Subaru Conversion and Rebuild of a 1984 Blue Westy

BlueNorthWesty

The past two days were the messiest so far; first I tackled the fuel tank, then the coolant lines. The tank was 1/2 full so I drained 25 litres into a jerry can, but there was still about 5 litres left. The tank hung up on something and when it finally came down gas poured out as I tried unsuccessfully to move it or get something under it.

Same story with the coolant lines. I have the steel ones and they hold a lot of coolant in the bends. It wasn't the warmest day and I ended up soaked in coolant and stinking of fuel.
If this happens to you, and you bring in your clothes to wash, expect your house to smell like gas for a few days. No one's impressed with me right now. Rolling Eyes

The tank has got some rust on top. When I first got it out it was packed with soil on top and the paint and big rust flakes came with it. I need to get it repainted. I'm planning on powder coating the rails. Anyone have any luck getting a tank painted? I'd do it myself but it's too cold to paint and I'm afraid of using a grinder and blowing everything up. Embarassed

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Those sure are some long pipes:

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2014 7:13 pm Post subject:

I managed to get the new stainless steel coolant pipes from RMW roughed-in but I will need to make some brackets to hang them properly. The Bosch hi-torque starter and adapter went in, and I cut out the tin for the coolant lines in the engine bay and drilled out the transmission bell housing for the engine stud. With the return of winter (it was -11 degrees Celsius or 12 Fahrenheit) I almost didn't make it out to the garage. It was a cold one but worth it.

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 12:10 am Post subject:

Over the past few days I took some more things off the van and installed the main wiring harness.

Here you can see the rusted propane tank before I removed it from the van:

When I got it off the I hooked it up to my garage heater and have been running it on-and-off for a couple of days. I'll keep doing using it until it runs out then I'll grind off the welded "top" tab and send it out for powder coat. It still has some of the original labels. I wonder if it's possible to get these labels. If not I'll make my own.

I have a Peloquin limited slip differential that I want to install, so I took out the transaxle and separated the transmission from the final drive:

In case you wondered what the original differential looks like:

I read through the section on the differential in the Bentley but I'm not sure I'll be able to do the swap. I've never done it before and I don't have the measuring tools. I'm still deciding.

With the transmission out I took a closer look at the heater. The plastic and rubber are finished and the exhaust pipe has taken a hit. I hope I can still get replacements Neutral

.

The firewall insulation was saturated with oil and dirt and crumbled when I pulled at it, so I removed it in chunks. I measured the pieces before throwing them out so I can buy some new material and cut it to size. Here it is laid out on the floor of the garage with the support brackets on top:

Next I tackled the Subaru wiring harness install. My van had the ECU in the engine bay, so there was no hole to reuse under the seat:

I chose a flat spot nearby and drilled a 1-7/8" hole for the harness and grommet from RMW. I'm deburring the edges here with a file.

Getting the connectors through took some massaging but they just fit and the grommet seated nicely.

I pre-drilled holes in the cabinetry and used #14-3/4" screws to hold everything in place. Here it is, all done:

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1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:01 pm Post subject:

I got the transmission final drive back from the shop today. They did a nice job installing the Peloquin Limited Slip Differential. They also did the seals, bearings and races. I got a good price and they were fast. I'm glad I didn't attempt it myself.

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1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 11:49 am Post subject:

My new Spectra tank arrived last week from Rock Auto. It's a great replacement for the original. I'm happy with the solid build quality. It has the same stamping as the tanks offered by GoWesty, Van Cafe and Diften so I would assume these are all made by Spectra.

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1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:39 pm Post subject:

I picked up my first batch of powder coating this week. I had the large piece of underside sheet metal done (the one that covers all the hoses and pipes) since it was in nice shape but really rusted.

I also had the supports for the gas tank done, the spare tire holder, the engine tin (Camaro silver), the rad supports, the transmission covers and supports, and the propane tank and shield.

The hardware wasn't powder coated-it's a dry film that is supposed to be the next best thing to stainless, and it makes the parts fit really nice.

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:24 pm Post subject:

Today I tackled my first rust repair. I haven't welded in about 15 years and I never was very good so I didn't have high expectations. I did some practice welds- they came out fine - and I was loving the MIG I bought for this project so I started in an inconspicuous place below the rear bumper.

I ground out the rust and roughed out a patch, then I hammered the patch in a stack of rags to get a rounded shape to fit the hole better.

I planned to fit a squarish patch to a squarish hole but realized it's easier to make a roundish hole so I ground the corners off the patch and it fit nicely. You don't see it but the patch is held in place by a magnet on the backside while I tacked it on.

I welded up the rest of the joints a little at a time to avoid burning through and to keep the heat distortion to a minimum. After grinding it didn't look so bad.

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 6:28 pm Post subject:

While in some places people are bracing for severe winter weather we had unseasonably warm temperatures this weekend. Today's high was 18 Celsius which is about 65 Fahrenheit - warm enough to paint.

I wanted to get the engine bay done so I could put the engine back. It wasn't in terrible shape - except for the rear skirt. I had to weld in three patches and grind out a lot of rust. I finished it with cold-galvanizing zinc spray and used the stock medium blue everywhere else.

Edit: the cold galvanizing spray was a mistake. You can't get anything to cover it and as-is it would not survive rock chips and road salt very long. I ended up stripping it off and using POR-15. There is a later post where I show this.

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1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

Gizmoman · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:25 pm Post subject:

Love watching a tough build done well. Hat's off to ya!
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82 Vanagon Westy - AAZ 1.9 TD, HE200 Holset, WAIC, 27.75 dia tires, Electric power steering, 5-speed AAP w/.078 5th
Oversize spare carrier - stock location (no longer for sale).

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 7:48 pm Post subject:

Reassembly of the transaxle went well. The shop that put in the Peloquin LSD also did the back-to-back seals. I replaced the mesh filter and paper gasket inside the gearbox. The old filter had a small amount of "grit" in it - what could be removed with the wipe of a cloth. I put a new gasket and O-ring between the gearbox and the final drive and when it was all together I pressed in a new torque converter seal.

The diff cover got a new cork seal and I torqued it down in three passes (5 mins between each) in a cross pattern as indicated in the Bentley. The gearbox also got a new rubber seal.

I'll be using the hypoid gear oil spec'd for my final drive and the ATF spec'd for the auto gearbox now that I know the ATF fluid goes into the gearbox through the dipstick tube Wink

.

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 8:40 pm Post subject:

With the transaxle back in place it was time to install the transmission cooler. I read a lot about the stock cooler being a weak point and with the Subaru engine conversion it made sense to have a cooler dedicated to the tranny. I chose mine from Small Car. It's a simple setup and appeared easy to install- except that I still have the stock gas heater so there's no room in front of the transmission.

I chose instead the rear passenger side under the sliding door. There are a couple of unused studs under there, so I fabricated a stainless steel bracket to slide onto them and used the parts provided by Small car for the front of the cooler. It looks nice under there even though the rust under the channels is ugly. I'll tackle that later.

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:42 pm Post subject:

My van came with an aftermarket single speed radiator fan and the original fan & shroud were missing. I was lucky to find the assembly used in Vancouver for $100. Bushmaster in Calgary brought it in for me and I took it straight to the powder coater.

The fan is from a later model so I'll replace the plug with one that fits my van.

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 2:06 pm Post subject:

VwTravis · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 2:48 pm Post subject:

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 4:46 pm Post subject:

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:22 pm Post subject:

The weather improved this weekend so I was able get the radiator fan wired and back in place.
It's nice to see the original fan in there.

One of the few remaining items left before I install the engine is the firewall material.
This stuff is harder than hell to cut but I guess that's a good thing. I had enough to do two layers which I hope will dampen the engine noise.

For kicks I powder coated the wire strapping that holds it there. NASA quality installation Wink

_________________
1984 Medium Blue Vanagon Westfalia 2WD w/ rebuilt Auto, Peloquin differential, 3.27 R&P gears, 2002 Subaru 2.5L engine, Girling G60 front brake upgrade, PS, power mirrors

Build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610481&highlight=

GreenMachineVW · Samba Member Joined: August 08, 2008 Posts: 645

BlueNorthWesty · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 8:18 pm Post subject:


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