Unconventional engine swap: Van edition

[moparmaniac07]

One of Allpar.coms feature articles this week. The guy had a VW van and apparently 90 hp wasn't enough, so he swapped in a Chrysler 3.5 V6. It's no hack job either. It's cool seeing some swap an engine with something other than a SBC.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/misc/vanagon.html

[SpiderGearsMan]

chrysler 3.5 ? must have been the 1 dollar engine sale at U PICK lol

[DanStokes]

Not sure I understand the choice of power plant but it seems to be really well done. I guess I'd have just started with a Caravan.....

Dan

[oletrux4evr]

This is more like it....

[Barry Donovan]

The Vanagon did not sell well in the United States; the 2.1-liter, 95 horsepower engine was slammed for lack of power, while fueleconomy was far lower than the Dodge Caravan. (The 100-hp Caravan was rated at 18/23 with automatic; the 150 hp V6 Caravan automatic was 17/21; and Vanagon was rated at 15/16 with automatic, 16/18 with manual.)

could someone just you know punch that retarded author in the face?

these things could be rotted chassis and still barely running with that liquid boxer and still get 10 grand local...as an exotic.

what did he do with the old engine? 52 seconds and 160hp n/a later, I'd have it a "underpowered 90hp" subaru.

that van chassis is done with that dildo v6. Dumbest swap ever.

[gearhead1218]

Nope, not something I would consider doing. Not my taste.
BUT, for you naysayers, isn't this the TRUE definition of hot-rodding? This guy is taking a vehicle and making it better and faster with his own two hands. Kudos to the builder on his skills and ideas. Take notice, he's conquered every obstacle he's encountered on this swap.
Today he builds a VW van, in the future, who knows. At least it's not a Honda with a fart can.

[Brian Lohnes]

these things could be rotted chassis and still barely running with that liquid boxer and still get 10 grand local...as an exotic.

Dude, the only way someone is getting 10k for one of those shit-piles is if it comes preloaded with the meth instead of you having to actually cook it inside.

I hate that engine and hate those vans but I dig the crap out of the project. That's intergalactic weirdness happening there.

[BluLightning]

This one is pretty cool too. Not a bad price either.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/2546021834.html

[moparmaniac07]

This one is pretty cool too. Not a bad price either.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/2546021834.html

Yeah, that'd be the type of swap I'd do. The guy with the VW seems to be doing it for a daily driver. Who puts that much work into something to make it a DD that's probably not all that much fun? Some people have a lot of patience to figure out all that stuff.

[tardis454]

One of my favorites.

[SuperBuickGuy]

yeah, who'd put a weird motor into a foreign rust-bucket? yeah, good thing it's not something I'd ever do

[oldsman71]

engine swaps are always intresting

[CTX-SLPR]

engine swaps are always intresting

Like the Mazda 626 engine and transmission swapped into an early 70's Baracuda that showed up a few years ago?

[HillbillySailor2]

Like the Mazda 626 engine and transmission swapped into an early 70's Baracuda that showed up a few years ago?

Uhh...what?? I just can't wrap my mind around that one!

But back to this build, the guy has taken an engine that not many people care for, and worked it into a van that not many people care for, and turned into something alot of people will think is cool. If this van doesn't fut the true definitiopn of hot rodding, I don't know what does.

[squirrel]

What a waste of a lot of nice work! But, I can understand the urge, I've done a few not so wise engine swaps myself long ago.

On a VW related note, I remember decades ago my wife's uncle visited Tucson (from Washington) in his Pinto powered VW van. He was having a few overheating issues.