Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 23:59:14 +0100
Reply-To: Florian Speier <groups.florian@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Florian Speier <groups.florian@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Idle Vanagon Question - upgrading engine
In-Reply-To: <44A47CDD.5020501@verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
ok ok ok ok ,
sorry for my rough estimate of 1-2 weeks without giving further details. Let
me correct myself. I do not count wait times for parts as conversion time.
It might be an issue if your waterboxer is dead and you need to get the car
running again as quick as possible, but Mike's waterboxer is still running
fine, hence he can just order parts and its not an issue if it takes a few
weeks for them to arrive. In respect to getting an engine, there is enough
people on the subaruvanagon list that will sell you an engine readily
prepped with all you need tomorrow - sure its cheaper to part out a legacy
yourself, but then you may also spend less than $3000.
Next Mike's email states that he has changed out engines on a bus before, so
I guess he has at least a rough idea of what it means to do this kind of
job.
But you are still correct in that my time estimate is slightly off, at least
the one week end. I based it on Brent Weide's timesheet who came up with
detailed estimates for the job after his first conversion. check out
http://www.weidefamily.net/vanagon/ click on engine-I and then conversion
timeline. He estimates 12.5 days for the coffedrinker type and 19.5 days for
the beerdrinker type, including 1 respectively 2 days for ac hookup. (no
doubt ac will take longer on mike's van as it is a fresh ac install), and
including 2 resp. 5 days for taking the donor out and prepping it. that
leaves 9.5 days for the coofeedrinker and 12,5 for the beerdrinker if you
dont count ac and get a preprepped engine. half of the remaining time can be
saved by getting someone else to do the harness according to his
calculation.
I totally agree that most conversions take forever as a result of waiting
for parts, then not having time off for a while and so on and so forth. I
also agree that everyone works at a different speed and might easily need
50-100% more time (that sounds like me).
I would not recommend anyone to do it without in detail looking at the
subaruvanagon list and its files, its an amazingly active community.
I hope I was clearer now. I was just trying to give a quick overview of my
take on conversions. As I said before, I have not done it yet but made up my
mind after a lot of listening to conversion groups and web research. I guess
I should have said 2-3 weeks to be rather conservative and on the safe side.
Sorry about that.
florian
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