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Date:         Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:24:29 -0700
Reply-To:     Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Neil's from scratch motor swap...and pre-Friday ramble
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson@gorge.net>
In-Reply-To:  <000701c8cd00$9a71c320$4001a8c0@gateway.2wire.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

You've made the engine carrier - now you need the special oil pan and pickup, the bell housing and the starter, among other things. $600 is a bargain Don.

On Thu, Jun 12, 2008 at 7:53 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson@gorge.net> wrote:

> Quite a bit of work, eh? But you are getting there now. I still wonder > why you chose that route but then it's all good anyhow. > I was looking more closely at the conversion in my Van...the Diesel motor > hangers...specifically. People always tell me..Oh yah, those kits, if you > can find em are about $600 bucks, if you don't already have a diesel van > and > have to buy the whole kit...(for putting an inline four gasser in exactly > like the original diesel vans were installed.) But looking at the motor > carrier bars in mine...these are dead simple. You could have some made at > a > race chassis shop for about $100 bucks...Just two bends in some steel > tubing > with plates welded to the ends. A good chassis builder or someone who > builds roll cages could make a pair in an hour, max.... The motor mounts, > from the carrier bars to the block, those are cast and you might be better > looking for junkers or perhaps those are still available as aftermarket > parts. You could probably also make those..but not so easy as the engine > carrier bars... The Kennedy Engineering adapter plate...again not too > expensive.. > The best part of doing a conversion like this is that it has been widely > done before and you could likely find one to copy pretty easily or borrow a > diesel van and copy that..No 'reverse engineering' needed. > > Recently, the rear end of my SO's 70's beamer 2002 rusted pretty much > off...The shock mount and spring perch was a stamped extension of the > trunk...and it rotted away leaving a rear wheel kinda floppy...She really > loves that car so I took it to my local race fabricating shop and we > figured > out a new rear suspension...a couple of tubes, some plates, etc. Ol' Russ > welded and bent...and now she is happy again for just $175! Works better > than new, too, except stuff in the trunk gets all wet and dirty if the road > is wet... > The point being, with a bit of creativity, you can do almost anything to > these simple old German cars, and they are certainly worthwhile to keep on > the road. Almost any "normal" American, what with our "disposable > mind-set" > would have just paid to have the cute little Beamer box smooshed...But not > Marie..."I just put a rebuilt engine in that car" she said (almost 4 years > ago) "And it's got a new tire!"..."can't you fix it? You built a racecar > that goes 200mph, you should be able to fix a simple bit of > rust...."....Yes, dear...Sure, honey... > Don Hanson >

-- Jake 1984 Vanagon GL 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie" Crescent Beach, BC www.crescentbeachguitar.com http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27


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