Connecting Cooling System

[Ecopod]

Hello,

Hope everyone is well.

My air-cooled to water-cooled project came in many bits including a couple boxes of pipes and tubes. I've managed to get a good bit done (thanks to threads here and googling pictures) but struggling to get over the line. I've roughed out what I have as per attached pics and have a couple of ridiculous questions and an okay one.





In the engine bay I'm missing the R/H manifold to carb pipe and need a new top water pipe (the black metal one) as it is bent.

Question 1- what attaches to the R/H head outlet (is it pipe from heater?)
Question 2 - what attaches to R/H end of top water pipe (is it pipe from heater?)
Question 3 - It has the two pipes running round engine bay and over gearbox, one of the reaches the white plastic coolant pipe no problem but the other coolant pipe has a rubber elbow taking it across to the other side of the engine bay (I've seen some diagrams where this happens with both pipes but not with just one). Do I need to remove elbow and add in a straight piece to connect?

Many thanks in advance.

PS Wait till the electrics get connected - I'll never be away from here
PPS The way I added photos for my last post (some time ago) no longer seems to work
PPPS Well that took some figuring out - pics may now appear?

[trundletruc]

Without closer inspection it looks to me as though you are trying to combine the early(two big pipes across the back of the engine bay) and the later system 1985-? The early system had metal pipes of a smaller diameter (32mm) both going up to the rubber pipes across the back of the bay and both connecting in the right hand corner of the engine bay. The later system had the rubber pipe (that I think I can see in your photo) going across the top of the gearbox which goes into the thermostat housing which on the later system was on the front of the left cylinders. The early system has an aluminium thermostat housing mounted under the back of the left cylinders. The plastic main pipes (one of which I can see in your photo) are from the later system and are 38mm.
Sorry you may need some more bits. Look at the parts diagrams on the net and I found Brickworks has most of the bits. The early thermostat is not available so it may be better to convert it to the later system?

[Ecopod]

Thanks Trundletruck for the quick reply.

That certainly makes sense and would explain why things didn't seem to marry up well. Given I never want to fit the plastic pipes again in this lifetime the later system seems the only viable option, pity as I was only a couple bits short for the old system!

Looks like I'll be searching Brickworks tonight.

Cheers.

[trundletruc]

I have just fitted the later stainless steel pipes to my early system van and I know what you mean about not wanting to do it again! All I had to do was make the holes, etc bigger.
When fitting the petrol tank I kept asking myself " Why the hell did VW stick with the left hand drive air cooled tank all the way through the production run"? Surely they could have got rid of the air tube space in the middle and allowed more for petrol and room for the main pipes, starter cable, accelerator cable, etc. I got the impression that VW treated right hand drive as second class.
Perhaps someone will design a bigger and better tank for us? How does the South African tank fit?
Anyway, best of luck.

[Ecopod]

Ah you have had that same pipe persuading joy.

After a couple hours of listing out what is needed for each option (early or later system) I'm sticking with the early and redoing the pipes for 32mm ones, luckily I've a new tank to fit anyway and need to jack the van up for a couple of other jobs so may as well.

Do you happen to know the answers to my first couple of questions, I've got a free day tomorrow so hoping to get everything moved on a bit.

Thanks.

[trundletruc]

If you are going to stick with the early cooling system then, question1 - Yes the heater inlet pipe attaches to the back fo the right hand cylinder head, (the one with the heater tap). Question 2 - yes the heater return attaches to the end of the metal pipe that fits across the top of the engine.

[Ecopod]

Good evening,

Thanks for confirming heater pipe positions.

I did sway for a while today whilst I was under the front of the van attaching new radiator brackets but still planning to swap 38mm pipes for 32mm ones. All I need to find is the pipe from the top of the engine, don't trust the look of the ones on eBay right now!

Cheers.