Club 80-90 Forums

Hi, before too long I'm hoping to put a like for like recon engine in the van.i was wondering the approximate labour hours involved in the swap if all went fairly smoothly,thanks, 1984 westy poptop 1.9 wbx DF

How long is a piece of string ..... 
if you are lucky and all goes well , £1000 isn’t far off for garage time .
you are looking for a good 8 hours I would think .

you do realise that all WBX engines are interchangeable , so you don’t need to restrict yourself to a df , you could fit a DJ , or  DG , Or any other of the others , everything is bolt on and the casings are the same , although the DF is the only WBX with a solex carb , and there for a slightly different inlet manifold and a couple of different water pipes .
if you buy a complete DG from a early water system van it will just plumb straight in to your van 

Funnily enough, I did think, how long is a piece of string!! Surely eight hours labour would be £400 @£50 per hour which our local camper man charges up here in n.wales. Anyway, having recovered from the shock of your initial estimate,if I changed to a DG would i then have to change carburetor and manifold. I was thinking to keep it simple but a DG would have a little bit more power and a touch more economical?

Yeah 8 hours would be drop the old , put in the new , but not including swapping bits over from one to the other , and we all know how long just one exhaust stud can take , or how long it may take to get drive shaft bolts out ....

if you could get it done for less than £1k it would be a bonus . 
£50 a hour is maybe cheaper than I was going on to be honest anyway 

and yes if you bought a dg , as long as it was from a early van , it would plumb straight onto your van , but you could swap your van to late water system fairly easily too 

just as easy to put a 2.1 in .... fits just the same . 

Mocki wrote: ↑20 Feb 2021, 21:13
just as easy to put a 2.1 in .... fits just the same . 

If you can find one, that is.

I have a spare early DG with inlet manifold. lt was pressurising the cooling system. So l rebuilt the top ends last year with new rings, gaskets and seals. All documented on this forum with photos.
It was going into my camper this year, while l refresh my DJ engine. But lm moving house in April/May/June, so no time for swapping engines. I may sell instead. Interested?

Thanks for the help and advice, a good second hand engine was definitely one of my considerations,I'll give it some thought, cheers

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5605307 ... 2123052679

Early DG for sale

Thanks, its still available i think but history seems a bit vague and it doesn't look as if its been in a van for some time. I'll see if I can get some more info! It doesn't seem easy to find a 2.1,which would be very nice after years with the old 1.9DF but a good DG would be

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=173465



Speak to Andrew (ajsimmo) very helpful chap.

I'm here, Steve. Thanks for the plug!
Yes, I have a rebuilt early DG, which would be an ideal replacement for the DF. I can supply a DG manifold, carb & pancake to match if required. Message me or call if interested. As soon as Covid restrictions allow I'm on a mainland trip delivering an MV, so could fit the DG on the truck too.

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ajsimmo wrote: ↑24 Feb 2021, 20:32 As soon as Covid restrictions allow I'm on a mainland trip delivering 

ohhh will that be after we might get a pint , it’s been a while ......

Not sure yet, Steve. We've got Wee Jimmy Krankie holding the keys here, even after Doris lets you lot out!

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Aye.... well Doris and FatMancock lie like a cheap Chinese watch , so until it’s actually happened I expect yet another u turn , once the kids go back to school it’s all going to go boobies skywards again .... 

There is a 2.1DJ on facebook for £250. No doubt will need a rebuild.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... =undefined

And in answer to the original question...
I swapped my engine the day before my wedding because we were using it as the wedding car, and did it in an afternoon. Most would probably take a bit longer, say 6-8 hours? Our workshop rate was £50ph, so 300-400 GBP.
If you are looking for a reconditioned WBX engine of any spec I can help you with this.

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