clearance but a 1/4-inch does.

This one change makes a world of difference.

[spooled10v]

I eventually got it removed with a 1/4 drive wratchet and extension while sitting in the engine bay feeling around for the bolts. My intake cambox gasket has been leaking for who knows how long and the crankcase breather hose had fossilized making everything more fun. Then I had to remove both studs before the intake would clear the alternator bracket. I didn't know there was coolant going into the intake. Glad I wasn't under the car when it finally came off!

The gallery software is giving me an error, something about the thumbnail generation script having a bad day, so I can't post a more recent progress pic. I've since swapped the exhaust cambox and dry-fitted the intake & distributor/ignition to see how it all looks. I'm going to port the intake runners for the last inch or so as to match the gasket and head. The coil mounts neatly where I think the air management valve was above the transmission. Beta intake is much much easier to install than the Scorpion one was to remove. I had to swap the crank breather swirl-pot thing from the Beta core and reverse the oil pressure switches on the filter housing to get the last bit of room. The idle air screw is very close to the firewall. Some wires to the starter are stretched around the intake plenum but that's not hard to change later. The alternator just clears my fuel rail with the belt length I'm using. If the engine moves around a bunch it may hit the voltage regulator. Again, easy to move, or find some internally regulated unit with more amperage that fits.

The next batch of work planned is welding a up the cracked Beta intake cambox where some ham-fisted technician over torqued the valve cover and tore the studs out. That gets rid of the Scorpion cam with obsolite air pump drive and leaking gasket. The coolant temp sensor is going in the cylinder head water outlet after welding on a thickener so I can tap it to m14x1.5. I'm not excited about modifying the shift linkage but it must be done. Some sort of wooden jig will be made to hold things in proper alignment while cutting/welding. Thanks for the nice pics and measurements of what's needed there.

[Frezer]

I'm not excited about modifying the shift linkage but it must be done. Some sort of wooden jig will be made to hold things in proper alignment while cutting/welding. Thanks for the nice pics and measurements of what's needed there.
You don't like altering the original parts, or for another reason?

Wouldn't it be possible to cut a part out of the inlet manifold and than weld it up again in a way it clears the shift linkage? You need to do some aluminium welding anyway if I understand correctly. I don't know how that works out with the internal flow, but as the manifold is quite big, there could be room for such changes to be made.

[Will]

I didn't use a wooden jig, it's really very simple- I tack welded it off to a section of conduit laid parallel. Use a couple of nuts or something to leave some room between the shift linkage and the conduit. You want to tack it in two points below the section that gets moved, and two points above the section that gets moved. Then you just cut away the middle section and the ends are held in alignment and also in the correct radial orientation so all you have to do is weld the two flat bars onto your center section and then place this assembly into the "hole" and weld it up. If you start cutting the thing before you tack weld it, you will end up with a rather difficult alignment issue. Fortunately, for once in my life I was able to foresee that and tacked it off to the conduit FIRST.

As far as rewelding the inlet manifold, that sounds complicated to me, especially given the internal runners inside of it. IIRC number four runner is pretty close to the periphery of the manifold. I would rather weld a steel tube to a flat bracket than an aluminum manifold, but I guess it would be possible.

[spooled10v]

You don't like altering the original parts, or for another reason?

It's true, I do like to keep stock parts, or find factory parts-bin solutions. Keeping the shift rod and pivots indexed correctly during and after rework isn't as fun to me as wiring or other things in the project. Mostly it's my dinosaur of a MIG welder. It's huge, was nearly free, and only just works. I should really upgrade, then I'll want a TIG so I can do my own aluminum work instead of bartering with the machine shop, but can't justify the cost for as little welding as I do.

DJ corrected the problem I was having uploading to the gallery (thanks!) so here's the project as it sits now.
http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/progress1.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7106)

[Frezer]

Will, you're right about those runners, that could be close. And welding will indeed be a lot more complex.

@ Spooled10v, you could ofcourse try to source a spare shift linkage. I believe the whole injection conversion should be possible without harming any other stock parts.

Please keep us updated on the progression you make!

[DJ]

Well, you could always buy the Monte Hospital shifter adapter (http://www.montehospital.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27_22&products_id=540) for their DCOE setup. It should also work fine with an injected setup. You'd have to make sure it won't foul the bottom of the plenum but it appears it will clear OK>

[Frezer]

Btw, a side question: What did you guys do with the 4-5mm gasket plate between the head and the intake manifold that is found in normal i.e. Betas ? Leave it out for a few mm extra space?

[spooled10v]

Due to a labor dispute at work I finally had a free month to get this project finished. Wow! The car has never run so well in the five or so years I've had it! Not really any more power but the driveability is vastly improved. No more flat spots in the power, wandering idle, smoky richness and misfiring, etc. It started from cold, after sitting for months, with just a turn of the key, and settled into a nice 8-900rpm idle. It's never did that before, ever. I love how quiet the engine is now. It used to rattle and shake with all kinds of noise. Now the injectors ticking are one of the loudest things. I love how I can now have every electrical thing in the car switched on and the RPMs stay the same. I'm very happy and have been driving the thing daily for the last week.

On to pics:

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/linkagemod.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7622)
Someone here had the great suggestion about extending the pivot ball on the top of the shift rod which saved a bit of work. I put it off as long as I could but this mod wasn't a hard as I'd feared once I got started.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/throttle.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7632)
A little hard to see from this angle but here's what I did for a throttle linkage. Inspired by someone's gallery post where they welded an X1/9 cam to the existing lever, I chopped up an Audi one from my parts bin. The cable ends are way different and the Scorpion cable sheath doesn't offer adjustment so I drilled into Audi cam and put a barrel-nut through it to hold the cable. It's a little flimsy so I'm keeping an eye on everything but it's held up for the last few days. The throttle pedal bottoms out on the carpet when the butterfly is about 95% open to limit strain on the plastic. There's just barely enough clearance for everything between the firewall and the shift linkage mount.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/fuelassy1.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7620)
On my car the fuel pump was attached to the crossmember right where it got bathed in oil every time you changed oil filters. I considered a couple different locations before going with this. The pump, pre-filter, and main filter all hang off the charcoal canister bracket now. The pump has rubber noise isolating hardware. It's hard to reach for service but undo two 10mm nuts, pull the harness off the pump, and the whole thing comes out the top.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/ignitionsys.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7624)
Ignition system in place. The tach works just as before. Also visible is the idle stabilizer valve plumbed into the intake where the brake booster used to connect. My booster is bypassed (for better or worse, the fronts can still lock up pretty easily.)

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/eculocation.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7627)
View of the new computer location. I had things zip-tied to the mount where the jack goes but it looked terrible. 1/8" aluminum plate with a few holes tapped into it cleaned everything up and stays mostly dry. Of the two relays, one is fuel pump, the other is ignition, computer, injectors, and oxygen sensor heater. The fuel pump is triggered by the computer once the engine is turning and also runs for a couple seconds when the ignition is turned on to prime the system (I like that). The ignition relay is triggered from the old carburetor fuel cutoff solenoid wire. I kept the factory wiring stock, abandoning whatever I didn't need, so the car could be returned to stock if desired.

[spooled10v]

Seems I'm limited to 5 images/thumbs so here's part 2.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/tank.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7626)
Some more un-used things removed and a heat shield added for the heater core hose. My expansion tank was cracked and the parts car's was worse. Back the the VW parts bin and out came a Golf MK2 tank. I looked for something square and higher volume but everything had outlets in bad places or didn't look easy to mount. I tried hard to avoid making extra holes in the car. At least it holds pressure now and the fans come on like they should.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/wiremess.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7625)
The air intake threw me for a loop. I had a hard time finding anything that would fit the big Weber throttle and turn 90 degrees to clear the engine cover/firewall. I also needed at least one port for idle air bypass. Somebody earlier said they'd found a Ford(?) pickup truck intake that looks good? This mess of BMW 3-series, 5-series, Jetta MK2, and 3rd gen Passat is working ok for now. The stock air cleaner hides a aftermarket cone filter.

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/hardatwork.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7630)
Hard at work cleaning up wiring and loose ends. The sprained wrist really didn't help! I've always enjoyed being able to climb into the engine bay to get at things. It also makes neighbors look with confusion. :-)

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/pedals21.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7628)
Rebuilding the pedal cluster. Unrelated to the conversion except that during the car's long inactivity the pedals seized together such that when you pressed the clutch the brake pedal would go along for the ride. The hydraulics were new a couple years ago so they were fine. I sandblasted everything, painted stuff, then polished and greased anything moving. Much better now!

http://lancisti.net/photopost/data/878/thumbs/pedals4.jpg (http://lancisti.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7629)
This is only the third or fourth time I've been in here during my ownership. The biodegradable wiring harness really hates being disturbed and I had no headlights for a while afterwords. At least I have a pressure bleeder now to speed things up.

That's it for now. I might be back at work (hopefully) soon so off to the garage to see if I can't improve the gear shifting any. I replaced what bushings I could at the transmission and levers. The one in the crossmember is pretty bad and the shifter base is getting replaced today.

Thanks for the help of everyone who replied or offered suggestions. Also to the locals in the Seattle area who provided parts and expertise.

[Andrew S]

Nice one! FI isn't my thing; I'm an old school carbs kinda guy. I appreciate you find your car smoother and more driveable now and that's the main thing- being able to enjoy it. Well done.
Oh, and I'm sooooo jealous of your hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol. 20 years back I had some just like it...

Andrew.

[HF Stinger]

Derek, I wish I would have seen your thread sooner. I was in Seattle area for the better part of 3 weeks, would have loved to see your project.

[John Allen]

The air intake threw me for a loop. I had a hard time finding anything that would fit the big Weber throttle and turn 90 degrees to clear the engine cover/firewall. I also needed at least one port for idle air bypass. Somebody earlier said they'd found a Ford(?) pickup truck intake that looks good? This mess of BMW 3-series, 5-series, Jetta MK2, and 3rd gen Passat is working ok for now. The stock air cleaner hides a aftermarket cone filter.

Your solution doesn't look that bad! I may be the one you referred to on the 'Ford' part, actually I used a mid '80 Toyota truck hose on my first transplant.

You also did a great job on your shift linkage, looks almost exactly like mine!

You need to let me know when you have some spare space, I have a free '77 roller for you! (open to anyone who can pick it up in the Seattle area!!)

I need to get some time and swing by sometime. I would live to see your project.