Index: Why? Why Not? Kit Wiring Radiator Heater Fuel System Mounts Exhaust Oil Pan Purchase Deck Box Transaxle Costs Other Information Results
Pictures are kept as links to speed loading on slow machines.
Introduction
I have finished the K.E.P. adapter kit installation on my '68 VW Squareback Type III, and have some information to share.
This is a fairly practical swap, which meets the need, but is a lot of work, and costs more to do than one would think. You will need a two car garage, understanding neighbors and a supportive spouse.
The directions lack detail on many issues, so here is some information that was missing, and is intended to augment the directions, and two shop manuals. I've avoided giving away some of the 'secrets' in the copywritten instructions. Do purchase instructions.
The high maintenance T-III 'suitcase' engines are getting old. The magnesium 'clamshell' cases are cracking, and the heads don't provide modern reliability. Few people adjust their valves often enough, and the power is less than modern needs. With air pollution an increasing problem, carburetors are unethical. Hopping up a Volkswagen engine is an expensive solution, which gives questionable cost effectiveness and reliability. At our altitudes, oil overheating, head damage and the lack of a powerful, quick starting heater are expensive problems for old Volkswagens. At altitude, the under-70 horsepower 1.6 liter engine just doesn't cut it. Up here, engines have less than 80% of sea level performance, and we tend to carry more gear and gas to deal with the environment and long distances between stations.
Volkswagen (Porche) Type IV engines are expensive, have adequate performance, are air-cooled and require no adapter. Weigh the cost effectiveness of this alternative swap carefully, including flywheel/clutch/starter/radiator issues. The Porsche swap is lower profile and has higher ground clearance without an expensive custom oilpan. Personally, I wouldn't go this route.
The Subaru Legacy engine has 130 horsepower and 137 ft/lb of torque at sea level, self-adjusts the mixture to suit the altitude, has provision for a regular heater, is inexpensive to replace, and has very low emissions. With four valves per cylinder, knock sensor, hydraulic lifters, counterweighted crank, distributorless cam-fired ignition, a deep oil sump, multi-point fuel injection, alternator and near perfect reliability, there is no way in which it fails to beat a fragile hotrodded 'suitcase' VW engine. Other than an all-wheel-drive $24,000 Subaru Outback, there is nothing like the rear-engine traction in a Type III for getting around on our gravel roads, in the snow, and high country environment.
Other Information
Some time after completing this project, I found some very useful web sites
of interest. The SubaruVanagon group is the best I've found
for conversion information in general.
Yahoo! Groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/subaruvanagon
Well developed, but for Vanagons ONLY!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/subaru_vw
United Kingdom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/airsoob
Experimental aircraft info, especially about electronics and the little
1.8 liter engine (EA81)
The Kit
I used the recommended items from the K.E.P.
Subaru-into-Vanagon kit. The Vanagon is not exactly the same as the
Type III, but is pretty close. For my swap, I included all the optional
items, like a heavy duty clutch unit, exhaust header, muffler and
catalytic converter unit, and gear reduction starter. I would recommend
these items. The adapter
plate, wiring blueprint for the Vanagon, some hardware, and the crucial
instructions are required at minimum. I would suggest reading the
instructions ten times before deciding to do this swap, and five more times
before starting it. The exhaust system is not perfect for this swap,
but works wery well. As of this writing, exhaust with enhanced ground
clearance were being marketed.
Wiring
The K.E.P. instructions are pretty good. Since many wire colors
are substituted at the factory, there is a bit of trouble figuring where
everything goes. I'd get the wiring information first, and make the
harness before doing anything else, since it can take a while, and if you
don't follow the directions, may be the single biggest problem with the
swap. There is crucial detail in the directions...don't just try
to "figure it out". Hooking up the computer wrong can ruin it.
There is a pin-by-pin description of computer hook up, and enough detail
to strip out the big pile of unneeded wire in the old harness. A
schematic of wire connections is provided. Get an enlargement of
the Chilton manual wiring schematic for your donor engine, and a diagram,
hopefully in color, of the Volkswagen wires. My Squareback had been
flooded, so I replaced the old VW fuse panel with pieces from the Subaru
main fuse panel. I wouldn't try to take it apart, it has several
layers of neat, durable silver plated copper pathways that are nearly impossible
to reassemble. The pathways are sized well, the connectors handy,
and it has a cover. There are some nice relays for the radiator,
fog lights, photon torpedos, etc.
Get some shrink tubing with hot melt glue inside, sometimes called "double wall". Computer connections like to be soldered, covered, and kept dry inside. You could use a butane lighter for heat, but a hot air gun is the best way, and keeps from melting or singing things. A friend says a blow dryer with a slow, hot speed works, but I haven't verified it yet. Plastic wire loom is great, and covered with electrical tape, it looks nice. You can use a lot of the stock loom, if care is exercised when stripping it.
Add many extra wires to the bundle. You will find all kinds of reasons to use them! Remember that you may choose to add things like cargo lights, power taps, heater fan control wires, tachometer, oil pressure gage and other little things. This may be a good time to split circuits into lower amp, better fused circuits. I ended up with about 30 fuses, and can find a problem fast if one ever blows. Spade fuses, some with "burnt-out" lights on them, are really handy.
Interpretations differ on the 'Check Engine' light. In Colorado it is supposed to be on the dash, durably mounted, and labeled, but then the referee ended up exempting it entirely after reading the C.A.R.B. order! The light eventually goes on, since there are three codes that log in the computer. You can go to some trouble to make the codes go away, but it is a hassle.
Cooling
Buy a new radiator, and install it as low as possible in the generous
front well, I used a tall '94 Honda Accord unit with two big fans,
which is total overkill. I ended up removing the two fans.
You will be better able to purge air if the inlet is tipped downward.
The cap is best replaced with an air bleed at the high point. Two
recovery caps are a problem. I mounted the radiator by drilling two
holes in ABS sewer pipe for the radiator support posts, padding with rubber
hose for shock proofing, then softening the pipe to 320 degrees in my oven,
and while hot, put it at the base of the spare tire area, and pressed the
radiator into it for form. This solved the problem nicely, and gives
good shock resistant support. I padded the radiator support posts
with hose. See the pictures for the top mounts, which are a bit crude.
My radiator fans have not come on in 95 degree heat, at 75 mph, or even
while idling after getting off the highway under these conditions.
The cooling tubes under the car must help dissipate a lot of heat.
Install 1-1/4 inch galvanized electrical conduit for the coolant to circulate through. Bend the ends up to fit better, and reduce the need for radiator hose. U-bolts hang the tube on the rear suspension, and in front of the passenger, under the sheet metal foot support. The driver's side tube needs to be fixed ahead of the gas tank in the underhood storage area (see picture). Do this after the engine and radiator have been installed, since the placement is important. See note in fuel section on 'groove'. Do not bend the cooling tubes upward in the middle! Use some old radiator hose to pad the contact points and mounts, since the tube will grow and flex with temperature cycling.
Find radiator hose that fits the front, like parts of P/N's XL880 and L178. I wouldn't use ribbed flex hose since it traps air. 1-1/2 inch i.d. heavy-duty generic straight radiator hose ('stick hose') is helpful in a number of places. (2) 4-inch long pieces are helpful in connecting a larger 1-1/2 inch pre-bent curved piece from the steam trap down under the engine to the warm (driver's) side tube. The extra size helps bubbles rise out of the flow, and discourages foaming at high RPMs. Shields of aluminum or stainless will be needed to protect plastic cam covers and rear hose work from exhaust heat. Try to avoid joining the cooling pipe over the exhaust manifolds. Welding the pieces together is a nice idea, and reduces chances for leaks, but might make them difficult to remove.
At one time I recommended an elbow/steam trap/recovery cap/sensor mount assembly for the engine's hot water outlet. Click on the link for a picture and sketch. THIS WAS A POOR IDEA. Make or find a pressure "burp" tank for the coolant recovery function, and install in the back as high as possible. This is likely to save your engine one day. A burp tank helps evacuate air that leaks into the system when it cools. Yes, it is more of a challenge to keep cold junctions from allowing air to get in under vacuum, than to hold pressure! The cold cycle leaks will give you fits. Even if minimizing hose-clamp style connections, there are still a lot more than in a stock vehicle. The pocket of air at the top of my "steam trap" eventually got big enough to mix in with the coolant streamflow, and blocked the system with foamy aeration.
Add an electric coolant temperature gage to the dash. With the stock Subaru sender, a VDO 300 degree gage is supposed to be off by 10-15 degrees, but I found that it works perfectly (?) perhaps due to a longer wire. Use a variable resistor to adjust it down if you need to. Another option is to install a sender which matches your new gage in the steam trap. This is the best method, since the gage will then read accurately across its range. Remember a ground wire. Don't mix up the two-terminal computer temperature sensor with the one-terminal sender for the gage.
A hole needs to be cut in the car's front end sheetmetal. It need not be very big. Avoid cutting curved surfaces, as there is plenty of room on the flat part above the bumper, or below it. I don't know what grill will work best for you, but I used a shortened Vanagon part, which has a curve that is too gentle. My hole is probably too big, and I would put it BELOW the bumper. Suggestions from reviewers were to use fans, and not cut any hole, and/or cut the hole below the bumper, out of sight. The Honda Accord radiator was overkill, and the fans almost never came on.
Heater
The heater hoses come off the engine at a nice place. They face
forward towards the right hand heat exchanger duct into the car, with the
correct clearance for the little 'firewall' lip. I ran mine through
the old heat exchanger duct tube, over the battery, and across to the other
well (under the back seat).
You will fry the new engine if the flow in this line gets blocked with an air bubble, steam, or a heater control valve. I tried a 3/8 inch copper pipe fitting to create an 'H' in the line just before the heater core, and found that it weakened the flow enough to not dislodge a minor air bubble, and then took the 'H' out. Bleed a little air out at this point when refilling, like the stock Subaru. It may be best to run a 'hot' heater core, and insulate it in summer. Hose can be 5/8 inch i.d.
In hot climates, you may want to run the hoses over the transaxle, and across to the driver's side duct, away from the battery, but watch for problems with a steam bubble at the crown. Better yet, install an air bleed there. Air bleeds are good.
The compact fan/heater core from a Datsun 210 works great under the back seat, with additional ducting, or fans to blow the air forward through the stock channels. Or simply use a hole cut in the back seat apron, blowing under the driver's seat. I tried to put the heater core on the tunnel by the firewall, but this looks like a big fabrication job for some kind of mount. Long hoses might be a problem. Foot room is limited, and the core is heavy. A defrost fan is recommended in this location, however. $20.00 marine bilge pump fans are great for moving the air through the stock heater channels, but are noisy. Any high point in the liquid heater circuit will need an air bleed. A suggestion for air bleeds: try 5/8" barbed brass fitting, with a flat spot filed in the middle, a piece of brass flat stock soldered on, then drilled and tapped for a radiator petcock or drain. I'm looking for a plastic equivalent.
CAUTION: Don't ignore the steam bubble warnings. This engine has a bottom mounted thermostat in the engine which is very sensitive to the activities of the heater hose circuit and coolant tubing. The thermostat reads the flow from the heater circuit. Bleed air out of the whole system carefully! Have the temperature gage working before testing. You can cook the new motor in a few minutes! Temperature problems effect the head gasket quickly.
Fuel System
You may use the stock fuel filter and charcoal canister from the Subaru.
Lines are 5/16 inch, except the 1/4 inch line off of the canister, that
goes to the little vapor line high on the gas tank filler assembly.
It will need a 1/4 to 1/8 inch reducer of brass, or nylon. Fuel injected
cars had a return line in the stock setup. My gas lines were mostly
plugged, so I replaced two lines with steel, and placed the lines under
the car, between the cooling pipes. There is a groove in the
pan that works great for two of them. Pad with extra rubber tubing
over the lines. Make a bracket/hangar to support them. I just
took some scrap aluminum extrusion, trimmed some off the ends and hung
it on the cooling tubes. This pressed the lines into the 'groove'.
Note that the direction and angle of the cooling system pipes should not
cover the groove entirely, allow enough space for heat dissipation, and
access to brass connectors to fix leaks. I put the charcoal canister
up in front, next to the radiator, on top of the bumper tube (see picture
soon), and put the filter in the back in a convenient engine compartment
pocket.
Do add a pre-pump, low pressure filter before the fuel pump. Back at the engine, you will need the purge valve off of a Vanagon, P/N 049 133 517, to control the flow of air through the canister, and epoxy in two trimmed nylon barbed fittings to reduce the connections from 1/2 to 5/16 inch. In your state, you may need to get a gas tank filler restrictor from NAPA, with epoxy to hold it in place.
Fuel Pump
Airtex fuel pump
company
recommends an E8228
electric fuel pump for about $102.00 (I
used a stronger unit, P/N E2315, prior to getting good information and
paid $30.00 more.) It fits in the stock holder, if you put a piece
of the 1-1/2 inch i.d. radiator hose around it and pad with the extra strip
that comes with the pump. The stock in-tank pump spec's out at 50
GPH at 36 p.s.i.! Since clearance is tight, I soldered up a custom
right angle brass fitting with 3/4 inch female pipe thread at one end,
and 5/16 barbed at the other. Be careful not to put a sharp bend
in any fuel injection circuit. The fuel may cavitate under hot conditions, and make the pump produce a "screaming
noise". A new offset mount, made with soft cushion material is desirable,
since the pump can be louder than the engine when it is idling. This
noise is an annoying tone.
Motor Mounts
Swing-axle cars have a nice engine mount arrangement. The carrier
under the transaxle supports most of the engine weight, and has only one
drawback, a set of 3/4 to 1 inch spacers are needed under the exhaust manifolds
for clearance. This lowers the exhaust system a bit if the Vanagon
header from K.E.P. is used as-is. The 'pipe in doughnut' engine hanger
at the back of the engine can be used. My local 4X4 supply store
had a box of miscellaneous urethane bushings that could be used to replace
the old dried-out rubber piece inside. A bracket must be made from
the engine to the old "horn", or piece of pipe, that was bolted to the
Volkswagen engine. This is a source of considerable sound without
urethane, but the noise is ... interesting ..., sort of a dry, winding
sound. One passenger liked it!
IRS: My car does not have this style of suspension or engine mounting, but it looks like it would be easy to use the (heavy) stock Subaru motor mounts and make up a cross-member. This may be the best way, as the stock mounts are designed to soak up the unique vibrations of this engine.
Header/Catalytic
Converter/Muffler
The Vanagon header works, but could use a couple of minor modifications
to fit best on a swing axle style suspension. The spacers may allow
the K.E.P. catalytic converter and muffler assembly to be cut, turned,
and rewelded so that they fit into the transverse notch below the body
airflow intake (fan port) at the back of the Type III engine bay.
I haven't tried this yet. Unfortunately, the muffler and cat' shows
clearly from behind, if the assembly is not turned. A muffler tailpipe
hangar can be tied conveniently into the bumper mount at the tailpipe end,
but something has to be made for the passenger side, preferably tying into
the body seam. Brazing on a hangar hook is recommended here.
There are new, higher clearance exhaust headers available from "Smallcar". A custom job might use a round muffler. Paint the exhaust black when
it is clean.
Oil Pan
The stock Subaru oil pan is REALLY low. I would not use
the stock pan, or even this engine, for a lowered, or off-road vehicle.
Given the additional weight in the back, and the age of my car, it sagged
badly. The clearance was about 3 inches at first! I cracked
the pan. Spring plate adjustment will restore some clearance.
It is possible to shorten the pan at least two inches, but costs some bucks.
A number of vendors are offering shortened and enlarged oil pan for about
$180.00 plus two-way shipping. This is a great deal. You can
trim the pan and pickup just below the dipstick, lose a quart of oil, and watch it
carefully. My pan was shortened by 2 and 7/8 inch and part of the
upper windage tray had to be removed. Make sure the pan will go on with
the short pickup, as I had to trim a chunk out of the windage tray to install
it. Trimming more off the bottom
gets into oil pickup, and foam control issues. However, there
does not appear to be a problem over-filling this pan by one quart and
many swappers are doing this routinely. A larger sump is not really needed. It works on super-performance sandrails. An
"Accusump" is not necessary.
Suspension Adjustment
Spring plate adjustment will restore some clearance under the engine,
but figure the time, four bushings, and maybe a couple of new boots into
your budget. This is probably a required task, since the sag will
cause a number of handling issues. I ended up with my plates at two
outside splines high, which is a bit much. For people with money,
you might buy stiffer torsion bars.
The front end needs no adjustment.
Engine/Wiring
Harness Purchase
Insist that the harness is cut where indicated in the directions, since
cut ends are a clue that a wire is to be removed. Manual transmission
harnesses are a little easier to work with. Save all connectors and
wire until the engine runs, and the diagnostic folks say you did the job
correctly. There are some odd connections having to do with grounds,
so don't shorten the little ground wires without care...better yet, plan
on just folding the extra wire up until the engine is running. The
diagnostic connectors have important ties to the rest of the harness.
The directions say that the bundle of wires going to the engine, that are
individual grounds, is optional. I'd try to use them, as the three
connections that must be made in their place are a hassle to place,
and there is no guarantee that they won't pick up a stray signal.
There are half-volt and 12-volt connections and grounds, and the ground
of a 12-volt may be high enough to send a signal to the half-volt path,
so don't 'lump' the grounds. The Vanagon wiring harness blueprint
is useful, but the wire lengths are not right for the Type III. The
blueprint does not have detail of what is in many of the wire 'bundles',
so you need the other manuals.
After giving up on finding a turbo 2.2, I got my engine from Central Foreign Auto Parts in Denver, Colorado. They can get the engines from cars that slipped off icy roads and have minor damage from snowbank excursions. They have been pulling engines for these swaps for a while now, and have at least one guy who knows how to get the harness out properly. Most yards handle the engines roughly, damage oil pans, valve covers and plastic belt covers often. Have them guarantee that the engine will not be dropped on gravel. Inspect for scraped oil pans, bent pulley edges, etc. Be critical - these parts are very expensive to replace. The 30-day guarantee will probably expire before you have the swap done, so get a written agreement that the 30 days starts when the engine does! Make sure all openings are well sealed for transport. Don't take an engine that has been sitting 'open'. Fuel injection is sensitive to dirt.
Most salvage yards have no idea of what you need. Most won't have a clue of what you are talking about, so take the part list in with you. There are some required pieces that are weird, like an ignitor, and a couple of relays that can't be left out. The guys who pull the parts are not aware that the computers and wiring should not be subjected to static shock. Specify each and every part, since they may price everything independently. I paid the high price of $2,500.00 (old info) for a 70,000 mi engine package with fan and heater core included, and the old starter, which were not used. This was a very high price, but they swore up and down that the engine would be PERFECT and they would replace anything that was a problem right away.
Plan on tune-up parts, a new camshaft belt, and an oxygen sensor if you have over 50K on the new mill. These 'Legacy' engines are easily good for 250,000 miles with routine oil changes.
Wiring Harness Image Wiring Harness Image 2
Deck Box and Air Cleaner
Some kind of cover box must go over the deck and engine. The
intake system sticks up about 5 inches, not including the air cleaner housing.
The front is best placed between the wheel wells, and the back, between
the body/roof supports. This is a trapezoidal shape, almost 6" high,
with dimensions of about 32 in front, and 39 (I better check that ?) in
back. I had a 0.09 inch sheet stock aluminum box built for $140.00,
including welding the seams. Do not cross-break it, or it will twist.
It is light enough to remove without help. I used sheet metal screws
to fix U-shaped aluminum channel extrusion to the cargo floor, and inserted
3/8 inch closed cell insulating foam in the channel. This holds the
bottom in place and seals out gasses. The rear-most channel is right
up against the hatch opening, the top of the box almost touches the rear
appolstery panel. There is a lot of aerodynamic pressure under this
cover, so it must be held down with some sort of fastener. I used
spring-loaded hold-downs like on a jeep hood. There is less noise
than the VW engine, but the top may be covered with sound insulation like
Q-Pads, heavy carpet, old computer mouse pads or something. If you
try some other design, remember that access for the steam trap, dip stick
and oil filler is needed, and a large section must lift out for servicing.
You can use the stock air supply manifold, or perhaps use the K.E.P. optional assembly, but I haven't tried it on the squareback. The Subaru air box and filter has high surface area, is quiet at low throttle settings, and is designed to help muffle the considerable intake howl, but the outlet ends up over the hot engine, and needs ducting to cooler air. It is a big lump to cover! To extend the plastic manifold and place the stock airbox up against the inside of the car, use a six-inch piece of 3 inch i.d. 'stick' radiator hose from a diesel supply house. In any case, it is necessary to provide cool outside air to the air cleaner. I used two coffee cans swedged together, and a piece of clothes dryer vent hose to get cool air from the former engine cooling housing at the rear of the engine compartment.
K&N makes many convenient, low profile filter elements, and you can carefully saw off the end of the air meter for mounting. They have some that are only 5 inches around with the correct 3-1/16 inch neck size, like P/N RC3250. (This one fits in a medium coffee can) Mine cost $35.00. Not all auto parts stores have their catalog.
I placed the computer, ignitor, and relays on the deck to the right, and put the air filter on the left. The oil filler and dipstick are in great positions, but are about level with the top of the deck. The intake mainifold may be shortened in a number of places to fit within a cover box.
I will give my box to the first person who asks for it (shipping cost only). I will post a picture here later. It is a proven design.
Air Cleaner Picture
Deckview Picture
Emissions
From what a gather, there are two sets of laws, Federal, and State.
You can get by with just meeting the least difficult, but if the law changes,
you are in a tough place. It may be better to do the job per the
instructions, and be covered no matter what. The extra expense is
about $25.00 for most of it and $280.00 for the cat/muffler. Your
air will be cleaner, and the car won't smell like gas if you use the charcoal
canister. The charcoal canister and the purge valve are 'smart' additions
to a daily driver, or a racer that sits around with gas in the tank, and
weigh little. The people who most often suggest removing emission
control equipment seldom know what these items do, so ignore them (racers
excepted). The computer is optimized for the stock setup.
The KEP cat/muffler is quiet and non-restrictive. If you do everything
right, you can meet 2004 California emissions. (see results...smirk..)
Transaxle
The stock transaxle will handle the engine, but needs a heavy-duty
side plate for swing-axle longevity. A four-spider differential has
been recommended by a couple of folks knowledgable in these things.
I've abused my old one, which had worn out synchros in the first place,
and have not yet broken it. The 2200 lb clutch unit seems like overkill
at this point, but I don't race, and shift gingerly. In any case,
shift carefully, THEN give it gas! Remove, clean and lube your cables!
Adjust the bowden tube to resist clutch chatter. Check or replace
the padded union at the back of the shift rod, and take a look at the guide
bushing at the front. Sloppiness here will damage things.
My solution to the problem was to work with "Pine Beetles" in Conifer, CO. The fellow that owns the service built me a really tough transaxle from all the best parts produced by VW, and with a minimum of expensive racing parts. The main issues are finding a core case of the "AT" series, the highest ratio ring and pinion from another core, and using all the good-stuff from the Vanagon. IRS or swing-axle side plates can be swapped.
Little Stuff
Engine, used, with 70K miles but perfect
$1,000
Kit, basic w/ flywheel, adapter and hardware
420
Starter, gear reduction
185
Header
160
Muffler and matching catalytic converter
280
Wiring blueprint and computer wiring directions 20
extra, or included?
Clutch pressure plate (2200lb), bearing, disk
120
Shipping
60 +/-
Radiator with modifications, fans?
200
Steam trap brazing and fabrication
20
New Cam Belt
30
1-1/4 galvanized EMT pipe
36
Radiator hose
40
Wire, connectors, tape, loom, shrink tube
120
Exhaust Hangars
20
BG 44K
18
Radiator Grill, used
25
Paint
20
Chemicals, towels, rags
30
Manuals
45
Deck box
140
Air filter
35
Pipe bender (not necessary, but handy)
70
Hose, fittings, 'glue', soap, travel, mail,
jig saw blades, first aid, die grinder bit,
bits of metal for fabrication, hose clamps,
etc.
200
Beer or money to buy off complaining neighbors n/a
New Oxygen sensor
120
New plugs, wires
35
New camshaft belt after 70K miles
40?
========
Time
Uncountable: 600 hours?
Back to Kevin's home page
Startling! I put two springs on the cable to reduce the chance of accelerator mis-application. The new engine is all I would have wanted from a high performance mill. The heater warms up right away, and it gets great mileage. I get 30 to 35 mpg. The 2.5L version of the engine is overkill.
The engine didn't pass idling emissions at first, so I put a new O2 sensor in, and it scored ZERO in both Carbon Monoxide and Hydrocarbons! (I admit, the engine was overheating at the time :) I paid extra for a perfect engine, not noted in the costing list.
It started immediately at -4 degrees F.
I've had some issues with a steady idle. The restrictor for the
charcoal canister is absent, and that might be the problem.
Final word
Even with a nice set of rear disk brakes, new seats and seat belts, a long life was not to be had. An inattentive driver ran a stop light at 70 mph, and tagged me. The rear of the vehicle was bashed in, offsetting the whole tailgate so bad, I could not recover the engine. The entire exhaust system was ripped out. In court, I presented over $9,000 in part and material receipts. Recovered investment so far: $250.
Good Luck!
Disclaimer: This site is for general information and entertainment only, is not complete or free of errors, and I receive no economic benefit from its use. You are on your own! Wear protective gear at all times, have someone handy to call 911, don't drink and operate machinery, and never, ever throw tools at walls. (See additional disclaimers on the home page)
There is no copyright on this information. It was assembled with the good will and assistance of many folks, all of whom wish you success.
