Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 20:00:16 +0000
Reply-To: TJ Hemrick <themrick@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: TJ Hemrick <themrick@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Anyone running a Porsche 6?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Andrew,
After working on VW's for over 30 years and owning both VW's and Porsche
for about 16 I feel you are not only wrong, but biased heavily against
Porsche motors.
I've worked hard enough to get not only a VW Syncro weekender but an 86
911 Carrera. While stationed in the military in Germany I had a beater 73
911. Both vehicles performed perfectly. The flat out acceleration was
truly phenomenal. Considering the later model motors are bigger and
stronger I'll comment on those. They would be an excellent swap for any
air-cooled van. (I would stick with a water cooled for the later vanagons)
I've had to do one tuneup on my 911 and it was the same as any other car. A
lot more oil and the time was a little longer due to the valve adjustment
but nothing more than my old Honda needed. So far even minor items are no
more or less than similar VW Vanagon items in both availability or price.
I turned a 13.9 second quater mile time on that 14 year old car with
street tires. So your statement about being "magical" is way off. I can
fit my wife, two kids 20 months and 3 months in car seats) and stuff for a
weekend down in south Florida just as easy as the the Syncro. I get better
gas mileage than the Syncro. I know of several people with over 300,000
miles on their STOCK 2.7 motors (the ones with the worst reputation), I 've
also heard of a guy in California with over 450,000 miles on a motor. True,
their were some turbo motors that trashed their valve guides in less than
30,000 miles but that was way back in 1977-1979 time frame. Those motors
are a work of art AND enineering. I don't know what it costs in New Zealand
(I imagine it's crazy) to maintain a Porsche or Vanagon but here in America
it's just a walk in the park. I do my own work and I'll probably never go
back to anyother make.
I'm sure the flat 6 Subaru motors are great but I don't think the parts or
total number made are anywhere near the number of Porsche motors made.
Later,
TJ
96 911
87 Vanagon Syncro
93 Corrado SLC
---------------------------------------------------------
Has anyone popped a Porsche 6 in their Vanagon? I used to have a couple
of 914's and the swap was fairly easy on those, can't imagine it being
much more painful on the Vanagon.
There are quite a few Porsche sixes fitted to Transporters of all
types, including T3s. MSDS makes a "Rage Panzer" kit for Syncros...
911 engine and G50 trans.
Porsche 6-boxers aren't the magical beasts generally imagined.
Apparently 2.7s and early Boxsters give (EXPENSIVE) trouble. And
their power outputs aren't that good (except for the ultraexpensive
turbos).
Subaru's 3.3-liter EG33 six is super-reliable, not too expensive (FAR
cheaper than any Porsche 6), relatively inexpensive to fix (in the
extremely unlikely eventuality of one ever needing repairs) and at
least as powerful as any equivalent-powered Porsche donk, either luft
or wasserboxer. AND it can be hopped-up considerably, fitted with
turbos etc. Hence, though initially I wanted a 3.0 or 3.2 911 engine,
I was more than happy to grab an EG33 when I learned about them.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
Friends don't let friends do Windows
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