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VW to Subaru conversion
VW to Subaru conversion
I’ve already covered this topic at length on the Oz National 3 wheeler forum but thought it would assist readers here. I appreciate owners that are diehard VW freaks. It’s horses for courses. For me though I first sounded out the Subaru conversion concept when I was faced with rebuilding my VW 1916cc engine correctly and fully and with a prospective bill for around $7000-12000. I hadn’t had a smooth run with my VW engine…it was time to take the plunge towards a power plant I’d be happy with.
Out came the VW
My Oz Panther came with the optional 3 speed full automatic gearbox from the type 3 model. A 40 something year old old box that I have been really happy with. It serves its purpose. Leaves my hand on the bars and no clutch- that satisfies me. But it does sap engine power (around 16hp). When my VW engine was “on song” running really well, the power and torque almost satisfied my needs. Almost was not enough. But as I’m in my mid-fifties an abundance of power wasn’t what I wanted because it seemed going that way there was always a negative. EMU’s, wiring nightmares, unable to fix small issues on the side of the road of the Aussie outback and engineering doubts.
I investigated several engines. The Mitsubishi Galant all alloy engine or the very compact Mazda V6 2300cc engines were tempting. But the Subaru- the proven conversion I couldn’t go past. It's light, it has available torque at low revs (max torque @ 2400 rpm) and is a flat low C of G engine. Most conversions are of the EJ series engines, ohc, dohc, EFI, etc etc. Heaps of power etc. But I only needed a little more power and torque and above all else I wanted simplicity. The EA81 took my fancy and it has proven to be the right choice for me.
In Oz the ea81 ran for 14 years in the Brumby (Brat in US) and for several years in the Leone. In fact the Leone also came out in a 3 speed auto with almost the exact auto gear ratios as the VW type 3. This was a blessing. What was different though with my trike was – tare weight at under 600 kgms (1100kgms for Leone) and my huge rear tyre size 275/60/r15 to Leone’s 175/65/r13. Meaning Leone tyres were 20% less circumference. More on that later.
Don’t you just love older guys that are trustworthy? I met Rex at his Subaru mechanical repair shop on the off chance he’d have a good EA81 engine- and he did. He’d fully reconditioned it himself some 50,000miles earlier. I knew it was good by talking to him. Soon after I broke my leg and carried out the conversion from my wheelchair. My trike had detachable engine protection bar and tow bar leaving the engine exposed.
Once the adapter plate was attached it was a simple case of moving the Subaru engine into place on top of a trolley jack. From a wheelchair- yes it was that easy.
There were a number of hurdles to overcome. I’m no mechanic however I enjoy nutting out problems. For me the thought of a large radiator at the front or rear didn’t appeal. Above the transaxle was the location for a small radiator. I chose the Toyota MR2 radiator. Designed without a radiator cap this radiator seemed to be small enough. It was however a little high and had to be mounted on an angle. Louvre’s were added to the sides of the body along with Hawse ducts, used with boat decks they allow anchor ropes to past through.
Louvre’s and vents were not enough to supply air through the radiator.
This modifications however did not suffice for a trouble free cooling system. There just wasn’t enough air passing through. A Hyundai expansion bottle and two thematic fans finalised the cooling mods.
The radiator with one fan later to get a second one.
Eventually the cooling systems inadequacies came to roost when towing our “guppy” miniature caravan (trailer). So I purchased a KZ250 Kawasaki radiator. This radiator is one side of a double radiator system. One side has a cap the other no cap. I bought the one without a cap and mounted it to the brake pedal then connected it to the heater in and out. This solved any cooling issues and a bonus was the nice warm air heating my legs. So I couldn’t see why two mounted vertically in front of both legs wouldn’t improve the system and heat us as we rode in this cool climate.
I test rode the trike with its Subaru engine. I have been impressed ever since. It revs so smoothly, has much more torque and power thanks to the new weber twin throat carb and custom exhaust. I was concern about the high gearing though. Theoretically the trike at 4800 rpm (max power point) in second gear equals 80mph and top about 110 mph. Gives you an idea of the gearing due solely to the tyres size of 275/60/r15. The original size on this trike was 295/50 r15 which has 5% less circumference and that much more in revs at any point. Subsequently I’ve decided to revert back to the smaller tyres. To imagine the effect of these different tyres sizes think of this. The Leone sedan and the trike and trailer combo weigh much the same. If the Leone tyres were replaced by 275/60 r15 tyres the car would struggle more on small hills. The second heater radiator and the smaller tyres are my next projects along with a single windscreen wiper. Its really only an issue when towing.
Economy has improved remarkably. The custom roof has a small windsock effect. Economy with the old 1916 was around 22mpg (Aus gallon = 4.5 litres) the trike now gets around 31mpg. In fairness though the VW engine needed development and I’d say it wasn’t performing like it should. It had a very restrictive exhaust system for a start. It was purchased by a beetle owner that was prepared to work it.
The EA81. A good one is a must if you want one, a sound reliable engine for a VW conversion.
