The Subabeetle project

Joel · 2009-06-06T07:59:04+00:00

OK well i guess its about time i pulled my finger out and started a thread on the conversion ive already started one on VWKD awhile back but have been very slack keeping it updated so most of this is just copied and pasted from it for those that dont know yet im putting an subaru EJ22 in my beetle and im one of these people who likes to do alot of research on things before i start especially something as big as an engine conversion and i found that while plenty of people have done this and made threads about their car noone has really done an indepth thread showing whats involved from go to whoa so ive decided to do that for people that are maybe considering this conversion in the future i'm an ex photography student so be warned you will be bombarded with photos but i find most interested parties generally like it this way anyway Just a quick project overview without trying to bore people to much. ive wanted to subi power a vw for a long time, i fell inlove with the idea after a local put an EJ20T in his superbug convertable back in the mid 90s I do love VW motors, ive grown up with them and have knocked that many toghether over the years i could do it in my sleep. i had planned on always keeping my Lbug pretty well standard and VW powered so in 2001 i bought my 70 beetle which already had already been fitted with a mazda rotary and was going to swap it over to an EJ20T as it was already setup for water cooled engine well that worked...... i sold the car last year cos after nearly 8 years taking up valuable garage realestate i had only got as far as fixing the body and giving it a quick paintjob cos i was too busy always doing something to the Lbug and various other VW projects i dragged home i hadnt ever given any thought to converting the Lbug, being an unmolested car i never had the heart to cut it up or do anything that was irreversable but then i started looking into new 2 projects - Fuel injection and Air conditioning looking at off the shelf EFI kits starting at $3k and even building up myself a junkyard kit wouldnt have left much change out of $1.5k, and mounting a compressor and setting up belts and pulleys on a vw was a hassle id already been thro once already setting up the supercharger so i wasnt sure what direction to take but i definately wanted to step into the 21st century and get away from carbs after almost 10 years ownership i realised i would never sell it and should just make it into what i really wanted so all of a sudden a Subaru conversion was looking more and more attractive i wasnt actively looking for a subaru engine, i was happy enough with my 1776 which is only 4500kms old for the time being but a guy i know locally had just bought a Liberty only to get a few parts from for his and the car was just sitting on his front lawn so i jokingly made him an offer and to my surprise he accepted it had been a well maintiained old ladys car untill some kids decided to use the roof as a trampoline it was still complete and drivable so not only could i see the engine running i was actually able to take it for a good drive that was all it took to convince me, it ran like clockwork, none of the usual subaru lifter clacking or shaking around, the oil and coolant were nice and clean and the sticker on the firewall showed the timing belt was done only 3 years ago with a quality Dayco belt and best of all no oil leaks from the engine, only abit of auto trans oil around the back of the engine and a bit of residual shit around the rocker covers I was told it didnt use any oil either but we'll see, it certainly didnt blow any smoke for people considering going down this route the best advice i can offer is if you have the room and resources get a donor car as apposed to buying the engine and bits main reasons are: everything matches. Subaru changed things on a yearly basis particularly ECUs and more often than not parts are not compatible ive heard horror stories of people buying engines from a wrecker and the loom has been taken from another vehicle and doesnt match the engine there are also lots of small fiddly parts seprate to the engine that are needed but can easily be missed it often works out cheaper to, a whole running car can be bought rusted or damaged for as little as $400 you may pay around $1k just for an engine and loom from a wrecker that u cant hear running and maybe a mis match to, plus compression test figures can be fudged pulling the engine out isnt real difficult but the wiring is a big job and also very delicate and time consuming, wreckers have bad habits of just cutting wires and breaking things being rough with them etc and you can also recoupe costs selling off uneeded stuff from the car and maybe get some cash for scrap with the shell I went the EJ22 for a number of reasons, the main one was fit theyre almost identical in dimensions to a 1600 so theres no body cutting needed except for 2 minor sections of the seal lip cut off the valance in either corner to clear the…

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 · 21 Apr 2013, 9:54 pm

#952461

Cheers, there wasn't room to fit the cat without running the muffler along the back.

MYSuperBulletBug Learner Dubber

1 post · joined Jul 2015 · 30 Jul 2015, 8:47 pm

#1017218

Hye Joel... its been a while ive been following your subabeetle progress and youtube...

Any updates on the new gearbox? Have it been installed in the bug?

Really want to see the gearbox specs.. cheers

madness726 Slammed & Awesome Dubber

88 posts · joined May 2012 · 5 Aug 2015, 11:13 am

#1017437

170,000 views.. Only on Joel's thread.. 😂

Gotta work on the Nut behind the wheel before you start fixing bolts on the Car.

Dave_In_Florida Learner Dubber

2 posts · joined Aug 2011 · 1 Mar 2016, 7:33 am

#1024154

Joel, in reading posts on the various forums, I believe you said the EJ25 doesn't fit in the rear of the beetle without ALOT of cutting. In this thread you mention in your EJ25 swap that you put earlier heads on which are smaller than the newer EJ25 heads.

So if I want the displacement of a 2.5, but put earlier SOHC heads on it, how much rear sheetmetal needs to be cut on a beetle? Can I keep the bumper mounts with this combo? FYI, at this point I'm strongly considering running the Subaru MT5 trans.

Jak Rizzo Insano Dub Head

837 posts · joined Apr 2004 · 3 Mar 2016, 7:58 am

#1024203

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Doors-Stickers-Decals-for-Volkswagen-VW-Beetle-classic-Stripe-door-part-kit/172068668860?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35624%26meid%3D66ff8d29a39540608d1667c98674e58b%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D172068711238

Joel, you are famous!!!!!

christianmlr Learner Dubber

9 posts · joined Dec 2016 · 20 Dec 2016, 7:05 am

#1032378

Hello Joel,
I have read all your topic: thank you!!! it is very very good for me!
Now I study all details because my target is buy a VW and assembly Subaru motor;
I live in Italy and Subaru motors are not diffused;
I see that you have installed on your Beetle a EJ25 SOHC motor, right?
Unfortunately in Italy, we have not this motor 2500cc. :-( and...
...now in 2016, old subaru models are not available then... what do you say? what motor can I install?
Can you make a suggestion?
Thank you Joel!!!

Birdman Wolfsburg Wizard

428 posts · joined May 2010 · 21 Dec 2016, 2:28 am

#1032404

2 Cam EJ motors, such as the EJ22, are much easier to fit and require minimal cutting of the body sheet metal.
4 Cam motors, such as the EJ20T, make more power but are much harder to fit due to the extensive cutting required to fit the heads.
It all depends on how much power you need.

christianmlr Learner Dubber

9 posts · joined Dec 2016 · 21 Dec 2016, 3:40 am

#1032405

Hi Birdman!
Thank you for your answer!
There are precious informations. In Italy, unfortunately, I can not find EJ22 and EJ25 :-(
In Italy Subaru WRX, STI etc. are diffused (EJ20 turbo);
but you write me that is very hard to assembly in Beetle;
the power for my car is not a problem because I think that 130 HP in a Beetle are very good;
I think that aspirated motor is best than turbocompressed motor for a rear wheel drive (to drive);
but... antoher problem is this:
where can I find a motor complete of all components (electrical, electronic etc...)?
Have you a seller to contact that can prepare motor complete?
In this way I can plug & play the motor without lost time for undress cable and control unit.
Best way for me is purchase an engine "ready to switch on anf go"; have you a contact?
what do you think?
p.s. Sorry for my english but is not very good ;-)

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 · 21 Dec 2016, 6:16 pm

#1032422

Your English is pretty good and we can understand you. The cost of shipping an engine from Australia may be pretty high but there is probably someone that can do it for you. It may be easier to try and get the rebuilt engine from England as they have had a range of Subaru's delivered there. Once you have that, there are people here that can supply the wiring and other bits and pieces for you.

Todd from Subaru gears on here can probably help guide you as well. Once you have 5 posts on here, you can PM Todd if he hasn't responded on here.

Where in Italy do you live?

Yogie

christianmlr Learner Dubber

9 posts · joined Dec 2016 · 21 Dec 2016, 11:48 pm

#1032433

Thank you Yogie! You are too kind :-)
yes, shipping costs are high; I have seen many engines on ebay site web; good price;
but my big problem is central unit and cabling :-(
Is not easy find correct elements to turn on engine.
I think that the solution is buy it in Italy;
I live in Piemonte near Torino :-)
in Italy Subaru Impreza WRX and STI are diffused; I can find EJ turbo simply.
I think this is a very very good idea but you say that is hard to install.
Have you pictures of the beetle with ej20 turbo Beetle's body modify?
I see Bugaru Beetle on youtube channel and I think (if this is engine of subaru impreza 2.0 turbo) isn't a problem for me;
for example this:
http://www.subito.it/accessori-auto/motore-subaru-impreza-wrx-turbo-sondrio-124015361.htm
the problems are:
- rear bumper
- cutting behind the rear seats
another?
Ok, after 5 messages I write to Todd.

Thank you!!! :-)))

surfbeetle Casual Dubber

30 posts · joined Feb 2007 · 22 Dec 2016, 4:35 am

#1032436

You have some options for the Wiring and Computer to run the engine. 1. You can source the stock Subaru unit and wiring. You have said that this is difficult for you do to your location. It is the cheapest but the wiring harness can be difficult to shorten and prepare for use in a non Subaru vehicle.
2. Look for the Megasquirt computer. This is a build your own solution where you can either buy assembled computers and wiring or completely build your own from a kit. https://www.diyautotune.com/ has info on these.
3. Purchase a complete unit and wiring for your engine, this is the easiest but most expensive option, http://www.outfrontmotorsports.com/engine_management.htm has info on this. An example is that they show about $1500 US for the computer and another $500 US for the wiring harness.

Option 1 above in my opinion, is the least expensive but most difficult option. Option 2 is the medium priced and medium effort and option 3 is the most expensive, but least amount of effort.

Good Luck.

'67 Bug, ej20 Turbo
Build Thread: http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=134735

christianmlr Learner Dubber

9 posts · joined Dec 2016 · 22 Dec 2016, 5:18 am

#1032437

Thank you Surfbeetle!
Good idea! Now I read web site;
but... for the changes, for the subaru wrx turbo engine
http://www.subito.it/accessori-auto/motore-subaru-impreza-wrx-turbo-sondrio-1...
the problems are:
- rear bumper
- cutting behind the rear seats
another problems or changes?
Have you pictures?
If I define and read up all the problems, the work is best :-)

surfbeetle Casual Dubber

30 posts · joined Feb 2007 · 22 Dec 2016, 7:11 am

#1032440

Here's a link http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=67295&page=1 on this forum for a Subaru turbo bug. I suggest that you find a forum and start your own build thread. This thread is Joel's build thread and asking a few questions is great but we don't want to take over his build thread with all of your questions.

My build thread is http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=134735 There used to be a lot of photos in it but the site upgraded and lost some of the photos. I have a EJ20 Turbo DOHC with rear bumpers. It takes a lot of fabrication compared to a Single Overhead Cam engine.

'67 Bug, ej20 Turbo
Build Thread: http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=134735

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 · 22 Dec 2016, 1:14 pm

#1032445

You should also read this post from Germanlook http://www.germanlook.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10373&highlight=ricola as well as it has some great info and Ricola is based in the UK.

Yogie

christianmlr Learner Dubber

9 posts · joined Dec 2016 · 22 Dec 2016, 5:47 pm

#1032456

ok! thank you and... sorry :-)

Suba-Beetle Learner Dubber

1 post · joined Mar 2017 · 29 Mar 2017, 7:55 am

#1034715

Joel,
I shot you an email a week or so ago but haven't heard anything back. I'm looking for a little more information on the EJ25 hybrid motor. I currently have a EJ22 in my 73 Super Beetle and I'm looking into the possibility of going the same route you did in lieu of going turbo. Let me know if you have a better email address that would work to reach out to you.

Thanks,
Patrick