TheSamba.com :: View topic - Any interest in Honda K-swap motor mount kit?

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:01 pm

I’ve been cruising around for close to a year now in my K24 powered syncro and I absolutely love it. It seems to me that some of the more traditional Vanagon swap platforms are getting expensive or hard to find and I think the Honda motors could be a viable option.

My build thread outlines all of the parts necessary and costs associated with a complete conversion along with a few pictures of the parts I had to fabricate to install the engine and exhaust. I know some of you all are pretty savvy and could easily do the same but how many out there would actually take the plunge if a mount kit was available? How many would take the plunge if a full plug and play kit was available?

Build Thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=766259

I bring this up because I know there’s at least one on here for sure (I won’t name names). I’ve been thinking through a redesign of my motor mount system that would be pretty easy for me to fabricate if there’s some interest.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:06 pm

Did it fit under the lid or were modifications needed to raise it?

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:20 pm

I removed the thick foam sound deadening and replaced it with a thinner dynamat style sound deadening material and also trimmed some sections of the ribbing. An aftermarket low profile valve cover was also necessary. No raised deck lid necessary.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:25 pm

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:44 pm

How is the ground clearance vs stock or other popular swaps? That is more important to me than raised deck lid.
nate

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:50 pm

thatbaldwinlife wrote: How is the ground clearance vs stock or other popular swaps? That is more important to me than raised deck lid.
nate

I believe it’s still more ground clearance than a Subaru with a high clearance oil pan but it’s hard to tell based on info I’ve seen on here.

I’m running 215/70R16s

Oil pan clearance at ride height:

Hub center to wheel lip:

Ground to Wheel lip:

Tue Jan 10, 2023 5:40 pm

personally i would cast myself whatever i needed, or fab my own, but i realize not everyone has a shop like that so this seems like a good source for folks who want to focus on the swap and not the 'figuring it out'. what are the mounts made from? are you going to make them, or do you farm that out?

Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:06 pm

Welded tube and plate. Very similar to an old school 911 engine bar.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:14 pm

The clearance can be measured from the lowest of the engine to the chassis, or say the skirt to have a reference anybody can use.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:29 pm

Pchill2 wrote: Welded tube and plate. Very similar to an old school 911 engine bar.

what thicknesses/material? i only ask because you had said on your build thread that you had some issues with your mounts twisting from stress when you first ran your swap? was curious what you changed about these.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:37 pm

The isolators were too soft allowing more rearward compliance than I’d like during acceleration. I chose the cheapest aftermarket isolators I found but it didn’t have anything to do with the actual engine cradle.

I used 1/8” wall tube and 3/16” 4130 plate. The structure is plenty strong.

Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:42 pm

ALIKA T3 wrote: The clearance can be measured from the lowest of the engine to the chassis, or say the skirt to have a reference anybody can use.

Added a third reference measurement (ground to fender lip) so you guys can gauge what clearance you would based on your ground to fender lip measurement with your suspension and tire setup.

Wed Jan 11, 2023 5:49 am

besides lack of familiarity of honda cars and parts

what years & models we're the viable K24s used in?

most of the other older donor vehicles are aging out and getting harder to find viable donor vehicles.

Wed Jan 11, 2023 7:31 am

The Honda K series is the most popular 4 cylinder swap option I would say because they are so reliable, respond well to enhancements, and are so readily available.

USDM/CDM Cars
K24a2 - Acura TSX
K24a4/a8 - Honda Accord/CRV (this is what I have)
Complete list here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_K_engine

There are millions of donors on the road and many in junkyards. There are also Low mileage K24a JDM motors

Accord US sales numbers:
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/honda-accord-sales-figures/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ3tlKsPfLg

Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:00 pm

As someone with a lot of miles on a now tired EJ22 the thought of swapping to something else is intriguing.

Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:08 pm

Borg wrote: As someone with a lot of miles on a now tired EJ22 the thought of swapping to something else is intriguing.

Thought about doing a new OEM EJ25 short block with your current heads?

But even with my EJ22 I am still interested in the honda K-swap.

Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:18 pm

This makes me want to buy another van just to put one of these in it!

Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:59 pm

also a question in the engine management.

for a swap these would be a stand alone system?
or harvest the harness and ECM from the donor car?

trying to get a idea on the DIY levels here..

Wed Jan 11, 2023 2:13 pm

danfromsyr wrote: also a question in the engine management.

for a swap these would be a stand alone system?
or harvest the harness and ECM from the donor car?

trying to get a idea on the DIY levels here..

K-Tuner, Hondata K-Pro, Haltech, or AEM ECU would be required for the swap.

I am running Hondata K-Pro but I believe all of the ECM manufacturers have pre-loaded base maps available to get you running. Likely every tuner with a dyno has used and is familiar with K-series engines and tuning them. I am running a base map with a tweaked fuel compensation value without issues and it makes plenty of power and low end torque.

I've pulled together a complete parts list on my build thread with costs. Basically 90% of the swap is done using off the shelf aftermarket parts that are readily available, including the wiring harness which I've seen on amazon for $79 (my harness is motorsport grade $$$$). The fabricated components were the engine cradle and the exhaust pipe which I'm pondering making a few sets.

The ECM to Vanagon adaptor harness is a Hybrid Racing universal K-swap harness pinned to the Vanagon black box gauge cluster connector. I believe it was only 5 wire connections to get everything running properly.

In my opinion, this swap is about as DIY friendly as it gets with the exception of the full plug and play $15k+ options out there. I did mine for just over $6k but already had most of the parts from my other car. Costs could come down significantly with the cheaper harness and plumbing with something other than expensive AN fittings like I did.

Wed Jan 11, 2023 2:25 pm

It's an intriguing engine, very similar to the Zetec used by Bostig, but a bit more modern. You may want to check out the Bostig site to get the idea of a full kit.

One question, it looks like you didn't use a catalytic converter? How will that play with people who need to pass emissions checks?