Bongo Fury

Here are a couple pictures to whet your appetite and motivate me to finish my install







I need to do a few adjustments before I can fit it. It isn't an intercooler but a custom made radiator for a custom built chargecooler (water-cooled intercooler) I am installing. All I need is some hoses to plumb in the radiator/electric pump/header tank etc.

Whilst trial fitting this it does appear possible to be able to fit a custom made air to air intercooler in that space although the intercooler pipe runs would be quite long.

If I find that the auxiliary radiator restricts air flow to the main radiator causing the engine to run hot I will relocate the numberplate to a stick on UK type on the bonnet of possibly the bumper

You may need to re-fit the Standard one for the MoT - stick-on number plates are no longer legal in the UK.

And of course you may get pulled over by the police.

You could fit a UK (long/thin) plate on to the bottom edge of the bumper opening, tilted to act as a scoop / diverter to force more air in through the rad and cooler!

Why?

That's a big surface area to restrict the flow to the main rad. On the plus side, most of the cooling occurs at the top of the rad until 'stat opens so normal running should be unaffected.

Why what?

Why no longer legal? I think it's to remove the availability of home-make kits. You now have to go to an approved maker, with V5 etc, and they have to put a postcode etc on the plate. It's to reduce the instance of people fitting temporary 'wrong' plates to avoid speed cameras etc.

I didn't think the legality of plates was an MOT issue? They just check they are illuminated as far as I was aware?

dave_aber wrote:Why what?

Why put a different intercooler on when the standard one works perfectly well and risk blocking off the air to the main radiator and having an effect on what is the biggest weak point of the Bongo, the cooling system?

Ah. Well, cooler charge = more dense air = more power / economy (another area of weakness!)

Potentially, cooler intake air, cooler running would offset the poorer cooling (if any, either way)

It's certainly worth a play if you are that way inclined!

dave_aber wrote:Ah. Well, cooler charge = more dense air = more power / economy (another area of weakness!)

Potentially, cooler intake air, cooler running would offset the poorer cooling (if any, either way)

It's certainly worth a play if you are that way inclined!

Thanks, I'm a mechanical engineer so I understand the technical aspect. Unfortunately the economics don't work. If you're going to modify something for more power get a sports car or something that at least needs more power. The Bongo already goes too fast to be safe for what is effectively a two ton brick

With the chargecooler I am hoping to pick up better economy through greater efficiency as the charge pipe runs will be about 2/3rds shorter and the charge cooling far greater.

I had a stick on plate made for my old CRX only a few years back. It was made by a number plate manufacturer and I had to produce my V5 etc. I was made to UK standards.

On my old DT175 I simply stuck some numbers onto the yellow rear mudguard, not strictly legit!!!

The standard intercooler is firstly tiny for such a big engine and secondly it is tucked away behind the crossmember fed by a scoop. My brother has done a lot of experiments with intercoolers and has found great economy gains having a good sized (but not too large) intercooler albeit on a Glanza. A popular mod on Land Rover diesels is fitting a bigger and better flowing intercooler which picks up good torque and economy.
Ideally I want to increase the rolling radius of the wheels/tyres to raise the gearing so I can run the engine at lower speeds for cruising

I dsont understand, surely if it would make that much difference it would have been fitted by mazda..apologies if I am being thick,lol.

https://www.craigsplates.com/import-number-plates

I used this information to get a sensible size front numberplate produced with the documents check and the makers name etc.

It hasn't attracted the attention of the police but did fail the MOT. I could have argued the toss put I just stuck the old shovel sized plate on for 5 minutes rather than have the argument. The law is open to interpretation of course about the design aspects.

rustyp wrote: Ideally I want to increase the rolling radius of the wheels/tyres to raise the gearing so I can run the engine at lower speeds for cruising

In theory this should work. In practice I've found it makes bugger all difference. Actually the best mpg we ever had was with the standard 15in wheels/tyres on as opposed to the 17s with high profile tyres.

I think the main problem with economy is that the engine is by modern standards a 20 year old inefficient design. In it's day it was probably as good as it got. Still anything to improve it must be good news. Depends as well how much it costs to do the mod as opposed to the extra fuel.

I've fitted a tuning chip to our Skoda Yeti with the intention of saving fuel. Problem is that as it's got more efficient it's also a damn sight more fun to drive so tend to go quicker and negate the fuel saving.

The trouble with better efficiency is usual better performance, I find that with the Bongo!

The engine was developed by Perkins in the UK for Mazda iirc using an existing bottom end?

Perkins also developed the AustinRover diesel hence the diesel pumps on the Montego Turbo being essentially the same!

Pre-combustion chambers are a bit old hat. Thermal ceramic coating particularly in the pre-combustion chamber would help a lit.

I would love to put in a modern direct injection engine in the Bongo, the modern Rangers have such an engine and hopefully it is a development of the older block

Russ