Date:         Thu, 7 Nov 2002 07:25:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Simon Reinhardt <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Simon Reinhardt <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Subject: engine swaps
Comments: To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
In-Reply-To:  <f05100308b9efc6cbf819@[203.167.180.184]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

It seems to me the obvious answer to all of this is threefold:
1. Body hacked up a little,
2. Custom subframe made,
3. Some sort of custom-length axles fitted.
Has anybody on the list seen one with their own eyes? If so, was the
engine definitely in a full, upright position, and centered in the
stock hatch instead of pushed way forward?
Of course, that would all be the easy approach. Again postulating a
custom subframe, perhaps the axle centerline is more-or-less centered
longitudinally relative to the rear wheels, and the engine leaned over
rearwards to clear the body... it would require a dry sump system and
would look fairly terrible and be hard to reach, but it might work. The
biggest problem is how FAR you'd have to lay the engine over on it's
side to clear the body- remember, the crank centerline of the engine
sits forward of the transaxle's output centerline, which translates to
the bulk of the engine wanting to be HIGHER than the tranny, in the
position I've been talking about.
-Simon

On Thursday, November 7, 2002, at 01:02  AM, Andrew Grebneff wrote:

>>  > One German VR6 conversion used the VR6 transmission!
>>
>> No. Definitely not. The VR6 was only installed in cars with the motor
>> mounted transversal (is that the correct word?) like Golfs, Passats,
>> Corrados etc.
>
> Someone in Germany told me he'd seen one (yes, transverse engine).  I
> wondered about positioning it so that the trans was rotating the same
> way while being in the correct position to align the driveshafts. To
> do so would necessitate positioning the engine/trans in the normal
> right-is-right left-is-left position it sat in in the Golf. But would
> the diff center then not be well behind the van's rear hubs?
> --
> Regards
> Andrew
>