

| Subject: | Re: Engine conversions and such...(Long and rant like) |
| From: | andrewbell |
| Date: | Thu, 28 Jun 2001 23:36:24 -0500 |
Lilley-ites... Mr. Lilly, you've made it! Retire the wrenches!! AB Chuck Mathis wrote: > Oh if ever there was a subject that needs a separate list it is conversions. > A nice safe place where people can argue and hurl insults freely. On this > list we are driving wedges right and left. > > Me, I've got a solid low mileage original 1.9L that's working just fine. > Some folks would advocate tearing this miserable piece of junk out and > replacing it with another engine. According to the Subie guys I need to use > a Japanese engine cause it is way more powerful, economical and dependable. > According to the I4 guys I should use a Golf engine cause it is way more > powerful, economical and dependable. According to the Lilley-ites (I am a > semi practicing one) I should balance, polish, coat, tweak and tune my WBX > because it is way more powerful, economical and dependable. Michael > Haywood-Sullivan is doing (maybe is done with) a fascinating 1.9L TDI > conversion that is way more powerful, economical and dependable. According > to the WBX crowd if I put anything other than a dead stock WBX in it I will > ruin the collectible value of the vehicle not to mention trashing its > precious German heritage. > > I'd really like to see some good side by side comparisons of the Subies, I4s, > TDIs and Lilleys -- solid comparisons not a lot of "My <insert engine of > choice> is way better than your <insert other engine of choice> 'cause I said > so." Would any of you guys really fess up if you spent $4K to $7K and ended > up with a piece of crap? Some times I think I spent way too much on my van > but I'm sure as hell not going to say so. > > I've wanted a Westy since the first time I saw a '67 model way back when. > First time I saw a Vanagon Westy I fell madly in love with it. Took quite a > few years before I could afford one but now I have it. Collectible value? > Don't care cause I'd have to sell it to collect. When my 1.9L gives out I > will look at options -- facts like weight, horse power, torque, fuel > enconomy, dependability, maintainability and availability will be very > important, unsubstainated opinions will not. I really could care less if a > converted van will go 85+ mph -- I don't need to do that anymore (I went 90+ > mph once in a '67 Deluxe -- scared the hell out of me). I will keep this > vehicle until we are both worthless pieces of junk. What engine I decide to > put in the back is not worth fighting over. > > We all have strong personalities that's why we have these vehicles not a > Dodge or a Ford or a Winnebago. We're not quite the same as other people. > If we spend a lot of time and energy alienating each other this list will get > real small and we'll all be a little lonelier. Our vans probably won't run > as well either. > > Chuck > '85 Wolfsburg Westy - 'Roland the Road Buffalo' > > In a message dated 6/28/01 7:55:21 PM, korkwood@SURFREE.COM writes: > > << > FWIW I get tired of the my-Subie/I4/WBX-can-kick-your > WBX/Subie/I4's-butt debates too. Probably quite a few of us out there since > there are still a lot of posts dealing with WBXs. > > Don't blame Suby or I4 for it, it's some of the WBX devotees that can't leave > the issue alone. > > Can't figure out what exactly irritates them so much about conversions so > they keep attacking anyone > > thinking diffrently... > > Leon > > 85 Subwagen Westy >>
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