Date:         Sat, 8 Mar 2008 09:03:21 -0800
Reply-To:     aatransaxle <daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         aatransaxle <daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cut tranny input shaft while still in tranny? (for engine
              conversion)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

One of my shop customers always has me put a shortened shaft in for a Tiico...Don't really know if they have an adapter or what...not my choice of engine by far,,,
Friend that did one has had the muffler break and be rewelded and reinforced 5 times in the last year..
She is ready to throw it back at them and put my WBX in when I do the zetec...
Daryl of AA Transaxle
(425) 788-4070
aatransaxle.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: craig cowan 
  To: aatransaxle 
  Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com 
  Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 6:53 PM
  Subject: Re: Cut tranny input shaft while still in tranny? (for engine conversion)


  Really? I thought the tiico's were accepting of the standard shaft somehow. The reason i say this, is i just had a talk with a mechanic buddy who told me a story about a syncro westy, with a tiico.

  It was a long, long time ago, roughly last month, and it was a beautiful westy, the finest syncro in all the land. Yet it had a driver that fueled his habbit by throwing a TIICO in there, and throwing lots and lots of parts at the TIICO as they broke (i recall seeing him replace the exhuast TWICE last summer). Well as time went on, it seems his TIICO seized in one cylinder, and blew up. In the process of self destruction, the little engine decided to cut its own losses, and damage the soft coolant lines as well. This is where the friendly mechanic got to learn about $700 coolant lines that really "aren't all that special". The Westy's owner decided that the TIICO wasn't for him, and they chose to put a 2.0 Jetta engine in there. In the process, they found that they would have to use a 1.8 head for clearance issues, and that even then, the decklid posed a problem. Furthermore, while installing the 2.0 happily into the place of the now parted TIICO, the mechanics discovered that the input shaft would need to be 'shortened considerably', meaning that it had to be much shorter than that of the TIICO engine. And then the engine roared to life and with a mighty caugh like a mouse with TB, preparing to push an extremely heavy vehicle, the engine and Syncro Westy lived happily ever after. 

  In the end he told me that "with all the headaches we went through, your name came to mind and we thought about calling you. I told _____ this was a common conversion, and Craig would either know or know where to find out what was involved". This just proves the theory once again that with enough time (at $70/hr) and a big enough pry-bar.....anything is possibly without any forethought! Maybe thats the average mechanics silent rule?

  A friday story of vanagons....
  -Craig
  '85GL


  On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 9:27 PM, aatransaxle <daryl@aatransaxle.com> wrote:

    The Tiico conversions DO need 10 MM cut off the shaft, so I think the common
    jetta swap does as well.
    Daryl of AA Transaxle
    (425) 788-4070
    aatransaxle.com

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Mark Drillock" <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
    To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>

    Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 4:55 PM
    Subject: Re: Cut tranny input shaft while still in tranny? (for engine
    conversion)



    > If you are not changing over to the diesel bell housing, WHY are you
    > shortening the shaft? AFAIK, the adapter plates for inline 4 cyls add
    > enough thickness to make up for the longer wbx shaft. Maybe I'm mistaken?
    >
    > I have shortened several and also swapped in many shorter shafts when
    > using a gasser tranny with a diesel bell housing since that needs to be
    > done in such a situation. Lately I just shorten the shafts since this
    > cuts off the part of the shaft that gets worn in the boxer setup.
    > Factory short shafts are often worn also so cutting a long one puts a
    > fresh surface where the pilot bearing rides.
    >
    > Mark
    >
    >
    >
    > neil N wrote:
    >> Thanks Mark.
    >>
    >> Good tips. I was hoping I could cut in situ. It'll save a little money
    >> (gasket/seal) and save some work. I'd rather take that money saved
    >> from not buying the big gasket and seal and put it in a Dremel setup.
    >>
    >> I wondered if the shaft wasn't hard steel.
    >>
    >> Neil.
    >>
    >> On 3/7/08, Mark Drillock <drillock@earthlink.net> wrote:
    >>> I cut them in the tranny. I use a heavy duty cutting disc in a Dremel,
    >>> while someone else turns the shaft. I work a ring cut deeper and deeper
    >>> as they turn one CV flange and hold the other still with the tranny in
    >>> gear. The shaft is pretty hard and gets hot so I have a rag soaked with
    >>> water wrapped around the rest of the shaft and another that I use to
    >>> periodically cool the tip.
    >>>
    >>> After the cut I use an angle grinder to put a bevel on the edge of the
    >>> tip, again while the shaft is turned.
    >>>
    >>> The Dremel blade is an abrasive type with fiber reinforcing.
    >>>
    >>> Mark
    >>>
    >>>
    >>>
    >>> neil N wrote:
    >>>> Hi all.
    >>>>
    >>>> Am getting closer to mounting the Jetta engine so am researching input
    >>>> shaft stuff.
    >>>>
    >>>> Can I cut the input shaft while it's still in the tranny?
    >>>>
    >>>> It looks possible, but I don't know if hacksawing away at it is be bad
    >>>> for parts attached to it. Plus angling (shaping) the end might present
    >>>> a challenge.
    >>>>
    >>>> Thanks!
    >>>>
    >>>> Neil.
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>> --
    >>>> Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia - "Jaco"
    >>>>
    >>>> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
    >>>> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
    >>>>
    >> --
    >> Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia - "Jaco"
    >> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
    >> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
    >>