snwbrdr435
Member
Any updates to this thing?
Volkswagen Vanagon 4x4 Conversion.
- Thread starter vwhammer
- Start date
vwhammer
Adventurer
Nope not yet.
No physical stuff anyway.
Like an idiot I bought another Vanagon and I am in the process of going through it to use as a daily driver.
Once that is done (hopefully in the next month or two) I will get back to the 4x4.
In my spare time I have been doing a little design work on the output of my Subaru trans so I can reverse the output and move it down.
As may be evident in my last few post in this thread there have been and will soon be a lot of design changes in the layout of things.
After working with my original design and getting some of it mounted I was not pleased with the layout.
I have since decided to ditch a lot of that and go back to one of the ideas that I mentioned way early in this thread.
Anyway it will all make sense once I get back to it and, with the new game plan and having some parts made ahead of time, I hope that it will progress more quickly than it has in the past.
In the meantime if you are bored and/or interested you can check out my 2wd Vanagon build.
https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...ittle-van-daily-vanagon-adventure-rig.198832/
Until next time.
No physical stuff anyway.
Like an idiot I bought another Vanagon and I am in the process of going through it to use as a daily driver.
Once that is done (hopefully in the next month or two) I will get back to the 4x4.
In my spare time I have been doing a little design work on the output of my Subaru trans so I can reverse the output and move it down.
As may be evident in my last few post in this thread there have been and will soon be a lot of design changes in the layout of things.
After working with my original design and getting some of it mounted I was not pleased with the layout.
I have since decided to ditch a lot of that and go back to one of the ideas that I mentioned way early in this thread.
Anyway it will all make sense once I get back to it and, with the new game plan and having some parts made ahead of time, I hope that it will progress more quickly than it has in the past.
In the meantime if you are bored and/or interested you can check out my 2wd Vanagon build.
https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...ittle-van-daily-vanagon-adventure-rig.198832/
Until next time.
snwbrdr435
Member
Still interested in progress on this thing.
Interested as well. I liked the size of our Vanagon, but the drivetrain, brakes, trans, etc was not up to the task of what it could carry and dealing with modern road speeds (at least not without throwing ~$20-30k at it). 80 series axles under one would be the bastard love child of both of my previous rigs, would love to see this complete!
Subaru made a H-6 Engine in the mid 90's (I think) to be use on a car (sorry don't remember the model, the one with the "Dual window" for the front) had a Time chain and very simple electronics/sensors, etc so is easy to adapt..
Personally I have a 2002 H6 Outback and that engine is very bulletproof and deliver a very nice power band..
vwhammer
Adventurer
Sorry no new progress as of late.
It's still happening but it's just moving real slowly.
I ran into a snag with my 2WD Vanagon build, that I am currently working on, when I discovered that my transmission was trashed.
It took nearly 4 months to track down a good trans which slowed down that van build a bit.
Until the 2WD is out of the garage I have no room to work on the 4WD.
Anyway the plan is to have the 2WD done late june early july and resume work on the 4WD.
I have done a lot of redesign work on the 4WD and have a pretty good game plan on how to proceed so, fingers crossed, the build should move along at a better pace than recently.
On another note, I believe the car that ricardo is speaking of is the SVX that had a 3.3 H6.
It did make 230-240 hp but had a habit of destroying the transmission that it was attached to.
They still had belt driven timing.
I have considered one of these engines off and on for some time but I already had the 2.2 so decided to run that.
If I ever shoot for more power, I would prefer a turbo set up so power loss at higher elevations if not as drastic.
It's still happening but it's just moving real slowly.
I ran into a snag with my 2WD Vanagon build, that I am currently working on, when I discovered that my transmission was trashed.
It took nearly 4 months to track down a good trans which slowed down that van build a bit.
Until the 2WD is out of the garage I have no room to work on the 4WD.
Anyway the plan is to have the 2WD done late june early july and resume work on the 4WD.
I have done a lot of redesign work on the 4WD and have a pretty good game plan on how to proceed so, fingers crossed, the build should move along at a better pace than recently.
On another note, I believe the car that ricardo is speaking of is the SVX that had a 3.3 H6.
It did make 230-240 hp but had a habit of destroying the transmission that it was attached to.
They still had belt driven timing.
I have considered one of these engines off and on for some time but I already had the 2.2 so decided to run that.
If I ever shoot for more power, I would prefer a turbo set up so power loss at higher elevations if not as drastic.
snwbrdr435
Member
Any updates to this?
vwhammer
Adventurer
I wish I could say there were updates but I have none.
Been working on my 2wd van and the 4x4 has been pushed to the side.
The good news is that the 2wd is nearly finished and I have gathered a few more of the good parts for the 4x4 build.
I do need to build a motorcycle sometime soon but my primary goal is to get the garage set up to work on the 4x4 as soon as the 2wd is outta the shop.
I know it's been a long time coming but it's still happening.
Been working on my 2wd van and the 4x4 has been pushed to the side.
The good news is that the 2wd is nearly finished and I have gathered a few more of the good parts for the 4x4 build.
I do need to build a motorcycle sometime soon but my primary goal is to get the garage set up to work on the 4x4 as soon as the 2wd is outta the shop.
I know it's been a long time coming but it's still happening.
vwhammer
Adventurer
Well crap guys and gals I have my work cut out for me.
My wife and I will be moving to Colorado in March and I need to get this thing running and driving at the very least.
We will have a garage at the new place but it would be ideal if the van could be driven under it's own power to make moving it and moving it around here and out west that much easier.
I have done some design work on the new 4 link set up that I will be using and have purchased most of the joints that will be used for that so I feel like I can knock that out pretty quickly.
Finally have a local place to get steel so I don't have to wait 5 days for steel shipments.
I have made some changes in the way the transfer case is going to be laid out so I think I am just going to build a much more simple tubular transfer case mount since I don't need it to support my control arm mounts as it did in the previous design.
The main thing that needs to happen first is getting the engine and trans mounted up so I can see if my axle clears the trans.
After that I will be hitting up Front Range Off Road with all my dimensions in the hopes that they can build my new rear axle and have it too me in time to install it and drive.
I will carry on with the 4 link build using my mock up axle so at the very least I can have it rolling in the event that it is not rolling AND running.
Even if it was running and drivable I will likely not be driving it out west.
I simply want to make it so I don't have to drag a suspension-less chassis up on a trailer but driving it on the trailer would be ideal.
Anyway it's make-it-or-break-it time.
I have no plans to half-****** the build but I may not make things as tidy as I would like.
All of the details can all be squared up at a later date when I have more time.
If this build interests you then stay tuned because there should be a flurry of activity in the next 8 to 10 weeks.
Wish me luck.
My wife and I will be moving to Colorado in March and I need to get this thing running and driving at the very least.
We will have a garage at the new place but it would be ideal if the van could be driven under it's own power to make moving it and moving it around here and out west that much easier.
I have done some design work on the new 4 link set up that I will be using and have purchased most of the joints that will be used for that so I feel like I can knock that out pretty quickly.
Finally have a local place to get steel so I don't have to wait 5 days for steel shipments.
I have made some changes in the way the transfer case is going to be laid out so I think I am just going to build a much more simple tubular transfer case mount since I don't need it to support my control arm mounts as it did in the previous design.
The main thing that needs to happen first is getting the engine and trans mounted up so I can see if my axle clears the trans.
After that I will be hitting up Front Range Off Road with all my dimensions in the hopes that they can build my new rear axle and have it too me in time to install it and drive.
I will carry on with the 4 link build using my mock up axle so at the very least I can have it rolling in the event that it is not rolling AND running.
Even if it was running and drivable I will likely not be driving it out west.
I simply want to make it so I don't have to drag a suspension-less chassis up on a trailer but driving it on the trailer would be ideal.
Anyway it's make-it-or-break-it time.
I have no plans to half-****** the build but I may not make things as tidy as I would like.
All of the details can all be squared up at a later date when I have more time.
If this build interests you then stay tuned because there should be a flurry of activity in the next 8 to 10 weeks.
Wish me luck.
vwhammer
Adventurer
(hard sigh)
Regretfully this van is gone.
I have been feeling nostalgic lately and that always gets me thinking about the things that could have been.
I also think of simpler times.
I used to live in a small college town in one of the poorest counties in Ohio.
I worked a pointless 9 to 5 job with zero opportunity for advancement.
Living in a small town with little to do outside of work left me with free time to work on any of the fun projects I could dream up.
This van was one of those projects.
This van not only could have been but should have been.
It was very sad to watch some scrappies* drag the stripped-out shell up onto an 8-foot trailer attached to the bumper of an early Ford Ranger.
-*scrappies: a term coined for one (or ones) who collects free scrap metal to exchange at a metal recycling facility for cash-
We then had to pile all the other scrap that I had on-site into the front floorboard area of the shell and in the bed of the truck so the back tires of the truck would actually stay on the ground.
Alas, I watched them do their final cinch on the single two-inch ratchet strap holding the van shell on the trailer, move some bits around in the bed to get some more weight on the rear wheels and head off.
I watched them roll down my driveway with the back of the van more or less dragging the ground and set off into the heat and humidity that is Ohio in July.
I had big plans for this build.
I probably mentioned in this thread that the plan was to make this a system that people could buy.
The hopes were that anyone could take any Vanagon, do the engine and trans swap of their choice, bolt on a few suspension mounting points and away they go in their new 4-linked, solid-axled, proper 4x4 Vanagon.
My ambition was quickly squashed by my lack of funds.
My motivation was snuffed by some failed designs.
Ultimately the project was stopped in its tracks by a move from Ohio to Colorado where I would have virtually zero space to work on such a project.
The decision was made to let this project go and move on.
With all of that said, not all is lost.
That tale leads us to where we are now.
During a hiatus in the 4x4 build vanagon build, I found myself wanting a simpler camp rig project.
Maybe just a thing I could do a little interior camp build-out a bit of maintenance and hit the ground running.
As a fan of the Vanagon, it only seemed natural to find a runner and roll with it as is.
With Vanagon dreams stuck in my head, I scoured the nets for the best cheap Vanagon I could find.
For those not in the know, "cheap" and "Vanagon" are two terms one should never combine when thinking of a new vehicle.
Anyway, I searched and found what I was looking for.
For three kilodollars I picked up this unit in running, driving condition.
For the full story on how good of a deal my new cheap Vanagon was you can read my other thread here.
forum.expeditionportal.com
For those not wanting to read up on that, the CliffsNotes version is that the van was complete garbage and needed damn near everything to make it even remotely what I needed.
I did a bunch of work on it while we still lived in Ohio then paid the bucks to have it shipped from Ohio to our new place in Boulder CO. where it sat outside for a few months.
I dragged it to a friend's shop in the mountains where I hoped to wrap it up.
It ended up just sitting outside most of the time it was up there until I brought it back down when we finally purchased a house that had some garage space.
It's basically been parked in the garage for two and a half years while life whirls around it.
So...
Now that we are all caught up what am I getting at?
I still have all the parts I bought or built for the 4x4 Vanagon project.
I have custom axles and suspension bits.
I have a transfer case and a new design for a custom suspension.
I have a Vanagon that is just sitting there collecting dust.
I also have a new, more modern idea for a drivetrain that I have been dying to put in something.
Why not combine the two projects into one and get something on the road.
I am a bit too far into the 2wd build to simply rip all of that out and do the 4x4 build.
The idea is to get the 2wd version running and drivable so I can prove all the parts are functional and reliable.
I will then part out the bits I don't need.
The engine, trans and suspension will all be up for grabs.
This will leave me with a kinda crusty van that will get all the 4x4 bits and updated designs so I can have what I want.
It might not be the sorted kit that I hoped to sell but for now I am OK with that.
As I mentioned, this shell is kind of crusty and, as such, I am not afraid to cut away at it some.
I will clearance for the drivetrain and tires as I see fit and just put something together that works.
I'm not thinking so much about a production-level product at this point.
This will be a custom build. I want it together and drivable.
I'm going to park my ego and OCD outback so it doesn't get in the way and just get something on the road.
Honestly, for what I want to do with this rig, the less nice it is the better.
Regretfully this van is gone.
I have been feeling nostalgic lately and that always gets me thinking about the things that could have been.
I also think of simpler times.
I used to live in a small college town in one of the poorest counties in Ohio.
I worked a pointless 9 to 5 job with zero opportunity for advancement.
Living in a small town with little to do outside of work left me with free time to work on any of the fun projects I could dream up.
This van was one of those projects.
This van not only could have been but should have been.
It was very sad to watch some scrappies* drag the stripped-out shell up onto an 8-foot trailer attached to the bumper of an early Ford Ranger.
-*scrappies: a term coined for one (or ones) who collects free scrap metal to exchange at a metal recycling facility for cash-
We then had to pile all the other scrap that I had on-site into the front floorboard area of the shell and in the bed of the truck so the back tires of the truck would actually stay on the ground.
Alas, I watched them do their final cinch on the single two-inch ratchet strap holding the van shell on the trailer, move some bits around in the bed to get some more weight on the rear wheels and head off.
I watched them roll down my driveway with the back of the van more or less dragging the ground and set off into the heat and humidity that is Ohio in July.
I had big plans for this build.
I probably mentioned in this thread that the plan was to make this a system that people could buy.
The hopes were that anyone could take any Vanagon, do the engine and trans swap of their choice, bolt on a few suspension mounting points and away they go in their new 4-linked, solid-axled, proper 4x4 Vanagon.
My ambition was quickly squashed by my lack of funds.
My motivation was snuffed by some failed designs.
Ultimately the project was stopped in its tracks by a move from Ohio to Colorado where I would have virtually zero space to work on such a project.
The decision was made to let this project go and move on.
With all of that said, not all is lost.
That tale leads us to where we are now.
During a hiatus in the 4x4 build vanagon build, I found myself wanting a simpler camp rig project.
Maybe just a thing I could do a little interior camp build-out a bit of maintenance and hit the ground running.
As a fan of the Vanagon, it only seemed natural to find a runner and roll with it as is.
With Vanagon dreams stuck in my head, I scoured the nets for the best cheap Vanagon I could find.
For those not in the know, "cheap" and "Vanagon" are two terms one should never combine when thinking of a new vehicle.
Anyway, I searched and found what I was looking for.
For three kilodollars I picked up this unit in running, driving condition.
For the full story on how good of a deal my new cheap Vanagon was you can read my other thread here.
Project Little Van - Daily Vanagon/Adventure Rig
Ok. I know that some of you may have been and maybe still are following my 4x4 Vanagon conversion. Things are still progressing on that but, much like my other van, I came across a "cheap" Vanagon that was not too far away and was "running and drivable". As a glutton for punishment I thought...
forum.expeditionportal.com
For those not wanting to read up on that, the CliffsNotes version is that the van was complete garbage and needed damn near everything to make it even remotely what I needed.
I did a bunch of work on it while we still lived in Ohio then paid the bucks to have it shipped from Ohio to our new place in Boulder CO. where it sat outside for a few months.
I dragged it to a friend's shop in the mountains where I hoped to wrap it up.
It ended up just sitting outside most of the time it was up there until I brought it back down when we finally purchased a house that had some garage space.
It's basically been parked in the garage for two and a half years while life whirls around it.
So...
Now that we are all caught up what am I getting at?
I still have all the parts I bought or built for the 4x4 Vanagon project.
I have custom axles and suspension bits.
I have a transfer case and a new design for a custom suspension.
I have a Vanagon that is just sitting there collecting dust.
I also have a new, more modern idea for a drivetrain that I have been dying to put in something.
Why not combine the two projects into one and get something on the road.
I am a bit too far into the 2wd build to simply rip all of that out and do the 4x4 build.
The idea is to get the 2wd version running and drivable so I can prove all the parts are functional and reliable.
I will then part out the bits I don't need.
The engine, trans and suspension will all be up for grabs.
This will leave me with a kinda crusty van that will get all the 4x4 bits and updated designs so I can have what I want.
It might not be the sorted kit that I hoped to sell but for now I am OK with that.
As I mentioned, this shell is kind of crusty and, as such, I am not afraid to cut away at it some.
I will clearance for the drivetrain and tires as I see fit and just put something together that works.
I'm not thinking so much about a production-level product at this point.
This will be a custom build. I want it together and drivable.
I'm going to park my ego and OCD outback so it doesn't get in the way and just get something on the road.
Honestly, for what I want to do with this rig, the less nice it is the better.
Farfrumwork
Well-known member
Welcome to Boulder! (I live in Louisville)
Must be culture shock if you came from one of the poorest counties in Ohio!
Vanagons are beautiful and fickle beasts. They are tough as nails in some regards, and fragile as your grandmas china in others (that Syncro tranny is $cary). I know there are some people with DEEP Vanagon knowledge watching this thread (coguzzi for one). So you could probably get some good advise on some of your goals.
For some in-between ground, and not a FULL ON 4x4 swap on solid axles, you could run a syncro transmission in a 2wd configuration. This gets you a granny gear, and a rear locker (if you have a locked syncro trans).
Or, complete a Subaru trans swap that would get you much more reliability and more gearing range that would be great for mnt driving.
FWIW - I did a Syncro trans install in my old '85 Wolfsburg Weekender. Granny and Locker. That was great for a lot of trail work.... but still kinda sucked in snow. (also had done the 2.2l Subie swap, years prior to the transmission)
A couple years later I did the whole Syncro swap from a donor, and upgraded to a 2.5l Subaru (with a rebuild on the $yncro trans) with a bunch of other stuff. THAT was a great machine. But, still on that fragile transmission and it was getting small inside for our family (2 boys - they get big quick).
I really do miss that van. But, it had to go to fund our move into the 4x4 Sprinter we have now.
Must be culture shock if you came from one of the poorest counties in Ohio!
Vanagons are beautiful and fickle beasts. They are tough as nails in some regards, and fragile as your grandmas china in others (that Syncro tranny is $cary). I know there are some people with DEEP Vanagon knowledge watching this thread (coguzzi for one). So you could probably get some good advise on some of your goals.
For some in-between ground, and not a FULL ON 4x4 swap on solid axles, you could run a syncro transmission in a 2wd configuration. This gets you a granny gear, and a rear locker (if you have a locked syncro trans).
Or, complete a Subaru trans swap that would get you much more reliability and more gearing range that would be great for mnt driving.
FWIW - I did a Syncro trans install in my old '85 Wolfsburg Weekender. Granny and Locker. That was great for a lot of trail work.... but still kinda sucked in snow. (also had done the 2.2l Subie swap, years prior to the transmission)
A couple years later I did the whole Syncro swap from a donor, and upgraded to a 2.5l Subaru (with a rebuild on the $yncro trans) with a bunch of other stuff. THAT was a great machine. But, still on that fragile transmission and it was getting small inside for our family (2 boys - they get big quick).
I really do miss that van. But, it had to go to fund our move into the 4x4 Sprinter we have now.
