Ecotec swap, 2wd to Syncro conversion & camper build

DAV!D · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject:

I hit the pick & pull junkyard today and picked up a few random things I needed. One of which was the fuel pump that I'm going to use.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

It's a inline fuel pump that was used in a lot of late 80's early 90's Ford's with the EFI system (e2000 electric fuel pump). I choose this one because it's confirmed to work with the ecotec and it has a threaded outlet.

This allows me to remove the stock ford fitting and adapt my 6AN fittings which will let me run stainless fuel lines from the pump all the way to the fuel rail. This means all fuel lines inside the engine compartment will be stainless steel making the only rubber fuel lines being that which comes from the tank to the fuel filter and the evap system.

I'm going to make all my fuel lines tomorrow and likely rig up a temp solution to attach my lines to the fuel rail as I hope to test fire the engine tomorrow!
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

DAV!D · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 4:31 pm Post subject:

IT RUNS!!!

Keeping with my schedule of starting the motor today, I got the crash course on how to make stainless steel fuel lines and sorted out a very Jerry rigged set up in order to test the engine.

The fuel pump was hanging out the back of the van with a feeder hose and return line into a 5 gal gas can. I patched together a few lines to power the fuel pump & ignition then used a hand held starter switch to crank it over..

The engine fired up all most instantly, but I need to adjust my fuel pressure as it seems to starve from fuel. I didn't adjust the pressure regulator at all due to me breaking the supplied gauge that came with it.. (seems the gauge was made in China and my American torque by feel was a bit more than the Chinese called for.. Confused

Regardless it runs and I'll adjust the fuel pressure tomorrow, before I start my dis-assembly. Good news is I'm on schedule to start pulling the motor from the 2wd by the weekend, meaning sometime next week I will likely have the engine and syncro transaxle swapped to the other van.
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

DAV!D · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 4:10 pm Post subject:

Continuing on..to Phase two..

Yesterday, I played with the engine a bit more but I realized there was an issue with the program on my ECU, so I had to box it up and send it back to the shop which did my harness. That's my only big snag so far and I hope it doesn't cause me to delay my swap to the 2wd body. (I won't start tearing down the 2wd until I know the ECU is on the way back)

Regardless the engine starts, runs and sounds good and the programming issue is nothing major. With that, I pulled the engine back out to move on to phase 2 of my swap. The prep for the final engine/syncro trans install in my 2wd body.

Today, I started pulling things off the Syncro body that I'll need for the swap and doing various measurements. I also built the drivers side transaxle bracket which will be welded to the 2wd cross-member.

It's just a very simple flat plate of steel that the Syncro trasaxle mount will bolt onto. I idea is I drilled out the mounting holes on the plate then welded nuts to the back of the plate. I will then drill holes in the cross-member that are big enough for the nuts to sit inside then I will weld the entire plate to the cross-member.

The welds on the nuts look horrible, but they hold and once the plate is welded to the cross-member no one will ever see them again.. Laughing

The passenger's side mounting plate will be a bit more difficult as it sits in a bend of the cross-member so I'll have to shape the steel to fit. However it will be made using the same idea of welding nuts to the back side then welding the plate to the cross-member.
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

DAV!D · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 12:57 pm Post subject:

I'm getting real close to having everything prepped for the actual swap, but I do have a question.

Being I'm just doing the syncro transaxle & motor swap at this time, do I need to do anything with the gear shifter? I've never messed with the gear shifter on these vans before, I know it's routed different as far as the 2wd vs the 4wd but will the 2wd shifter function on the syncro transaxle until I do the front half of the swap?
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

insyncro · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:12 pm Post subject:

MarkWard · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:19 pm Post subject:

I would guess you need the last section of shift rod from the syncro attached to the 2wd shift rod at the adjustment clamp. You might also need the shift box from the syncro. At one point the two wheel drive Vanagons did have the lockout for the 5 speed.

And I had mentioned early on. You need to maintain the angle of the engine and transmission relative to level for both driveline angles and in this case your shift rod.
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DAV!D · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:32 pm Post subject:

MarkWard · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:15 am Post subject:

It makes sense since you have all of the syncro shifter parts to transplant them. I was wondering why you weren't using all the parts. Takes no more than a half hour to swap it all over. Should be straight forward.
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DAV!D · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:32 pm Post subject:

DAV!D · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 4:28 pm Post subject:

It's been a few days of no updates, but I've still been plugging along. I had a day of no power due to an electrical outage and I piddled around a bit waiting for my ECU to get back. It showed up yesterday so I started prepping the 2wd.

I cut the gas tank filler out of the Syncro a few days ago and toyed with a few ways of doing it. I ended up stripping the sheet metal off the box and just cut a hole in the 2wd body.

I opted to mount the box behind the hole with tac welds, this way I didn't have to do a bunch of grinding on sheet metal welds.

Doing it this way, all the spot welds are covered up with the plastic cover. It just don't have the "factory" recessed area around the plastic. IMO it looks better this way..

I also dropped the motor and transaxle from the 2wd today. It's now off the road till I'm done.. The only snag I ran into, is some bone head stripped out 2 of the CV bolts on the drivers side and 1 on the passenger's side. I'm going to have to get those out so I can rebuild the CV's.

Tomorrow I'll start cleaning everything up and then coating the hard to get to spots with POR 15. I'm undecided if I will do all the engine compartment with POR 15 (black) or leave the factory paint.

Thursday is mount the gas tank & weld in my transmission mounting plates day. If all goes well I'm hoping to install the engine trans on Friday having it running sometime over the weekend meeting my Feb 1st goal..

(ok I will have to take it to the exhaust shop to have my pipe bent, not sure how long that will take)
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

Jon_slider · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 4:52 pm Post subject:

Congrats on your progress in Florida.

Just a note for others reading this thread, because someone in Cali asked me.

The Ecotec is NOT a California smog legal motor conversion for a Vanagon.
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco

squeegee_boy · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 5:15 pm Post subject:

DAV!D · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 5:16 pm Post subject:

DAV!D · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:42 pm Post subject:

As I mentioned yesterday, the engine was dropped but I had a pesky clutch hose which was holding it back.

Well this morning I managed to get everything undone. I had to use my cut off saw to cut one of the bolts lose on the slave cylinder, but it's all out now.

I also had trouble yesterday with 3 of the CV bolts.. Some yahoo had stripped them out. Luckily I was able to hammer a star head allen socket into each one and all 3 came out with just a slight amount of struggle. For the life of me I can't understand how someone managed to strip them.. They were tight, but not that tight..

I then proceeded to start cleaning things up in the engine compartment and prep the gas tank area..

I managed to get everything nice and spiffy looking. There was a ton of "road" dust all over the place. It was caked on everywhere there was a flat surface but it was clean dirt, so it all came out pretty easily with a screw driver, wire brush and shop vac..

I did come across an issue with the dust.. The rear sections of the frame rails are absolutely filled with this dust. I can't imagine how many years it's been building up but it's all very dry so it's not causing rust at this point, but the frame rails are probably halfway filled up with it.. How can I get this out?

Anyway.. forging on..

I prepped and painted all the hard to get to spots in the gas tank area with POR15. Satin Black was all the local dealer had in stock, so I went with that. He told me if it gets on you, you have about 15 mins to get it off with lacquer thinner and I think he was right..

I suited up real well and wore gloves, but still some how managed to get a few drops on my arms which wont come off!!! Laughing

I was worried a bit as I started this morning, if I'd keep on my self imposed schedule, it may not look like a lot, but that was a lot of work in those pictures.. I'm glad to say that tomorrow is still a go for gas tank mounting and tac welding in the tras-axle mounts.

While I've had some minor obstacles, so far they have been overcome with out too many problems.
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86 Syncro Build - Ecotec Motor Swap - Pop Top Conversion - Camper Build & Syncro Conversion

MarkWard · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:27 am Post subject:

In my experience everything takes longer than you imagine. I plan my Saturdays and am happy if I get 2/3rds accomplished of what I planned for the day.
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insyncro · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:45 am Post subject:

Our skin is porous, that paint will stay put for awhile Wink

vanagonjr · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:57 am Post subject:

Zeitgeist 13 · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:14 pm Post subject:

Don't you need to weld the Syncro fuel tank shelf right where you just POR15ed?
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

insyncro · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:48 pm Post subject:

If the shift rod was rusty, the tank support was probably nonexistent.

Zeitgeist 13 · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 3:14 pm Post subject:

Doesn't something have to go there in its place?
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?


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Ecotec swap, 2wd to Syncro conversion & camper build
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