| 06/19/2008 | Added some more pictures of adventurous vanagon drivers who have chosen to keep their vans running through conversion to a dependable, fuel efficient subaru engine. See all the pics out at Misc > Sticker Pics. BCW |
| 05/20/2008 | Although I've not been keeping track of all the changes on the site, there have been plenty. Most are in the browsable file section that holds all of the info on converting a vanagon to subaru power. Check it out in the main page from w/in the EngineI Section or click here. BCW |
| 07/23/2007 | Finally got the subaru conversion resource information to allow directory browsing. Check it out in the main page from w/in the EngineI Section or click here. BCW |
| 07/09/2007 | Added a set of step-by-step instructions on modifying your Key In Ignition circuit so that the stereo comes in as soon as you put the key in the slot. Find it in Electrical > Electric Misc BCW |
| 04/20/2007 | Added a heck of a lot more detail on how to repair/adjust the droopy vanagon armrests. Find it in Interior > Armrest Repair BCW |
| 03/24/2007 | Added info. I replaced the stock jump seat from my multivan with a modified bench seat. Details and slideshow can be found in Interior > Jumpseat II. BCW |
| 02/01/2007 | Added info to help folks drive down the high Oregon registration fees for Vanagons. More info here BCW |
| 10/16/2006 | Plenty of folks have been buying the popular Powered By Subaru stickers from me. See some new snaps of vanagons sporting the stickers out at Misc > Sticker Pics BCW |
| 07/22/2006 | Have added a menu page to allow browsing through the Subaru Conversion related resource. See it in Engine-1 > Conversion section. BCW |
| 05/08/2006 | Installed a ShadyBoy awning and am ready for some serious recreating. See Body > Awning Section for pics. BCW |
| 04/25/2006 | Subaru engine's in and running great. Added video with muffler comparison. See Engine 1 / Exhaust System Section for lowdown. BCW |
| 04/17/2006 | Engine's in and running great.
Added instruction for auto trans accelerator linkage conversion. See Engine 1 / Accel Linkage Section for pics. BCW |
| 03/20/2006 | T Minus 1 for engine installation! Am now detailing and servicing transmission. See Engine 1 Section for a link to some initial pics. BCW |
| 01/01/2006 | Have begun work on cleaning up my subaru donor engine for the pending conversion of the powerplant. See Engine 1 Section for a link to some initial pics. BCW |
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| 12/24/2005 | I hacked together some cool, cheap Euro Trim bits for the rear of the van. See results in Body / Euro Trim. BCW |
| 11/25/2005 | All body work is now complete. Very happy with outcome. See results in Body / Cladding. BCW |
| 10/25/2005 | The Auto Restoration guy sent me over some progress pics of the lower cladding being painted. See them in Body / Cladding. BCW |
| 10/21/2005 | I've replaced some burnt out bulbs in the dash and was surprised at how hard that was. But it won't be for you if you read my instructions in the Electric section. Still waiting for cladding to get painted. Argh. BCW |
| 10/13/2005 | Out of town on biz so thought I'd work on the site a bit. Much content added to engine, electrical sections. Check it out!! BCW |
| 10/06/2005 | Sound insulation is complete. Check it out in the interior section. Also worked on electric door locks and am waiting for body cladding to come back from painter. BCW |
| 09/18/2005 | Since last writing I've finished the replacement of the front cabin carpet, mounted the vw mudflaps, and updated the headlight circuit. Have added the details around carpet replacement as well as sound insulation in the Interior section. Check it out when you get a chance. BCW |
| 09/05/2005 | Updated the Suspension section to include detailed instructions regarding replacement and servicing of front/rear brakes. Ordered a Sew-Fine Products carpet kit and am eagerly awaiting mail delivery. BCW |
| 08/04/2005 | I've recently installed a set of MB Quart component speakers in the cab, finished installing a Chrysler Digital Overhead Console purchased used for $13, and finished fixing my power window motors. Details herein. BCW |
| 07/26/2005 | Doing some site cleanup and organization while away from the van on a biz trip. Added power window and door debugging and repair info to the electrical section. BCW |
| 07/24/2005 | Added info on troubleshooting power doors and windows. Have been working of late on stereo installation. BCW |
| 07/06/2005 | Updated Electric / Electric Misc / Interior Lighting to show the wiring positions for the Hella domelights. Since last writing have installed Fat Mat soundproofing in all doors, installed Hella domelights purchased used, and worked toward repair of power windows and mirrors. BCW |
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| 06/08/2005 | Update future plans section to assist me in planning for some future modifications. BCW |
| 05/23/2005 | Modified front center caps to fit over speedo cable fitting. Ronal wheel installation is complete. Finished removal of Subaru engine from donor car yesterday. Much business travel leaves little time for Vanagon work. BCW |
| 05/07/2005 | Waiting for Empi Long Rear Wheel Studs to install rear spacers. Have to modify wheel center caps to fit over vanagon hubs. All work sidetracked by house chores. BCW |
| 04/17/2005 | Entire van has been detailed. Sunroof installed to replace tired vent. Third brake light installed today. Test fit wheels and waiting for spacers. Purchased donor 92 Subaru for low miles engine it carried. BCW |
| 04/06/2005 | Swinging into full gear on cleanup and restoration of second Vanagon. Gotta name suggestion for her? Send it to me when you get a chance. Just picked up a killer deal on some very lightly used Ronals and Dunlops, pictures coming. BCW |
| 04/11/2005 | Have ordered and am waiting arrival of many of the bits necessary for the blue vans restoration. Power mirror replacement, new canvas for poptop, power door lock actuator, all are on their way. BCW |
| 04/09/2005 | Purchased and retrieved a 92 Subaru Legacy Sedan which will serve as a donor engine for my new van's conversion. The subaru has 280k but the engine has only 75k. Not bad for $800.
Steam cleaned both engines in my van and the subaru in prep for the removals. BCW |
| 04/02/2005 | Completely stripped and steam cleaned the interior of the blue van. All seats, door panels, and carpets were removed and cleaned. Also installed Home DePoor foil backed bubblewrap for insulation against sound in the rear body panels. BCW |
| 03/23/2005 | Sold Madeira after falling for a 91 Multivan which I purchased from a private party in Eugene, Oregon. Here we go again!! BCW |
| 03/11/2005 | Updated the Electrical section to add a bit about installing a "lights are on dummy" alarm and also added a section detailing the installation of a sunroof to replace the poptop vent. See it in the Body section. BCW |
| 03/05/2005 | Updated the Engine II section to include some good info on the EJ engine ECU including tables of codes, step by step code reading. See it in Engine II / Wiring. BCW |
| 03/03/2005 | Updated the Electrical section with a couple of pics of the Dodge third brake light that I installed in the van. See it in Electrical / Brake Light. BCW |
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| 03/01/2005 | Much thanks to both Leon and Ian for providing corrections on Subaru EJ22 Timing Belt installation. See it in Engine I / Timing Belt. |
| 02/26/2005 | Added additional information, supplied by David Beierl, on the Vanagon Water Cooling System Fan. See it in Misc / Tips & Tales at Vanagon Cooling System Explained - Part II. BCW |
| 02/23/2005 | During this time period I have re-contacted the firm that did my transaxle rebuild in order to get them to fix the leaks and check out the vibration on deceleration. BCW |
| 02/16/2005 | New site rolled out. Images have been optimized and navigation simplified. Room for more content. BCW |
| 02/6/2005 | Liberated a junkyard Chevy S10 of it's front air dam and, after a few mods, installed it on my vanagon's rear end, covering the exhaust. See the finished product out at Body / Rear Wrap. BCW |
| 02/2/2005 | Changed direction several times while designing new site layout. BCW |
| 01/23/2005 | Began rewrite of site last night. Will simplify layout and navigation and make the images lighter for faster download. BCW |
| 01/16/2005 | Got to dreaming about different color schemes and what the van would look like with a bit lower profile the other night. Came up with a few pics to ponder. See them in -->Misc / Future Plans Section |
| 12/26/2004 | Added a small tip page showing the location and adjustment of the Subaru EJ22 Idle Air Control valve. See it in Misc / Tales & Tips section. |
| 12/13/2004 | Removed and replaced rear brake shoes and bearings, both inside and outside, last weekend with Parker's help.
Did a fair to middlin writeup on it for info purposes, find it out at Suspension / Rear Brakes and Bearings section. |
| 12/05/2004 | Minor additions to site. New CV's installed and rolling. Added a task and cost listing for the restoration and update tasks I've completed to date. Might be a good one to hide from the accountant!! But hey, it's still cheaper than a solid crack habit.
Find it out at the Misc / Tales & Tips section. |
| 12/01/2004 | Minor corrections to site. Just got my van back with the re-rebuilt transmission intact and running fine. Have purchased a set of half axles from VW Cafe. My old cv's are making some tired noises even after fresh greasing. Will install the new cv's before this weekend. |
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| 11/10/2004 | Posted some good specifications (including paint codes) on the 1990 Multivan that I found at the Vanagon.com site and the Vanagonauts.com site. Thanks to both of them for the good information. See the info here in the -->Misc / Tales & Tips section. |
| 11/05/2004 | Just found and plagiarized an exceptional guide to water cooled radiator fans out on the GoWesty site. Probably the clearest explanation of the subject I've ever heard (or understood).
Read it here in the -->Misc / Tales & Tips section. |
| 11/02/2004 | Election Day. Get out there and vote and quit reading this webpage!
Back home in the states now. Added some good resource related to the subaru engine conversion BCW- A complete listing of the part descriptions and costs of subaru conversion related bits
- An itemized listing of a conversion related timeline (Contains time estimates for serious coffee drinkers as well as retirees.)
- An Adobe Document providing an overview of design, diagnosis, and overhaul of the Subaru EJ22 motors
See all three resources in the Misc / Tales & Tips section. |
| 10/15/2004 | Still in Oz. Got some quality surf at a secret Mornington Peninsula spot my daughter and I stumbled onto last Sunday (see some unlabelled, unrevealing photos here). Locals were outstanding citizens and I only received one death threat related to blabbing about the spot. Surf was double-overhead, clear water, lot of wind making it a bit bumpy on the drop.
Saw a dealer selling new campers (looked like Toyota HiAce vans with Riviera style pop tops) out on a highway north of Melbourne yesterday. Will try to get out there to check prices in a week or so. BCW |
| 10/05/2004 | Am a day ahead of most of you now. Working in Australia for a time during which I'll attempt to wrastle up some of those cool transporter black plastic inserts that install between the tail lights. If anyone out there reads this and has a clue as to where I can get some in Australia, please give me a holler.
I was up in Manly, near Sydney, last weekend and saw many Transporters and Caravelles, only two campers though. Surprised as this is the perfect spot for a Westy or equivalent. BCW |
| 09/12/2004 | Added a Tales & Tips section just off of the "Misc" portion of the site. Going to post some of the stories that I've lived through during my vanagon adventures. BCW |
| 09/11/2004 | Added a couple of sections for both muffler bracket fabrication/installation and automatic transmission shift point modification. See the new stuff in the Engine-II / Muffler Bracket sections.
Thanks to Tom Shiels for his patience and the fabricated muffler bracket. BCW |
| 09/7/2004 | Just back from a long journey with my daughter, Jayde, up for a surf in British Columbia and a corndog out at the Ravalli County Fair in Hamilton, Montana. The vanagon ran great and consistently performed strong on the hills while achieving 20mpg even with a canoe strapped up top.
Muffler bracket repairs are complete for adapting the new muffler to the subaru engine. Thanks to Tom Shiels for the fabricated bracket and to the subaruvanagon yahoo group for the good tip on the spring loaded muffler band clamps. I'll post some pics of the completed work ASAP.
Back to work. BCW |
| 08/12/2004 | Sold the tires/wheels today so updated the Main / Swap Meet section. Thanks Mark. BCW |
| 08/10/2004 | Added a new image and description of the aftermarket transmission cooler I added to the Engine-II / Vanagon Transaxle Cleanup section. BCW |
| 08/04/2004 | Filled up my tank for the first time since upgrading to a subaru engine. 22 mpg achieved with mostly city driving!! I'm stoked!!
Also made the move to a different location on the internet, 10mb of verizon webhosting space gets taken up in a real hurry. Now located on weidefamily.net BCW |
| 07/29/2004 | Added a new subsection on Vanagon Gauge Overlays to the "Electrical" section.
Also added a bit to the Engine-II section on Vanagon Transaxle Cleanup. BCW |
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| 07/28/2004 | Added a new subsection on Subaru Engine installation to the "Engine-I" section. Still have to put words to the pics though. Also added a couple of pics of the Infinity Subwoofer.
Later that evening I added text to the engine installation pictures. BCW |
| 07/24/2004 | Added instructions on the insanely difficult repair of the 90 Vanagon Armrest to the Interior Section. Also added link to UK Transport Site (it's good, check it). BCW |
| 07/23/2004 | Updated site Engine-II / Coolant System Mods section to add pictures and notes on modifying/building the coolant piping and installation of burp tank. BCW |
| 07/20/2004 | Selling some of the bits that were replaced during the engine conversion and wheel replacement projects.
Check the Misc/Swap Meet Section for more details.
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| 07/19/2004 | Yahoo! Started up my converted Vanagon for the first time last night. Turned over on the first go. No one is more surprised than I am. Replaced the stock waterboxer with a Subaru EJ22 (2.2L) H4 engine. Even drove it to work today. What a great improvement. I'm stoked. More to come regarding the conversion herein. BCW |
| 07/06/2004 | Finally, some new stuff. Since last writing, I've installed the subaru engine. Have plenty of pictures to post but not enough time to write them up yet. I have updated the Engine-II / Wiring Section this time though. BCW |
| 06/03/2004 | Wiring has begun on the conversion. BCW |
| 05/17/2004 | Miscellaneous minor changes. BCW |
| 05/12/2004 | Added additional notes to the wheels section after my brother provided an editorial.
Camped with the Wet Westies over the weekend down at Beverly Beach. Great time and managed to score a couple of surf sessions as well. Life is good. Looking at T Minus 2 weeks to finish other chores and start Vanagon engine conversion in earnest. BCW |
| 05/07/2004 | Added text captions and instructions to go with all provided pictures. Rewrote javascript slideshows.
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| 05/05/2004 | Completely redesigned the entire site last night making the pictures much more better to download.
Added sections on prepping Suby engine.
Will test on dialup connection to see if the new slideshow function works any better. BCW |
| 05/04/2004 | Site unleashed. Just a bunch of pictures for the time being. BCW |
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