1981 Air Cooled Westy --> 2.5l Water Cooled Subaru

[jamin307]

So I recently purchased a 1981 Westy out here in Denver, CO. I went to Abasin’s (Arapahoe Basin Ski Area) closing day this past winter season with some friends. We arrived just as the sun rose, ensuring a premium parking spot next to “the beach”. A few minutes after we parked, a fully loaded/restored Westy parked next to us…and I was hooked.

I have never done a build thread of anything, nor am I mechanically gifted but I can usually figure things out. There was a ton of information on regular Subi conversions but not nearly as much information for Air>Water cooled Subi conversions so hopefully this is helpful for someone (if not just for myself).

I bought this ’81 air cooled project a few months ago after watching theSamba and Craigslist classifieds like a hawk for a few months. Unfortunately it didn’t run when I bought it. The engine, recently overhauled, had experienced a major oil leak and the previous owner couldn’t afford to get it fixed. Thankfully that was not a major concern for me as I planned to pull the engine in favor of a 2.5l Subaru engine.

The interior was in really good shape, relatively speaking. The cabinet set up was different from what I was used to seeing during my research – full size bench with smaller cabinets. I confirmed with the mechanic who examined the Westy pre and post oil leak that everything else was in good shape (new fuel lines, minimal rust, etc) and it would run if you loaded it up with oil (was not run dry).

Day one:

First up was to prep the engine to be pulled (lowered) out. No need to post photos of this process as it's pretty straightforward and uneventful. Whoever decided to overhaul the engine at least used new hardware when putting it back in, so it came out without issues.

I had some extra help...

Unfortunately I do not have a garage. I chose to lay some thick sheets of plywood over gravel to make things less painful. The engine came out easily. Jacked up the rear of the van and the engine was lowered to the ground and dragged out.

My first step for the coolant system was to cut the hole for the second grille that the water cooled westy's have, thus providing additional airflow to the radiator. I ordered the second grille from Gowesty along with the hardware. After measuring a dozen times out of paranoia, I drew up the area to remove on the front of the van, leaving a tab at the top center for one of the grille mounting points.

I used an angle grinder, which worked very well. I taped off the area with painters tape to make straight lines more likely. Unfortunately I have a small compressor which the angle grinder would deplete very quickly, but in the end it was relatively easy.

**side note - the previous owner only had one key. I was getting ready to order a replacement blank but after I removed the metal panel I saw a VW key dangling off one of the tubes...it looked like it had been there for decades but worked like a charm!

The new grille fit perfectly. I filed the edges to remove burs and smooth out the new edges. Once that was done I re-taped a border around the newly cut area and hit it with a matte black rattle can to prevent rust. I've ordered rubber trim via Amazon that I will put around the edges - haven't done that yet.

Now it's time to drop the gas tank to get the new coolant pipes in (courtesy of Rocky Mountain Westy).

[jamin307]

Reserved for future posts/pics

[surfwagonorangevw]

I am pretty sure someone could use that motor , are you going to put it up for sale ? Not that I am interested , too far away . I will be following your swap though , maybe one day I may need to replace mine . Happy wrenching .

[jamin307]

Thankfully someone already bought it - going to rebuild it and drop it in a bus.

[Rafmont]

Excellent thread. I have a 81 van also. I got it with no engine/trans. I am looking at different engine options now. Maybe a stupid question....but what size, type, year,info on the engine you pulled out of it ? I am leaning toward staying air cooled. Keep the pics coming.

[dave millard]

Anxious to see pictures and posts regarding your progress! I have an '82 air-cooled Vanagon that I am considering an engine change. I had been searching for info about installing a water-cooled Subaru in an air-cooled van. Very interested in what you are doing!

[dave millard]

Anxious to see pictures and posts regarding your progress! I have an '82 air-cooled Vanagon that I am considering an engine change. I had been searching for info about installing a water-cooled Subaru in an air-cooled van. Very interested in what you are doing!

[jimeg]

Nice. Ambitious. Post away.
_________________
1986 Root Beer Syncro Tin Top....so many plans.

Here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=578490

[jamin307]

[jamin307]

I was a little too gung ho with my coolant pipes and installed them before widening the cross member hole. For <1985, the coolant pipes had a smaller diameter. By adding the newer version from Rocky Mountain Westy along with introducing heater hoses, the hole in the cross member has to be widened. There are vague instructions for how to do this in the Bentley manual - so I marked it up and cut it out using an angle grinder. It was pretty easy and took only a few minutes.

Before:

After:

[/img]

It's still going to be a tight fit...

The radiator was a little difficult only because I did it by myself. The bolts for the two lower mounting brackets are a pain but once in, the radiator just rests on the brackets.

It took me a while to figure out the wiring diagrams, and that the non-AC vanagons do not use a resistor for the radiator fan...I purchased a new radiator and shroud but went with a pulled motor from a donor van.

Looking up into the area where the radiator will go...

With the radiator installed:

View from the front:

Now for the wiring...I was able to get my hands on the wiring harness and relays from a 1985 non-AC Vanagon, which was perfect for my needs. But before you can get to where the radiator fan wiring harness comes inside the vehicle, you'll need to remove the dash. This will also give you access to area above the two ground trees above the fuse box - which is where the relays will go.

Getting the dash off isn't that difficult but then again, I was able to practice on the donor van. With the dash off, there are a few other things you'll want to do - replace the front blower with one from a water cooled van (I'll get to this in a bit). But first things first...the dash.

This link was extremely useful - it outlines the process step by step. http://www.benplace.com/dash.htm

[jamin307]

It's been a while since the last post, but some progress has been made. Dash from the donor van was pulled, along with the blower and its components. I also salvaged the radiator wiring harness/relays and the wiring harness for the rear blower (blower salvaged from the junk yard).

Radiator Relay:

Salvaged parts from the donor van:

I cleaned the blower and broke it down to replace the fan with a new one from GoWesty. I also relocated the resistor to the exterior of the blower unit so it could be accessed without having to remove and disassemble the blower (recommended by Busaru). The Bentley Manual outlines the process - it's not too difficult, just be patient when prying the housing apart once the metal clips have been removed.

Resistor before relocation:

The dash went back easily although I can already tell that I will probably be removing it again to clean up the hack wiring job. I used the blower to trace an outline on the bench base board and after applying masking tape, I cut the opening with a jig saw. It's a tight fit but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Next I ran the wiring harness for the rear blower that was salvaged from the donor vehicle. I used the holes in the frame on the driver side of the gas tank to cover most of the ground. I drilled a very small test hole from the inside of the bench to ensure I didn't make contact with anything important. One the harness was pulled through, I drilled the holes for the heater hoses. I used the rear heater hose kit from GoWesty.

Blower is hooked up.

Earlier in the fall I picked up a rebuilt Subaru 2.5L & harness - it's currently sitting in the shed as I slowly assemble other parts - flexible dip stick, etc. I also needed some time to rebuild the westy fund after the engine purchase. After much consideration and countless emails to Rocky Mountain Westy, I'm pulling the air cooled transmission and replacing it with a rebuilt water cooled trans.

I figured that with the engine bay already empty, now would be the time to address a trans swap. I found a local guy for the job who will accept the air cooled trans for the core swap (plus a small additional charge). Dropping the transmission is straight forward (with the engine already out). First thing was to remove the six bolts on both inner CV joints. I took some time to clean out each bolt as they had accumulate a hefty coat of gunk. It took some doing to break them loose but I eventually removed all 12. Before all bolts were removed, I threw some zip ties around the axle for support.

Both of the interior boots are torn so after I fully remove and inspect the axles, I plan to clean and repack the joints with new boots.

more to follow...

[jamin307]

I pulled the transmission and axles the other week. The axles are the OEM axles but the CV boots have seen better days so I ordered replacements. I am also swapping the AC trans with a rebuilt WC trans. That was a tough (and expensive) decision but it will prevent me from having to get creative with the shift linkage (which will also be switched to one pulled from a WC westy) and I will avoid having to cut into the engine bay firewall as the AC trans is 1.5" shorter than the WC trans.

I'm getting a few upgrades in the WC trans: steel cage for the idler bearings instead of the plastic cage, weddle main shaft thrust plate, and south african style oil plates. The rebuilt trans will also be regeared.

Once I have the rebuilt trans in hand, I will clean, inspect and repack the CV joints as well as replace the CV boots.

While I wait for the trans, I figured I should take advantage of the warmer weather and tackle a different project...removing the carpet & subfloor and replacing it with a new subfloor & pergo...

The lower channels were filled with a thermal/sound dampening material.

Almost done...

Complete...

For my first hardwood installation job, I'm pleased with the result. I selected the Haley Oak Pergo XP - one box is a little more than enough (even if you screw up a few cuts like I did). I'm going to replace the OEM metal trim at the sliding door because over the years 2 of the screws snapped off so the existing hole locations are no good.

The rebuilt trans should be ready in 2 weeks give or take so I'm trying to find another project to keep myself busy and to satisfy the ever growing "modification/improvement itch". I already cleaned up all the wiring behind the dash and both the front and rear blowers are functioning properly. I have also rewired much of the auxiliary battery set up.

For a while I was going to convert the old fridge cabinet to additional storage but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of the Truck Fridge. I'll just add that to the monster Rocky Mountain Westy shopping list...

[JayZ1966]

Jamin 307,
I hope you are still going. I recently acquired a 1982 air cooled that I would like to swap to a suby engine as well. I am not an amazing mechanic, but the bus is really in amazing condition and you are doing exactly what I hope to. Let me know if you kept going on another string I am also not the most computer savy.
Thanks

[jamin307]

[Jedwards34]

[jamin307]

a good place to start: http://busaru.com/aircooledvanagon

[danfromsyr]

nice project, I'm all for updating air cooled vans to a better H2o powerplant..

in your Feb post you shared

[jamin307]

Thankfully I very rarely use the front fan. I was following Mick's write up on Busaru.com when I relocated the resistor. In hindsight, I probably would have left it where it was because I'd expect the failure rate to be low with such little use (knock on wood).

[MarkWard]

Nice project. Air Cooled vanagons in general don't get the love they deserve. As a result, you can usually pick them up for less money than a WBX. That's a good thing for buyers.

I wonder though if using custom radiator shrouding, if you could get enough air flow across the radiator to avoid having to add a lower grill cutout. That would make it more "stealth" looking.

[jamin307]

Here's a more recent pic - drove the Van from Denver to Banff and back this past summer.

I've only seen one Subi conversion without the lower grill cut out - "Vananahammock" on Instagram. I believe he mounted his radiator somewhere underneath.