Club 80-90 Forums

hi guys was looking at a syncro v6 . . conversion on ebay what do you think do you reckon its a goer or a lemon
Engine Size:
2,300 cc
Transmission:
Manual

Horsepower:
120 Bhp
Fuel Type:
Petrol

Number of Previous Owners:
2
Mileage (Miles):
130000
1985 vw syncro camper , german import, left hand drive . . v6 conversion, any help appreciated

gearbox may be a problem, they can only just handle the power of a 2.1 donk, V6 and a course in gearbox re-builds??

just my opinion cheers jon

Was this the one that busman sold last year at vanfest?? With the fully galvanised body.

no its far from that,its the gaudy looking,cortina powered syncro with the very odd interior,cj.

Reflected in the price?

just got this back what do you think

the gearbox is a standard petrol box so is good to handle 112 brake horse power which is the most powerfull petrol engine the factory fit to this model and year, the engine it has now is a cologne v6 of 2.3 ltr and developes 120 bhp so is within german spec for a upgrade, the 2.8 will fit and will produce much more power but will probably knock out something in the transmission, but saying that the standard vw engines get tuned to well over 120 bhp, but reliabilety will surley suffer, this set up has been bomb proof for me and is not that powerfull but better than most. i dont know who made the conversion or when it was fitted but it has a metal extention to raise the engine cover and looks very professional, but i dont know what makes a bad conversion, this one seems nicely done. i changed the starter motor without trouble and all components are easy to get to. i got it from a importer almost two years ago, and had it inspected at the local vehicle licence and duty office to verryfy its originalty. it was a team vehicle for rosenthal autocross racing team. but i dont know if they did the conversion or not. brakes and suspension are all very good, in fact it was the best one i found after looking at all the ones at syncro spaires and all the ones on the internet for a period of 4 months searching, i wasted the whole summer looking and the next summer was a wash out and now i have a renault to use, so its been sitting and waiting but not had more than 4 weekends away. thanks for the questions, glad to do my best to answer them.
pete

Is it yours?? Always nice to see a syncro that is away from the so boring tdi conversions, if i want fuel economy i drive my micra, i want fun from my syncro, diesel aint fun, just penny pinching follow the leaders. Who needs that extra tourque, I never have. V8 range rover and VR6 T4 most fun I have had, Diesel most boring, I am in it for the fun. Good Luck. 2.1 DJ the best VW engine ever built. It's why you have a VW. If you want a diesel, go buy a frelling Dagenham Dustbin (Ford).

Strong views there!........Good to see!

But why are you worried about performance in a 2 ton, top heavy, brick?

Isn't low-down torque better for climbing through mud & sand?

, sorry!! I mean I find that G gear gives me all the torque I need.

Well you obviously have never owned or driven a TDI syncro on road or off road.With a correctly setup TDI i can idle over and up objects and you wont beat it in sandy conditions.
It is not there to save on feul costs by any means.If you calculate the conversion cost as to no saving at the pump for many years you will loose.
People are willing to spend the money for a reason and it is a world wide conversion including people(in the states)going from suburu to TDI.

Russel

Hi Russel,

I have a mTDI syncro and a 2,1 petrol, both 16" The TDI is far more superiuer in pulling trailers and offroad, a real workhorse. The 2,1 is better onroad , doesnt make that much noise and is really smooth, the family is happy with the low noise!
The TDI is correctly installed with rebuild gearbox and is done by a well known person in the syncro world.

Cheers,

Erwin

As to noise my gold van(no longer mine) is quieter than most petrols ive had or driven. . Some mTDI pumps do make them sound like tractors.
Russel

syncrosimon wrote: 2.1 DJ the best VW engine ever built......

I love sarcasm me!

Simon Baxter wrote:

syncrosimon wrote: 2.1 DJ the best VW engine ever built......

I love sarcasm me!

I agree funiest thing i have heard all day.

I have extensively driven a T4 5 cyl tdi syncro, and don't like it compared to my petrol.
[IMG1224]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa28 ... C00072.jpg[/img]
My VR6 T4 was superior in every way to the diesel.
[IMG]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa28 ... re1011.jpg[/img]
Are you saying that a tdi converted T3 is better than a VW fitted T4 Tdi. My 2.1 dj is excellent in every way, I cannot think what part of a diesel would make it better. I drive diesels all day, every day, for thousands of miles, and I dont like them. It would be nice if you guys could accept that, I like the heritage of the flat four. If you want to pick the syncro apart, then every aspect of it is old and outdated when compared to a modern vehicle. The flat four is what the vehicle was designed for, or the vehicle designed around, and I like that integrity. If the diesel is slightly better to drive, I don't notice it, and don't mind it because I want to drive a flat four, and not some old diesel. Character is what the flat four has, and the diesel doesnt. That is why I drive a 16 year old vehicle, character. I have never run out of torque, I might have to drive slightly differently to a tdi, but that just doesn't worry me.
I can see every advantage of a diesel, but none of them apply to me, so I am staying with the flat four.
I fully realise that diesel is the future, but these buses are in the past, and to me a flat four quirks suits them just fine.