Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:23:13 +1300
Reply-To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: small car VW engine conversion
In-Reply-To: <rcampbell-0YGIWAT9pONA2/qruqUKwMxl9ZS1bGA@mailblocks.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
Forget the Tiico VW straight-4s. These are crude noisy harsh engines
(an ancient design) with low specific power outputs.
Subaru EG/EJ series are powerful (if you stay away from the 1.6 &
1.8, apparently not available in the States), smooth and have
character... GOOD character at that. They are boxers, after all.
If you want lots of power the EG33 from the Alcyone SVX is the way to
go. This engine is a stretched EG22. It's better, I think, than the
new 3.0 EZ30 six, and develops higher specific power despite being a
lot older. At 240ho stock the EG33 is not overkill for these vans, as
they have the basic handling to cope with morepower than that. I'm
thinking of a belt-driven supercharger and nitrous...
The same KEP flywheel & adaptor plate fits all EG/EJ engines. A stock
12V VW starter will be plenty, no need for "upgrades" if you use a VW
trans.
That VW trans... has trouble holding together with a stock VW engine.
Pump lotsa ricepower through it and expect trouble, at least
eventually. Porsche trans conversions are popular in Germany,
especially the 1987-89 Getrag G50 trans (other years are too long in
the bellhousing). The KEP kit fits both the VW & Porsche trans, by
the way. The 915 trans out of a late-70s 911 is a basically sound
one, but has a shift action as bad as our beloved T3 vans, can be
broken (with effort) and is prone to synchro and bearing failure; the
G50 is virtually bulletproof and has no problem areas and supposedly
has a good shift-action. Both Porsche trans are true 5-speeds, unlike
the VW 094. Both are surprisingly affordable if you look around,
especially to German & Dutch wreckers. I bought my G50 from jacobi in
Germany, price at the time $1200US. They accidentally sent me a 1989
G50/50 M220 trans! This has LSD and synchro into reverse.
There used to be 2 outfits making kits to fit G50s to T3s. Claer in
Germany will not answer faxes. MSDS in USA promised to sell me a kit,
made excuses every time I tried to order one, then eventually stopped
making them. So I'm going to have to pay Neville to learn how to do
it from scratch, with the aid of a few photos of scratch G50 mounts
done by a listee in the US.
You can go through the wiring hell to do the electronics... or buy an
aftermarket specialty management system. There is the Motech
(spelling?) from Australia and the Link from NZ. I know the South
Island Link distributor, who also happens to be a Subaru freak and a
modifier of cars... And who, when I eventually get my a into gear
(gee, how long have I been saying that??) will be doing my SVX/G50
conversion (I have 2 engines to choose from). He is:
Neville Stowell <engine-performance@xtra.co.nz>
He will sell a Link system complete (module, loom) for about $580US,
depending on exchange rate at the time. There is a remote
dash-mounted adjuster with LCD readout too, so you can set your
programming on the fly, for about $172US. Want more torque or more
kilowatts? Turn the knob (more likely push the buttons).
The more of the work you can do yourself, the better. Of course if
you stick with the VW trans you won't have to do any fabricating or
changing CVs & driveshafts. But you'll have to be prepared to be
stranded far from home with a broken trans.
There is an SVXVanagon yahoo group... small and quiet, but it is off
the ground now, after for the first few months seeming to have been
stillborn.
Oh, T3 means "Transporter Series 3", referring to our Type 2
Transporters (Type 25 to be specific). Vanagon... yuk name!
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
64 (3) 473-8863
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Fossil preparator
Seashell, Macintosh & VW/Toyota van nut
--------------------------------------
A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation.
Q: Why is top posting frowned upon?
Yeah, yeah, gotta get the projekt back online...
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