timing off for subie swap (long post)

[Bruce Wayne]

not the timing you think.

a kid at work texted me the other night saying he was ready to sell his Subaru's motor to me. (I used to raz him about wrecking his car and selling me the motor.) 2.5 litre,200,000 plus miles,no oil drips. he only wants $250 for it. (he's putting in a newer fresher 2.5) the timing is just not there for me though,too many personal things going on to do it.

1. Mrs. Wayne's health. as some of you may or may not know,she has early Alzheimer's. she recently retired from work and spends her days with her mom while I'm at work. if you see us at MogFest this year and we are chatting with you,she has a hard time getting her words and thoughts out. please be patient with her. she has her good days and bad days.

2.we are selling our house. as it stands,the house will close on Jul 31. we have a big house with lots of stuff from 25 years of life together that we will need to whittle down and get moved to the new place,which is just across town. it will take time to get everything set up how we want it. bedroom,living room,music room,etc. it's going to hard work,but also exciting having a "new" house. (the house we are buying is 10 years old,the house we live in now is 104 years old.) the new house just happens to be about 150 yards away from Mrs' Wayne's mom's house. literally, just around the corner.

3. the busy time is coming up at work. I work at U of O,and we are hosting the Jr. World Track & Field Championships this year. on top of that is the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend,graduation on Monday,summer camps starting Monday as well. we were told months ago not to ask for time off during mid June and the whole month of July. Jr. Championships end July 28th.

4. our new house does not have a level driveway to do any work on a car,so that means in the backyard to do any wrenching. I'm used to wrenching on gravel anyway,so that's not a big deal to me,until the rainy season gets here.

even after we move and get settled in,I'm not sure I will ever get the time to do the swap. Mrs. Wayne's condition will never "get better",there is no cure or reversing her condition,she is going to require more care.

after looking at kits,it looks like the price can reach upwards of $5K to do the swap. I'm guessing that the swap pretty much needs your undivided attention. I could do maybe an hour here and there. if I started next spring,I may have it done by summer,but doubtful. not sure I want the van down that long.

should I buy the motor and flip it? what's a 2.5 worth?

[vanis13]

similar predicament for me (though my 1.9 blew so I'm putting things together as I can)

200+K mi you may want to consider rebuilding it before you put it in so add at least another $1,000 for that.

finding subi engines for $250 with that mileage is frequent.

remember you still need the harness.

better off to get a donor vehicle which do come around. seems like you have the time wait and lurk for that ideal donor. Bet you can get something with a blown head gasket for $500 then take your time to extract the engine and harness.

Another thing to consider is that if he's swapping the engine block you may need to get various pieces anyway, alternator, ac compressor, maybe even the manifold and ity'll cost you more than you think.

so I'd wait for that perfect donor. if its a high time engine, take the time to rebuild it so its ready to drop in. heck,even take time to do your won harness if so inclined.
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83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace

www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make

[IdahoDoug]

BW,

I agree with Vanis. It just so happens that you are "attached" to getting that block because you've been joking about it for so long. But you can buy entire wrecked Subes with less miles for $400 all day long. That would give you the harness, all ancillary accessories, etc.

Also, I'd give some weight to spending time with your wifey when you can now, versus doing a major project now during this next year or two. We don't always know what the future holds. Hope to see you at Mogfest!

Doug
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[insyncro]

Commitment, budget, time, tools and work area are some of the things needed to swap and have it run well.

It sounds to me like the "timing" is not optimal and with some of the stresses you listed, a conversion will get put on the back burner at any moment.

A 200,000 mile motor, regardless of the cost is just that and will need love to give any reliability.
Pass on it, they are not hard to come by and by the sounds of it, your money is better spent on a fresher one...just like the Dude willing to unload it.

[syncrodoka]

Pass

[Wildthings]

When I bought the motor for my conversion the guy tossed in a second one. He also towed the donor to my house so I could grab any part I might have forgotten and picked up the carcass when done. All for $250. I think you should pass.

[Bruce Wayne]

thanks for the replies. I thought $250 for the motor was a good deal,and I could sit on it until I needed it,or flip it for a couple of bucks. guess not.

[Bruce Wayne]