bljones Resident Wit
Joined: February 08, 2002 Posts: 2377 Location: ontario canada
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2003 7:20 am Post subject: drivetrain swap- need opinions |
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i need some outside input- i have purchased a 80 Westy, non-running, with an auto trans. i also purchased, for parts, another 80 vanagon with a rebuilt engine and manual transaxle. the "parts' van was cheap, came with a gas heater (which will also go into my westy) and drives well. here is my thinking: i can a) pull the engine out of the parts van, and transplant it into my westy, switching over the torque converter, pressure plate, etc. or b)take out the existing dead engine and auto trans, and transfer the whole manual transmission drivetrain (engine/tranny). My concern is, i don't know the condition of the auto trans, as i have never driven it. (of course i have the POs assurances that before the engine died the transmission worked great) so, i have a couple of questions. 1. is the auto-to manual swap pretty straightforward? are all the brackets for pedal cluster, hoses and lines, shifter etc already in place or would i need to do some fabricating? 2. Would it be quicker/easier/cheaper to just swap engines, and hope for the best with the auto trans? given your choice, what would you do? |
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jeremysmithatshawdotca Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Edmonton, AB
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2003 10:42 am Post subject: drivetrain swap- need opinions |
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I haven't done it myself, but I think it would probably be easier on the whole to swap the whole drive train, rather than all the parts from one engine to the other. I suppose it depends on how hard it would be to add the clutch pedal, or swap clusters, and add a tube to run the clutch cable through, and add the gearshift. An examination of the undersides of both vans should tell you how much you'll need to swap. Since you need to swap engines, you might as well pull both still attached to the transaxle, and then you can compare and see how much you need to swap that way, and make your decision. Good Luck, Jeremy |
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