1970 to 1972 swap???

[Merling]

I have another thread on a 1970 with a subaru swap I'm slowly working on between work, family, and pandemic requirements but I came across a cheap 1972 shell that would save me time and money in the body work and paint department so I figured I get some feedback on what you all think.

My thought was I could get the 72 body cleaned up a lot quicker than the 70 and then move the engine, transmission, interior, etc over to the 72. Anything that would be a deal breaker for this (engine / transmission placement & compatibility)? 72 year specifics that may be a PIA moving forward?

[crukab]

The '70 should have a upright engine, where the '72 is the 1st year of the flat four engine, so there's that. Or are you looking to move the Subie engine into the '72 ? I'd say anything can be done w/ the right amount of time & money, I'm sure it is not a slap it in & roll, more a chop & weld one type engine bay into another.
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[Tbob]

I may be missing something, but I can only think of a couple of issues. The 1972 doesn't have a removable rear apron(the sheet metal behind the engine)which could make the engine swap a little harder, and I think some of the interior panels above the engine may not fit between the two. Also, the input shaft on the transmission is 10 mm longer, so may need to be cut to match your engine swap. There's people who know more about the Subaru conversion than I do, and may chime in. Other than that you get disc brakes, and whatever other improvements I forgot between the 2 years. The styling is a little different between the two, and many enthuasiasts think the earlier is more pure to the essence of the Volkswagen Bus.
But other than that. I can't think of any thing that would be a deal braker.
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[busdaddy]

A 72 is very different from a 70, they look close but there's a thousand tiny improvements to electrical, mechanical and body parts that the untrained eye doesn't see until they attempt to swap parts.
But if you are already planning a Subaru swap you'll be adapting anyways so it won't matter much, but don't count on too many other parts from the 70 fitting the 72.
The 72 is a better bus as a Subaru candidate than the 70 IMO.
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[Merling]

Thanks for the info, the 70 currently has the Subaru in and it's all running but needs body and under carriage work. My plan is to pull everything out, deal with the body and then reinstall. Sounds like the differences may be more headache than it's worth so I'll forge ahead.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[busdaddy]