PUTT-N + Subaru= HAUL-N

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 11:55 am Post subject: PUTT-N + Subaru= HAUL-N

so in an effort to convert every late model shitbox T4 into Subaru power, I had a guy contact me from Texas to do a conversion for him Shocked

I thought he was kidding, till this amazing CE turned up here. I just can't believe how stupid clean this bus is....you southern folks have it made

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

he was even nice enough to bring me a clean slate!

meet the donor:

she is a bit worn out

so, we are doing soup to nuts new engine etc etc and she should be even more epic than my deluxe!

todays mission was to harvest the harness. first step is to recover the refrigerant from the a/c system

then, off to the races...pull the dash. uggg...it just takes forever and I'm fat and stupid. for a fat stupid guy I can fold up like a jack knife. (that video later)

after a while, you have this

after a while longer, you have this

and after a whole lot longer, you pull the python out

then, you beat the thing into submission and cram it into a box

and ship that box off to this guy

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1388977

jeff has done a few harnesses for me. worth EVERY penny. his work is 100% top notch

more to come.....
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Tcash · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:20 pm Post subject:

What year is the donor and is it a EJ22 or EJ25?
Thank you
Tcash

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:49 pm Post subject:

01 2.5l

I kind of like them a bit better than the 2.2 honestly. a little less b.s. on the 2.5's and they eliminated a bunch of plumbing for the IAC which makes for a cleaner install
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cmonSTART · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:54 pm Post subject:

So what happens to the wiring harness? Is he modifying it for you, lengthening it and such?

I'm glad to see this thread actually - I had a crazy idea recently of swapping a turbo Subaru engine into my bus when I finally grenade this engine. I have zero idea what's involved with it.
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'78 Bus 2.0FI
de K1IGS

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:13 pm Post subject:

he turns it into a work of art.

turbo would be fun, but I'm telling you buses handle like shit. my blue bus is plain scary to be in (I did all kinds of fun stuff to my engine)

I may do a turbo some day, but honestly pulling 75 in 3rd and having ass pucker at 115 (and still having more to go) is enough for me
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Tcash · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:49 pm Post subject:

Looks like child's play.

grandpa pete · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:00 pm Post subject:

Thanks for taking the time to do this thread skills . I am someone who was considering doing this to a VW ( type 6 Smile

) . I am hoping your thread will take some of the mystery out of it .
please be aware that some of us don't know what some of the terminology means . ...IAC = ???
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63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:01 pm Post subject:

yea, pretty nice to see a dad take a minute and interact with his kids. jeff is a real salt of the earth guy, and deserves high praises. he helped me with a harness tom shiles did for me. tom kind of left me hanging. jeff took the time to help me figure it out.

jeff has done 4 harnesses for me and will continue to do so. a guy that helps someone with a competitors harness with no hesitation has earned a customer for life.

I could do the harness work for sure, but why? jeff has a method and is awesome at it. plus, he gets them done at a price point I couldn't compete with. I bet he has an ez 250-300 worth of tape, connectors, stimulation boards etc etc in his harnesses.

money well spent!
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Tcash · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:17 pm Post subject:

IAC=Idle Air Control

So does Jeff reprogram the ecu?
Tcash

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:28 pm Post subject:

cmonSTART · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:54 pm Post subject:

But since the bus is from 197X no one cares about the CEL, correct?

Hmm..

Think

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'78 Bus 2.0FI
de K1IGS

markd89 · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:16 pm Post subject:

Looking forward to seeing this project progress!
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78 TDI Sunroof Bus
Los Angeles

captincanuck · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:23 pm Post subject:

O man this is going to be good. Can't wait to see what you do with this one.
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1979 Westfalia "FireFly" Subaru 2.2 with Subaru gears 5spd.
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634777&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

ultralite · Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:42 pm Post subject:

potential customer, subbed. dang it, why are you doing this to me? Laughing

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Godspeed

'76 Beetle (sold)
'69 Beetle (sold)
'72 BMW 2002 (RIP)
'69 Westy
'02 BMW wagon AWD w/stick shift(sold)
'67 Beetle (sold)

vwwestyman · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 4:56 am Post subject:

I'm in.

_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

Amskeptic · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 8:17 am Post subject:

Jim Bear · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 8:47 am Post subject: And...

And...bookmarked.

Hey Colin. Fancy meeting you here.
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"You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus." ~kk
'85 Vanagon Westy - George In the Stable 2020-?/'74 Weekender - Ophelia In the Stable 2007- ?/'69 Beetle Convertible - SOLD 2017-2020/'67 Beetle - September SOLD 2013-2016 Sad

/'67 SO42 Westy - Sage SOLD 1996-2001 Sad

/'69 Transporter - Baby Blue SOLD 1995-1995/'72 Westy - Nelly - SOLD 1990-1995--STOP FRACKING

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 6:26 pm Post subject:

daveark · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 6:26 pm Post subject: Re: PUTT-N + Subaru= HAUL-N

I am the moron from Texas who trailered my bus 1,800+ miles to Skills shop. There are people doing swaps much closer to me than Skills, so why would I torture myself in a rented uhaul that far? Damn good question. I mean, he is a handsome man but certainly no super model.

The decision to swap in a suby was driven by the realization that the parts and capabilities to build a T4 were ever diminishing with no cavalry coming over the hill to save the day. I absolutely admire and respect those who are able to keep air cooled hearts pumping strong, but I doubted my ability/patience to do so. Even builders with great reputations are beginning to show the strain. I like my bus. Its not special but I am attached to it and I don't want it to end up as a storage building on wheels. It has potential but not very much potential unless propulsion can be sorted.

Once I decided that air cooled wasn't the only solution to consider, I began to research swap options. Inline 4s, V6s, diesels were contemplated. However, the Subaru boxer engine with horizontally opposed cylinders had the right DNA for me. It looks right. It has multiples of stock T4 horsepower, parts are readily available, they run for friggin' ever, and with mechanical lifters sounds eerily like my old T4 just more muscular.

Why Skills? I mean he can be cranky-lovable but he lives a brazilian miles away from Texas. Simply put, he's a craftsman. I poured over his build threads before calling him and I noticed that people respected on this thread gave him props (e.g. aeromech, busdaddy). Once we connected by phone, he filled a couple of hours on the phone with fine details of a swap. I know just enough to know when I am being BS'd. Skills didn't BS, he was honest to the point of making you wonder if he was trying to talk you out of the idea. Done well, this isn't a cheap solution and Skills doesn't pull punches about it. Perfect.

I loaded up the bus and headed northeast after work (auto transportation industry is a sketchy business if you don't know someone). First night I slept in the bus in an RV park in Arkansas. The bus is certainly not a show piece but it is mine and I didn't want anyone screwing with it or the swap parts in the parking lot while I slept in a hotel room. I wasn't nearly so noble the second night in Virginia (wimp) but I was able to see it from the room (rationalization).

When i reached his address according to the GPS, i was in a damn field! Crap, I have been had by some kid living in his mother's basement! Great!! Wait, there is a nice house just to the left.

Skills shop is orderly and very clean with the right amount of parts clutter to let you know this is a working shop. His hands are beefy but they move almost delicately when handling tools or pointing out fine details like machining on the throttle bodies.

The work you see in his build thread is impressive, but you really have to see it in person to have a full appreciation. No butchering, no hack jobs, no half-assed. The blue bus is pristine and there are NO squeaks or rattles. All you hear is motor. When underway, the bus moves smoothly and quickly.

Having said all this, Skills has barely begun my swap. Praising him beforehand is totally stupid. I mean, this could go entirely sideways, right. Then I will look like more of an dumbass than I am. But, sometimes, you just get a feel for someone. Thats what brought me from Texas.

skills@eurocarsplus · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 6:34 pm Post subject: Re: PUTT-N + Subaru= HAUL-N


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