Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 16:11:07 -0700
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: bayer@sybase.com (David Bayer)
Subject: Re: Vanaru / Subagon XT6...2.5L&2.2L
>| Beware, the Westie may suffer a mod to the bed and unless you are fairly
>| clever with cutting and welding the oil pan, you may suffer the loss of a
>| little ground clearance.
The ground clearance problem for the Syncro can be done away with
if the oil sump for the engine is removed if I remember my talk with them
correctly. I don't know enough about what this means, but from again from my
talk, he didn't think it was a LARGE problem. I believe one could add a
remote oil reservior (or one of the availible submicron filtration systems
which hold 1.5 to 2 extra quarts of oil) to offset the missing oil pan... But
I have not completed the needed investigation...
>| I'm still looking at the possibility because I can get a low mileage Subaru
>| 2.2L for $700 to $1,100 with all the electronic stuff that goes with it.
>| However, having a Syncro Westie, I have not been able to get all the info I
>| need about how the Kennedy kit will translate to the Syncro. I want to keep
>| the ground clearance, the AC, the snorkle style air intake and I still like
>| the lower bed better than the upper one.
When I talked to Kennedy, he didn't seem to know (or maybe care) about
the snorkel system, though since that is all pre air mass meter, it shouldn't
be too hard to fabricate. Kennedy lists an "intake air duct" as an optional
component for the kit in his pamphlet "Repowering the Vanagon".
>| The exhaust is another question. Kennedy makes one to fit the Vanagon, but
>| I'm not sure how it fits my need for original ground clearance.
This part is listed as a "not necessary" part for the Syncro; note
there is also a "not available" designation. I think the best thing to do
would be to look real close at the piping coming off the subaru and then
compare it with your own to check for which pipes will fit and where you
would connect the subaru parts to your own (the vanagon muffler and cat are
supposed to bolt on to the subaru pipes eventually).
dave