Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 11:36:54 -0500
Reply-To: John Anderson <janderson@IOLINC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Anderson <janderson@IOLINC.NET>
Subject: Re: Junk yard find. (GM Conversion)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>> Has anyone thought about the engine and trans from a Fiero (V6)
>
> Fiero Motor? That is a GM piece of JUNK! This is a down
> right insult to this list, our Vanagons, and everyone around
> us! I wouldn't be caught dead thinking of a thing like this.
> Please never mention this again. Your hurting my ears!
Damn common and reliable piece of junk. A guy down Paxtuxent River way in
MD has been installing GM 2.8-3.1's in AIR COOLED vanagons for years, nicely
plumbed and I've always meant to ask what radiator (Ford or GM) he uses up
behind the front grille. Carbed they require a deck lid height addition, FI
they go in under stock hood. I drove a 2.8, it was a blast, moved like
nothing you could even imagine. I would no knock this till you've tried it,
using the 3.1 it would be a real quick van. Frankly I don't really get the
"at least its German" arguement. The VW L4 and L5 really aren't that exotic
of powerplants, relatively low specific outputs for their sizes, rock solid
but not that technically exciting. The 16V was a design abomination. Yep
people, Mitsubishi, licensed to Porsche, Honda, even egads Nissan with dual
plug hemispheric heads in the 80's, those were top of the line 4 cylinders,
technologically and often reliability wise as well. Nothing more origional
about putting an Audi L5 in my '87 van than a GM V6. The fact that out of
necessity and common sense VWSA eventually did it years after it left our
market is interesting and does supply a nice bunch of very expen$ive factory
parts to make it slightly appealing, but not all that much. I also note
that I was suprised at just how far along Kennedy is with Subaru conversion
pieces having sent for literature, but price is about as appealing as the 5
cyl. Anyway, anyone with a whit of common sense would put in the cheapest
most reliable thing they can, ideally featuring the lowest future rebuild
and operating costs. I do not personally know what that is. The MR2
suggestion is just bizzare, never common enough to even begin to justify,
and the early ones not all that reliable.
John
janderson@iolinc.net
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