A New Project

There is a great disturbance in the Force.

I have chosen, despite having already put money into a Type4 solution, to change horses mid-stream and go for the Subaru conversion. This is based on a conversation with my wife that went like this:

Me: "So that's the cost difference between personally building a T4 engine that I have no reason to expect is going to last very long, and completely switching over to Subaru power, which will get us out of the stuck spot with parts vanishing on me quickly. Its $1000-$1500 more in the short haul."

Her: "Oh. I don't know why you didn't tell me the numbers before. Do it. Fifteen-Hundred is cheap for a Happy Husband."

Me: "......?......?......!"

So I turned the ship about and decided that the best way that I could both scratch my itch and serve my community would be to pool together the people who have done this work, who are doing it, and those who are standing on the side wanting to jump in, but are too freaked out by the volume of fabrication implied.

So I created a website: The VolksarU Project: Where U are part of the solution.

I know. Not my best advertisement writing.

I wanted to draw the people to me (rather than go chase them down) who have useful information for someone who wants Subaru power and reliability but doesn't have $16k to have a conversion done "professionally." So I get to scratch several itches: Project Manager for an Open Design / Open Hardware project, Documentation for a procedure to assemble the design, and ultimately, a bulletproofed power-plant for my own Bus. And the VolksarU Project does all of that, and makes a DIY installation possible for the DIY non-fabricator.

So I'm dropping tidbits of information I know here, so that I can scoop them up again when I need them:

Air filters:

In Oz, filters must be contained to pass Inspection. No open cone filters.
K&N Apollo Universal Closed Intake Systems meets those requirements, part# RC-5052AB Street Price $140

However for best installation, prefer an air filter box that uses paper filters VS K&N, based on the data found here: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

For the industrial solution, see the Donaldson D080020 MSRP $105.

At the end of the day, we need a stock airfilter box that will fit in the very little space we have available in the engine compartment, especially with the loss of both left and right battery boxes for in compartment radiators.

Radiators

The standard 'AL' VW Mk1 radiator is: 5,747,700mm^3
34mm thick / 525mm wide / 322mm high // Inlets and Outlets are 32mm ID. ~=1-1/4" std diameter 

Add s second radiator, and that increases the cubic cooling to 11,495,400mm^3

The 1997 Legacy EJ22 NA radiator is : 4,120,222mm^3. However, this is perpendicular to airflow, so maximum throughput is achieved on the stock radiator. Our installation will force all air through much smaller inlets that are much longer ducting runs to the engine, including two 90° turns to the radiators.

To offset the lower air volume available, cubic cooling has been increased 2.7x over stock. If the gasketing of the radiators to the body is installed tightly to prevent any loss of air around the radiator, this should be sufficient to cool the engine.

Donor Vehicle:

The following components should be removed from the Subaru donor:

• 4 Cylinder 2.2 & 2.5L 1990-2004
• Alternator
• AC Compressor
• All Vent Hoses
• Engine Harness
• Oil Pan
• Manual Starter (for M/T Vanagons only)
• Engine mounting bolts (for M/T Vanagons only)
• Engine to ECU Harness (uncut) Including Wiring to both oxygen sensors
• ECU Engine Brain Box
• Power supply Relay W/Bracket
• Fuel Pump Relay
• Oxygen Sensors x2. (Make sure the oxygen sensors plug into the harness as there is often a sub-harness used.)
• Air Intake Tube (air flow meter to throttle body)
• Air Flow Meter (2000-2004 does not use MAF)
• Air Cleaner Box
• Alternator Harness (4 feet of harness) Also has A/C wires attached.
• Accelerator cable (Automatic Vanagons only)
• AC Hoses to and from Compressor (A/C equipped Vanagons)
• Cruise Control Servo (If needed for the Vanagon-Subaru part up to 1997 only)
• Catalytic Converters (If you plan on using these)
• Pressure sensor & switching solenoid (located on right front strut tower.
• Some models do not have one or both of these)

Exhaust

When you're buying your Vanagon compatible muffler, don't drop the two C-notes on a German Muffler. Why? Because most of what you can buy in the states either isn't German, and even when it is, it isn't any better. So buy one that fits the same for $45:

Walker Muffler 1996 Ford F-150
1996 Ford F-150 XL 6 Cyl 4.9L

Buy a universal CAT with an O2 bung, and you're in business. The whole affair just clamps together.

Radiator surface required is 1.5 sq in of surface area per cubic inch of the engine displacement, or put another way, a minimum of 3.0 cu in of cooling volume per HP produced.

Wiring Harness Notes

A simple plan for grafting a Subaru power plant into a VW Bus. Ideally, this power layout should work for ANY Bus from 1968-1979:

German cars have some conventions to their wiring harnesses that are handy in our case, especially since VW made many changing to wiring between 68-79.

Essentially, if you consult a VW wiring harness, you'll find the following to be true:

The Positive Lead from the battery is always labelled 30. 30 means 'raw, unswitched power, direct from storage.'

wires marked '15' are always 'positive switched power from the ignition key in the RUN position.' In the case of a classic engine, terminal 15 on the ignition coil is hot only when the ignition key is in the RUN position.

Wires marked '50' are always 'positive switched power from the ignition key in the START position.'