Eric, not suprized about the lawsuits considering your brash,
tell-it-like-it-is nature.
You are very right, anybody considering a swap should be handy, you are
married to it.  Farming the work out is for the indepently wealthy.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Zeno" <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 11:03 PM
Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?

> Pat,
>    You got it right.... all except the tight wad part.  There are
> times when I've had the Sh^t sued out from under me. I never know
> what is next, and no sense keeping it because someone, is going to
> spend more money on you for a lawyer and win. .....re a...no one
> wins in a law suite...its who loses less, in legal fees.
>    Anyway, I did put some time and homemade parts in mine. Well
> worth it.   Gives you braggin rights. Re-wiring is fun. Weeding out
> the bugs 100 miles away from your tool box is the next big fun thing.
>     Any engine swap will have problems.  No one should do this
> unless they are personally going to be involved. Forget paying
> someone to do the work.  It will no get done right, and the cost is not
> worth it.  If your going to pay some one, still to the original engine
> its cheaper.
>
>             Eric                   86-VW4x4
>             vw4x4@fyi.net          86-SS Syncro
>             Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler
>                                    92-Jetta GWC
>             www.fyi.net/~vw4x4/vw4x4.htm
>
> On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, pat wrote:
>
> > Get the Kennedy Kit for $500, buy a Jetta parts car with Digifant motor
> > complete for $200.
> > Sell the remaining Jetta parts for 3-$400.
> > Thats where I'm at now.  Probably got about 2-$300 invested in it.
> > Mig welded a motor carrier, $20 in scrap steel.
> > Got the exhaust from an old Volvo, cut the pipes and elbows to fit the
> > Vanagon.  Did I mention how much owning a MIG welder helps?
> >
> > I'm not done yet, but all the parts are there waiting for me to get to
it.
> > If you are a tighwad like me or Eric, you can get this done for less
than a
> > grand.   Hell, I saw a Vanagon in the junkyard with KEP adapter and
rabbit
> > motor ready to go.  Probably could of got everything for $200.
> > Even if you have to buy KEP new, still not bad.  The only thing that
cost
> > the big bucks is the adapter kit.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Stan Wilder" <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 3:04 PM
> > Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?
> >
> >
> > > That's really great!
> > > Please explain to the other 1400 list members how they can get the
same
> > > deal.
> > >
> > > Stan
> > >
> > >   -----Original Message-----
> > >   From: vw4x4@fyi.net [mailto:vw4x4@fyi.net]
> > >   Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 1:11 PM
> > >   To: Stan Wilder
> > >   Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > >   Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?
> > >
> > >
> > >   Stan...etal,
> > >        MY complete engine swap cost less than $1000.00.
> > >                                                   Eric
> > >
> > >   Stan Wilder wrote:
> > >
> > > If you're going to do an engine swap you need to love your Vanagon
> > somewhere
> > > between $3000.00 and $10,000 worth.
> > > The least expensive is a half life Subaru engine conversion that
normally
> > > runs $3000.00 by the time it's completed.
> > > I don't know anything about Tiico conversions but I think the complete
> > setup
> > > can be $7500.00
> > > If you've got a 5000 pound + Westy you can consider that it weighs as
much
> > > as a 2004 Full Sized Extended Cab 3/4 Ton Dodge Pickup truck with
around
> > 260
> > > HP.
> > > Your power isn't going to impress anybody but you.
> > >
> > > Stan Wilder
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
> > > Of David Brodbeck
> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 12:26 PM
> > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > > Subject: Re: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....?
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, tomdurkin wrote:
> > >
> > >   The Volvo B-230 is exactly what you say, and it can easily
> > > last 400,000 miles or more with routine maintainance.  I
> > > believe the other options mentioned in this thread cannot
> > > make that claim.  I would be very interested in more
> > > information about this conversion, I can see a intercooled
> > > B-230FT with 180 hp moving a Vanagon up hill very nicely.
> > >
> > > Unfortunately I don't have more information about it; I just know that
> > > Kennedy Engineering makes (or used to make?) an adapter plate.  You'd
be
> > > on your own for engine mounts, but at least the Volvo mount system is
> > > pretty simple.  You could probably fab something up using carrier
bars,
> > > similar to what a VW diesel Vanagon uses.  Exhaust shouldn't be too
big a
> > > challenge, just bend some pipe to route from the Volvo manifold around
to
> > > a single muffler in the rear, like the diesels use.  If you can make
the
> > > muffler mounts part of the engine mounts, as VW did for the diesel, or
> > > mount them to the engine block, you avoid having to use any flex
pipes.
> > >
> > > I have no idea if the engine would fit under the decklid.
> > >
> > > I think the sole advantage a B230 would have over a VW inline 4 is low
end
> > > grunt.  It's the torquiest I-4 I've driven.  It reminds me a lot of a
> > > 4-cyl boxer engine that way.  When you're moving a heavy van, having a
> > > torque peak at relatively low RPM is important.
> > >
> > >
> > > David Brodbeck, N8SRE
> > > '82 Volkswagen Diesel Westfalia
> > > '86 Volvo 240DL wagon
> > >
> >
>