Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:29:53 -0500
Reply-To: Jay Brown <badkarma@TTLC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jay Brown <badkarma@TTLC.NET>
Subject: Re: Subject: 1985 Vanagon - Ford Focus Engine alternative
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I recently installed the Zetec 2.0L into my '85 Westfalia and I have nothing
but good things to say about the process and the end result. After doing
about 6 months of research, here are a few of the reasons I decided to go
with the Zetec vs. any of the other swaps.
Pro's:
More powerful than the 1.9L (130HP vs. 80HP)
Non-Interference engine design.
Modern electronics with OBDII.
Parts are available literally everywhere off the shelf (and usually on the
cheap to boot.)
Simple wiring harness - Only 7 wires to hook up for my '85
Almost all of the major components in the conversion kit are made of
stainless steel.
Less than $5,000.00 total cost with a low mileage (<20K) engine.
Cons:
It's not made by VW, so my van is a mutt now. Of course it was designed by
Cosworth Ltd, so I guess that's not too bad...
The drivability is much improved over the stock 1.9L. Better acceleration
from a stop, more passing ability on the highway etc. The Zetec is
incredibly smooth running and pulls well throughout the RPM range. Maybe
someday I will want to go the turbo route so I can toast the tuner kids off
the line in my camper, but the normally aspirated version is plenty quick if
you ask me.
Here are a couple shots of the Zetec in my '85 Westy from when I first
installed it: http://www.geocities.com/vwcamper72/Zetec1.html I still need
to do some housework in there to make things pretty, but you can certainly
see how well it fits in the engine compartment and how neat and simple the
install really is.
If there are any Vanagon owners in the New Hampshire area considering the
Zetec conversion let me know. I would be happy to let you check out my
conversion and go for a spin. I seriously can't recommend the Zetec highly
enough!
Jay Brown
'85 Westfalia
'72 Riviera
http://www.geocities.com/vwcamper72
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:22:40 -0500
From: AAG - Larry Word < >
Subject: 1985 Vanagon - Ford Focus Engine alternative
It's almost Friday - what is the consensus to date of the group =
installing 2000 ford focus engine into Vanagons?
Any ideas, links, info., articles, etc. would be appreciated!
Thanks
Larry