Just some comments...

Am 11.02.2009 22:40, Scott Daniel - Turbovans schrieb:
> He spent.......you know........about 5 grand on that conversion,
> perhaps a
> bit more. Twice what the westy he put it in cost.
>

Okay, I donb�t know the usual conversion costs for an AAZ in the US, but
I would say this is a really HUGE price.
In Germany, AAZ conversion are quite common, the people are pleased with
them (in comparison to the stock diesel).
Engine sell at approx. 1000US-Dollar. Adding the conversion costs gives
a total of max 3000Dollar (if a diesel Vanagon gets converted, gasoline
maybe plus 500).
If you can do this conversion by yourself, its max 2000Dollar.

> got about a good year and a half out of it.
> The engine 'overheated' or somehow failed with a rental customer
> driving it.
> I asked him about it just last night even ...........the head is
> completey
> trashed.
> he put a waterboxer back in.

Okay, the customer might even break the WBX. Maybe in th US the costs
might be lower, WBX can be bought at every street corner, I guess.
I think you can�t blame the AAZ failing. A stock Diesel (JX) might have
failed, too.

>
> diesel engines can do harm to themselvses in ways that gasoline engines
> can't ........like a bad injector causing damage in a combustion chamber.

I wrecked two gasoline engines with a stuck-open injector. Tough crap...

>
> they are an interferece design and have a critical timing belt.....

The timing belt does indeed cause more damage if it fails. But
nevertheless, gasoline engines ghet damaged, too, by a failing belt (WBX
excluded).
If the Vanagon had an inline 4 engine, the damage would be huge, too.

>
> the subaru diesel may have some 'not vanagon' friendly
> characteristics.........like CAN BUS electronics,
> and a too low turbo location for syncro's and off road use.........but
> turbo's can be moved too. They're only 2 liters also.
>

CAN would be a problem in the Vanagon. Needs a lot of adapting and
implementing of other electric stuff.
Ok, I did that, but only because I wanted to. I would have never
installed the V6 TDI if I had not the chance to implement the instrument
cluster, etc.

Diesel have their disadvantages, but gas engine have theirs, too.

Nevermind

Regards
Raimund