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Manfreds78bay
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2009
Posts: 807
Location: PNW
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 Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 11:27 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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You need to make a run out The Dalles. Hit me up if you get out this way. I would love to see this thing and buy you a beer!
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1985 VANAGON GL Digijet
There is no spoon. |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 11:54 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| Manfreds78bay wrote: |
| You need to make a run out The Dalles. Hit me up if you get out this way. I would love to see this thing and buy you a beer! |
I get out that way every once in a while. I'll letcha know! |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:26 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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Well... I knew it was gonna happen.
I've been running my monster motor backed by the humble Volkswagen 09/1 4 speed.
Its been holding up remarkably well for almost 2 years behind this thing. Lately its started making a little bit of noise, nothing wildly bad but letting me know the day was coming.
Last weekend my wife and I went out to the Oregon Coast for an impromptu camping trip and to escape some of Portland's heat.
My wife asked about the trans noise, noting that it had 'gotten louder lately'. I told her yeah I knew, I was gonna need a trans in the next few months but I wasn't super worried about it by the sound of the noise.
50 miles later I lost 4th.
I was on a long uphill climb and the noise suddenly started to get much MUCH louder until there was a whirring grinding sound and 4th stopped pushing my rig forward. A quick downshift to 3rd showed that I still luckily had other gears, so I limped it home in 3rd no problem.
A few calls around and I sourced myself a Subarugears converted Japanese market STi *5 speed* from a contact who had it as a spare for his Subaru powered 911 track car. Yes, there was a 5 speed STi trans that never made it to the US that is much stronger than the US market 5 speeds.
I was HOPING to hold out for Reversaru's reduction boxes but sadly my rig had different plans.
Now I just have to wait for all my extra bits to show up and swap! |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 4182
Location: MD
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:29 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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Glad you were able to make it home! Looking forward to the write up on the install.
_________________
'87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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Pulled out my transmission today, drained the oil to see what the magnet showed... Thats not looking good.
Not that it'll be going back in the rig now that I've got the subie trans, but I always like to know WHAT I broke. |
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RoryGirl
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2016
Posts: 986
Location: WestWorld Nanaimo BC
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:44 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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From the darkest depths of Mordor... 
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1991 Twin Slider VR6
1985 Audi 4k |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| RoryGirl wrote: |
From the darkest depths of Mordor... |
Hah! You're the second person who's said that about it |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 4182
Location: MD
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 6:55 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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Definitely not far off!
_________________
'87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 9:49 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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So this whole setup doesn't come with install instructions... Which can lead to some cursing.
I got the trans all in and attached to the motor last night. Went to jack it into place only to discover that since this transmission is a tail shifter it didn't clear the transverse crossbeam. After a lot of attempts to find a way to make it clear I went to the internet... Apparently you have to drill a hole THROUGH the crossbeam, put the tail of the transmission through it, then mate it to the engine.
So back out the transmission came. Hole was cut, transmission argued back into place and bolted up. So the trans is *IN* now. Its still not attached to much, but its progress!
Next need to clean up the wiring loom that was running across the top of the old trans, and figure out my clutch, throttle linkage, and starter wiring. |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 4182
Location: MD
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:07 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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What trans are you using?
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'87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:17 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
| What trans are you using? |
Its a JDM market Subaru WRX STi 5 speed. They only offered the 5 speed STi trans in Japan, and its stronger than the US market 5 speed (Different gear ratios too). |
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Shonandb 
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2048
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:46 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| GoEverywhere wrote: |
| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
| What trans are you using? |
Its a JDM market Subaru WRX STi 5 speed. They only offered the 5 speed STi trans in Japan, and its stronger than the US market 5 speed (Different gear ratios too). |
That's going to be a nice combination and from my time in Japan, that trans should handle the HP you're putting through it. Looking forward to see your Van back on the road and being put through it's paces.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
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Xevin
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8620
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 11:07 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!  |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
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| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
My God! Xevin and I 100% agree  |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 10639
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 11:50 am Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| Shonandb wrote: |
| GoEverywhere wrote: |
| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
| What trans are you using? |
Its a JDM market Subaru WRX STi 5 speed. They only offered the 5 speed STi trans in Japan, and its stronger than the US market 5 speed (Different gear ratios too). |
That's going to be a nice combination and from my time in Japan, that trans should handle the HP you're putting through it. Looking forward to see your Van back on the road and being put through it's paces. |
Just keep in mind the toughness is not SOLELY the original engine HP.
Its new duty will be much more than the sedan. The duty will be like the sedan with a travel-trailer permanently attached.
But a low-mileage Sedan unit could be better than the 250,000 mile VW trans that we all have.
I am very curious how these sedan gearboxes are working out under “Brick duty”. People have been running them for a few years. Is anyone getting 150-250k like the VW trans did? The VW trans did this often, even under atrocious maintenance intervals.
The Subaru trans is gonna need proper maintenance to (help) withstand the higher duty. And the R&P is significantly smaller so i’m real curious how they’re working out.
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'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:16 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| Sodo wrote: |
| Shonandb wrote: |
| GoEverywhere wrote: |
| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
| What trans are you using? |
Its a JDM market Subaru WRX STi 5 speed. They only offered the 5 speed STi trans in Japan, and its stronger than the US market 5 speed (Different gear ratios too). |
That's going to be a nice combination and from my time in Japan, that trans should handle the HP you're putting through it. Looking forward to see your Van back on the road and being put through it's paces. |
Just keep in mind the toughness is not SOLELY the original engine HP.
Its new duty will be much more than the sedan. The duty will be like the sedan with a travel-trailer permanently attached.
But a low-mileage Sedan unit could be better than the 250,000 mile VW trans that we all have.
I am very curious how these sedan gearboxes are working out under “Brick duty”. People have been running them for a few years. Is anyone getting 150-250k like the VW trans did? The VW trans did this often, even under atrocious maintenance intervals.
The Subaru trans is gonna need proper maintenance to (help) withstand the higher duty. And the R&P is significantly smaller so i’m real curious how they’re working out. |
I'm aware of that, and also aware that its SORTA complicated. We're making an AWD gearbox into essentially a FWD gearbox which aught to somewhat reduce the stress on the gearbox now that its no longer driving 4 wheels, but we're also adding a LOT of weight to the equation and running in a totally different differential configuration.
I'm curious how it'll work out long term myself. I don't think anyone has had one long enough to really put a TON of miles on them, and like most things if it doesn't break are they gonna report back? I know they go 250+ in the Subarus pretty regularly, my son has one thats at 210k with the abuse of several teenagers owning it, learning to drive stick in it, and pretending they're Ken Block and it still works wonderfully. It is on it's 3rd clutch however!
I decided to go this route for quite a few reasons. One of the biggest being that I got this box for a stupid cheap price. Its rated to handle what I'm doing with my engine too, granted in a rig almost 1000lbs lighter. And if I break it at least for now Subaru transmissions are cheap and plentiful. I wouldn't have minded swapping for a built out 091. Honestly I've become a huge fan of that trans after seeing how well it really did behind my current engine. I'm running 8x the power of the stock motor and it took it quite a while to finally give up. But getting one built fully with Weddle or Mendeola gearsets was more than 2 and a half times the cost of this one even if I had paid full price for the trans.
Only time will tell if this is the magic bullet for my rig, we'll see! |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 10639
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| GoEverywhere wrote: |
| Its rated to handle what I'm doing with my engine too, granted in a rig almost 1000lbs lighter. |
Repeat..... we know the Subaru HP but we don't know the duty.
It's not another slippery sedan.
Getting 1,000 lbs more up to speed is a higher load of course, but thats a short load that tapers off once up to speed.
Sedans get up to speed then just slip thru the air.
The Van frontal area + external festoonery is the sustained load that wears on the gearbox for miles and miles and miles.
The load on the gearbox increases as the mileage reduces between the sedan duty and the Van duty.
When your foot has to go deeper in it, the sustained load is higher.
The energy of the extra fuel you're burning.... all passes across the gearbox.
I'd be curious to see how the Subaru gearboxes are wearing under this increased load.
But I've never seen one period, much less one that was worn out by van duty.
Probably have to look at several examples to understand what's happening though.
And try to understand all of the conditions too, the HP, the general cruise speed, and the maintenance styles.
I agree that it's worth a try. Are you using Subarugears (backwards R&P) or Reversaru that runs the Subaru R&P forward?
A LOT of people wanna know what happens when you put a LOT of HP thru a trans,
and it's sounds like you're up for the test !
_________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 896
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: Power nap: On building a 400HP Riviera Camper. |
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| Sodo wrote: |
| GoEverywhere wrote: |
| Its rated to handle what I'm doing with my engine too, granted in a rig almost 1000lbs lighter. |
Repeat..... we know the Subaru HP but we don't know the duty.
It's not another slippery sedan.
Getting 1,000 lbs more up top speed is a higher load of course, but that tapers off once up to speed.
The frontal area is the sustained load that wears on the gearbox.
For miles and miles and miles.
The load on the gearbox increases as the mileage reduces between the sedan duty and the Van duty.
When your foot has to go deeper in it, the sustained load is higher.
I'd be curious to see how the Subaru gearboxes are wearing under this increased load.
But I've never seen one period, much less one that was worn out in a van.
Probably have to look at several examples to understand what's happening though.
And try to understand all of the conditions too, the HP, the general cruise speed, and the maintenance styles. |
Ok, for fun I'm trying to crunch the numbers, with a quick google I come up with a 0.33 drag coefficient and 2.2m2 frontal area on a 3165lb rig for the WRX my transmission came out of.
My van has a drag coefficient of 0.52 and a frontal area of 3.17 m2. It weighs 4600 lbs.
Using a liberal helping of AI mathing assistants as my own math isn't up to the task I come up with an increased acceleration load of +45.4% and a cruising drag load of +25.6%
That acceleration load seems like a fair bit of increase. My trans is rated for 450-500ft/lbs load (slightly less than the STi 6 speed is...) so now I need to figure out how that affects my effective max torque. |
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