Pre-1980 VW Beetle Gas Turbine - Episode IV - A New Hope

[Frankenhealey]

Can't f4rt around any longer waiting for the 4WD 2CV chassis for the turbine project. I need to get on proving the concept and that means a rolling chassis. Plan B was always a Beetle and I'm warming to the idea it may morph into Plan A. It's a Swedish chassis and I have the papers to UK register it but it'll be interesting declaring the motor as a 'gas turbine'









I'm employing my usual aided design i.e. CAD (Cardboard), WAD (Wood) and finally ALUPAD (Aluminium Profile) skillz. There are two sets of rigid datum points at the rear of the Beetle chassis, namely the gearbox mount bolts and the 70mm diameter torsion bar tubes. These will allow the mounting of a new turbine subframe to the chassis.

Some WAD.







It's too high but immediately has given me an idea for a better scheme.

Have a picture of my spanner holder who trades spanner holding for learning new words when I skin my knuckles



It's under way again

[horrido]

Now we're talking!

It looks like a good one, but be sure and check the framehead on that 'pan. They do like to rot.

[jimi]

Liking the title update 👍😎

[ducklooker]

Good lord!

[teaboy]

Rear engine, it's the future!

[Frankenhealey]

Jan 5, 2024 21:53:16 GMT teaboy said:

Rear engine, it's the future!

Technically the turbine could be mid-engined if I have to use a layshaft for packaging so more a 550 than a 911

[Frankenhealey]

Got a few hours in the icebox that is the Volcano Lair today.

First take a look at the extended gearbox mount bolts that I need to mount the turbine support plate. According to the vendor they're the same M18 Fine but the OE bolt is M18 x 1.0 and the absolutely correct extended bolt is M18 x 1.5. Looks like I'm going to have to get them made



Next up, I reckon that the air compressor turbine shaft is pressed in so I'm going to try and push it out on the 20 ton press at work







While rooting around the 'turbine' box I found the fuel valve for one of my old Rover 1S60s. We'll eventually need a a fuel idle valve and could marry it up to one of the Beetle heat levers.





Cut a bit of ply to the maximum dimensions of the 1st stage reduction gearbox, now chosen for better or worse, for richer (unlikely) or poorer (racing certainty). Drilled a hole on the bore axis of the primary gear and now can do some visualisation.



Much work in the background lifting the turbine on to more temporary wood supports so we can estimate heights and clearances. Do we have clearance? Yes we have clearance



If you think this all a bit agricultural just check the background.



Is it too high?



Because it's going to need to be higher to get the second stage reduction in.



Now does this mean it's mid-engined or rear engined? teaboy should advise

[teaboy]

Jan 7, 2024 21:24:34 GMT Frankenhealey said:

Now does this mean it's mid-engined or rear engined? teaboy should advise

It looks too far forward to be rear engined to me, can't you use some more plywood to get it out behind the rear axle?

[glenanderson]

Any updates? 😃👍

[Frankenhealey]

Oct 15, 2024 10:14:48 GMT glenanderson said:

Any updates? 😃👍

Yes, I'm being stalked, as Adrian has been asked whether he could take the idea and run with it. He'd knock off a gas turbine Beetle in about 6 weeks and I'm going to be at it another few years!

You remember Adrian?







Anyhoo, we're about to cut metal on the all-important turbine to Beetle gearbox adapter plate, the first stage reduction box is sitting on my work bench waiting for some special hybrid ceramic bearings, the throttle quadrant / fuel pumps interface is coming on but Uncle Rob is slower than I am. The helicopter exhaust idea has been binned as too heavy and I'm slowly transferring all the ancillary gubbins from the working turbine to the spare which has a much better air intake angle, In the meantime I'm still working nearly full time along with all the life-sucking black holes such as tractors, SWMBO's sheep, a very elderly Bob the Dog, grandchildren and currently building 'completely safe' blank-firing cannons for the carnival pirate ship for next year. A saluting blank can instigate accidental disassembly of a bunch of PVC tubing faster than you can imagine.

In other the news the Goddess is up for sale. How's the Austin coming on?

[Frankenhealey]

I posted this on the Volcano Lair thread so in case anyone is wondering what the 'throttle quadrant' is then here it is in all it's glory



Full chat = COMBAT! FTW

[glenanderson]

Oct 16, 2024 15:04:57 GMT Frankenhealey said:

How's the Austin coming on?

Good to hear the plates are still being spun. :-)

There has recently been a chunk of Austin-enabling work done, which makes up a tiny bit for the total lack of actual Austin work over the last year or so. I am hoping to make some proper progress on it over the next few months.

[Frankenhealey]

I have been shot down on a military forum after asking questions about the throttle quadrant! The 'real' Tornado quadrants are like this





2 x RB199 turbines = 2 x throttle quadrants on the aircraft but what I have is a test quadrant with two outputs for static testing. Suits me as I can't see the aircraft throttles fitting in the Beetle.

In other news what I thought was the swing wing angles on the left hand scale is likely the be the jet pipe iris angles as per the video. Ignore the reverser buckets at the end.