It is more complicated than that...

The first job is to take it all apart again.
No! I have not lost my marbles! I've actually got two purposes for this apparent lunacy.

1. I don't have all of the details in my head of how it went together, and there is too much left undocumented between times that I took photos and annotated them. So I need to get my groove back. Take it apart and put it back together again is actually a pretty cheap way of doing that.
2. I'm pulling the engine and the 091 transmission as a package. That's right: together. The Bentley shop manual recommended pulling the Type4 engine and the transmission together...why not this? The purpose isn't so much to take the engine out for fun and put it back in again just to see how fast I can make the parts line up again. The major reason I'm doing this is simple: I'm exploring having the 091 regeared.

Why for regeared? Because as described a few years ago in Top Gears, the torque and horsepower curve of the Subaru EJ22 NA engine is grossly WRONG for mimicking a 2.0L Type4. All of your shift points are in the wrong place and too close together and your cruise rpm will be stupidly high on the EJ22 when they don't have to be. The other challenge is that from 1968 to 1979, there were several transmission variants: The 002, the one year only 1975 002 'pyramid', and the late 091 that later morphed into the 094 that was used in the Vanagon.

Just because the transmission model stayed the same for a few years didn't mean that the gearing did. The Ring & Pinion gear (which controls the final drive ratio for all gears) changed several times across the three different transmissions, and the 4th gear changed as well. All of this was based on the changing torque and Horsepower from different engines over those years: Starting with a 1.6L single port engine, then 1.6L dual port, then the Type4 1.7L, then the 1.8L, then finally the 2.0L. All of these engines had different emissions accessories even if their displacement was the same and gearing within the transmission changed convulsively to make the most out of the meager power that was available from the engine.

So while a few model years kept the same transmission ratios, it is actually pretty rare when the engine power output stayed the same to produce the same driving experience. This is why regearing should be considered. Of all of these transmissions, the late 091 is probably in the best position to be used without regearing...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Why bother spend the dough? The EJ22 can take being run faster than designed, right? Consider this piece of fortune-cookie philosophy: Just because you can do it, doesn't always mean you should do it. Every extra revolution on that crankshaft is one less that the engine has to give during its lifespan. Would you sprint flat-out all of the time just because you had good cardio? When you're mowing the lawn, walking the dog, shopping for groceries, etc? Of course not. Every revolution is wear and tear, on every moving part, even the external parts: belts, injectors, IAC, alternator, etc.

I've been consulting with Matt Steedle, a local transmission builder who is really doing some amazing work in the Subaru to VW world. (He does lots of makes of transmissions including the Subarugears, and comes highly recommended nationally.) I took my 091 to him and we had a long talk over what I wanted to do with the Bus. (This is always a good sign to me: It means my vendor is trying to find out what my goal is so that they can help me reach the goal, not just upsell me every goodie they can load on. Whether someone is selling washing machines or excavation equipment that should always be their first question: What is your use case? How often? How hard do you plan to run it? If they don't start with those questions, or unless you are an expert in the field already and know exactly what you need, hold on to your wallet or go somewhere else.) Some Subaru/VW friends like to put taller gears on just 3rd and 4th, some prefer to do that plus the Ring and Pinion, and many variations thereof, including the addition of a Limited Slip Differential. That's because each of them have different needs: One wants to crawl rocks, another is running a monster Subaru Franken-engine and likes to fly through the gears like he's using the shifter to crack a whip. (0-90mph in nothing flat and I just about soiled his new upholstery: It was like being strapped to the front of a rocket sled like an Aztec sacrifice!)  Everyone wants something different. So everyone needs to make different decisions about what gear ratios are going to scratch their itch.

Me? My requirement is just this: Drive...and don't even think about it. No jack-rabbit starts (it's a Bus for Pete's sake!) and no ball-bustin' burnouts. No sleeper stunts. Just breeze around town, pick up the kiddies, Sunday School picnics (not quite, but almost), occasional camping, and occasional runs to move several sheets of plywood or stacks of drywall for friends. Looong cross-country drives, where you just climb up through the gears as you enter the Interstate and then stay in 4th and not think about it. Sure, a 5 speed Subarugears unit would be nice. Put a 3x multiplier on the cost of the transmission and it isn't THAT nice. In short, reliability and as smooth as you can make the 091, considering what you're starting with: A truck transmission.

Looking from the mid-point of the Bus toward the rear. Engine and transmission
removed from the chassis. The bolts mentioned below hang the bell-housing
of the transmission from the chassis. (Pardon the wiring mess; it looks
worse than it was. Also note the CV joints disconnected from the trans,
bagged (to keep contaminants out) and suspended by coat hangers.

So two weeks ago (my birthday, it happened to be) I got out to the shop and said, "Hey Iron-Toe, ya old bastard: Let's rearrange your guts a little." As I began to work, I began to remember, and I was jotting down notes as I went. 2 hours and a pail full of swear words later, I had the bolts out.

091 Transmission separated from the engine and removed from under the bus to the side.
Note how relatively CLEAN it is. That's because it got a scrubbing and a bath before I installed it three years ago.
Most transmissions look like corndogs. Do your transmission professional a favor: take an hour to clean the
transmssion. They don't like to start with a greasy pig either. A little respect goes a long way.

So hilariously, I lugged the 091 down to Matt Steedle's place down in Atco, NJ and we spent about two hour jawing about VWs with each other. I showed him the gear ratios I wanted to run and...

The surprise of my life, next time.