Gary, I will probably do this conversion someday, I have studied it for a couple of years now, and seen one conversion that looks and works very well. The low oil pan is a serious issue that needs to be resolved to make the Subaru conversion near *perfect*. Right now the only solution is to cut down the oil pan and pick up tube, and this requires some precise cutting and welding, but I think would be worth it. Check out the photos of the clearance at http://www.cycoactive.com/Urabus/ and you will see the problem. Forget about every driving on a rutted dirt road on the way to that camping spot. (I bought the used engine from this owner, he loves the conversion and has had no problems.) Cutting down the pan also reduces the oil capacity to three quarts or so, so you have to check the oil more frequently, and this requires opening the engine hatch, as does topping up. This is a nuisance that keeps the conversion from reaching total *perfection*, but it is darn close. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of the Haynes manual for the '90-'94 Subaru Legacy and check out this engine. It truly is what VW should have put in: cast-in cylinders and cooling passages in the case, conventional large head gasket sealing surfaces (no o-rings or rubber gaskets!), counter balanced crank, overhead cams, plus the low vibration of a horizontally opposed engine versus in-line. But, of course, the 2.2 liter twin cam version wasn't made until the Vanagon went out of production! Have fun, this is a worthy project but expect to spend over $3000 and many hours to complete it. -- Stuart MacMillan Manager, Case Program 800-909-8244 ext. 8208 Fax: 206-269-6360 Getting your share of the Net yet? http://cobaltgroup.com http://UsedEquipNet.com |
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