Date:         Fri, 29 Jun 2001 09:58:16 -0400
Reply-To:     Kitzmann <kitzmann@EXIS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kitzmann <kitzmann@EXIS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Engine conversions and such...(Long and rant like)
In-Reply-To:  <200106291026.f5TAQVI08200@marlin.exis.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I have to agree with Chuck on one note, a bunch of people are taking this
stuff too personally.  I have a conversion, is it better then a Lily? a
subee? etc. For me I needed a reliable engine for less then 2K.  That ruled
out Subee, Lily, TDI, Tiico, etc.  Friend had Golf GT, with a good engine
and the price was right.  If I could have I would probably have prefered
keeping the original if I could have economically made it reliable.  But,
alas I'm a graduate student right now and don't have the money, but I do
have the knowledge to do a transplant.  Now I know I have been responding
to alot of these conversion posts, but only in good humor.  I wish everyone
else would just stop slinging crap around and stick to some truth.

The truth form my experiance with an I4 conversion.  More power at Highway
speeds, less at takeoff at a light.  Somewhat better mileage 23-24mpg.
Hard to get a good quiet exhuast to fit and to find the right length belts
to allow the alternator to stay below the lid.  Frustration at finding
stupid things previous owner of engine did.  Dealing with modified parts
and always wondering if the modifications have in someway changed the
operation in the system.  A little pride at knowing you were able to
engineer that whole thing and got it running.

Dave K.