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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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 Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:11 pm Post subject: Honda K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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This is Marie
She's a 1987 Syncro Westfalia. My wife and I recently acquired her and are the third owners within the past 3 years.
She came to us tired, with a binder full of receipts and records that served as a scrap book of her previous adventures and proof that she was used for her intended purpose by the first owner of many years. I do know now much about that owner, but I do know that she was well looked after for most of her life and traveled to remote places in Alaska, the North East and all the way around the United States before returning to her station in Colorado.
I have been on a long hiatus from automotive projects. My wife and I have spent the last 4 years performing a DIY full gut renovation of a historic home here in Georgia in which I served as the general contractor/laborer and my wife assumed the responsibilities of the interior designer. Three of those years was spent on just the house and another year or so on constructing a detached workshop so I can return to my primary hobbies. Our renovation was capped off with and invitation to showcase our home in a local tour of homes (which is apparently a big deal around here).
My wife and I spent some time in Colorado last year before we got married. We rented a 91 Westfalia and traveled all around the state with the convenience and freedom of not needing a destination. We absolutely fell in love with the Vanagon and knew we needed our own, so we started looking as soon as we returned to Georgia.
I wanted/"needed" a 4WD and my wife had two criteria: said we can get whatever I wanted if she owns the interior design AND I have to thin down the fleet to make room for the van.
I agreed to those terms and promptly sold my vintage Harley to a gentleman who exports them to the UK and kicked around the idea of selling my 1996 Honda Accord which I have had since high school. I had swapped in a K24a8 motor into the Accord about 8 years back and had plans to use it as a track car but those plans never materialized. I wanted to carry forward all the work I put into my Honda onto my next project so I decided to pull everything from my car and K swap Marie.
I know there are plenty of other swaps available for these vans but none really outweighed the fact that I know and understand the engines and how to swap them not to mention I had about 90% of what I would need on hand already.
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap
Last edited by Pchill2 on Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:49 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:21 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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Just to fast forward a bit... The engine swap is already complete and running. I am currently working through around town testing and calibration of the ECU.
I've since cleaned up the wiring and will probably update this photo at some point.
The engine fits perfectly without modification to the deck lid. There is plenty of room to do any periodic maintenance required.
Ground clearance has been maintained. The bottom of the oil pan is flush with the bottom plane on the factory Syncro skid plate so no losses at all.
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32593
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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ALIKA T3
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2009
Posts: 6351
Location: Honolulu,Hawaii and France
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:45 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| djkeev wrote: |
| An someone was just asking...... why no honda swaps? |
I'm unsure...
This motor is phenomenal in the van. Fits perfectly and the stock gearing is just right.
It's a K24A8 from a Honda Accord I believe. They are readily available and cheap. Folks routinely make 500+WHP with a stock block K24A4 or A8 turbo. They can be had all day for $300 at any junkyard so they are "disposable".
I went with the Accord K motor initially for this reason but now that its in the van the power numbers match up well for drivability and reliability.
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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sanchius 
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1451
Location: IN
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:46 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| ALIKA T3 wrote: |
| Super clean and tons of room! |
Yes there is plenty of room in there. You can get a wrench on every nut/bolt easily for service.
There's even room for a small turbo...
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| sanchius wrote: |
| Wow, very nice. And thanks for all the contextual story and pics. It's clear you know what you are doing! |
I feel it's necessary to add. There's definitely some pent up energy from the past 4 years.
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:22 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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The K24A8 is factory rated at 168 HP/160 Ft-Lbs of torque at 4000 RPM. The K series engines also have a very, very flat torque curve and can be massaged further through calibration. The calibration I'm using claims 160 Ft-Lbs @ 2000. My foot and butt agree that peak torque is much lower than the stock Honda calibration.
4000 RPM is probably near 80MPH highway speed in my van meaning I should be able to cruise at modern highway speeds easily.
I did look at the standard swap options for Vanagon while we were shopping and seriously considered doing a diesel swap on one but the price point seemed a little steep (certainly not happening after shelling out for a Syncro).
Fortunately for me, KEP makes an adaptor kit for K to VW transmission that includes the plate, flywheel, throw out bearing, and clutch.
I couldn't give Kennedy higher reviews to be honest. The woman who answered my call was also able to answer all of my technical questions on fitment but was unsure if anyone had put a K series in a Vanagon.
We both agreed that with my torque goals I would likely need at least a stage 2 clutch so I opted for that and pulled the trigger on the swap and started compiling the parts I would need for the swap.
KEP adapter kit:
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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MsTaboo
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2006
Posts: 4087
Location: East Kootenay, British Columbia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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Real good looking swap.
Seems like a great engine design with all the auxiliaries like pumps, alternator, A/C, etc. on the cold intake side and nothing but the exhaust on the other.
Nice work. Look forward to more info as you put miles on it.
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Currently:
'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec
The information age has morphed into the age of disinformation and willful ignorance. Agnotology!
Help the fight against Truth Decay.
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Microbusdeluxe
Samba Member
Joined: July 26, 2003
Posts: 980
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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Sweet job on the swap. I imagine many here would like to hear more details, $$ and problem areas. Also hats off on your bungalow project. Please tell me you didn't paint the interior woodwork!
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'69 Squareback RIP
'65 21 window deluxe sold before the price spike, damn it.
'70 rhd bay now a taxi in South Sudan
'81 Westy sold
'89 hightop Westy Joker syncro 16" now with Bostig! |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:42 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| I was thinking from the title that it was obviously a stock Euro JX engine and you swapped on a K24 turbo. You might want to put 'Honda engine' in the title. |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 516
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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Thats a cool swap, don't see that every day!
Looks like it fits really well, great work.
Did you go with the stock ECU or something more exotic like Megasquirt? |
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| Microbusdeluxe wrote: |
| Sweet job on the swap. I imagine many here would like to hear more details, $$ and problem areas. Also hats off on your bungalow project. Please tell me you didn't paint the interior woodwork! |
Unfortunately the trim and doors were all painted over when I purchased the house. I couldn’t find any evidence that they were ever stained. The home is in a registered historic district so there are some pretty strict guidelines on preservation and we strictly adhered to them. I always advocate for preservation so I agree, don’t paint the trim!
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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Pchill2
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021
Posts: 405
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:54 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| GoEverywhere wrote: |
Thats a cool swap, don't see that every day!
Looks like it fits really well, great work.
Did you go with the stock ECU or something more exotic like Megasquirt? |
I’m using a Hondata KPRO V4. It’s a little more user friendly than Megasquirt but also has full control of fuel and ignition timing as well as a Bluetooth App so I can monitor all sensor data that’s not on the factory gauges.
I’m not an expert in tuning but I know enough to get it running on the street pretty well.
At some point I will make a trip to an AWD dyno for tuning and will post the numbers here.
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87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 516
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:00 pm Post subject: Re: K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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| Pchill2 wrote: |
| GoEverywhere wrote: |
Thats a cool swap, don't see that every day!
Looks like it fits really well, great work.
Did you go with the stock ECU or something more exotic like Megasquirt? |
I’m using a Hondata KPRO V4. It’s a little more user friendly than Megasquirt but also has full control of fuel and ignition timing as well as a Bluetooth App so I can monitor all sensor data that’s not on the factory gauges.
I’m not an expert in tuning but I know enough to get it running on the street pretty well.
At some point I will make a trip to an AWD dyno for tuning and will post the numbers here. |
Nice! Sounds like a good compromise. I figured since you mentioned ECU tuning that it wasn't likely stock but I wasn't super familiar with what was available for Hondas (Though they have a lot more tuners than Vanagons do!) but I know Megasquirt is pretty universal. |
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16863
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:05 pm Post subject: Re: Honda K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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that C10 tho...
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my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9605
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:28 pm Post subject: Re: Honda K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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Very cool. EJ25s are getting expensive.
Ir recommend don’t add a turbo.
168hp id right in there with the 165hp EJ25s, where you need to be careful with your expensive NLA drivetrain.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4777
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:38 pm Post subject: Re: Honda K24 Swapped 87 Syncro Camper Build |
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that Honda motor looks amazing in there! could you post a pict of the underside? looks like you fabricated a new mustache bar... is it hung from the same location? is the motor canted at all or is it OEM flat?
congrats. nice job. that's a motor i'd truly love in the van.
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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 |
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