Vanagon engine into a air cooled bus

[bussman]

I saw in Hot VWs magazine a Subaru engine into a 60's era Bus.
Has anybody put a Vanagon water cooled engine into an air cooled bus?
I know the engine will fit just looking for info on where to put the cooling.  :?:

[prez]

Why would one do that??  I have a '70's era bus with w 2.L golf-it's less work, easier to keep alive, too.

[bussman]

I just happen to have a 2.1 L vanagon engine laying around so I thought I might use it for heat in the winter. What did you do for the radiator? I think it will work under the main floor just need to fabricate some duct work. Looking for Ideas.

[beebrew]

I would think twice before doing a 2.1 in your rig. It would be a real mutt, and the 2.1 is an expensive engine to keep going. I have an 88 with a 2.1. VW went through great hoops to plumb a complicated cooling system that really is a pain. If your present engine works well, how about a propex heater instead?

[beebrew]

I just noticed an entry on Limbo's Facebook page related to Vanagon cooling systems. Take a look, to see how hard it is to keep an existing system in working order. John Reynolds's entry on June 4th

[Vanagonjr]

John Reynolds here - yeah, I'd pick any engine except a 2.1 (or a 1.9). My beef with the engine is the huge amount of small pain in the butt hoses and then aging plastic components in the cooling systems.  

Several people have put water cooled in Bay window busses.  The slickest radiator set-up I ever saw was mounted in a fake spare wheel on the front.  It looked like a tire with a cover on it, only the front was a chrome or stainless mesh, outer band was chrome or shiny metal.  Looked like a spare tire with a hard cover on it.

or put it on the roof - see http://www.blabberon.com/picts.html

John

[danieljones2006]

I have always loved Volkswagen. What beautiful German Quality Engineering they bring it in cars.

[MrLiMBO]

There may be enough room in the engine bay to install a Fox radiator.  I'd mount it on the frame rail so the air coming in from the upper scoop forces the air through it.  

Once I did a quick tape measure and it seems like it will fit.  I'm also thinking that the road draft will help pull air through the radiator.

[bussman]

Thanks for the info. I'm restoring the body now but I do want to put the 2.1 vanagon engine into the bus. The one in Hot vw's had it under the floor but no pictures of the mounting. I will do some measuring for the fox and similar size radiator.

[MrLiMBO]

You didn't say what year your bus was.   A while back I did some investigation to put in a waterboxer engine in a Bay bus.  If you have a 68-71 bus, the engine, should mount in with out any mods to frame.  If you reuse the air cooled engine mount, it should bolt to the waterboxer and mount to its original spot on the frame. You may have to do some cutting of the sheet metal around the engine.  

If its a late bay, 72 and up, you may have to do some mods.  My thought was to modify the frame to accept the early bay engine carrier and mount the engine as I explained in for the 68-71 bus.  You may be able to modify the late bay engine carrier to mount to the waterboxer engine.   You may still have to modify the frame slightly to mount the carrier.

I'd like to see if completed.  Seems like the bus should move along quite nicely.  Although, I thought the later bay type 4 engine moved the bus along well enough.

Good luck.

[bussman]

My bus is a first year 1972. '71 body with 1700 type 4 engine. I have had a 1600cc engine in it when I was rebuilding the 1700.
I will modify the bracket and frame for the 2.1 watercooled. My biggest puzzle is the cooling. I would like to mount the radiator under the main floor at a slight angle with some duct work to direct the air flow through the radiator and down under the bus. That is how the bus in hot vw's mag. had it only they didn't show any pictures.
Maybe I will get some ideas at TransporterFest this weekend.

[daavidfischer]

I am not sure if that is feasible. Even if it is, i am having a hard time figuring out a reason to do something like that. But I cannot stop myself in appreciating you on your efforts and hard work. Keep up the god work.


Thanks
http://www.newagelessmale.com