1980 Riviera-turned-Waterboxer

[DjEep]

Anyone interested in a detailed run-down of how I spent the last week?

A new customer called a few weeks back with the desire to put a 1.9L setup out of an '85 into their '80, so they wouldn't "blow up the engine every time they went over the pass."

I had a heckuva week making this a reality. Took pretty much forty hours straight to piece it together, broken up only by sleep and an emergency trip to the dentist, and slightly slowed by the flu and recovery from the tooth-yoinkin'.

Tried my best to do it "right", using as much of the original wiring of both the van and the new engine as possible, installing the radiator and rear heater core in as near-factory fashion as I could manage. Did not install the front heater core, per customer's wish, as it would have been another umpteen hours labor cost to pull the dash and plumb/wire/cable a late model heater box.

Only part I couldn't do myself was tacking on the upper radiator mount, which took a friend with a welder about 10 minutes. Soon enough though, getting a welder...

I took a buncha pictures and measurements and stuff.

Now we're plotting how to stick a 2.1 into a '79 we have sittin' around, without making it look or act like a bastard.

[dingo]

How does the Wasser 1.9 or 2.1 match up to Bay...as far as flywheel, starter, bellhousing etc.. ???

i like the idea very much...look forward to some pics

[tristessa]

How does the Wasser 1.9 or 2.1 match up to Bay...as far as flywheel, starter, bellhousing etc.. ???

i like the idea very much...look forward to some pics

With an 091 box ('76-'79) it should bolt straight in with the Wasser clutch and everything. '72-'75 will either need the 091 bellhousing or reuse teh 210/215mm flywheel/clutch from the T4 engine. '68-'71 would be the same with a WBX as with a T4 swap as far as flywheel & clutch go.

Automatic and WBX should bolt right together regardless of year. =)

[luftvagon]

How did you overcome the issue of transmission being further up and away from the engine bay?

[DjEep]

I didn't notice any problem mounting the engine, the mustache bar bolts lined right up and everything. What I did notice is that the bottom rear of an A/C van is about 2" longer than a W/C van. Solved that issue with a piece of 3" galv z-flashing, filled the gap between the muffler guard and body perfectly.

It was a little tight in the area of the AFM, as I could have cut the forward wall a bit to make more room for the radiator hoses there, but in the interest of time, I just left it.

Only bod mods needed were removing the curved corners of the rear end of the engine bay and cutting out a hole for the lower grill, which I did by hand with a tape measure, dry erase marker, die grinder and drill, then touched up with matched terra cotta enamel. Oh, and the aforementioned radiator mount, which was donated by the '85 and took a drill to remove and a couple tack welds to reinstall.

[tristessa]

and cutting out a hole for the lower grill, which I did by hand with a tape measure, dry erase marker, die grinder and drill, then touched up with matched terra cotta enamel.

I've seen a couple of air-to-water Vanagon swaps done where they only had the upper grill and never cut out the lower opening, and they seemed to cool fine. I think most of them were diesel OTOH, and I think those are supposed to run cooler...

[hambone]

That is lame. Why not just buy a later Vanagon?

[Amskeptic]

That is lame. Why not just buy a later Vanagon?

Well Bob, you see . . . . people are people. There's been a sighting of a Volvo turbo engine-powered farm tractor 'round here.
ColinBemusedAtTheCircus

[tristessa]

There's been a sighting of a Volvo turbo engine-powered farm tractor 'round here.

I'm pretty sure the tractor *is* a Volvo, and that the video was shot in Sweden.

[DjEep]

That is lame. Why not just buy a later Vanagon?

Probably because they like their bus. It's a pretty cool Rivi setup, and has an awesome 70's style airbrush stripe down the side with a small cowboy mural in it. And it was cheaper than a comparable '84+.

I am much happier about putting a waterboxer in a well-loved early Vanagon than a Stupuru in anything. The thing was designed for it. It's quite obvious from the design of the body, such as the holes in the frame rails for the coolant lines and the giant space up front obviously designed for a radiator. They built the thing to take a waterboxer knowing that they had to get a new body style out for safety and aesthetic reasons before they were ready with the engine technology.

And yes, the diesels are as cold blooded as Cheney. There's a reason the Canandian diesel Westies came with a BN-4. The waterboxers are fairly cold blooded too, what with 4 gallons of coolant, 60 feet of hose and three radiators cooling a piddly little 2 liter engine.

[Amskeptic]

The waterboxers are fairly cold blooded too, what with 4 gallons of coolant, 60 feet of hose and three radiators cooling a piddly little 2 liter engine.

Funny you should mention that, I posted a picture of my Vanagon GL's cross-country trek in 1991 when it hit 43* below zero at 2 AM near Cheyenne, WY. The dual heater cores did fine if you kept moving. Only medium air speed would allow the transfer of heat to give you a warm sensation-but-cold-creep from the windows and sides. High speed would give you a less satisfying sensation of heat but it would help prevent that cold incursion.

[DjEep]

yup, looks like wyoming. I bet the thermo never even opened, it was all the beast could do to keep those cores "warm".