I started out with an EJ22 in my kombi and it had all the grunt in the world that a sensible person would want from a kombi...its a pity i'm not sensible😬
so now I've got the EJ20T and with equal length headers and straight thru 2 1/2 exhaust the thing howls through to 7000rpm in a blink of and eye...but still not sure thats what i wanted till i go bush and up mountains and such...but geez is it fun😁
so an EJ20 or 22 NA in a beetle can put one up the V8 UTE boys? I think the body weight/kw maths means it should but wanted a reply from someone who has done the conversion.
I mainly will do the conversion for reliability and driving pleasure but sticking one up the UTE boys will make me smile greatly 🙂
With me, it's about keeping up with my friend. I've a new 1800 w/dual Empi 40's and a Webcam cam. He get's the same mileage as me with his 2.8 Chevy. And, he's pulling a trailer loaded w/fire wood and a canoe.
Mine- '74 Westy
His- '73 Adventure
I'm starting a 2.3L Ford conversion -soon. Will start a thread will pics
To put it bluntly my 1800 is a bottomless pit for money. If I could get my hands on an adapter plate and flywheel for something I know I could do a conversion for next to nix. The more common-as-dirt the better for the motor.
i wouldn't complain if it had towing power, but that's what the V8 Fairlane is for. Windsors are pretty much indestructible.
I just want to be able to drive my bay again. It may be an ugly POS by most standards, but it is just so satisfying to drive, and my daughter loves it. I want my baby boy to grow up knowing it like my girl. Is that so odd?
As for the VW sound, well from the inside it sounds like a diesel from a landcruiser anyway.
My plan is to try getting it registered with the VW motor (assuming it doesn't collapse in a heap like it loves doing) and collect parts for a conversion. That way I also have some wheels for when the Fairlane is off the road.
If you are wondering why I think I can do a conversion cheap, it falls to unrealistic optimism probably. but beyond that I have tools, a MIG, a place to work, a trailer for fetching parts, scavenging ability, imagination, and a Magna I have been pinching misc. parts from.
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
Have you seen many convo's? Scoobies were made to fit. Lovely smooth power delivery on the nat asp ones.
You can pick the donks up dead cheap over there, well proven convo's. Fit and forget! Maybe grief when fitting and trials
Do yourself a favour if you have a proper bus box (preferably a 091) and get a RJES bellhousing from the UK.
Custom Off Road (or whatever they're now called) will mod your loom & supply your bits if you're not savy with looms or rad fabrications etc
Don't forget the $825 I had to pay to get a Victorian engineers report to legally register the non VW engine (VASS report). The VASS makes all of the bus legal and untouchable (except for unroadworthy items in the future). The alloy 16" rims, the front beam adjusters, the Subaru engine, the non VW front seats. All passed and legal. Oh and my insurance company cant knock back a claim for having an illegal either. Just points to consider.
ElusiveStranger, It's hard to say who has the worst bay. Rust wise mine isn't so bad, but it was a bastard bus from the day it was made, and has been bastardized immeasurably more since it was made.
Mechanically and structurally it is questionable and is missing just about every bit of rubber it was made with. its panelwork looks like it spent some time in an asteroid storm.
Imagine a panelvan manufactured in '74 and assembled in '75 with a mix of parts from both, including an 1800 dual carb and an auto trans. Shortly after being made it had a questionable conversion to a camper done on it by Land Cruisers Australia. Since then it was worked to death, had a PO gut it, now has a manual transmission from a 1600 in it, a weber progressive and a lot of other alterations.
Some things aren't worth restoring, but are still usable.
The 1800 has been through hell and is showing it. What I would like to know is what is involved in doing a conversion on the cheap? I don't mean cheap and nasty. I mean simple and solid.
I would be happy with a carb'd motor with similar or a bit more hp and torque that doesn't mind a bit of hard work.
Although I love my ground clearance, an underbody mounted radiator seems the simplest method. Alternately has anyone ever put one on the side of the engine bay, as in removed a section of the panelwork and put one there? I am curious if it would work. The sheet is mashed and torn there anyway so it would be no loss.
I know I'd have to get a NSW engineers certificate which would be a pain in the wallet, but still miniscule compared with the cost of a proper rebuild of a typeIV motor.
What are some pitfalls that may arise with designing something that will get engineer approval?
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
The engineer will do a brake performance test, a noise level test on the exhaust sound, and an exhaust emissions test based on the year of manufacture of the engine. That being any engine after 1985 must have a catalytic converter on the exhaust, and all relevant pollution gear for that engine must be attached. All my seatbelts were checked that they had Australian compliance tags, and in good condition. All glass was checked for Australian compliance stamps. All welds had to be good, and all conversion parts had to be secure, clean, neat and not done in stupid ways. Like running a fuel line just about touching an exhaust or a fuel filter where it could get squashed by suspension travel.
The 1800 with new distributor and carbies and exhaust will get up around $6000-7000 once finished. The engine conversion will cost about the same plus more depending again on what you do yourself. Fully legal as is. Have a look at what most other engine conversions in busses are you will see what has worked, and what problems people have had. Ultimately you are now going to have to decide yourself what you want to do.
Ooh. now we are getting into dangerous territory. AS compliance is a bit of a sticking point. We are talking about a bay panel with a pop-top, camper style sliding alum. windows fitted via holes cut in the panelwork, and a rock'n'roll bed.
Yeah.
Where do all the expenses come from with the engine conversion?
I've had trouble finding too many examples of converted busses with any detail on the conversion.
I'm also not too worried about my own workmanship. Things I may do in an unusual way but they are always given a lot of thought. Well... except for the underbody heater tube that was done with a bit of old metal downpipe, a catfood tin and a tube of grey roofing silicone 😉 it'll never fall apart but it is uuuugly.
Regarding the frame rail mounted radiator, I was wondering how the hot air escapes. is it a case of it just escaping where it can up above after the thermos suck it through, or is there more to it?
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
Helbus, the engineer certs arent as tough in NSW
mine didnt need a brake test or anything like that
he just took a noise reading and made sure it complied with the relevant ADRs (26 and 27) on my compliance plate
10 years ago i woulda said like helbus, go a carbed EA82.
but now even the newest one is 17 years old and theyre getting harder to find now.
Most L series wagons these days are running EJs
If you dont mind a bit of electrical ie chopping the loom down yourself and running a stock sump an EJ conversion could be cheap if you found a good donor car
That said though $250 for Al and Miles to chop down the loom and do it right first time was so worth the money
Seagull, It was auto but it worked out cheaper to convert to manual than fix the shredded reverse + ??? on the auto, No I don't have the auto stuff anymore. One of my many regrets.
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
Gday just a quick comment on the viability of the swap I helped set up an ej20t in a t3 syncro 5 years or more ago. The thing drives like dream. On hills it powers on the biggest draw back is the trans it has been rebuilt once replaced again cheaper to buy a wreck than the repairs cost the mate now has 2 syncros sitting the shed used 1 trans now about to use second. The worst part of this story is that he treats it with kid gloves when it running well it kicks bottoms on highway you can see v8 drivers tring to get a look et engine bay as you go past.Iam in process of trying to convert him into the subi trans coversion biggest stepping stone for him is losing the decoupler he spent a small fortune on. he has to come to grips with a 5th gear & strength of suby box compared to unreliable syncro box this is the costlry weeklink in the awd system. If you can drive 1 converted you will be converted
Ernie
best engine conversion in OZ is the commode V6. No doubt about that. Cheap, torquey, will run on anything. ECU can be easily rechipped. Zillions of hot up parts. More made than most other engines in OZ. Lazy and predictable. All the 4WD crowd put em in everything small.
HOWEVER, to put one in a VW you need to do something to the gearbox. A taller 4th at the least. A 4 spider gear diff wouldn't go astray either and a different starter. That's where the subaru looks more attractive.
For about $3k, you buy a liberty manual. Steal the motor, trans, ECU and starter. Get one of these new reverse R&P gears for the diff and you'd have a 5speed EJ22/25 bus. All you need to do was get the loom stripped back. There would also cost associated with a fuel pump, and you might like to get a surge tank, but it would be hard. Rad wise. Do what helbus did. You could do it cheaper than that the custom veedub yourself too. Just depends how much you want to do yourself.
theres good gen1 and the odd gen2 series1s on the road and registered in tidy nick for that sorta money, atleast around here anyway.
you can pick up shaggy bodied gen1s running beautifully for under $1k and even a few series1 gen2s for under $1500 if you look around
there was a hail damaged 97 gen2 with only 142k in the paper here for $1200 for weeks noone seemed to want
sure beats buying an unknown engine and hacked about loom from the wreckers
theres good gen1 and the odd gen2 series1s on the road and registered in tidy nick for that sorta money, atleast around here anyway.
you can pick up shaggy bodied gen1s running beautifully for under $1k and even a few series1 gen2s for under $1500 if you look around
there was a hail damaged 97 gen2 with only 142k in the paper here for $1200 for weeks noone seemed to want
sure beats buying an unknown engine and hacked about loom from the wreckers
Reckon I'm gonna have to venture down your way for my engine come the time as QLD car prices are plain retarded. $1700 for a late 80's Lancer or something WITHOUT a RWC!!!?!?!?!?? Not bloody likely. $100 for your gratitude of me taking it off your hands more like 🙂
early libertys can be bought quite cheap. A mate of mine got an auto recently, 90k on the clock.... $500, and very tidy too really. just got to look around.
pete wood wrote:I meant $3k for the whole conversion or close to actually.
thats better 😂
And yes true if your sensible, with my $500 donor if I'd done the sump and loom myself like i was going to originally mine would have come in under $3k engineered
Now this is the sort of info I'm looking for. thanks.
The subi box conversion... besides the diff stuff, how does the axle fitment go? Does it use the VW, subi or something else axles with an adapter.
What does the price of the trans conversion parts run, as opposed to the price of a converted trans?
Also what about drivetrain mounting? Does the subie drivetrain fit without having to do stuff like butchering the rear beam?
All these questions; I figured the full Subaru drivetrain conversion would have been a megabucks kind of deal rather than comparable. What catches my attention most is the stronger and 5 speed transmission.
Sad thing is about a year ago I could have afforded all this without the blink of an eye. But we were in the midst of medical mayhem and as anyone knows, it's a money pit.
I saw a rotary engine adapter on ebay cheap recently. Quite probably the only possible step backwards for a bay. Speaking of which, anyone have a spare type4 head lying around. I think I have another one to add to my avatar.
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
If you dont have to rebuild your current box then it is cheaper to buy the conversion stuff for it, but then it wont be as strong, wont be a 5 speed, wont be as smooth and wont be as quiet..
You dont have to cut the torsion bar housing. It fits in fine, you just need to make a few mounts for it. Are you trying to fit it into a Beetle or a Kombi ?
Thanks for that BlueV2. I saw a lot of info but nothing on the type 2. hasn't been done yet?
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.
