Has anyone completed a Prius power conversion into a Vanagon?

[DanHoug]

hybrids are great for commuter driving with multiple stops to take advantage of regenerative braking. by-and-large, Vanagons, or maybe just Westys, are trip vehicles. with long trips, the hybrid advantage is diminished.

now a CVT Westy... THERE'S something to ponder. both the manuals and auto suffer from 'wrong gear available' syndrome for power available. put a nice 150hp motor with a CVT and you've got a vehicle that can do what we want.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[szegedin7]

I guess everybody agrees that if VW had it to do over again, the Vanagon would be designed with a lot more power.

The CVT transmission in the Prius is another reason that people feel like it is underpowered. It feels mushy and you can't just drop it in second and peg it like a stick shift civic.

An actual conversion to a Prius drivetrain would be more hassle than it's worth unless you win a prize or something, but the concept is right. It's the sheer volume of interior space that sets the Vanagon apart from those hybrid SUVs and station wagons.

Regenerative braking is a cool concept, but it's a really inefficient way to get power. You get like five minutes for free after coming down a mountain. I swear the Prius would probably get 40mpg even if took out the electric hybrid bits, just from having the small engine and CVT. Japanese cars in the 70s were almost as efficient.

Sure, I'd like a faster Vanagon, but the fact that people need to charge up hills at 75mph and accellerate like crazy is how we got to 400ppm co2, which is causing our cognitive abilities to drop.

I'm sure you've seen the Vanagon Tesla conversions on youtube. Just need to slap a generator on the roof of this bad boy and you're in business.


Link

[pushkick]

[82westyrabbit]

I had a Toyota Prius given to me in hopes that I would put the drivetrain in my van. When I measured I would have had to widen the frame rails to make it fit. I would need custom axles just for starters. Anything can be done. I really enjoyed the research project and learned a lot about the Prius in the process. In the end I repaired it and gave it to another family member and installed a Tiico inline four in the van. I am pretty sure the drive train in my wife’s Toyota Camry hybrid make it into the bus either. But it’s fun to think. John

[nemobuscaptain]

[designer]

Yes. It's in a 64. Did it on a rotisserie with lots of other bits and parts upgraded.
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87 Syncro Westy : 2.5l

"It is that annoying, accelerating downhill so I can make it up the next hill in the same gear. Foot to floor hoping I can get out of the way of other cars getting onto the highway." - somebody on here around 2013.

[vanamaxagon]

I recently finished a '64 13 window with a complete hybrid 2010 Prius drivetrain.
What a treat to drive! Great around town, and no fear of hills or highway merging. We just got back from a 7384 mile round trip to the East coast from Idaho with 1100 pounds on board and a 14' tandem kayak on top and got 27mpg. Wind is still the enemy, it didn't make the body more aerodynamic.
Bad crosswinds plagued us most of the trip, but the drivetrain worked GREAT!

[Robw_z]

[vanagonjr]

[Silverghost500]

X2, would love to see pics of how to arranged the drivetrain and battery pack in your van.
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1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia "Von Westy"
Honda K24A converversion-Road Testing Phase
3-Speed Automatic

Von Westy YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhyZYxJEQrUuLnMbLleeIA

[pushkick]

Great job something i have wanted to do for a long time to my 1990 vanagon camper.

Several things can help air problem ,some panels on the under carriage to create lift & air resistance from under carriage. A removeable air foil on front bumper.
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i see said the blind man to his deaf dog
i am going to quit smoking and drinking and die a healthy man. gotta laugh
there is no deed to the planet earth
1990 vw automatic camper

[vanamaxagon]

Tucking in the entire 2010 Prius engine/transaxle required new frame rails aft of the torsion bars. I converted to IRS with parts from a bay. The Prius is mounted facing the back, using custom redboxes with helical gears (I first converted the original redboxes but couldn't stand the howl). The battery lives under the back seat and the considerable electronics (ECUs etc.) live on the new firewall behind the seatback. On our roadtrip we discovered the need for more airflow through the Prius radiators so I cut out the license plate area in the engine lid. All told about 50 signal wires go to the front through the old shifter tube. The new gas tank lives between the frame rails amidships. I used the Prius disc brakes all around so it stops as well as it goes now, and used a Vega steering box to tighten up the steering.

[danfromsyr]

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[Zeitgeist 13]

Those custom reduction boxes probably cost more than my whole TDI swap. If they could be mass produced, they could really open up a lot of nifty Quattro drive swap possibilities
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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]

Attn: Leecat!

That is so cool. Thanks!

Neil.

[4Gears4Tires]

Very cool. Accurate license plate.
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[ai4kk]

I know this is an old thread but it's the only thread I've found on a Prius into VW swap.
Were you able to keep the Prius AC? This to me would be one of the main reasons to do such a swap. As a travelnurse I live part-time in my Prius V and the ability to sleep the day away in air-conditioned comfort was the main reason I bought the car...that and it provides electricity to my off-grid homesite. To have that ability in a cool old VW Bus would be beyond priceless.
Of course, I'm sure a small efficient 110/220V heat pump could be wired in as well but that would normally require using the 12V for power unless you can figure out a way to tap into the HV battery...which I have some ideas on that involving a couple of solar controllers in parallel.

[campism]

[djkeev]

Welcome!

The Prius A/C pump is electric.

I see no reason that it could not be fit in somewhere.

The question arises though....... the interior volume differences of a Prius vs a Vanagon, can that pump move the volume of gas needed to adequately cool the space?
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[steve244]

The prius' greenhouse is massive. I suspect it would do fine.
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82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...