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Date:         Tue, 6 Apr 2004 22:43:04 -0400
Reply-To:     pat <pdooley@GTE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         pat <pdooley@GTE.NET>
Subject:      Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?
Comments: To: Eric Zeno <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Eric, not suprized about the lawsuits considering your brash, tell-it-like-it-is nature. You are very right, anybody considering a swap should be handy, you are married to it. Farming the work out is for the indepently wealthy.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Zeno" <vw4x4@FYI.NET> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 11:03 PM Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?

> Pat, > You got it right.... all except the tight wad part. There are > times when I've had the Sh^t sued out from under me. I never know > what is next, and no sense keeping it because someone, is going to > spend more money on you for a lawyer and win. .....re a...no one > wins in a law suite...its who loses less, in legal fees. > Anyway, I did put some time and homemade parts in mine. Well > worth it. Gives you braggin rights. Re-wiring is fun. Weeding out > the bugs 100 miles away from your tool box is the next big fun thing. > Any engine swap will have problems. No one should do this > unless they are personally going to be involved. Forget paying > someone to do the work. It will no get done right, and the cost is not > worth it. If your going to pay some one, still to the original engine > its cheaper. > > Eric 86-VW4x4 > vw4x4@fyi.net 86-SS Syncro > Pittsburgh, PA USA 1936-Chrysler > 92-Jetta GWC > www.fyi.net/~vw4x4/vw4x4.htm > > On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, pat wrote: > > > Get the Kennedy Kit for $500, buy a Jetta parts car with Digifant motor > > complete for $200. > > Sell the remaining Jetta parts for 3-$400. > > Thats where I'm at now. Probably got about 2-$300 invested in it. > > Mig welded a motor carrier, $20 in scrap steel. > > Got the exhaust from an old Volvo, cut the pipes and elbows to fit the > > Vanagon. Did I mention how much owning a MIG welder helps? > > > > I'm not done yet, but all the parts are there waiting for me to get to it. > > If you are a tighwad like me or Eric, you can get this done for less than a > > grand. Hell, I saw a Vanagon in the junkyard with KEP adapter and rabbit > > motor ready to go. Probably could of got everything for $200. > > Even if you have to buy KEP new, still not bad. The only thing that cost > > the big bucks is the adapter kit. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Stan Wilder" <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET> > > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 3:04 PM > > Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....? > > > > > > > That's really great! > > > Please explain to the other 1400 list members how they can get the same > > > deal. > > > > > > Stan > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: vw4x4@fyi.net [mailto:vw4x4@fyi.net] > > > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 1:11 PM > > > To: Stan Wilder > > > Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > > > Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....? > > > > > > > > > Stan...etal, > > > MY complete engine swap cost less than $1000.00. > > > Eric > > > > > > Stan Wilder wrote: > > > > > > If you're going to do an engine swap you need to love your Vanagon > > somewhere > > > between $3000.00 and $10,000 worth. > > > The least expensive is a half life Subaru engine conversion that normally > > > runs $3000.00 by the time it's completed. > > > I don't know anything about Tiico conversions but I think the complete > > setup > > > can be $7500.00 > > > If you've got a 5000 pound + Westy you can consider that it weighs as much > > > as a 2004 Full Sized Extended Cab 3/4 Ton Dodge Pickup truck with around > > 260 > > > HP. > > > Your power isn't going to impress anybody but you. > > > > > > Stan Wilder > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf > > > Of David Brodbeck > > > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 12:26 PM > > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > > > Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....? > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, tomdurkin wrote: > > > > > > The Volvo B-230 is exactly what you say, and it can easily > > > last 400,000 miles or more with routine maintainance. I > > > believe the other options mentioned in this thread cannot > > > make that claim. I would be very interested in more > > > information about this conversion, I can see a intercooled > > > B-230FT with 180 hp moving a Vanagon up hill very nicely. > > > > > > Unfortunately I don't have more information about it; I just know that > > > Kennedy Engineering makes (or used to make?) an adapter plate. You'd be > > > on your own for engine mounts, but at least the Volvo mount system is > > > pretty simple. You could probably fab something up using carrier bars, > > > similar to what a VW diesel Vanagon uses. Exhaust shouldn't be too big a > > > challenge, just bend some pipe to route from the Volvo manifold around to > > > a single muffler in the rear, like the diesels use. If you can make the > > > muffler mounts part of the engine mounts, as VW did for the diesel, or > > > mount them to the engine block, you avoid having to use any flex pipes. > > > > > > I have no idea if the engine would fit under the decklid. > > > > > > I think the sole advantage a B230 would have over a VW inline 4 is low end > > > grunt. It's the torquiest I-4 I've driven. It reminds me a lot of a > > > 4-cyl boxer engine that way. When you're moving a heavy van, having a > > > torque peak at relatively low RPM is important. > > > > > > > > > David Brodbeck, N8SRE > > > '82 Volkswagen Diesel Westfalia > > > '86 Volvo 240DL wagon > > > > > >


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