Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:14:26 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: The real story about the invention of the WBX?
In-Reply-To: <990356.29779.qm@web34208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Have the Mexican built buses based on the '70's model - with the inline
four and the external add-on radiator - gone out of production? I wonder
if those '70's machines legal here could be converted to inline four's
with relative ease using an add-on radiator out front?
Thoughts anyone?
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
sam mccarthy wrote:
> I am sure the reason VW didn't put gas inline-fours in the van was that they did not want to upset the "amazing handling" of the Vanagon by raising the center of gravity over that achieved using the flat four. They compromised with the diesel due to its "slightly lower" power output and, how to put it, "more relaxed cruising attitude".
> Who could blame them??
> Sam M
> --------------
>
> Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:02:09 -0800
> From: Zeitgeist <gruengeist@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: The real story about the invention of the WBX?
>
> I think the point being that VW should've used the introduction of the T3
> to
> turn over a new leaf and leave the flat engine configuration behind for
> good. They had a host of robust 4 and 5 cyl engines in '79, so it just
> seems silly that they bothered to start with the carry-over 2.0L AC from the
> '79 Bay window bus. Despite all the bashing it gets on this list, the WBX
> is a good engine, that can typically provide a long service life...but, it
> was old-tech engineering that was outdated even when it was introduced. The
> Audi 2.3L gasser and 2.0L turbodiesel fivers were a perfect match, though
> they should've opted for a distributor-less design in the former to avoid
> engine lid issues.
>
> Oh, if only I ran the world...
>
> On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 1:45 PM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Actually VW did make the Vanagon with an inline 4. The diesel. :)
>>
>> And.....
>>
>> In South Africa, they put in 5 cylinders. This thread has a pic of one:
>>
>>
>>
>>
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215380&highlight=south+african
>
>> Check out this SA autotrader link
>>
>> http://www.autotrader.co.za/
>>
>> I got lots of hits under "microbus". Maybe some listings have
>>
> pics of
>
>> engine bay.
>>
>> Neil.
>>
>>
>
> --
> Casey
> '87 300TD
> '94 100CSQ Avant
> '89 Bluestar
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:08:09 +0100
> From: Jens Jakob Andersen <jayjay@ZORCK.DK>
> Subject: Re: The real story about the invention of the WBX?
>
> Hi Neil
>
> Agreed - VW used the diesel-I4 in the Vanagon. At the same time VW
> had plenty of good gasoline I4 engines - using a lot of the same
> parts as the diesel-i4 - so VW could in 1983 quite easily have
> changed from boxer to gasoline I4 - but somewhere inside VW the
> argumentation/businesscase for making the WBX is stored - and I think
> that it would be an absolutely historic scoop to get the real story
> about why VW decided to make the WBX, instead of changing to gasoline
> I4 in 1983.
>
> Happy driving
>
> Jens Jakob
> At 22:45 10-02-2009, neil N wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 12:46 PM, Jens Jakob Andersen
>>
> <jayjay@zorck.dk> wrote:
>
>>> Hi,
>>> ..... - on the day when they decided:
>>> "Lets convert the CU to water-cooled - it will be real easy,
>>>
> done
>
>>> quite fast, and a good stable conversion - instead of just using one
>>> of our great inline.-4 engines"
>>>
>>> So my basic question to this list - does anyone know about why
>>> VW decided to create the WBX, instead of changing to inline-4 in
>>>
> 1983?
>
>> Actually VW did make the Vanagon with an inline 4. The diesel. :)
>>
>> And.....
>>
>> In South Africa, they put in 5 cylinders. This thread has a pic of one:
>>
>> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215380&highlight=south+african
>>
>> Check out this SA autotrader link
>>
>> http://www.autotrader.co.za/
>>
>> I got lots of hits under "microbus". Maybe some listings have
>>
> pics of
>
>> engine bay.
>>
>> Neil.
>>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of vanagon Digest - 9 Feb 2009 to 10 Feb 2009 - Special issue (#2009-123)
> *****************************************************************************
>
>
>
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