Date:         Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:30:17 +1200
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: Inside a Subi engine EJ22
In-Reply-To:  <466235.68214.qm@web82702.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

>Let me ask you, did you talk to your car insurance company before doing the
>conversion? Or at least did you tell them about your biggy EJ25 or
>V8 big block
>whatever it is after you did it? If you did not it's not too late now. If you
>run into an accident you may wish you never heard of a subi conversion.

This is important!

>Especially if you do a bigger more powerful conversion you really want your
>insurance company know about it and put it down in the policy for
>you. A vanagon
>is not a van designed to out run others at 80 MPH or faster. Its handling
>wasn't designed for a bigger engine.

In fact the handling most certainly is capable of big-performing
engines, and even then is upgradable.

>  Speed is actually against life, the slower the better.

How's that? And please recite the governmental line of "speed kills".

>
>The greatest advantage of using a stock engine is it is cheap to repair and it
>is reasonably durable.

By the evidence from this list & elsewhere, neither of these are
correct. They are expensive to repair and fragile.

>One example, an EJ25 from a late model year of Subaru would be a nightmare for
>the conversion. You would have to have the 3-way catalytic system transplanted
>into the vanagon.

Fortunately not applicable everywhere in the world... yet.

>When the OBD2 system calls for an error code you would be
>sorry and you would wish you never heard of the conversion. Been
>there. Did not
>do it.

If you have stock Subaru engine-management, the codes should work just fine.

>
>I could go to 6000 and stay there for
>hours. At that speed your subi van will be belly up guaranteed.

Not true. They are stable at speed and corner extremely well... so
long as they are not loaded both heavily & asymmetrically. My
Caravelle GL was just fine at 180-190kmh with stock suspension and
ordinary (if nonstock) wheels & tires. The only problem (with my van)
was rear-mass-induced understeer on tight corners, and replacing the
iron V6 lump with an EG33 should cure this.

>My 84 vanagon is not worth much more than $1k. It's
>hardly justifiable for a $9k (Beeny's) subi. I had no less fun from it
>whenever I drove it to Yosemite over the summit of 10,000 feet.
>A more powerful engine sure is nice. But if you want to convince me
>to spend on a conversion for my 84 you are wasting time. There is no
money to be made out of my 84 for a conversion.

You don't do such conversions to make money or break-even on them.
You do them because you love the vehicle, love to drive and want to
make it BETTER.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut