Club 80-90 Forums

That's what I'm hoping......

Is my fuel tank 87 2.1 syncro fitted with a metal or plastic fuel tank ????

Plastic

Just found on busman.be auxiliary fuel tanks (55l)... Works out about £550... Could I use this as my sole tank??? And just wait until a diesel syncro tank turns up???

possible, paul had a fuel tank out of something else fitted in his syncro singlecab

You could always opt for a Subaru EJ motor instead and keep your petrol tank, and save on having your gearbox modified..

^^^ WHS +1

or another petrol engine... GTi

you will need to either change the Syncro fuel tank or the Diesel bellhousing/starter for a KEP adapter.
the Vanagon Diesel starter interfers with Gas Syncro fuel tanks.
you should be able to sell the Diesel Bellhousing/starter/flywheel/clutch for near the KEP adapter pricing. then it's a bolt in situation.
*you would need the 83 Diesel engine carrier bars or modify your 82 units to accomodate the engine position in a syncro vs stock 82 diesel.(trans length is differant)
the Naturally aspirated Diesel will be a DEAD PIG in a Syncro, the Diesels had special gearing in the Trans to accomodate the 48hp.
it's only if you go 1.6TD or greater that you'll get any sort of driveability out of a Diesel Syncro conversion.. most go 1.9TDI with Mods.. but you can get a 1.6TD moded for more h, but possibly less reliability.. (ymmv)

volkswagatron wrote:
i am looking at an 82 vanagon right down the road its diesel...i wanted to put this engine in my 86 syncro since the 2.1 is blown up.....your thread is very helpful in what im thinking but has anyone out there done that yet i was wondering what the syncro bell housing is like compared to the deisel..im getting the whole 82 so i will have everything

_________________
VW shaped cookies.
MMmm VW shaped Cookies

syncroserge wrote:
The way these vans have shaped and enriched our family life would make one believe these darn things have a soul

KINGPRAWN wrote:you will need to either change the Syncro fuel tank or the Diesel bellhousing/starter for a KEP adapter.
the Vanagon Diesel starter interfers with Gas Syncro fuel tanks.
you should be able to sell the Diesel Bellhousing/starter/flywheel/clutch for near the KEP adapter pricing. then it's a bolt in situation.
*you would need the 83 Diesel engine carrier bars or modify your 82 units to accomodate the engine position in a syncro vs stock 82 diesel.(trans length is differant)
the Naturally aspirated Diesel will be a DEAD PIG in a Syncro, the Diesels had special gearing in the Trans to accomodate the 48hp.
it's only if you go 1.6TD or greater that you'll get any sort of driveability out of a Diesel Syncro conversion.. most go 1.9TDI with Mods.. but you can get a 1.6TD moded for more h, but possibly less reliability.. (ymmv)

volkswagatron wrote:
i am looking at an 82 vanagon right down the road its diesel...i wanted to put this engine in my 86 syncro since the 2.1 is blown up.....your thread is very helpful in what im thinking but has anyone out there done that yet i was wondering what the syncro bell housing is like compared to the deisel..im getting the whole 82 so i will have everything

_________________
VW shaped cookies.
MMmm VW shaped Cookies

syncroserge wrote:
The way these vans have shaped and enriched our family life would make one believe these darn things have a soul

Does this imply that there's another way?? What could a KEP ADAPTOR mean???

you really need to think about the gearing as well..

seriously, if you do under 10K miles a year it will not make sense to go TDi on financial grounds in a syncro.

put a better petrol engine in and gas it if the sums don't add up.

Hmmmmm

KEP is Kennedy Engineering, stateside company make some very nice engineered parts inc bellhousing to engine adapters and flywheels etc, there is also FAS who's products MV Engineering are now offerring over here; as the americans only got petrol syncros they adapt thier bellhousings to fit different engines when they look to replace their wbx.
Because we had diesels here and the diesel parts are generally available then we tend to go down the use the diesel stuff route when adapting, but if you haven't got the diesel stuff and for the syncro that's specific and getting scarce then using the adapter method makes sense; prior to RJES doing his bellhousing for Subaru that's how the amaericans put in scooby lumps - the adapters were copied badly by european companies - the RJES bellhousing method means you keep the stock subaru flywheel and starter motor and some or all of the clutch and is shorter than the vw petrol bellhousing so makes for nice tidy compact install with the engine well forward in the body, it also fits perfectly and is alligned right unlike a number of the cheap adapters.
re your syncro diesel tank issue, that's the hardest part to find for a syncro van, pick up ones are more readily available but would require modification for the filler hole which may or may not be easily doable, my understanding is the wall thickness of the tank is not uniform and is thicker where the filler hole is and that varies from van to pickup, but I have never had both tanks scrap and cut and measured them to proove this
Just get your DJ rebuilt imho

Thanks for your time here... Hugomonkey found a tank for me .... Guess I'm very lucky

Out of interest, why have you decided to go this route with your conversion as opposed to an adaptor which would enable you to use the same tank. starter motor, shaft, bellhousing etc.
Ive also just spoken with Syncroandy who seems to think that the WBX rev counter should work ok with the AFN ECU.

orcecaveman wrote:Out of interest, why have you decided to go this route with your conversion as opposed to an adaptor which would enable you to use the same tank. starter motor, shaft, bellhousing etc.
Ive also just spoken with Syncroandy who seems to think that the WBX rev counter should work ok with the AFN ECU.

Didn't know I could get one ... Tanks was £160 though !