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Date:         Thu, 12 Oct 2006 09:44:07 -0400
Reply-To:     Bostig Eng <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bostig Eng <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Subject:      Re: Bostig Zetec kit...WOW...
Comments: To: Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@EARTHLINK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <410-220061041211173810@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Hi All,

To address the concerns about ground clearance, yeah that pic is not representative, it really does look like it is about to touch the ground.

The base kit will sacrifice ~3/4" in the dead center, but with the short pan clearance is the same as stock at it's lowest, add the skid plate and you sac ~1/2" in the center again. The ground clearance as you move up the sides of the cradle is better than stock. We also include 3/4" rear spring spacers on all 2wd kits because we have found that most rear springs on customer vans sag below their stock height to begin with. The 3/4" spacer brings them back to stock ride height. I've wanted for some time to get a standardized set of measurements for evaluating clearance, and start building a database of what folks have on their rides as this is something everyone should consider when converting.

Brady has gone into more inhospitable ugly rockcrawling, ass-dragging, you really shouldn't be there situations with the conversion than anybody I've seen in a vanagon. He's destroyed one pan (did the worst case scenario and fell on a bowling ball sized rock, right into the pan between the cradle and the front of the pan) the pan was punched in about 4 inches, the pick did NOT break, and he proceeded to drive another 1000 miles on it... we had packed along another $29 pan and $30 pickup to take with just in case on that one, but wanted to push our luck and drive on it like that. The skid plate on the cradle with short pan will allow you to drag the entire ass end of the van off a rock with the front tires(on a syncro) and still let you drive home fine.

Jonathan mentioned cold air... yes, is a great way to get even more power. As to why we didn't offer another way, we focused on plugging into the stock setup, and we do offer the enclosed element airbox, but because of the restrictive size of the vanagon snorkel block off panel, you end up losing several wheel HP and ft-lbs of torque if you go this route (even over pulling under lid air) We are finishing the first cold air kit which is a variation of what a customer in GA already did for his install:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=292227

With the included datalogger/reflasher he logged a 45 deg. F drop in intake air temp going this route... so well worth doing as the engine management will be able to add more spark advance without knock.

As far as the metal tubing causing heat soak, that is a good point. It is likely the case that you're raising intake air temp by using metal, but the difference in going with another material or even insulating it is my experience not worth while(unless we could sell 100,000 of them in which case we'd make a new intake manifold). Unless the metal is in the path of lot's of radiant heat from exhaust etc, the benefits to insulating are not worth a change. This is as I've observed in other turbo applications I've builts where every bit of power is being wrung out of an engine, and insulation didn't have a measurable effect and ended up coming out again, even though it is covering a lot longer run, pushing much greater air masses with the confines of the engine bay.

In fact we already got lucky with this setup, as the longer intake has a two-fold effect, it relocates the throttle body which is needed, and it lengthens the intake tract, which adds power and torque below 3k rpm at the expense of the top end above 6k(which most people prefer)

The intake temp thing would be worth testing though, as if we datalog total timing advance along with a thermocouple output on the intake tubing, we will be able to see if there is an impact, and by exactly how much simply by insulating, driving, and datalogging.

Thanks,

Jim Akiba

________________________________________ Bostig Engineering Engine Systems Voodoo http://www.bostig.com/ 617.272.3800

-----Original Message----- From: Jeff Stewart [mailto:fonman4277@EARTHLINK.NET] Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 7:18 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Bostig Zetec kit...WOW...

For a lot of people the clearance would be OK, but I'm certain I wouldn't be comfortable with it. Here are my pics:

Well, for one thing, it was sitting in tall grass on mushy ground, thanks to all the DAMN rain we got for JBB. I think that added to the perception that it was hanging very low. Of more concern to me was the fact that one of the attendees at JBB said this is the same engine that is in his daughter's Ford Focus-and it blew a head gasket at 60K miles. The conversion looked very good, and it's one of the ones I'm considering for my '84. Jeff


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