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scirocco_crazy
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2011
Posts: 924
Location: Indiana
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hometurbine
Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2014
Posts: 157
Location: Cincinnati
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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 7:09 pm Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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X2 Awesome on the dash!
Work out the bugs, then let's talk... 
Follow-on dash questions:
a) What are your plans for holding it in place?
b) You said you are coding for fuel sender. Are you making it adjustable so can recalibrate it (since many of of the senders don't work well). My new one had the resistance correct initially, then the floater must have taken on some fuel because now it only reaches 3/4 full...
c) As far as CEL- will you be adding capability to ignore certain nuisance codes? I have almost 700 miles on my conversion and I get the P420 code about once a drive (emissions). That makes sense since I don't have a cat.....so would be nice not to throw CEL, but maybe keep log in background.
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Bill
'75 Westy Bus with Subaru EJ25 engine
GE CT58-100 helicopter gas turbine
Tiernay TT10 APU gas turbine |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 9:36 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| a) What are your plans for holding it in place? |
I'm going to use a glove box door "blank". The head unit has four rear mounting screws that allow it to sit flush with any flat surface.
| Quote: |
| b) You said you are coding for fuel sender. Are you making it adjustable so can recalibrate it (since many of of the senders don't work well). My new one had the resistance correct initially, then the floater must have taken on some fuel because now it only reaches 3/4 full... |
Yes! There is some variability in every new fuel sender. The code is incredibly easy to map since you can simply measure resistance at a constant 5V input to simulate the fuel gauge vibrator at different levels. Up to you if you want four, eight, or eighty increments for accuracy. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. You also can "smooth" the code so the needle isn't constantly jumping every time you go up hill or hit a bump.
| Quote: |
| c) As far as CEL- will you be adding capability to ignore certain nuisance codes? I have almost 700 miles on my conversion and I get the P420 code about once a drive (emissions). That makes sense since I don't have a cat.....so would be nice not to throw CEL, but maybe keep log in background. |
I really just included the CEL just to be my first test for functionality but it's a PITA to code around nuisance codes, so I will probably just eliminate it all together. Instead, I'll have it alarm if my water temp or oil pressure hits a critical level.
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 1:24 pm Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Finally finished the vent fan, solar panel and roof install...that thing is a BEAST to install by yourself. Once again my perfectionist side got in the way and slowed me down by a couple of weeks while I waited on hardware to arrive. The solar hardware is 100% stainless with aluminum t-tracks. I opted for the "no drill" approach and used Eternabond tape to stick down the t-tracks...the key here is to bend them (by hand) to follow the exact contour of the roof. Once stuck, I used some Dicor around the perimeter of each of the six tracks as added insurance. I then shortened the leads on each panel to make the wiring as tidy as possible and finished everything up with some stainless clamps. Time will be the true test of durability. I had it out in the sun for all of 10 min yesterday while I was finishing up the roof and was pleasantly surprised to see 58V coming through my solar cables (spec is 58.2V for all three).
Unfortunately, my new top springs (Century Spring Part ID 12342 for those looking for replacements) are on backorder till January, so I will likely reinstall the old springs so I can finish the underside insulation, lighting, and headliner in order to run the rest of the electrical. Bunch of pics below:
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 11:50 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Had some heavy rain this past weekend so decided to solder up the fourth iteration of my custom LED tail lights. The camera doesn't do it justice...they are BRIGHT!
Link
The only thing not shown is that when I activate the running lights, they turn on from the middle to top/bottom before being solidly on.
I'll probably call it good for now. In the end, I didn't have room to add the diffused (frosted) lexan behind the lens which would eliminate the single-point LED look (which I don't really mind as it turns out). I would have to resize the PCBs so they sit deeper in the housing since you need about 2cm between the LED and lens to get a fully diffused appearance.
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2022 7:52 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Making progress on finalizing the fiberglass top install. Unsurprisingly, I learned that the stock springs are too weak to raise the top with all the extra weight w/out doing a significant overhead press. I looked at going the route of gas struts as others have done, but I figured why not try something different? Enter linear actuators! There are two on either side.
Link
I'm not totally happy with the fluidity of the 50 year old rollers, so I'm looking at bearings or shower rollers to make the articulation a bit smoother. Will also be adding nylon washers to the friction points whereas currently I'm using greased stainless washers for prototyping. Once I get it all dialed in, I will pull it all apart (again), finish the welds, and clean up and powder coat before final install.
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:59 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Some updates:
1. Brakes
Learned my lesson the hard way about installing all "OEM quality or better" new brake parts and waiting nearly three years before filling w/brake fluid. Took me five nights of work to remove/rebuild/clean out every single part in the brake system before I could get a good bleed. Was a good opportunity to get the proportioning valve disassembled and rebuilt since it was the one part I never opened up. Also chucked my "rebuilt" calipers in the garbage and replaced w/some ATEs. Even then, my left rear flex hose has a minor leak, so the new one is the on the way.
NOTE for those buying a "non-adjustable" booster: It is in fact adjustable! Took me a couple nights to figure this out, but it was ever so slightly pre-loading the master cylinder and blocking the return ports. See image below for the pushrod:
2. Canvas: I also got the new canvas from Country Home and Campers mostly installed. I say mostly b/c it's actually about two inches shorter (height) than the original. So I will have to fab up some beauty trim to cover the perimeter of the wood base and to affix the front part that originally bolted under a chrome strip directly to the roof. Otherwise the quality is superb!
Don't worry about the solar panels overhanging in the pics. I removed the bolts so I could through-bolt the tracks on the ends after deciding against my original plan to use eternabond tape only to secure them since I was getting some minor lift at the extremes.
3: Dreams: Lastly, I started dreaming about my rear bench seat and finally got a chance to unbox the "prototype" unit I received from Scopema in France after a couple years of negotiating....memory foam on the back side and comfy contours on the front. What's not to like?
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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W1K1
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2004
Posts: 4921
Location: Southern AB
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:09 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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3: Dreams: Lastly, I started dreaming about my rear bench seat and finally got a chance to unbox the "prototype" unit I received from Scopema in France after a couple years of negotiating....memory foam on the back side and comfy contours on the front. What's not to like? |
maybe the price, and shipping from France, but they look great , did you lay on it to test the memory foam?
your tent looks like it's not canvas, did you choose Sunbrella fabric? and you ran you solar panel wires through a hole in the top?
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/jim_martin_engine_build.php
1973 super
1965 squareback 1500E
1971 bay window westy- subi swap |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:30 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| maybe the price, and shipping from France, but they look great , did you lay on it to test the memory foam? |
Yep, super comfortable. What sold me on this seat is that:
1. My passengers have always complained about comfort since the traditional bed had to be square so it lays flat when transformed into a bed. This seat is contoured, so hopefully no more squirmy passengers.
2. You sleep on the back side of both cushions
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| your tent looks like it's not canvas, did you choose Sunbrella fabric? and you ran you solar panel wires through a hole in the top? |
It's definitely not canvas. They didn't give me a choice, but from the looks of it it's either industrial vinyl or sunbrella. You can see the solar panel wires running through the hoop in the fabric in the pic. When I fab the front mount, there will be a track for the wiring to fall into as the top is raised/lowered to prevent kinking.
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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metahacker
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2010
Posts: 692
Location: san.diego
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 11:06 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| deathman68 wrote: |
| In the end, I didn't have room to add the diffused (frosted) lexan behind the lens which would eliminate the single-point LED look (which I don't really mind as it turns out). I would have to resize the PCBs so they sit deeper in the housing since you need about 2cm between the LED and lens to get a fully diffused appearance. |
I've ran into this issue on some of the miniaturized arcade machines I've built... trying to diffuse the LED lighting in a cramped backlit marquee area. you might find parchment paper to be helpful. Wax paper may be OK, but I don't believe it's using microcrystalline wax and may run into some longevity challenges (perhaps temperature related, not sure what emitters you are using..some CREE variety perhaps? i need to study this thread of your awesome build further).
nice build! quite robust.
re: the rollers .. CHC does sell replacements, i believe... but i have seen some guys on Facebook Riviera forums be quite successful with shower rollers that looked to be of rather high quality.
for the memory foam- are you using ConforFoam? the aerospace original "TempurFoam" from NASA, i believe ... recently rebuilt a set of Recaros with that stuff .. Oh man... either way, any memory foam can be life changing |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 11:14 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| you might find parchment paper to be helpful |
This is a great idea! I may try spray gluing some down to one of my old lenses to see if it's a viable option. Heat isn't an issue w/the LEDs I'm using. Thx for the advice!
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 1196
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 11:35 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| deathman68 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| you might find parchment paper to be helpful |
This is a great idea! I may try spray gluing some down to one of my old lenses to see if it's a viable option. Heat isn't an issue w/the LEDs I'm using. Thx for the advice! |
Home Depot has a thin adhesive backed blur window film that would probably work well too and last forever. We've used it on a few windows for privacy and it really diffuses/blurs the light smoothly. I can't remember what it was called but was inexpensive and hasn't had any UV discolouration over 15 years of usage in direct sunlight.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 8:04 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Made some good progress this weekend. Got the gas tank installed along w/all new breather lines and shiny firewall:
Managed to quickly mock up my rad shroud and add the corresponding foam/seals to ensure that the air has no other place to go other than through the radiator. Not shown: there is closed cell (5/16"x3/4") foam surrounding the shroud where it meets the body:
This shot shows the .65" thick x .75" wide weatherstripping to seal the rad to the shroud:
Next up: Remove everything (again), clean up and install the main wiring loom, overhead insulation panels, and then reinstall.[/img]
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Got my seats back from the upholsterer.
Natural tweed inserts w/beige vinyl:
I'm super excited about how the seats turned out. Just need to replace a couple of the worn plastic bits and they will be better than new. I had a sit while reviewing wiring diagrams and happy to report that the seat warmers work great! Kept me nice and toasty in spite of the 28F garage temp. Going to save up my pennies so I can do the rear bench and upper mattress in the same pattern w/seat warmers for the bench as well.
Finished sealing off the radiator and final install along w/the fans which will be controlled by the Subaru's ECU. I spent a TON of time beautifying parts that no one will ever see...oh well:
I also got my ABS engine compartment panels installed along w/new insulation AND I mostly finished the install of the fuel system (pump, Subaru OEM filter, new fuel lines/breather hoses).
Next up: wiring 
Having to refresh my memory as to how I wired this thing when I redid the loom over two years ago! Good thing I labeled each and every wire...waiting on some professional wiring accessories to show up and I'll start getting everything wrapped and tidy.
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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Vee Dub Nut
Samba Member
Joined: April 25, 2004
Posts: 1184
Location: Dallas, GA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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Getting close, keep it up!
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Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2006
67 Beetle (TBD)
74 Transporter (EJ25 Swapped) - Build Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
See all my VW pics on Instagram @ vee_dub_nut |
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W1K1
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Joined: March 04, 2004
Posts: 4921
Location: Southern AB
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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scirocco_crazy
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Joined: March 27, 2011
Posts: 924
Location: Indiana
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notchboy
Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2002
Posts: 22463
Location: Escondido CA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:14 am Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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You happy with the tail light cover? They are sometimes hard to find ones that arnt all chapped up and warped from time. There are several in the classys that look nice.
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| t3kg wrote: |
OK, this thread is over. You win. |
Jason "notchboy" Weigel
1964 1500 S
1964 T34 S Convertible
1977 Westfalia Camper pop-top |
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deathman68
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: Annie-other Subaru Swap - Build Thread |
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| You happy with the tail light cover? |
Love the new tail light back covers...bought repro OEM quality and they fit like a glove!
Progress continues.
Got my wiring cleaned up and more than pleased w/the results. Took me three weeks to complete in spite of having already done the harness....being a perfectionist I decided to redo the whole thing...and no one will ever see it!
Also got the cruise control mocked up and new 10-wire harness (not shown) run to the front of the bus:
Had to move the bus (again) and get it up on ramps, so I made a quick time lapse for fun:
Link
Not shown: the gargantuan hill that my garage sits atop...every time I roll the bus out I have visions of it rolling all the way down to the bottom (1/4 mile straight shot into a neighbor's house)
With the bus reoriented, I got the engine stabbed in. Love this shot since it's got all our VWs in the frame!:
And subsequently discovered that the drivers side fuel rail protector hits the radiator fan shroud.
I picked up 0.25" by changing out the weatherstripping between the rad apron and apron with 1/2 pipe insulation from HD (old hot rod trick). It has better compression and is rated for 300F+:
Still not enough clearance for my liking so I went back to the drawing board. After much lamenting I landed on using a singe 12" SPAL pusher fan (without shroud). It marginally exceeds the CFM of my dual fan factory setup and will allow for 2" clearance as per the pic below:
Unfortunately, I will have to modify my freshly painted rad apron and repaint in order to pickup some clearance on the back side, but such is life when you're on the bleeding edge!
Next up: Finishing up the cooling system
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1973 Riviera “Annie”
Build Thread: 1973 Riviera+Subaru 2.5+5 Speed
EJ25+5 Speed Conversion Part/Cost Tracker |
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