Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 19:49:35 -0500
Reply-To: Vanagon Man <vgonman@MSN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Vanagon Man <vgonman@MSN.COM>
Subject: Re: Your Opinion: Subaru or not to Subaru (Engine swap)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
For one thing, all though I am sure it will give you more power........the
Boston Engine Big Valve motor is awesome. It is like night and day over a
stock rebuild motor. Almost feels supercharged! And it keeps stock
configuration, so future repairs are easy to have done. As well, a good
rebuild is not a bad choice either.but you gotta accept the limitations of
the vehicle as well. It is a big, heavy box. It can be made to perform a
little better though. Most folks that are bent on a conversion have been
driving a vehicle with an old, tired, and undermaintenanced car. A new
rebuild is a real eye-opener after experiencing this.
Now I personally have not driven the subie conversion, and I am certain it
works well. Subaru seems to make a good car. My father in law loves them,
and has driven them for 30 years, always buts several hundred thousand miles
on them. BUT I do know plenty of mechanics, and have dealt with plenty of
shops myself ( I work on my own fleet of vehicles) and unless you are of
similar mentality to fix or repair yourself, there is not a mechanic out
there that is going to work on such an animal, or if they do, they are going
to charge you dearly. It seems you can say " look up the motor in a
Legacy".etc, but these types of folks don't want to fool with it. Too many
other cars to work on where there computer programs spit out the correct
test sequence. Very few "new" mechanics out there really have the
troubleshooting skills to figure out what is wrong with a car using their
heads. Sad but true. You may have a great local company in mind that has
done several subie transplants.but that won't help you when you are far away
from home. It is a transplant you will have to be heavily involved in, to
understand it, so that you can repair it in the future.
I have driven TIICO, and it is sensible, but quirky in its own right. Those
out there that think all their problems are going to disappear with a TIICO
are off base too. You have to be familiar with the OBDII system and have it
on your laptop to diagnose your own car. And then if you need a part, the
parts for it were not in the US, so you have to order thru Petar at TIICO.
Great for now. Also, I do not find the motor near as peppy as the big
valve.......Pretty good from the line, but on the top end you are limited by
the transmission anyway. Just because redline for the motor is now higher,
does not mean the tranny wants to turn 4500 rpm for a long
haul..............it will but it is shortening its lifespan too. Maybe with
a 5 speed my opinion would change, but one thing is for certain, mechanics
won't touch it for they cannot find anything in their systems to diagnose
it!
Adam P
Charleston,SC Coburn, WV
81 Westy "The Brick "
70 Single Cab "Whitey"
74 Beetle "Ol Yeller"
73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop)
1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg
1976 Transporter (New CA bus)
1974 412 "Goldmember"
Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Campbell" <rcampbell-vanagon6706@MAILBLOCKS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 6:32 PM
Subject: Your Opinion: Subaru or not to Subaru (Engine swap)
> Gang,
> OK, I've been really looking into this. My '91 Carat (Automatic, Air, PW,
Central Locking) is still running strong. But, I'm really considering an
"upgrade" to a more powerful engine.
> So, what are the opinions on this? Should I introduce a 2.2L Subaru motor
to the mix? OR do I give Boston Bob a call for one of his upgraded motors?
> I've looked, but haven't found any unhappy Subaru conversionites out
there..... anyone on the list want to tell me how sad or happy they are with
their conversion?
> I saw quite a few of you are happy with the Boston Bob engine, but I'd
like to have more opinions on this subject.
> I'm looking to get a rebuilt transmission and final drive as well.... any
recommendations on sellers of such items? (figured I might as well change
out the 142K drivetrain along with the 142K engine)
> Thankfully, I'm in no rush to get this done, so I have a bit of time to
make my decision.
> I'm looking forward to some feedback ya'll!
> -Robert
> '91 Carat, Automatic, 142K, South Florida
>
| 
