Build Thread: ALH into Bluestar @ 15 degrees

[Zeitgeist 13]

I was using the welder today, and made time to tack a small nut onto a lugnut, so I could screw in an MB shift knob. A nice leather knob moved much closer really is a sweet little addition, and it was literally five minutes of effort. Should've done this years ago. I also welded up a turbo adapter for the the MB KKK turbo to T3 exhaust manifold I'm using. Will use my plasma cutter to torch out the KKK side flange. A little reluctant to weld it into place, until I have the engine bolted in, so I can see how best to set the turbo height and distance from sheetmetal. Will be ordering the Kennedy engine adapter kit in the next couple days.

Driving the van up to Seattle tomorrow, for kitchen remodel stuff

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Casey--

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

[danfromsyr]

nice knob, with a long stroke.

now you just need to tie up some microphone tassels to cover up the nuts.

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[Zeitgeist 13]

I temporarily used spark plug bellows
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Casey--

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

[Zeitgeist 13]

I already posted this up on the Vanagon list, and Mark D brought me up to speed regarding what's involved with modifying the mount and shift rod, but thought I'd throw it open to the group to get some additional opinions.

So, if I theoretically had access to an inexpensive donor vehicle, how nutso would it be to install a 4.57 R&P 091 transaxle in place of my 091/1, if only for a finite temporary basis? While I technically have the funds to get the full monty rebuild on my existing trans, that's a huge cash outlay that I'd rather apply to other needy areas of my build--opportunity costs and whatnot. In the meantime, there may be other better trans options coming online (flipped or reverse rotation Passat). With 28" and 29" diameter tires and lift springs, I can get this combo to hit the magic 3000rpm @ 70mph target.

While this isn't exactly optimal, is this not a realistic option in order to expedite the swap process?

btw: Is it possible to install an 091 R&P into an 091/1 trans?

super extra double btw: I really like my shifter extension, but it does make me feel like the Rat Fink guy

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Casey--

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

[Vanagon Nut]

Enjoying your 15º build Casey. Particularly the engine mount ideas and choices. And, it seems you're keeping a sense of humour through all of it. ("Magic" below) I like the idea of bending instead of cutting, welding on one of your brackets to block. I went through some fussy work cutting-welding to make a plate at the OEM mount point on driver side block of my ABA; it has what appears to be a similar difference in depth at one of the mount points on block.

This may have been covered already, but are you seeing an appreciable difference in pan depth? (more than 1"?)

Thanks,

Neil.

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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[Zeitgeist 13]

Hi Neil, I sold off the original pan long ago, but this pic seems to indicate that the Passat pan hangs down a tad lower--perhaps even up to an inch

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Casey--

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

[ninedee_golf_tdi]

I was just at the interesting part where discussion was made about possibly using a flipped passat tranny and then poof, there wasn't a page 8. Bummer.

[Zeitgeist 13]

Crickey...I might as well resurrect this pathetic trout-shouldered excuse for a build thread.

I just gathered two of the major impediments remaining that kept me from moving forward with the build; a DK trans and KEP adapter kit. I acquired these in a work trade, to keep out of pocket costs down 'cause I'm dirt poor and all that jazz. The last remaining item is the Land Rover pump, which is kinda spendy. If I hadn't of sold off all the eTDI stuff, I could be on my way, but life is all about the choices one makes...

I sold off nearly everything else remaining from the Jetta, so my total out of pocket project expenses at this point are somewhere in the $500 to $800 range because I bought a bunch of spare parts back in the salad days when I had an actual project budget. Assuming I don't blow up my trusty WBX in the mean time, I might be able to sell it and my whiny old 091/1 trans to get the out of pocket costs down to whatever that Land Rover pump will set me back. The budget build with no budget just budged.
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Casey--

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

[Vanagon Nut]

Helpful to see some rough budget numbers Casey. Thanks.
In some ways I wish I'd bought a donor engine car then parted it out.

Looking forward to seeing it run!

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[Zeitgeist 13]

Not much new to report, although there's a potential for project funding to reappear later this month.

In the meantime, I've been pondering an engine mounting setup, and have been intrigued with 87vanwes's approach to mounting his ALH @ 15 in a Syncro.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...;start=140

Since I still have all the original Mk4 drivetrain mounts, I like the idea of re-fitting the forward mount at the rear of the chassis that allows the whole engine/trans assembly to pivot like a swinging bassinet

I'm thinking that using the stock Mk4 "dogbone" mount to act as a torque arm would serve to check side to side motions under load.

Since I'll be using the DK trans, the whole assembly will sit further forward in the engine compartment, so the front engine mount should fit in the space between the timing cover and rear apron.

To my mind, it's easier to situate an engine in that space if the centerline of the chassis, horizontal level and overall height are the primary frames of reference, as opposed to the addition of side to side considerations.

Thoughts?
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Casey--

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

[?Waldo?]

The one thought I have is that the jetta/golf ALH mounting is designed for transverse mounting. The torque movement of the drivetrain when transversely mounted is very different from the torque movement when mounted longitudinally.

[Zeitgeist 13]

Exactly. This is the most significant concern I have with this approach.
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Casey--

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

[Zeitgeist 13]

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Casey--

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

[Steve M.]

You know that gearshift extension you added. When I was living in the UK a lot of Mini's seemed to have them. (original Mini's!)
A lot of Mini's were also popping out of gear which was attributed to the extra weight of the extension on the gear shift. (I forget which gear it was, but I think it was 3rd.) It wasn't a lot extension to be a lot of weight, but it happened.
I'm just curious about the possibilities of the same thing happening here due to the weight of your extension.
The Mini's linkage was definitely a different design and thinking about the Vanagon the stick it is going to be basically close to upright in 1st and 3rd, but 2nd and 4th it will already be angled back where the weight would be holding it in gear.
Just something else to think about this being the reason if this does start to happen one day.

[Zeitgeist 13]

When I was first learning to drive it was said that if you rested your hand on the shifter it would wear out the transmission. I suspect there's so much slop inherent in a seven foot shift linkage that the added weight isn't fully telegraphed back there.

On a related note, has anyone else who's added the short shift kit had any success getting it dialed in so that reverse gear selection isn't so vague? I'm a little concerned about shifting issues becoming exacerbated when I modify the rear shift linkage section to fit the DK trans. I have to cut what appears to be between 4" and 6" out of it, which makes me pretty nervous that I'll miscalculate and screw up the shifting
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Casey--

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

[?Waldo?]

I'm glad to see this moving forward again.

[shadetreetim]

Glad to see progress. I like the firewall modification. Should have done that while.swapping in my motor. For motor mounts, I still like the Passat mounts, they provide a very stable platform. But with that transverse pan you have it would have to hang down a bit more than mine.
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Tim Potts

Doing my best every time I drive it to dispel the myth these Vanagons have to be slow!


'89 Vanagon Bluestar/Country Homes 1.8T & .77 4th
'74 Jeep CJ5

[Zeitgeist 13]

Hi Tim, I have a longitudinal Passat 1.8t pan and will indeed be using the same lateral mounts as you...in fact I plan on modeling the same engine mounting that you and Christopher used on your 1.8t swaps. As much as I'd like to explore the gimballed cradle approach, there are too many unknowns right now, and I don't want to get bogged down in that kind of advanced technical detail in my first start to finish engine swap.

I removed the firewall because it really offers no benefits and has led to lots of compromises on other engine swaps I've seen. I'm particularly concerned about the vacuum pump at the rear of the head on the ALH, especially since the engine sits further to the front of the van with the DK trans. I also plan to mount the L2A intercooler up under the tray on the driver side, and the firewall just complicated that install.
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Casey--

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

[hans j]

Yeah longitudinal mounted engines should be bolted up like a longitudinal engine. I mimicked the 1.8t mounts on my ALH install plus added a snub mount. Mk4 transverse mounts are not designed for engine lift.
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1986 Canadian Syncro Westy TDI - 1989 Syncro Single Cab - 2001 Audi S4 - 1981 VW Caddy ABA - 1980 VW Caddy EV - 1973 VW T-181

[Zeitgeist 13]

Sold off my faithful WBX today, so I've crossed the event horizon.

I pulled the tank and flushed out what little rusty bits that were in there. It's in surprisingly good shape. I used Libby's heatgun method to separate the fuel filler from the tube to remove the gasser nozzle restriction. How have others managed their tank vents when converting from gas to diesel? I see that the stock diesel vans still use the dual expansion tanks, but I don't fully understand why. MB diesels don't use any type of fancy breather tanks, so I'm wondering if I can bypass this and just combine and route all four vent hoses up to just the pre-filter intake stream. Alternatively, I could route them all to an MB diesel tank vacuum/pressure checkvalve that just vents to the atmosphere. I definitely want a good vent setup, as I've seen diesel pumps collapse a tank with a malfunctioning vent system.
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Casey--

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