Club 80-90 Forums

My van ('83 DG manual) has the early exhaust & cooling set up, but the metal crossover pipe and a few other bits are bodged or have seen better days.

It has the 38mm plastic pipes and I have a few other parts of the late cooling system so I was thinking of buying the missing parts & swapping them over. Does anyone know if it's possible to fit the later cooling setup with the early exhaust or do you have to do both?

Thanks

David

my 85 reg  had early exhaust and later cooling system from the factory,so it shouldn't be a problem

As did my first 1986 camper. Late cooling and early exhaust.
In my opinion the early cooling system is easier to work on than late system. Especially with the thermostat housing being in a better and more convenient position. No front to back metal pipe either to worry about.
My last camper had earlier cooling system. New owner is travelling around Spain in it at the moment.
He sends me a Whatsapp now and then reading how well the camper (LPG/Petrol) is running and loving van life.
Lucky fellow.

Yes no problem with any of the bolt on parts .
it does get a little tricky trying to put a early cooling system on a late 2.1 because oil cooler .
but it’s possible , I did it . 

That is good to know -

I will need to do that when I finally get to that stage.
(87 DJ into an 83 van...)

Great stuff, thanks all   

Is there any advantage to the late system over the early one? Does it "flow" any better?

Mocki wrote: ↑20 Jul 2021, 20:54 Yes no problem with any of the bolt on parts .
it does get a little tricky trying to put a early cooling system on a late 2.1 because oil cooler .
but it’s possible , I did it .

I tried putting a late exhaust on with the early cooling system a while back but found that it was just too tight between the l/h downpipe and the thermostat housing to fit, although that was a 1.9 not a 2.1

Late cooling system benefits from having all available spares on the shelves.
Early system metal cross over pipes are getting rare. But easily replicated in copper piping with a bit of inguenity. Thermostat housing rare. One for sale on forum at mo with water pump. At a bargain price too. I suggest snapping it up as a spare.
Never seem any better cooling efficiency from late system. Equally okay to bleed too.

Once I started adding up the rest of the bits I'd need to make up a complete new system it might make more sense to try DIY-ing a crossover pipe right enough, especially if it's not even going to cool any better once it's all swapped!

Thanks for your advice

Cheers

David