..'76 Baywindow...briefly EJ20T now going superfly Tdi

So my main project has had to be put on the back burner as this has to come first ........



After braking down one to many times it was time for a different approach .............


















2 litre Subaru turbo .............







petrol tank is now out as well, just got to wait for my new bell housing so i can mount the lump in for the rest of the fabrication work to begin..


This afternoon is gonna be spent stripping back the wiring loom:cry:

It's been a while but...

Cut in a t3 hatch for easier access



Rjes bell housing.........



was hoping to get the gearbox bracket done this weekend and have the engine sitting in situ.....sadly it never happened

Also got to weld these into the original bus tank



everyone likes shiny things......



Manifold has got to be cut here and there to re-locate the turbo as it originally sits behind the engine..in the bus that will in croach on the firewall and the petrol tank

so it's going to be somewhere like this

looks like as fine project there sir will be interested to see updates

Cheers dude , i was beginning to wonder if i'd done something wrong.. over 100 views and not a single comment ,good or bad.....

looking good dude should be nice with that lump in it, reliable and quick. What power is it standard and are you going for more or keeping standard for reliability? Gonna sound nice too .

oh yeah and what you doing for cooling?

Hey, from what i can make out they are 200bhp standard :pale: , so untill i can get an uprated gearbox ( even the later 2 litre bay boxes are going for around the £400 mark ) im going to have to be pretty light footed, not to mention the non servo 'have to stand up on the pedal to slow down' brakes taking a battering.....

Ideally i just wanted a 2.2 non turbo, but i was on ebay one night and this was a bargain buy it now.......and i just wanted the sound of a bloody great dirty dump valve:twisted: ..

Cooling wise ive got a big 'ol jag radiator that's going underneath with a scoop....

Best thing to do with old air cooled cars, fit reliable water cooled motors

Keep up the good work fella

I was going to ask why you didn't fit a subura NA engine, I can appreciate what your doing I just think its a bit of a waste in a camper. Very nicely though done I wish I had the time and patience on something as large as a camper

CaddyRage wrote:

Best thing to do with old air cooled cars, fit reliable water cooled motors

Keep up the good work fella

but unreliable aircooled engine are way more fun

glad to see your going the rjes way, mate of ours got mixed up with a tsr conversion, not good least your can run the subaru starter now and from what we have seen from rjes its all good quality gear. get your rad well sorted as our mate had a lot of trouble with colling his

billybug wrote:

but unreliable aircooled engine are way more fun

Not when you've got young kids and an irrate missus they're not


Ive heard a few nightmare storys to do with the tsr conversions...not good when your paying 6 large for it .. The Rjes stuff is quality and just as importantly he'll help you out no matter how many emails you throw at him to do with the complete conversion...

I know what you mean pinky..it is alot that wont get used...but it was sooo cheap i couldn't let it pass

Nearly finished the gearbox mount, so hopefully have the engine in before the new year

it will be a beast you will get to blow some chavs away in a vw camper thats my idea of fun!

One sweet project mate, looks like its gonna be a tight squeeze lol.

Cant wait to hear it tear past!

you have pulled your finger out then and done some work, more than me ay, im slacking big time,

i was behind you yesterday at the traffic lights outside the worx aka the jobcentre,

u have a good xmas?

Remy you old git, how you doing?....you wernt behind me dude, must of been the missus, i was laid up with flu......

My god it's been nearly a month doesn't time fly ..... So then, now the festive shenanigans are well and truly over ( i had flu for most of it ) it's time to get a move on.....

welded the swirl pot into the tank.....



Then using the section of subaru tank that held the swirl pot i sealed it up.........well after cutting in the mounting for the fuel pump



Due to the subaru tank being deeper i had to shorten the length of the pump........



Then ground back the welds and double checked that there were no holes before using a little etch primer to see off any rust before i paint next week..



hopefully by then i'll have the tank lining and get that part done and out of the way......
Also chopped and re welded the gearbox hanger, although im not overly happy with it and may change it a little......

oh tried to get the clutch shaft fitted................... only i got the wrong size repair kit

Some more slow progress today...

Wanted to finish the tank off today but the weather had other ideas ....... so i put that to one side and played around with the gearbox hanger...
Couldn't manage to track down a standard 20mm cross shaft repair kit so went with an after market urethane jobbie.... which was a little over sized and needed a light sanding ( with the angle grinder ).... Subaru clutch bearing then went in..
Then trail fitted the box back in the van....
forgot the camera this morning so sub standard phone pics



..There would have been a lot more done only.................... i've left these bits in a 'safe' place.....and now can't find them.... the bearing is for the flywheel so has to go in first before the clutch can be fitted and the engine in the van

oh well, hopefully have the engine in next weekend...... if i get the re-ordered bit's in time..

Good day today, well better than usual as i didn't have a hangover ..... The parts turned up in time so it was all systems go......

The input shafts are different between the subaru and the vw , you can now get specially made shafts if you want to run a subaru or aftermarket clutch if you want to run BIG power...........I don't* ,i think 200bhp is enough for a bus and went with a 228mm vw friction plate......

So bearing in, plate in ...then connect up..


mounted up in it's new home....... well not totally, gearbox is mounted just got to create an engine support bar ( or if i can't do it, buy the Rjes one)


Because the turbo clutch runs opposite (it pushes rather than pulls) i have to run a hydraulic set up (just a little bit more grief to over come then )


Then couldn't resist seeing a bit of shiny ..........was hoping just to have to modify the next section that runs to the turbo, but the pipe work is hanging far to low and i dont think i'll have much if any ground clearance once it's off the ramps



*....Yeah right would love more, but dont have the funds that are needed

good work fella, its guna be immense when you get it done.

cheers dude.. ....

So, today......
Was supposed to get some box section off a mate ........ but i forgot to let him know

So came up with a plan....

Original late bay bar, turned upside down , a little grinder work



with the original mounts moved back...and hey presto........... still need to weld two plates to it for the engine mounts to sit

its getting there, should be cool when its done! theres been a scooby sat idling outside my house for the last 20 mins and they do sound rather nice

Had to work saturday and only got half a day in today...not happy..

Anyway.........more on the engine bar, spent most of the time underneath the engine measuring................... then re-measuring and still getting it wrong

After a lot of cutting and grinding( love my grinder ) i ended up with this





Wasn't ( and still not really) happy with the corners, so added a bit of support.....may add side angles next week



Just have to wait and see if my welding (and the welder only being 90amp) is up to the job.... :pale:

...oh and my eldest daughter has told me it's got to be painted pink.....

looks good fella fair play on taking on such a big task. My mate works at a garage in exning that does this especially, been down the yard in one or two of them, certainly puts a smile across the face with the dump valve . Keep up the good work!

the welds look ok fella, and the way that plate is attached it should be strong enough. you could put some angles on the corners for peace of mind but it should be strong enough.

cheers guys ....

i think im going to add some angles at the weekend just for piece of mind..

when it's cold and everything is going wrong, i have to stop and just remind myself.....it's all about the dump valve.....

Coming alone nicely! Good work on the engine bar, was gonna say either turn your welder up abit or slow your wire feed down alittle.

I so wanna hear this on the road!