No, I didn't do the paint. :-) This van wasn't a conversion job, but one in which I installed multiple upgrades. 130-watt Kyocera solar panel, routed to a SunSaver Duo charge controller that charges the 100 a/h deep cycle AGM  battery shown under the rear seat and the 44 a/h Odyssey under the driver's seat. I also installed a dual-battery on board charger to automatically top off the batteries when the van is plugged in. Vitrifrigo 51 liter fridge with storage under, the door is made from the old fridge door. Sureflow faucet. GoWesty lift springs. Euro H4 headlamps with hi-power bulbs.

The 'Rogers' project - 1988 Westy 2WD m-TDI

 
Before:     

After:

This is a nice 1988 2WD Westy that first spent some time in Pahrump, NV waiting for a conversion, then had to be retrieved with the help of the gendarmes when nothing was being done to it. Then, it spent a long period at a shop in Georgia. The m-TDI conversion was done there, for the most part tidy, however the way it was set up was totally wrong and it ran with very little power--probably less than a stock 1.6 diesel! I swapped the exhaust and turbo setup to the AAZ manifold for better oil draining, threw away the junk SCREEN cone filter they had placed directly beside the exhaust manifold ("hot air" intake?) and installed a nice Donaldson airbox ducted to provide cool air.  I modified the intercooler system for better cooling by installing a fan and sealed off the area from engine heat. Rebuilt the m-TDI pump (built first done by a company in Ohio, which resulted in no power) and straightened out the mess the previous injection shop made--they had somehow installed the roller ring from a 6-cyl. pump--that shop being an official Bosch pump rebuilder! I also found at that time that they had timed the camshaft 2 teeth off, pump one tooth off -- no wonder it barely ran! I installed a proper oil filler and dipstick, something the original installer didn't think was necessary. Then, I added proper VDO gauges to monitor the pressures and temperatures. Soon after, I found the oil temperature would skyrocket within 15 minutes of driving. In looking more closely at the cooling hose routing, it was apparent that no coolant was flowing through the oil cooler. In my view, the factory did a great job in the cooling system of the original diesel vans, so I always strive to duplicate this. So, I ripped out the hose mess done by the original and replaced it with proper diesel Vanagon hoses, coolant tank, and upgraded the oil cooler to the Touareg V6 cooler. Now it runs cool, ALL the time, and the oil pressure is greatly increased. The exhaust was another mess--for some reason, they expected 1.75" tubing (with poorly done, crimped bends!) and waterboxer muffler to be sufficient for a TDI to breathe! Unbelievable. So I built another of my stainless steel, mandrel-bent, free-flow exhaust systems. No more worries, ever, it's good for the lifetime of the van.

Too bad I didn't have the chance to do the conversion in the beginning, he could have been driving it for over a year and at $5-7000 less cost! I dedicated 68 hours to this van in order to undo and correct the huge faults built by the last shop. Now it cruises effortlessly at 70 mph, runs cool and quiet. Mr. Rogers was finally able to go on that fishing trip to New Mexico after dreaming for two years and dealing with these other businesses that just couldn't get it right. Sometimes waiting for the 'right guy' is key.

The 'Frazier' project - 1987 Syncro Westy 1.9TD

I built this conversion in 2003: A beautiful 1987 Syncro Westfalia 1.9TD AAZ turbo-diesel conversion, new engine, suspension and brake upgrades. This camper came back to my shop for an all-over paint job, new tires, and a thorough check-up in mid-2007, and here are the results. It was sold to a gentleman in California and now lives yet another adventure-filled life!

Custom oak interior and full roof-top solar panel setup (done elsewhere), larger wheels and brakes, very unique! 

       

The 'Bartley' project - 1987 Syncro Westy m-TDI

This one received a donor 1Z TDI from a '96 Passat, utilizing one of my m-TDI 11mm pumps with kermatdi.com's Sprint 520 injectors. The combination gives just wonderful pulling power in the low- and mid- rpm ranges, and is a blast to drive! It came back in late 2008 for tranny re-gearing, now it really cruises! 10/3/2011: This camper is now the replacement for my now-retired old slate-blue Westy Syncro and will be the base for many upcoming projects and testing!

The 'Long' project - 1990 Syncro Westy

Some 'before' photos:

Buildup of the m-TDI engine and transmission:

Diesel Syncro fuel tank:

Airbox, diesel coolant tank, relocated PS reservoir:

Gauges: diesel tachometer, glow plug LED, overhead console of EGT/turbo boost/oil pressure, and intercooler in/out/coolant temperature (to the left of speedometer)

Battery upgrades: UB12220 '4-pack' under driver's seat, UB121100 in the cubby left of the fridge, each independently charged on Surepower 1314 separators

The exhaust - this is the first one where I've installed a catalyst. All 2.5" mandrel-bent stainless, Magnaflow SS catalyst, Stainless Specialties Performaster glass-pack muffler. Supported with OE type mounts.

Air-liquid intercooler system - Spearco intercooler, front-mounted radiator, and modified front grille. Super efficient: on hot days it drops the temperature as much as 160 degrees from inlet to outlet.

Finished! I integrated the AC, PS, and factory cruise control.  The transmission gearing (3rd, 4th) was changed, resulting in 3000 rpm at 70 mph. Fuel mileage has increased to 30 mpg from the 16-17 previously, and torque is estimated at 70% increase at 18 psi boost. Great fun to drive, quiet, and relaxed.

The 'Feickert' 1985 Westy Audi 2.6 conversion:                                                                                                               

This one got an Overland 2.6i Audi five-cylinder conversion. This was the first one delivered from Overland to a shop. I installed it totally under the stock engine lid! Smooth and powerful, totally transformed this van! This one even got a factory-new SA 5-speed!

The 'Loper' 1987 Syncro Audi 2.6 conversion:

This is the second Overland 2.6 kit I installed. I had a fondness for these engines, they have very smooth torque delivery and seem perfectly matched for the Vanagon. No wonder VW of South Africa used these engines! If only VW Germany had used them too, most of us might have never converted.

'Otto', My 'first' m-TDI conversion:

Shown here in my personal Syncro Westy  I sometimes refer to as the 'test-rig'. This van started it's life with a lowly waterboxer for the first 265,000 km, then got a 1.9 TD AAZ for the next few years before the m-TDI AHU was installed in 2005. Over 700,000 km on the rig and 200,000 on the m-TDI conversion, sadly retired in September 2011 due to substantial body rust.

Running Powerplus 764 injectors and 12mm mechanical pump, 26 psi boost, Saab 900 intercooler. I absolutely LOVE the power this little engine makes!

Here is a custom six-gauge panel I built for my personal Syncro TDI:

From left to right: EGT, 30-psi boost, oil pressure, oil temp, coolant temp, volts.

What is THIS thing? A Froude-Hofmann eddy-current engine dynamometer. Originally part of the testing facility of the famous Smokey Yunick. This is my next step in developing even better m-TDI pumps and matching them more perfectly to each conversion. Also, I will be able to prove to the naysayers out there that the mTDI conversion does in fact work very well and produces the same amounts of power as it's fully-electronic brethren.