Ford Cologne 2.8L V6 conversion (my 'Vanagord')

[rlamb]

Hi all,
I recently bought a 1984 Westy with a 2.8L Ford Cologne (171 cid) conversion in it. Before I bought it, I tried to find some decent info on this engine and how it functions in a vanagon, and there was not a lot out there. I did find some good info on the engine: Here's a good description: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/2_8L_Performance.html

Anyway, I thought I would post some pictures for those who are curious about the benefits vs. costs of American V6 conversions and what one looks like.

This van has newish paint form 2008 (not powder coated), nice alloy rims, and almost no rust anywhere. The undercarriage and stock metal coolant pipes are rust free - this van has been in Montana all it's life.

It came with a butch custom rear bumper and trailer hitch. I know a bicycle shop in Missoula once owned this van, and they were the one's who put the nice custom bike rack on the back to hold three bikes. Not pictured is the Thule roof rack that could carry more bikes or a canoe or whatever. The stereo is pretty good too.

Here's a view of the upwardly expanded engine compartment. This is not my favorite thing about this van, but the trade off is a simple, strong, reliable engine. The deck is raised 6", and there is some plywood in there to make the rear bed work.

Here's a view of how the bed can and does fold out nicely. The original mosquito net was included (no holes).

Unfortunately, the closet cannot be opened without removing all the foam padding from the trunk area. Also, the coolant expansion tank is in the closet! The original expansion tank is still in the engine compartment, and I don't understand why a new one was installed up in the closet. There must have been a good reason because this took some work to do.

Here's the engine cover...

Here's the engine. It's super simple. There's the old school air filter with a carburetor under it, an alternator, some coolant hoses, and a dozen or so wires. Hard to get lost in there! Kinda reminds me of a lawn mower... and it would be about as likely to pass emissions inspections as a lawn mower. No inspections required in here Montana.

Another view of the engine here. There's paint peeling and there's some dirt, but it's mostly cosmetic. I did have to clean the carb out after this picture to loosen the throttle up. It idles at a constant rpm now.

Here it is with the air filter off. It has a Holley 2 bbl carb. I don't think this was stock on the Ford Capri. I have worked on 4cyl motorcycle carbs before, and this is way easier to work with.

So how does it run? Great! A friend (who is on here) put together a subie syncro once, and said this felt like it had similar power. I have passed a couple of 18 wheelers on the interstate without problem. This van feels spunky to me. More importantly, like Johnny Ramone once said, it is important to look cool, and this van at least sounds cool with it's old school deep, throaty exhaust. It smells old school too - kinda like how I imagine Mad Max's Ford Falcon smelled. My four year old thinks it cooler than a hand full of quarters and a gum ball machine!

On the down side, the instrument cluster is not working (no idiot lights, gas gauge, or coolant gauge), and I'm working on that. Maybe a grounding issue?

Thanks for looking.
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1984 Westfalia - Ford Cologne 2.8L conversion
2003 Passat GLX Wagon (4Motion)

[SteveVanB]

That has to be the nicest smelling conversion out there.......
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91 CARAT

[240Gordy]

Wow. I wonder if you could rig up mega squirt for that and get rid of the air cleaner and lower the deck some what.
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Tencentlife said,
"So, now that you know what you're doing, go to town."
2010 GOLF TRENDLINE 2.5
1985 GL now with more! a 2.1L
H&R SPORT(RED) Springs FRONT , SLAM SPECIALTIES RE6 AIRBAGS REAR

[Tbob]

20 years ago, I bought a 1980 vanagon that was converted to a 1984 Ford 3.8 liter v6. It used a modified Puegoet radiator mounted in the front with a lower hole cut in the front panel and a watercooled lower grill installed. The coolant was routed through 1 and 1/2 inch copper pipes slung under the van. A kennedy adapter hooked it all together, and it was throttle body injected. It had various problems, the greatest of which was the fact that the engine was designed to run at 1800 rpm at cruse, where the vanagon ac trans and even the tallest tires wouldnt bring the rpms down below 3200+. It reved its guts out, overheated and got 10 mpg as it was spinning too fast to be economical. It never felt calm or composed. A guy up the street was doing a 2.8/2.9 FI conversion out of a ranger truck, which IIRC, was the same engine as you have, a German derived(if not german built) v6. It appeared to be designed to run at much higher rpm smoothly, and I thought a much better choice. As I was moving to another state, I lost track of his conversion, but at the last, he was actually shortening the intake manifold to lower the bed height. The Colonge V6 was a semi popular conversion back in its day for kit cars and dune buggies. As a PS, I still have the van, and after fiddiling with it for way too long, I finally gave up and started a conversion to an audi 5 cyl. I could never solve all the issues of a big, slow turning engine to my satisfaction. I think your engine is a better choice for the vanagon than the bigger v6's.

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

is that an afterburner igniter in the egr tube?
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Reference Automotive: NW Washingtons Vanagon Specialist. (360)366-6965. referenceautomotive.com

[Vanagon Nut]

Interesting. Cool to see pics. Thanks.

That engine name rang a bell. IIRC I was googling around curious of installing a V6 from a Ranger or Mazda.

re: MS. Maybe one could get the engine management from a later model year V6? Maybe more or less a bolt on affair?

In Wiki here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Cologne_V6_engine

check out the 2.8 paragraphs. There is mention of this engine using carb, mechanical FI and electronic FI

"..... In Europe the 2.8 was produced with carburetor (132 bhp), mechanical fuel injection (Bosch K-Jetronic, 160 bhp), and electronic injection (Ford EEC-IV, 150 bhp). Electronic injection only featured on the 2.8 Granada models for one year before being replaced with the 2.9 unit.[citation needed] "

I wonder if either the Bosch or Ford FI system was installed on any North American vehicles?

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA
(VW Gas I4)

1988 Westy DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[getset]

That's going to be a nice Rig, Glad it worked out for you. When we went to drive it I was very suprised. The engine was recently rebuilt by a local shop, and it really runs smooth. Not extremely powerful, but nice smooth acceleration. Turns out the van was once owned by my neighbor who used it for a shutttle rig when he owned the bike shop in Missoula, (hence the rack). They drove it to Vegas from MT every year for interbike. He told me they never once had any engine problems on those outings.

It is always neat to see the variety of customization people do to these boxes.
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87 Syncro sunroof w/ 2.5 Subaru.
2015 VW golf TDI

Bikes, KTM motorcycles, sailboats, and busted knuckles.

[thevannmann]

Cool engine! Havent seen pics of one before. That looks like a roach clip to me....
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1982 1.6 NA Diesel Westfalia "Bearly Muven"
1990 Volvo 740 Turbo Intercooler

[GBA 88West LA]

probably good ol fashion cast iron on that bad boy no aluminum, i think the colognes stopped in the early eighties or so maybe late 70's , how miles do you think on the motor?
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88 Westy GL Vanaru 07 2.5 EJ25/AA Trans/oiling plates, 1.14 3rd-.77-4th..solar powered cabin

[r39o]

Welcome to the herd.

I guess you can stick just about anything you want in a Vanagon!

I only worry about the transmission and fuel economy.

Good you can love it and keep it on the road.

Show us some clean pictures some time.

I agree you need to lower that engine cover some how, too!

Wowzers....that is tall.
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"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[rlamb]

Thanks for the comments. As for the ....

ENGINE COVER: I probably won't spend any time lowering this for some time, or at all. The mega squirt idea is new to me, and maybe someday I'll look into it more. However, their website says, "the MegaSquirt® family of EFI Controllers is not designed to be a 'no hassle' solution to user's EFI needs...a large amount of reading and study is required." Hmmm....for now I'm a fan of K.I.S.S. (I'm a grad student and a dad).

GAS MILEAGE: this rig gets 19-20 mpg. I'm OK with that and hope to improve it. BTW, what is proper inflation for R14/75/195 class C (50 psi max rated) tires on a camper vanagon? I've been going with the 185 standard specs .

FUEL DELIVERY: The FI from a newer model Ford 2.9L from a ranger can be retrofitted on this 2.8L engine. However, for now, I like the simplicity of the carb.

KENNEDY ENGINE CONVERSION CHOICES: This might be interesting to some. I have the original Kennedy Engineered Products (KEP) installation guide and catalog, which is cool. The KEP catalog lists a whole bunch of engine conversion choices and rates each in the following: performance, smoothness, durability, price [outdated], availability [outdated], expected gas mileage [mine is 18], and minimum radiator size. I can post a picture of this if anybody wants it. Interestingly, my engine was rated #1 for compromise - smoothness, power, and simplicity, which is why it was probably put in my van. They say the subie 2.2L is ideal if you can connect the "computer, etc...", which people seem to have conquered. I like my engine because it has pretty consistent power at all rpm's, and this is the only vanagon I have driven. I am betting a FI 2.9L out of a Ford Ranger would be nicer. I would prefer a subie engine given the choice. My engine adds a tad over 100lb of weight over the stock 1.9L boxer, but it does run nicely.

Next.....I'm fixing grounding issues in the instrument panel. The circuit foil connection is fried between the two grounds on the 14-pin female connector. Replace antenna, speedo cable, and grease cap, and clean it and stuff. Then....

Drive it to the west coast for an amazing family road trip in June! That's the whole point....right?!?!

BTW, I really love this forum and appreciate all the info posted on here. I have not had to ask any questions I can't find in older threads so far. I hope I can add to the "circle of knowledge" eventually. Thanks all....
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1984 Westfalia - Ford Cologne 2.8L conversion
2003 Passat GLX Wagon (4Motion)

[rlamb]

@r.e.wing_fc3s : Yes, that IS an afterburner ignition in the EGR tube that is currently non-functional. I didn't want to ruin my nice tires via burn out, so I unhooked it. I'm still considering a Gatling-potato gun retrofit to the Thule roof rack to deal with pesky tourists.

Seriously though - somebody plugged it up for simplicity. Again - car inspections are not required in Montana, for better or for worse.
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1984 Westfalia - Ford Cologne 2.8L conversion
2003 Passat GLX Wagon (4Motion)

[D Clymer]

While I'm certainly not a Ford Cologne V6 enthusiast, I do remember that the 2.9 liter fuel injected version that came in late 1980s Rangers was quite powerful. When I was in high school there was someone with a 2wd Ranger with the 2.9 V6 and 5 speed. As much as I hated to admit it (and still do), it was as quick as my 1984 Scirocco. Upgrading to one of these in your van would be a natural choice. It would probably be more compact too.

D

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

[campism]

[rlamb]

[softtail]

I'm the bike shop guy over in Msla who owned that van and had the conversion done. Glad to see the van getting loved, and amazingly appreciating in value! I saw it at a shop at the base of the hill by the hospital in Bozo a number of years ago.. it was for sale, and the engine looked blown. A year or two later it was on Craigslist for crazy $$.

I drove the snot out of that thing. The orig motor went 200k+... only one my VW mech had ever seen do that. He no longer does work for the public but is still in Msla. The van went faster than any van should, and got 2nd gear chirpies! The top hat over the air cleaner is a drag... I would for sure look into getting efi on there or some kind of remote air cleaner.

I was the third owner, previous to that it was the Bernices Bakery delivery van. The first owner towed a small boat with it.

I never got in an accident with it.. just good hard use. There was a mold issue due to the skylight gasket leaking all the time. I have a bunch of pictures of than van on all kinds of trips. Never let me down.

I sold it because it was well well used and I needed a more common sense daily driver. One day I stripped the teeth of the flywheel trying to bump start it, and decided it was time to get rid of the van. My VW mech sold it for me to someone in Bozo.

We never shuttled! Just good long road trips with bikes.

I'll probably not be checking in back here.. if you have any questions, hit me at

[email protected]

[rubbachicken]

nice looking bus, are you keeping the motor in there, it'd be much more useable with something a bit smaller in there, not being able to open the closet door is going to get old real quick, so is bashing your head on the shelf above you when you wake up in the morning.
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lucy our westy

lucy's BIG adventure

meet 'burni'

[softtail]

Holy crap.. just saw someone welded on a trailer receiver on the bumper. I would NEVER tow with that. It's held on by two rinky dink bolts (at least it was). I wouldn't even put a receiver hitch bike rack on it.

[fastwagens]

cool