TheSamba.com :: View topic - All About my Raby Suby--74 Westy to Jake

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:17 am

Here is Ken's Bus after arrival at the "Dark Side" of Raby Engine Development after its trip across country.

The tentative plan is to strip the old engine and trans in the coming week, steam clean the engine bay and make it look like something. We will then begin the Subaru transaxle integration. The engine will be ready for the engine dyno lab in about 4 weeks and during that time I will change camshafts several times till I find what I really like torque curve wise.
Here I am on the Cam Doctor measuring up Ken's new camshaft...

Quote: And if that vendor has protection in place from you being able to read the fine print you may just get stuck with pants made in a sweat factory and of no better quality than you would get at Walmart.

What fine print? There is NONE. Anything thats critical in my proposals is stated in BOLD fonts. Further, I don't allow anyone to simply sign the document and not read/ understand it.

Ken has a professional background in a field where he deals with shortfalls and "issues" between parties. I don't believe that he is the type to make rash decisions or engage in projects governed by written documentation that seem "fishy". Ken signed off on this build before he gave me a dollar, just like 800+ other purchases have since 1997. Those who haven't signed that document don't know what it contains and should keep their nose in their own business~

Quote: What happens to the Type 4 engine when it's pulled?
The engine and tranny are available. I have a use for the engine as a "core" for my aircooled engine program, but I have no use for the transaxle. Anyone interested could contact Ken and we could ship it from here.

Quote: So is this conversion going to be worth more than the actual bus?
That statement is variable on the actual "worth" of an individual bus and moreover how much the Bus is valued by Ken. For anyone to buy any engine with this kind of development and application in it's composition have to want to keep the car forever, at which time the monetary expense is superseded by the actual value. We see this even with our modern Porsche engines for the 996/997 cars where the cheapest engine we produce costs 18,000.00 and their car might only be worth 15K on Kelly Blue Book. To justify the expenditure the person has to love the car more than money and not even consider the amount. This goes for those who have to save money for years as well as he guy that can stroke a 20K check all at once. I had one customer work a second job at Ground Zero after 9/11 on 12 hour shifts to be able to afford his engine package. If you've ever wondered why cars that have our engines are rarely sold, this pretty much explains it.

A quote from Dr. Porsche prevails here, because it illustrates that to the enthusiast there are things more important than the actual cost of the car/engine/thing they are enthusiastic about.

"If you do what you believe is right, rather than what is expected, there will be those who appreciate what you create and want to share it with you."

Its not cheap, it has our lives invested in it and the only non-renewable resource I have found to date has been "time".

Those doing their own conversions will benefit from our turnkeys through standardized conversion components and reference materials that are being generated from the conversions that are being carried out just like Ken's. As a matter of fact the ONLY reason we are doing these conversions is to use the experiences for future reference materials. My overall scope is the development of application specific engines for the ACVW application and the support products and reference materials to help YOU do what we have done. I don't like "working on cars", but I love developing engines. Working on cars is just one necessary evil for removing the variables and creating one "well oiled machine".[/img]

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:32 am

wow. :shock:

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:44 am

curtis4085 wrote: Keep us updated on your build. Always good to show that these projects can be done without mortgaging the house. Some people think because they spend more to by a designer pair of jeans they are getting the best quality. Most times your just buying a name. And if that vendor has protection in place from you being able to read the fine print you may just get stuck with pants made in a sweat factory and of no better quality than you would get at Walmart.
That's not the case here. First off he's dealing with a vendor that has a solid reputation that doesn't sub contract the work out overseas. Secondly he getting a brand new engine, not a used one that "stuffed" into the Bus. Also he's getting Jake's extensive knowledge and research on this powertrain. The engine is being specifically tuned to a Bus which is different than if it was installed in a Beetle.

If people weren't getting their money's worth, there wouldn't be a waiting list.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:53 am

Please - lets not let this thread go the way of the (recently vanished) muffler thread? I'd like to see how this Suby project turns out.

Please?

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:15 pm

sdoolin wrote: Please - lets not let this thread go the way of the (recently vanished) muffler thread? I'd like to see how this Suby project turns out.

Please?

i was thinking the same thing.....lol :-k

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:22 pm

Quote: If people weren't getting their money's worth, there wouldn't be a waiting list.
And you would hear it from them as well.. The higher the price of admission the louder the cries are if disappointment occurs. You won't find any turnkey purchaser that has taken issue with what has been provided to them. You will find issues that have been generated by the "others" that for some reason or another haven't made the commitment to purchase. Those people always exist.

Ken has been following us for years through our aircooled developments and the aircooled version of the CS didn't quite fit his overall objectives for the Westy. He took advantage of the Suby program early on and we have enjoyed working with him thus far. The best part is, he is letting us treat the bus like its ours and we are treating it the same way.

if this thread vanishes because people can't keep their noses in their own business then there is another one over on my forums that you can learn from where I will double post the pictures and etc. You don't have to worry about the jerks showing up there, because they get the boot right away and I enjoy being able to do so.

I am also going to keep the updates steady on our Facebook page.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:26 pm

Jake Raby wrote: Quote: If people weren't getting their money's worth, there wouldn't be a waiting list.
And you would hear it from them as well.. The higher the price of admission the louder the cries are if disappointment occurs. You won't find any turnkey purchaser that has taken issue with what has been provided to them. You will find issues that have been generated by the "others" that for some reason or another haven't made the commitment to purchase. Those people always exist.

Ken has been following us for years through our aircooled developments and the aircooled version of the CS didn't quite fit his overall objectives for the Westy. He took advantage of the Suby program early on and we have enjoyed working with him thus far. The best part is, he is letting us treat the bus like its ours and we are treating it the same way.

if this thread vanishes because people can't keep their noses in their own business then there is another one over on my forums that you can learn from where I will double post the pictures and etc. I am also going to keep the updates steady on our Facebook page. You don't have to worry about the jerks showing up there, because they get the boot right away :-)

is that treated well (im sure it is anyways) or is that treated as a guinea pig and tested on to see what works? just curious

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:31 pm

Quote: is that treated well (im sure it is anyways) or is that treated as a guinea pig and tested on to see what works? just curious

There never have been any customers that were guinea pigs here and Ken isn't either. This is the first turn key conversion we have done for a customer, but I did my first EJ series Suby conversion to a VW chassis in 1994 (People don't realize that)

What I was stating is Ken has allowed me to use my judgment on transaxle selection, gearing selection, component selection and engine design.

He simply stated what he wanted at the end of the project and I will work to supply that. His list of "Must Haves" and "Can't Stands" are being adhered to and in the end I'll personally throw the first 500 miles on it, give it the first oil service and load it back onto the truck so he doesn't have to touch it for months to even do an oil change.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:37 pm

Stuartzickefoose wrote: sdoolin wrote: Please - lets not let this thread go the way of the (recently vanished) muffler thread? I'd like to see how this Suby project turns out.

Please?

i was thinking the same thing.....lol :-k
Not gonna happen. If anyone posts BS, hit the report button and it will be dealt with. Please do not reply or get into an arrangement. It just makes cleaning it up harder.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:38 pm

Jake Raby wrote: Quote: is that treated well (im sure it is anyways) or is that treated as a guinea pig and tested on to see what works? just curious

There never have been any customers that were guinea pigs here and Ken isn't either. This is the first turn key conversion we have done for a customer, but I did my first EJ series Suby conversion to a VW chassis in 1994 (People don't realize that)

What I was stating is Ken has allowed me to use my judgment on transaxle selection, gearing selection, component selection and engine design.

He simply stated what he wanted at the end of the project and I will work to supply that. His list of "Must Haves" and "Can't Stands" are being adhered to and in the end I'll personally throw the first 500 miles on it, give it the first oil service and load it back onto the truck so he doesn't have to touch it for months to even do an oil change.

gotcha. thanks for clarifying.

where are you putting the Radiator (s) ?

Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:07 pm

Quote: where are you putting the Radiator (s) ?

You'll see.. And where they go on the Bus isn't where they'll be in a Type 1 engine that uses the integrated cooling system that I am working on now.

Glenn, U have been on some forums that have an "ignore" option where a poster can selectively ensure that his posts and the posts of another aren't visible to each other. I think this thread would be a good place to allow that and feel it would solve some problems before they occur~

Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:27 pm

Jake Raby wrote:
Glenn, U have been on some forums that have an "ignore" option where a poster can selectively ensure that his posts and the posts of another aren't visible to each other. I think this thread would be a good place to allow that and feel it would solve some problems before they occur~

Add Members to your Ignore list using a link on their profile page. Click profile under any of their posts to see their profile page or use the Memberlist screen to search for members. Administrators and Moderators cannot be added to your Ignore list.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:47 pm

Ok.. Thats done. Maybe it will be effective.

I am editing video of the Wety's arrival.. I might get it finished tonight if the crying baby allows it :-)

Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:06 pm

MY 2 cents - I'll be watching this tread - cool stuff.
8)

Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:59 pm

Made a quick video.. Here it is.

I'll end up making one complete production once the project is complete.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:07 pm

we were all geared up for the camper special for the winter's project--had researched it for years and read every post on every thread of the samba, Jake's site, and every source we could find regarding the CS. Then in August of 2011 Jake announced he was working up the subaru conversion for VW applications, including for the bay windows. We were surprised, and proceeded to study everything we could about the water cooled application in the bus. I contacted Jake about his new subaru program, reviewed other sites, and became convinced it was the way to go for our bus. We wanted a reliable, powerful motor to climb the mountains which we must cross to get anywhere in our state. we wanted to haul kids, grandkids, dogs, camping and fishing gear safely and at highway speeds, without being a menace and dangerous to others and to ourselves as we have been for years. The aircooled VW, even 2L in perfect condition, won't do the job for us.
After a number of calls with Jake, we knew he was the man for the job. he explained everything about the new motor and the suby 5 speed transaxle going into the bus and the other details of the install. No "fine print"; no "hard sell"; in fact no sell at all. We went to Jake, he never "sold" us on any aspect of the project.
We are very excited to watch the project get underway along with all of you.

Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:16 pm

Jake Raby wrote: Made a quick video.. Here it is.

I'll end up making one complete production once the project is complete.

I dig this whole conversion. Can't wait to see the outcome. I hope to one day be able to afford to my bus up right... it will be a while...

the "when air met water" tagline sounds a lot like our club's tagline (http://www.volksfolks.org/). Our logo includes a cloud and some wavy lines (water) with a VW in the middle to depict the "where air meets water" tagline. Not too far away either! Will this one be done and out before the first aircooled assault?

Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:33 pm

The "first" Aircooled Assault was last June.. I had people from all over the world here.. Not doing it this year because we have too much in development and need to focus on getting it done. I believe having an Assault only every two years makes it easier for the international attendees. This year I also have a new addition thats taking up quite a bit of time..

Meet Ava Raby, born 12.2.11. She was born with Spinabifida and had surgery @ 2 days old.. She is good to go now thanks to some miracles and some awesome Doctors at Egleston Childrens Hospital in Atlanta.

Marketing at an early age...

Ava in her Recaro race seat! Something tells me she'll be like her momma and hold Land Speed Records :-)

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:57 pm

Jake Raby wrote: Quote: where are you putting the Radiator (s) ?

You'll see..

Your gonna make me wait? My ADHD is kicking in...cmon.....please????? :lol:

i saw a guy do a TDI conversion where he put the rad right between the shifter/ebrake and the nose, and used the stock air grill, with a custom shroud, to run air through the nose, and out the bottom of the bus. done so well, it took up very little foot room, hardly noticeable. if and when i go for water, i was gonna aim at that....

alright i told my secrets...your turn :P haha jk

Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:36 am

Cost is really subjective here. Anyone that understands the work done in most of Jake's pics will know the time and thought that went into the creation. I'm happy with what I've done to my bus so far but if I had to pay myself even at 25.00 an hour (hillbilly shop rate) I'd have over 18k in it. I think the OP is getting a deal. The ability to drive a 40+ year old time machine effortlessly anywhere is really all any of us want, be it aircooled or otherwise. There comes a time in life when you're ready to make memories....those memories shouldn't be ruined by mechanical ills. In the end it's only money.

So, drop the negativity folks! "Quit hatin' " sit back, shut up, and pass the popcorn.