Date:         Sat, 14 Jun 2003 19:37:58 -0400
Reply-To:     Sam Payne <bungeegull@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Sam Payne <bungeegull@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Compare & Contrast: Diesel Westy vs. 2.1 WBX Westy

Ladies and Gentlemen of The List,

    Here I am, stuck on the horns of another dilemma which is rapidly
becoming as much a marital issue as a mechanical one....
    You see, 2 months ago SWMBO and I took the plunge. No, not a million
dollar wedding but our very first Westy, an '86 2WD manual in a deep color
of earthy brown most reminiscent of a cow flop. Did I mention 150,000
miles young?? Buying our first Westy has felt like I imagine base jumping:
leap off the cliff with a scream, chuck your tiny guide-parachute of
mechanical know-how into the ether, and pray that the big chute pops
before you're prematurely folded into the bosom of sweet mother earth. You
knowlegeable ladies and gentlemen of The List, well, you're our big chute,
all that's left between us and the rocks...
    Now I knew when we leaped that we'd be rebuilding the engine (and
almost everything else) but I didn't know about the WBX propensity for
throwing rods and terminally corroding inner head gasket seals, etc. Burn
me at the stake as av unbeliever but after lots of research and
conversations I'm unwilling to rebuild my 2.1. Call me fickle, but I'm
dead set on an I4 conversion.
    After more archive searching and conversations, I decided on a 50
degree installation on diesel mounts using a diesel bellhousing and
flywheel AND preferably a diesel transmission (either ratio). I found
Frank Grunethaner's drive train ratio discussions very persuasive. Do I
have any of the diesel parts? Of course not!
     So here's the dilemma: Since the guts of the converted camper will be
diesel/I4, and diesel Westies are rare but a lot less expensive than
post '86 Westies, why don't I just sell the '86 and buy and then convert a
diesel?
   Well, I don't know enough about differences between the models. I've
looked through Bentley and looked online, but I would really appreciate
knowledge and opinions on differences betweel post '86 models and diesels
and problems peculiar to the diesel models. For example I've heard that
Diesels burn starters, that early watercooled engines had radiator/fan
shroud problems, that diesels don't have power steering, that 3rd and 4th
syncromesh rings on some earlier transmissions cracked, that diesels have
better shift linkages than later models, that diesel clutches wear out
faster because they are smaller, that the diesel front suspension was
flawed and upgraded later. On the camper side, does the diesel pop top
canvas attach differently and if so is it reliable, does the fridge have a
diode to show when the flame is lit, did pre '86 propane tanks typically
have the auto-stop fill valve feature and etc etc etc.
    Sorry about the length, but I'm trying to to avoid the rocks...
                                                    Thanks, Sam