TYPE:
Alternative Fueled Vehicle
80% reduction in CO2 emissions!
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The Volkswagen Vanagon Gas to Diesel Conversion
The Volkswagen Vanagon or Westfalia is a great diesel conversion. It is quiet and has decent power with a 1.9L turbo diesel motor.
First of all, we remove the gas engine and transmission. We completely reseal the low mileage (fewer than 50k miles) diesel before we install it in the donor car. We replace the 4th gear in the transmission so it will be compatible with the new diesel engine. We also replace the clutch and timing belt at the same time. We wire up a glow plug wiring system to heat the glow plugs on the diesel engine. We fabricated custom motor and transmission mounts in order to fit the diesel drive train in the gas car. The gas fuel tank has to be cleaned out, filled with biodiesel, and any non-synthetic fuel lines are changed out at the same time. Once the engine is ready to fire, we set the injection pump timing as well. We custom make a new exhaust system as well to be compatible with the diesel drive train. This whole process takes around 50 shop hours.
If you were to bring a gas Vanagon to our shop, it would cost $10,000 to do a basic conversion. We put a lot of labor hours and only new, genuine VW parts in these vehicles and we do an impeccable job. We are completely confident in our product. It took us over 12 months of R & D before we were satisfied enough to offer the diesel conversion to the public.
Now that the Vanagon is running on biodiesel, it is time to check out the rest of the car and make sure it is mechanically perfect. Since we just installed a diesel engine with under 50,000 miles, the new projected life of this vehicle is 15-20 years. It is our philosophy to make sure the rest of the car is up to par. We do a complete 100 point inspection of all mechanical components. On a typical conversion, we will replace the tires, the front and rear brakes, the radiator and heater hoses, the shocks and struts, and possibly the power steering rack. By the time our skilled technicians are done, these Vanagons are in like new condition mechanically.
We also look at the cosmetic condition of the Vanagons. We replace any missing trim, cracked taillights, broken interior pieces, and re-upholster torn seats. We also give the car a complete detail including steam cleaning the carpets, cleaning the vents, engine compartment, buffing and waxing the exterior, etc. These are just the final touches so that our clients can feel proud driving their new diesel vehicle around.
Now if you really want your Vanagon conversion to rock, we can do even more. Many upgrade options are available. We are basically building a new car, so you can customize it exactly as you want with alloy wheels, heated seats, cup holders, a premium stereo system, Bluetooth hands free cell phone, navigation, DVD screen and a roof rack.
