Date:         Fri, 1 Dec 1995 10:13:32 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Normand Gagnon <gagnonn@disst.qc.ca>
Subject:      Subaru engines, Renault as the car of the year and Labrador

(Excuse the multiple subject posting, in in digest mode)

One of my neighbour had recently buy a 86 transporter (the wasserboxer
inside was blow, and for what I see not just the engine...). So he had buy a
Subaru engine (4 cylinder, carburator injection) that is a lot smaller than
the wasserboxer that I used to see in my Westy. I do think that some work
has to be done, the exhaust system is built with flexible hoses (he said to
me that it is a temporary situation). For what I see the engine could be a
little small for a Vanagon (after one week there is some smoke on rear), but
the mecanics that have done the job said that it is not the first Vanagon
that he modifies this way. For what I know he charges 450$ can for the
adaptor plate between the transmission and the motor. The name of the
mecanics is:

Cyprien Clermont
10, Chemin Milton
R.R. 4 Granby
Quebec

514-378-1997
514-378-1388 (fax)

My neighbour gaves me some others address, I didn't know what is their value.

By the way, I had suggest to him to think about finding parts from a diesel
Vanagon and install a fuel Jetta engine, is this a good idea, or he should
struck with another Subaru engine ?

Also, for what he said to me he thinks to convert the Transporter in a
pop-top Westy, I said to him that a Westy is a derivate from the sun roof
version of the Vanagon, and I also think that install windows in a
transporter is not a small job...

For the car of the year tread, I'm quite sure that Renault "le Car" (the 5)
had never won the car of the year price. For what I know in 1980, Renault
had sell (about) 5550 "5" in North America, 50 in USA, 500 in ROC (rest of
Canada) and 5000 in Quebec. I had one of these cars one winter, the heating
was a little underpowered but the driving on snow was great (the engine was
behind the transmission near the center of the car). It was the
"Alliance/Encore" (9/11 in Europe) that won the price, I agree that this car
is not a VW (I had a Jetta above my Westy), but at these times it was the
only economical car with fuel injection (it was 2000$ can less than a Golf
in 1985), I had the basic version during five year (until Chrysler...), this
thing was as economical in fuel as a Jetta diesel, so as a basic car it
could be a car of the year, but as an equipped car (with AC and so on) maybe
....


I didn't take the time to read the Quebec map but I'm not quite sure that
the Quebec road goes to Inuvik, maybe you have to go to Newfoundland, take
the Belle-Isle strait ferry to labrador and go north on gravel road (someone
of my family had taken these road). There is no north road in Quebec, it is
the railroad that goes from Sept-Iles to the north, the other road are justs
parts (for example from Fermont (Qc) to Labrador). There is just some small
non connecting roads between Mingan (past Sept-Iles) to Lourdes de Blanc
Sablon (near Labrador).
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