My conversion uses a '92 Digifant 1800 I4.

The wall is "bashed" at a spot directly adjacent to the forward corner of
the intake manifold. The dent is about 25mm "deep" and 100mm "long" and 50mm
"high".

What is interesting though, is that it appears that the manifold would just
clear the compartment wall without resorting to the "body-bashing", but
would hit as the engine rotates on the mounts AND would be a much harder (if
not impossible) job to install the engine.

One can increase (slightly) the clearance between the manifold and the wall
on that side by shimming the left hand side engine mount. This has the
effect of rotating the engine clockwise as viewed from the rear of the van.

Conversely, when the mounts soften they allow the manifold to hit the wall
when the starter engages (sudden torque).

I am sure you must have thought of the other, albeit harder, solution...
cutting the runners off the manifold and welding on a bit of pipe to take
the place of the semi-rectangular X-section plenum that is on the stock
manifold.

Alistair

albell@uvic.ca
http://homepage.mac.com/alistairbell

'82 Westy, diesel=>I4 gas (conversion now 8 years old and still going
strong)

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on 23/2/02 9:59 PM, you  wrote:

> Volks,
> There are quite a few of you out there who have installed an 85 - 92 Golf /
> Jetta motor into their Vanagon using the Diesel motor mounts.  As most
> people know the intake manifold will not fit as it will hit the drive side
> wall of the van.  The common solution to this was to pound a dent into the
> side wall to make it fit.
>
> The question that I have is:  How deep of a dent did you have to make into
> the side wall?
>
> What I am thinking of doing is modifying the intake Golf manifold by shaving
> off 12mm to 13mm off of the surface that attaches to the head to give me
> that much more clearance against the side wall.  In doing this I will have
> to build up the aluminium around the intake runners where it enters the head
> as 13mm back from the original surface is quite thing and may not make a
> good air seal.
>
> Comments, suggestions and measurement as all welcome!
>
> David Marshall