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

Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:02 am

count me as a supporter...

I've got an EJ22 in mine now. It is pretty tired, and I've been trying to think of the future - and what I would do if it needed a serious rebuild or overhaul. I've been ok with the power this provides, not loving it on the hills/mtns of NH.

From what I can tell these engines are getting a bit harder to find, so some system that is based on a newer engine sounds good to me.

I'll go check out your thread...

thanks for your work investigating this.

Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:06 pm

I can't be the only one studying the K24, watching rebuild videos, and checking what our local salvage yards have for inventory, right?! :lol:

In MN, we tend to work on our VWs over the winter and enjoy them in the summer. My WBX will be in a good place for the 2023 season, but a Honda swap could be a good project to implement next winter!

Sat Feb 04, 2023 9:52 am

Bradgt74 wrote:

In MN, we tend to work on our VWs over the winter and enjoy them in the summer. My WBX will be in a good place for the 2023 season, but a Honda swap could be a good project to implement next winter!

We do the same thing down south but for different reasons. Too hot and humid to work on it during the summer!

Sun Feb 05, 2023 12:59 pm

l think if it were CARB compliant, you'll be finding more inquiries.
obviously California, now Colorado, l suspect other states will follow.
getting subaru stuff, is getting more difficult.

Fri Feb 10, 2023 2:33 pm

Got some mock-ups completed for some testing. What I like about this setup is the additional clearance around the engine as opposed to the cradle design.

Lots of space cleared up for the exhaust routing and is likely compatible with some performance headers on the market. Also space to run a turbo outlet under the engine near the transmission rather than routing around the rear of the vehicle.

The 3/16” plate basically maxes out my welder but I’ll probably be picking up a new tig machine now that I have a shop.

Fully bolt on setup:

This is just the first pass proof of concept though so it will be changing significantly from this design.

Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:35 am

I like it! Much cleaner design than a mid-mount cradle system. This also keeps the engine at the 15 degree tilt, correct?

Should still have plenty of room to replace the accessories belt if needed.

Sat Feb 11, 2023 7:52 am

Silverghost500 wrote: I like it! Much cleaner design than a mid-mount cradle system. This also keeps the engine at the 15 degree tilt, correct?

Should still have plenty of room to replace the accessories belt if needed.

The engine is still at the same tilt angle. Also the belt can be serviced easily.

You can access the auto tensioner bolt through the license plate door.

Sat Feb 11, 2023 12:36 pm

What kind of mounts are those? This is the engine mounting direction I've been intending for my ALH swap @ 15 degrees. The ALH also has a center mount pendulum bracket which can be used similarly to your Honda setup. Ditching the underslung cradle has a lot of benefits I can see.

Sun Feb 12, 2023 11:33 am

This is looking like a well sorted swap, definitely on my radar should my aging EJ22 decide it has had enough.

As a potential swapper the hurdle most likely to cause my brain to freeze is the wiring harness. I can do a lot of things. Built my house and boats, cast bronze sailboat hardware, sew sails, cut weld grind sheetmetal, pull an engine and put it back in but trying to fathom a wiring diagram, especially one converting from one engine to another usually just leaves me buffaloed. Two thumbs up to the fellow who I bought my already converted van from 20 years ago because it runs just fine (on the electrical end, it is the mechanical bits that are wearing out) but he left behind a rats nest of wiring that I've taken a "leave well enough alone" stance on. The thought of working through a VW-Subaru-Honda swap is particularly daunting. It was a saving grace when restoring my '68 Bronco to be able to simply order a new wiring harness.

I don't think I'm alone in this and that a lot of folks would be helped by a comprehensive easy to understand for the layman wiring manual. Some people have 5-digits worth of money spend by dropping the van off and picking it up later, the rest of us with 4-digits worth need to be able to pull the van into the garage and spend a winter doing transplant surgery.

Sun Feb 12, 2023 4:24 pm

@Borg, valid concerns regarding the electrical systems. It's a critical component of a conversion that can either make or break the success and enjoyment.

I'm pursuing a K24 swap after seeing Pchill2's K-swapped Syncro in person. I've done quite a bit of research the past few months on ECU and wiring harness options. What has been impressive is the community of automotive enthusiasts who are swapping K24's into other vehicles. It's a matter of applying their lessons learned to adapting the engine to a Vanagon.

It would be great if we can get to a point of standardizing which aftermarket ECUs and wiring harness options to go with for these K-swap conversions. That way more people can adapt and enjoy rather than looking at Mom's spaghetti of an electrical wiring mess.

Mon Feb 13, 2023 7:18 am

Something else that's great about this second gen engine mount design is the ability to have custom oil pans if someone wanted one. With some conversion cradles you have to think ahead about what oil pan you can use due to interference.

Mon Feb 13, 2023 8:02 am

The wiring is very simple using an aftermarket version of the Acura RSX-S engine harness (All aftermarket K-swap harness are based off of RSX-S). A Hybrid Racing universal K-swap chassis harness includes pre-wired relays for fuel pump and O2 sensor and includes flying leads to connect to the 7-pin Vanagon engine harness plug that goes to the gauges and also a power wire for the ECU and relays.

All of the wiring components:

Mounted to a tail light pocket block off plate:

Flying leads on the right to connect in the Vanagon black box:

I did have to re-pin a few of flying lead wires to get the correct outputs from the ECU plug to the Vanagon connector for the gauges to function properly. Also the Bostig tach signal corrector and GoWesty variable resistor for coolant gauge will need to be added. My build thread has a link to the spreadsheet which includes a wiring pinout.

Tue Feb 14, 2023 9:55 am

There's a couple of different style and spec wiring harnesses for using with the Hondata ECU systems:

-regular FWD (front wheel drive)
-tucked FWD
-Mil-Spec FWD (heavy duty aerospace/military-spec materials)
-RWD (For Rear Wheel Drive Conversions)

I've sent inquiries to some of the wiring harness vendors about harness length. If a RWD conversion harness is long enough the Hondata ECU, fuses, and relays should be able to fit where the VW Digifant system resides under the bench seat protected from weather.

If one of the other FWD harnesses is used, then you could fit it in the left rear space in the engine bay with a weatherproof solution like Pchill2 did on his conversion. Or...might be able to fit the components in that space under the cabinet if your Vanagon is a Westy or Weekender.

Tue Feb 14, 2023 10:05 am

re: ECU Location - I put my Subi ECU/Relays on the bottom of the Westy closet. It is effectively dead space anyway. my AC hoses go up there anyway so just enlarged that hole a bit. Even with the later AC hoses going up the corner pillar, I believe the westy cabinet is a good place for the ECU since the space under the rear of the cabinet is nice to slide things like tools or some other more readily needed things in/out of - and if you cut off the angled section, a nice rectangular box fits there.

Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:20 am

That would be a great place to mount the ECU and electrical components. As long as the USB port on the Hondata ECU can be easily accessed it would be fine. The OBDII port on the universal conversion harness could be mounted with some L brackets under the cabinet for easy access.

For tin top Vanagons without camping cabinetry a panel could be made to fit behind the interior panel.

Wed Mar 15, 2023 6:31 pm

How's the clearance to the firewall? I'm thinking of doing this with my 71 Bay Window, the throttle body looks like it'd be awfully close to the firewall.

I'm not sure how a Vanagon firewall compares to a Bay Window.

Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:34 pm

Pchill2 wrote: 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.
Note that if it just fits in a Syncro, it will likely need a 2” raised lid for the 2WD version.
Also note, I find a 2” lifted engine cover is no big deal to me, as that’s what I have now.

Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:54 am

vanagonjr wrote: Pchill2 wrote: 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.
Note that if it just fits in a Syncro, it will likely need a 2” raised lid for the 2WD version.
Also note, I find a 2” lifted engine cover is no big deal to me, as that’s what I have now.

2WD vans would not need to raise the deck lid with this setup.

Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:07 am

blue72beetle wrote: How's the clearance to the firewall? I'm thinking of doing this with my 71 Bay Window, the throttle body looks like it'd be awfully close to the firewall.

I'm not sure how a Vanagon firewall compares to a Bay Window.

I can take a measurement for you if needed. I'm using the RBC intake manifold which is not the factory intake manifold for the K24a4/a8 from the Accord. This intake manifold pushes the throttle body closer to the firewall and higher up towards the deck lid than the factory Accord intake manifold would so my swap is "worst case".

I will say though that there are many aftermarket intake manifolds available for K-series engines including center feed style intake manifolds which would eliminate any clearance issues you may have in a bay window all together.

Here is one of the many center feed manifolds for k-series:
https://skunk2.com/media/PR/Skunk2%20Centerfeed%20Manifold.pdf

The world is your oyster.

Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:04 pm

There's also the Skunk2 Magnesium Valve Cover that can help reduce the height profile of the engine under the deck lid. This valve cover is lower in height than the OEM Honda valve cover.

https://skunk2.com/accessories/dress-up-hardware/k...cover.html