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Date:         Tue, 14 May 2013 23:12:44 -0700
Reply-To:     neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: 2.0L I4 Opportunities
Comments: To: Jim Akiba <syncrolist@bostig.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAHbJSdW3oK0y=qtU0NZHcz=N4hm6zg5RS-mPXwpWL+Na09DHGw@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

In hindsight, diving into the swap "deep end" like I did sure had it's up's and down's. Were it not for the help provided here and elsewhere, my guess is the project would have stalled and died. Thankfully it still runs and pretty good at that. No doubt though; a project can become huge and daunting pretty quick and die in the process.

And again in hindsight, the Diesel Vanagon Parts + VW inline engine seems a LOT easier than my project and in some ways far more sensible. OTOH, doing what I did gave me cause to put thought toward a "nearly below the deck" 15º VW 8V 2.0 swap. A good mental process at the very least but something I won't likely pursue.

One things for sure; I learned a lot doing this swap!

Neil.

On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 6:31 PM, Jim Akiba <syncrolist@bostig.com> wrote:

> Interesting thread and thoughts. People forget a few things since > they aren't sexy and nobody wants to hear them. > > It isn't sufficient to do your homework and not be fearful of getting > your feet wet. It isn't enough to have a clue and some experience > either. One aspect that everyone usually forgets is the importance of > project management. If you aren't good there too, you'll sink it and > be in over your head before you know it. Also just because another > guy did the thing you are trying to do doesn't actually mean you will > have the same experience unless you can guarantee a pretty high level > of consistency, which nobody in the DIY space, and mostly nobody in > the "pro" space has/can achieve or demonstrate. > > Also if you got into Vanagons to drive them, then you need to keep > your focus on that. The moment you start to get sucked into the > modding/tuning hobby (anytime anyone mentions power as a valid reason > to do anything, you know you're in this realm) your usage of the van > will go down, not up. You may struggle for a while and eventually > reign it back in, but usually not in enough time to have avoided > wasting far more money, time, and effort than you thought you would, > or ever wanted to. > > While doing a complete DIY isn't beyond the reach of the backyard > mechanic, most in vanagonland are very far from that point. There are > far more accomplished musicians and teachers in vanagonland than > mechanics. The most dangerous thing(speaking long-term and total cost > of ownership) these people can do is have someone install something > for them. The second most dangerous thing they can do is attempt an > unguided DIY project. > > This doesn't mean it can't be done by any stretch, it is just going to > be far more painful than they expect, and their mileage (both > literally and figuratively) will differ from "internet mileage" a well > known phenomenon on car boards and just as prevalent in vanagonland. > *-* everything you read online is true right? *-* > > Keep your focus, and be realistic... then ignore all that and find out > the hard way like everyone else. > > Jim Akiba > > > > > > On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 5:22 PM, neil n <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

>>..... on my 15º swap I >> kept the stock (Mk3) oil pan.

>> It's not an optimal solution, but on my swap, with the carrier running >> under the pan, I rarely find any issue with ground clearance.

-- Neil n

Blog: tubaneil.blogspot.ca

'88 Westy http://tinyurl.com/c8rlw6p

'81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/

Vanagon VAG Gas inline-VR Engine Swap Group:

http://tinyurl.com/d7gd5ej


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