TheSamba.com :: View topic - All I want is 200hp, a 5 speed, and some decent heat.

Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:54 am

Thanks guys. Lots and lots and lots and lots of time involved to get the shifting just right, now that Ive done it, I could copy it in about an hour. I ran a new complete throttle cable housing all the way from the pedal end, through the metal line welded on the underside of the bus, and to the throttle body. Ran a new cable inside that housing and put the correct ends on. The gas pedal feels great! Nice and smooth.
I dropped the van down off the stands and drove it out of the shop this morning for some much needed shop cleaning. It felt great to move it under its own power. First time this minivan has done that in over 10 years.
Still lots to do, but its nice to be at this stage, no more pushing this thing by hand.

Andrew-

Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:13 pm

Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:35 pm

Hahaha I was waiting for someone to flip out.

Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:38 pm

lol I love the trolling. Glad your bus has a heart and muscle now.

Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:48 pm

What I'd do to someone if they called my bus a "mini-van"... :wink:

Thu Jan 26, 2017 6:25 pm

Well lets see.....
My Vanagon weighs 4900-5000 pounds, the bay window must be a lot lighter.
This set-up must cruise so effortlessly down the highway in 5th gear and 2500 rpm or so.

Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:05 pm

levi wrote: Well lets see.....
My Vanagon weighs 4900-5000 pounds, the bay window must be a lot lighter.
This set-up must cruise so effortlessly down the highway in 5th gear and 2500 rpm or so.
Probably not as much lighter as you'd think depending on how much stuff is onboard. Specs for '76 Campmobile ('77-'79 similar) list it as 3296 lbs. unladen, 4961 lbs. gross. From here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/76bus/76II-64.jpg

We'll find out soon enough just how well a Bay drives & cruises with this setup. Andrew's BUS ( :lol: :lol: :lol: ) is at the "moves under it's own power" point. I spent the afternoon positioning my drivetrain, built the trans mount and started the engine crossbar which I'll finish tomorrow, then it's on to finishing the hydraulic clutch and deciding whether to try adapting the shift rod or go with a cable shift setup. Whee!

Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:02 pm

tristessa wrote: levi wrote: Well lets see.....
My Vanagon weighs 4900-5000 pounds, the bay window must be a lot lighter.
This set-up must cruise so effortlessly down the highway in 5th gear and 2500 rpm or so.
Probably not as much lighter as you'd think depending on how much stuff is onboard. Specs for '76 Campmobile ('77-'79 similar) list it as 3296 lbs. unladen, 4961 lbs. gross. From here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/76bus/76II-64.jpg

We'll find out soon enough just how well a Bay drives & cruises with this setup. Andrew's BUS ( :lol: :lol: :lol: ) is at the "moves under it's own power" point. I spent the afternoon positioning my drivetrain, built the trans mount and started the engine crossbar which I'll finish tomorrow, then it's on to finishing the hydraulic clutch and deciding whether to try adapting the shift rod or go with a cable shift setup. Whee!

This weight is almost the same as the B5 Passat this drivetrain was used in.

Tomorrow it get coolant now that all hoses and coolant tank are hooked up, right now, it's time for a bike ride!

Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:37 pm

I'm starting to catch up. Look ma, no jack! :lol:

Just in time for more snow in the forecast ... :roll:

Mon Jan 30, 2017 6:07 am

What angle are you guys mounting the engines at? Looks like more than 15, but not as far as 50.

Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:02 am

I set mine at "bottom of the oil pan is level relative to the ground", which IIRC is the same angle as the donor Passat. No idea what the actual angle is...

Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:07 am

tristessa wrote: I'm starting to catch up. Look ma, no jack! :lol:

Nice Tristessa! It's really nice once you get all your room back to work once you're able to pull the jack away and the engine stays in place. Lookin' good!

Andrew-

Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:15 am

vwwestyman wrote: What angle are you guys mounting the engines at? Looks like more than 15, but not as far as 50.

I also have no clue on the angle, never had a reason to measure it. I just made sure the hubs on the transmission were sitting perfectly level with the van before making the motor mount bar. I can set a protractor on it if your really need to know.

On the subject of 50 degree engines, I did in the past set one of these 1.8t engines in a vanagon at 50* using a vanagon diesel belhousing.....

see here for more details.....
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=515640&highlight=conversion+details

Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:27 pm

It's a Magic Bus so the engine should be a bit less than 55 degrees

Mon Jan 30, 2017 4:22 pm

Exhaust is all stainless!!

Thu Feb 02, 2017 9:25 pm

No cat or post-cat O2 sensor? Does that wig out the ECM?

Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:58 am

tristessa wrote: No cat or post-cat O2 sensor? Does that wig out the ECM?

Nope, runs perfectly fine without the 2nd O2 sensor. The post cat sensor is only there to monitor the catalyst, doesn't affect driveability, there will be fault codes set though.

Fri Feb 03, 2017 9:38 am

how goes the radiator installation?
it's running now, so curious as how easy/hard it is to bleed the air.
and a radiator in any location should be able to keep temps at Idle. fan cycling of course..

then it's road endurance testing of course.. tell the locals to beware ;-)

Fri Feb 03, 2017 9:59 am

danfromsyr wrote: how goes the radiator installation?
it's running now, so curious as how easy/hard it is to bleed the air.
and a radiator in any location should be able to keep temps at Idle. fan cycling of course..

then it's road endurance testing of course.. tell the locals to beware ;-)

Hi Dan,

I do have a radiator and a fan in place. The fan is not wired up yet, but the hoses are all complete and the system is full of coolant. It was no problem at all to bleed the air out, just jacked up the rear of the van and filled it up, squeezing the hoses to push out some air. I did back it out the other day and let it run for about an hour until I felt the radiator and both hoses to it get warm.

Stop in if you're in the area some time, I'll let you take it out for a test drive.

Fri Feb 03, 2017 10:23 am

Loose as much of the anti-freeze as you can. In my Bus (Buick V6) install, I learned the less anti-freeze I ran, the easier it was to keep the engine cool. I'm in San Diego where it never freeze's, I run just enough to keep the corrosion in check and lube the pump. Just doing this made a very noticeable difference in temperature control.