Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 00:06:44 EDT
Reply-To: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Subject: Engine Conversion's Done (long)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I have done some research on this subject for myself. There are basically
four different conversions that have been done to the Vanagon.
1. Chevy 6 cylinder conversion.
Pros: Lots of power, cheap cost and great availability of motor and parts,
decently reliable engine.
Cons: Not a VW power plant (makes some people upset), motor sticks up above
the rear deck so that it would mess up a rear folding bed (Camper or
Weekender), tends to trash out transmission quicker than normal (from talking
to several people who have done the conversion) unless you get some special
($$$) transmission work done and get a high dollar clutch. Also don't know if
it will pass California emissions.
2. Subaru boxer engine conversion
Pros: Lots of power, it is a horizontally opposed waterboxer engine like the
one you are replacing so it fits nicely in the engine box, reliabilty is
supposed to be good.
Cons: Non-VW powerplant, price of parts would probably be on par with Vanagon
motor, probably have a hard time getting any shop except the one who put it in
to work on it (since there is no manual for the system how is a mech supposed
to trouble shoot it?)
3. Turbo Diesel Conversion:
Pros: Better fuel mileage, great torque, slightly cheaper fuel price, no
ignition system, motor is proven to be very reliable, VW powerplant that any
dealer would be familiar with so service would not be a problem, conversion is
usually simple if using a diesel Vanagon.
Cons: Horsepower is the same or slightly less than waterboxer motor, Turbo can
be expensive to replace if it fails, motors are not that common or inexpensive
(it depends on whether you want an early Turbo diesel (availability and price
are OK) or a new TDI motor (very expensive and hard to find).
4. In-line 4 gas conversion
Pros: Good fuel mileage, very reliable power plant, very available motor,
parts are cheap and easy to pick up, VW powerplant again makes servicing not a
problem at the dealer, who is very familiar with this motor. Horsepower is
same or more than waterboxer (depending on which motor you choose- 1.6l, 1.8l,
2.0l). This conversion can be done using a diesel Vanagon and has been done
more than any other conversion. It has proven to be a good and reliable
choice.
Cons: Not as much power as some of the other conversions (Chevy or Subaru),
not as much low end torque as a normal Waterboxer.
There you have the 4 main conversions that I have discovered. There are
others of course (like the Porsche conversion, etc.) but these are few and far
between. These are the main four that have been done the most.
Out of the four I favour the gas in-line 4 conversion.
The Eurospec conversion that I was talking about is really the first attempt
to do a conversion kit. Before this all you would get is an adapter plate, a
flywheel, a clutch, and maybe a wiring diagram.
This kit comes with a brand new motor, wiring harness (made by Hella who is
OEM for VW electrical systems), exhaust system, brackets for mounting
accessories (AC, Power steering, etc.), basically everything you need to put
the motor in the van and get it up and running quickly and reliably with no
experimentation or fabrication required.
I think it is a great idea and hope that maybe if this kit is successful there
might be more in the future (at a lower cost?).
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
| 
