Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 15:32:14 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: converting an 81 AC Vanagon to water cooled
In-Reply-To: <320217.16587.qm@web33510.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well...............
Since the plastic tank 83 and later radiators work better, and are commonly
available, and you don't need a Sheppard's hook pipe, that's 3 reasons right
there not to use the rare metal 82 DV vanagon radiator.
It's way easy to convert from 82 metal radiator to 83 and later plastic tank
radiator.
The 'trickiest' part is needing 83 and later lower radiator brackets,
And there's jazillions of those on dead vanagons.
You need to fan shroud to go with the plastic tank radiator, those are easy
to find.
You can use the 82 rad fan if you have one.
Some wiring work with the fan sender arrangement, but it's not that hard.
If I was building one, like starting with an air-cooled body,
I'd only use the 83 and later improved type radiator,
Unless a really good condition 82 metal one was sitting right there and
that's what I had around.
Otherwise , 83 and later plastic tank radiator, is 'the way.'
There are a lot of thinks on 82 watercooled diesel vanagons they only did
that one year.
Must mean something.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Robert Keezer
Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 11:00 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: converting an 81 AC Vanagon to water cooled
To expound further on Mark's clarification,
if you are converting an air-cooled , ideally you
need a Diesel Vanagon radiator. These are rare.
You also need the Diesel Vanagon radiator-to-hose
metal "shepherds crook" coolant pipe, that
connects the upper radiator outlet to the
underbody coolant pipe.
Since my Vanagon is a Diesel , I can only use a
Diesel Vanagon radiator, unless I want to start
chiseling.
I have a spare Diesel radiator, but will not part
with it because it is my spare.
Some are using the bigger WBX radiator with the
450 watt fan and larger diameter plastic or
stainless coolant pipes.
These may be needed if you are in a hot climate
or plan to install a higher hp engine.
For our climate in the PNW, I have never needed
anything more, overheating has not been a
problem.
My engine is a '95 Jetta or Golf 2.0 .
Robert
1982 Westfalia
--- Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
> The radiator top mount method changed
> drastically in 1983 when the
> radiator and fan shroud changed. The 83+ top
> bracket can be removed from
> a donor with enough effort but why bother? It
> is simple enough to make
> top brackets to do that job and allow the
> needed support for the upper
> pegs of the later radiator. The 82 and older
> radiator used thread in
> rubber mounts on brackets top and bottom. These
> older brackets and
> rubber mounts don't work with the 83+
> radiators.
>
> Every time I post about this I get a pmail or 2
> reminding me that
> watercooled started in 83.5. False of course,
> since VW started building
> diesel engine models in late 81 and these are
> watercooled.
>
> Mark
>
>
> neil N wrote:
> > Hey Robert.
> > Thanks. I know you have the nice I4 setup, so
> I appreciate the info.
> >
> > I tried drilling out the spot welds but ended
> up chiseling because there
> > were 5-7 inaccessible spot welds that were
> only visible from the top from
> > inside the van (dash removed) I couldn't get
> my drill at them because of the
> > angle.
> >
> > There is no stock upper mount on my 81 Westy.
> >
> > I bought it in Canada and am pretty sure this
> is a Canadian model.
> >
> > Thanks for direction on the two 10 mm holes
> for lower grille. I'll keep my
> > spare parts van long enough to "measure
> twice" and transfer that to my 81.
> > As for lower rad mounts, I've harvested the
> clip-on nuts and L brackets for
> > the lower mounts.
> >
> > In hindsight, (and I'll be posting all this
> on my other website) I think one
> > alternative for the upper mount is to get
> some angle "iron" and make the
> > part. For that matter, one might just make it
> out of two pieces. It didn't
> > take too long to get the part out, but one
> has to drill quite a few holes.
> > Regardless, several of them will serve as
> holes for screws to mount the part
> > to my 81. I'll post rough measurements of the
> stock one for anyone that
> > wants to attempt making it.
> >
> > And to the list:
> >
> > For the record, I posted all that other stuff
> in jest. I just thought the
> > sight of a hacked out upper rad mount bracket
> would make people laugh and
> > was good Friday material.
> >
> > I will finish what I started, and am certain
> I'll have no regrets! ---:^)
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> >
> > Neil.
> >
> > --
> > Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia -
> > "Jaco" (Bustorius)
> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
> >
> > Engine swap beginings:
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
> >
> > On Dec 7, 2007 9:30 PM, Robert Keezer
> <warmerwagen@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I converted a 1980 Westfalia to a
> water-cooled
> >>inline -four and I don't understand what all
> the
> >>chiseling is about.
> >>
> >> The two holes for the two top ten mm bolts
> are
> >>already in place- all you need to do is make
> a
> >>grille template from a water-cooled Vanagon,
> >>trace it onto the air-cooled and cut the
> lower
> >>radiator grille opening .
> >>
> >>The top mounts are there from the factory in
> the
> >>air-cooeld models. The bottom has two
> brackets
> >>that bolt to the frame and the radiator.
> >>Assuming that the Canadian model is identical
> up
> >>front to the American one..
> >>
> >>Robert
> >>
> >>1982 Westfalia
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
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