Tech questions about the Subaru 4 & 6 cylinder engines

[VW NOT V8]

Readers & gurus of this group, I request your knowledge & assistance.

I request information pertaining to the Subaru 4 & 6 cylinder engines. I
request information pertaining to factory rated torque & horsepower curves for
all engines produced by Subaru, for automotive use, for the past 10 years.

I am seriously considering substituting a Subaru boxer engine in place of a 2.3
liter ACVW engine.

The Subie engine shall mainly be driven upon streets & highways with an
occasional trek to the mountain & desert roads of Southern California.

It will be installed in a 1973 VW Thing (Type 181). The gross vehicle weight
with four adults is estimated not to exceed 3200#.

What I seek is an engine that has a substantially wide torque powerband. An
engine that is reliable (I hate to push or have to tow out from an off road
trek).

Horsepower is relevant but, not a primary decisive factor. I would rather limit
the upper RPM range to < 7500. This is one reason why I choose not to run a
rotary engine.

Due to the deep displacement of the factory oil pan, is there a quality
after-market oil sump/pan available, that is wider yet not as deep?

Is a dry sump oiling system available for the Subie engine?

I know that I have asked many question but, trust me, before I commit to this
project (engine swap) I need to know all of my options.

Thank you in advance,
Chris

 

[Jim Stewart]

Readers & gurus of this group, I request your knowledge & assistance.

I request information pertaining to the Subaru 4 & 6 cylinder engines. I
request information pertaining to factory rated torque & horsepower curves for
all engines produced by Subaru, for automotive use, for the past 10 years.

I am seriously considering substituting a Subaru boxer engine in place of a 2.3
liter ACVW engine.

The Subie engine shall mainly be driven upon streets & highways with an
occasional trek to the mountain & desert roads of Southern California.

It will be installed in a 1973 VW Thing (Type 181). The gross vehicle weight
with four adults is estimated not to exceed 3200#.

What I seek is an engine that has a substantially wide torque powerband. An
engine that is reliable (I hate to push or have to tow out from an off road
trek).

Horsepower is relevant but, not a primary decisive factor. I would rather limit
the upper RPM range to < 7500. This is one reason why I choose not to run a
rotary engine.

Due to the deep displacement of the factory oil pan, is there a quality
after-market oil sump/pan available, that is wider yet not as deep?

Is a dry sump oiling system available for the Subie engine?

I know that I have asked many question but, trust me, before I commit to this
project (engine swap) I need to know all of my options.

Google is your friend...

 

[Andy Mason]

Here's a couple of good resources, although they mostly refer to Vanagon
conversions:

http://www.kennedyeng.com/
http://volksweb.relitech.com/convert.htm

Andy

 

[Bruce Hoult]

I am seriously considering substituting a Subaru boxer engine in place of a
2.3
liter ACVW engine.

The Subie engine shall mainly be driven upon streets & highways with an
occasional trek to the mountain & desert roads of Southern California.

It will be installed in a 1973 VW Thing (Type 181). The gross vehicle weight
with four adults is estimated not to exceed 3200#.

Someone at our gliding club recently put a Subaru 1800cc engine into his
early 70's Combi (which had already been through several VW engines) and
is delighted with it. He uses it to tow gliders to camps/competitions.
Having followed him on some pretty nasty and steep roads I can say that
it doesn't tow as well as my 2.5L Legacy, but it still gets along very
nicely.

-- Bruce