Date:         Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:31:52 -0500
Reply-To:     Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kupcinski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kupcinski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: How To Choose YOUR Engine Conversion
In-Reply-To:  <CAB2RwfiwRz1RL9X3LF+qB+DEdub+7ewMYXd+bXp=GcYf999YAg@mail.gmail.com>
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I think there is one important question to answer before you source a donor, decide your price point, or fall in love with (or write off) a particular vendor: why are you replacing the engine? 

It's a tough question that I think a lot of people gloss over. And everyone's going to have a slightly different response. Here's mine:

About six years ago I bought my Vanagon. Convinced the wife that it was what "we" wanted and even sold her Honda Accord to do it. We kept my TDI Jetta Wagon, which became her car because she can't drive a manual transmission (which the van is). The van ran well enough, but at 150K miles I never completely trusted it as I knew little of its history other than it had clearly seen quite a few years of rough service. So shortly after I got the van, I began thinking about engine replacements. 


WBX's were a known quantity. Modern VW engines were attractive, but required a lot of custom work to get right. Bostig was an intriguing but fledgling operation. Subaru's never were more than a thought because we don't know what they are here in Texas. At the time my decision was to stick with the WBX. I began tuning and replacing parts with the idea that eventually I'd buy a rebuilt WBX from GoWesty or Boston Bob or somewhere.   Even up through last year that was the plan.

Then this spring I came to a realization: I want to be able to share this van with my wife. This means a couple of things. 1) The van has to be reliable. 2) The van has to be easy to drive. 

A WBX would never give me those two things in adequate measure. Yes, I know that many people drive reliable WBX's and that compared to some engine systems, WBX's are refreshingly simple. But my wife is not a car person. She's a get in, turn the key, push the gas and go kind of gal. If she could eliminate any of those steps and still reach her destination, she would do so. My experience is that WBX's are, in a word, fiddly. And if you don't give them the right kind of attention, their reliability decreases significantly. So the WBX was not a long-term solution. For me.

Which left a VW or Bostig. I suspect in a few years we'll see some companies producing DIY I-4 VW conversion kits using production models and philosophy developed by Bostig. In the meantime, Jim and his crew have built a solid operation that puts them ahead of the competition. And most importantly for me, they have a system with a proven track record of reliability and simplicity. Thats why I've got a Zetec pushing my van around now.

So my recommendation when considering a conversion is that even before you follow Neil's advice and do a whole lot of reading, first decide why you want a new engine. It will change the way you read things.

-Jarrett