Date:         Mon, 30 Nov 1998 22:15:14 EST
Reply-To:     Jwilli941@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Todd Hill <Jwilli941@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Diesel Westy Gearing Swaps
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

  Vanadiesel@AOL.COM writes:

<< A gearing change to get a little more top end is of more
interest at the moment, especially if the adjustments and
additives do get me more speed it will just be revving out at
even higher  rpm's which seem too high at even 60 mph.
Have you found out anymore on that?  Any info would be
appreciated from you or other list members. >>

Hello,

Well, you could change 4th to either the European .82 or
an aftermarket .80.  Your stock 4th is a .85 ratio (as were
all American Vanagons gas or diesel)  You wouldn't want
to move 4th too 'far' away from your stock 3rd as you could
get a good sized gap between them torque-wise.   The high
quality gear sets that I use run about $275 per but you have
to completely disassemble the gearbox to swap them out!
Since your diesel is now about 16 years old I wouldn't simply
swap a gear set but go ahead with a rebuild.  Why spend the
money now to do this labor and then again in the near future
to replace worn parts?  Asides from changing 4th and maybe
3rd, the only other way to change your final drive would be to
swap ring and pinion sets.  But thats even more costly!

-Todd Hill
 VolksWerks Transaxles
 Olympia, WA