Just had word that the engine in the camper van is finally up and running! Woooooohooooo!

After months of nightmares, build problems etc etc it’s finally running, little lumpy on tick over but to be honest the lambda sensor in the exhaust was sat in water for several months…

So this is scooby engine number two, hand built 2.2l block running 2.0l heads and custom built induction putting out some where in the region 160-170BHP! (Aircon / power steering pumps off and decat)

Going to be super fun, good job im not going to the other side of the world in two weeks time time, oh I am. Bugger. Oh well best get it MOT’d, and some temporary insurance on it so I can get it in to storage (after scaring some boy racers!)

Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Nice one.

What else have you had done to it considering thats what – 3 times the stock power?

Learnt to corner on two wheels and drift it around roundabouts…. 😈

But seriously at the moment its on stock brakes and suspension. Its going to be laid up now and i’ll be sending money back from oz for some body work and respray, full porsche disk brakes and D90 wheels and coilovers all round to drop it 50-80mm and level the suspension (new engine is heavier and makes it sit nose up)

Have you thought about how you’re going to secure the cups and plates? Not to mention the beer.

at the moment its on stock brakes and suspension

scary and I bet the insurance co love that 🙂

Have you thought about how you’re going to secure the cups and plates? Not to mention the beer.

The same way the rest of the van is held together: Gaffer tape and Zip ties!

Where’s the radiator?

some where in the region 160-170BHP!

It’s been nice knowing you hippy. RIP.

scary and I bet the insurance co love that

Technically in their eyes it’s less modified than if I had made it safer! 🙄 Go figure huh!?!

aah nice 🙂

used to have a 69 bay window and the stock brakes and sus where lets say scary doing 50mph haha!!!

Where’s the radiator?

Between the block and the engine lid (with a cunningly concealed hole cut out behind the number plate).

Engine actually runs cooler at 70+ mph than at 30-50 as it gets more air flow 🙄

used to have a 69 bay window and the stock brakes and sus where lets say scary doing 50mph haha!!!

I got scared when I was on the motorway and I ran out of speedo at 90 and got to the P in MPH at the bottom. Mate following clock it at 105mph (very very empty motorway BTW with only me in the van.

It’s been nice knowing you hippy. RIP.

To be honest with the exception of the above speed test it gets driven pretty sensibly. With the occasional foot down off lights to humiliate 17yr old boyracers. The power is just there for going up hills with out slowing to a crawl, cruising on the Mway at 70-80 and for those times when you want to over take. (The look on peoples faces esp. in BMW’s Mercs / Audi’s etc when you take them in a van is worth it!)

Mate following clock it at 105mph

You have space hoppers in your pants.

You drive that old jalopy at wunundredandfive miles per hour????? 😯

I almost pooed myself in one that was doing 60. Thought the whole thing was going to either fall apart or explode in a ball of flames.

Automotive technology has evolved. Do you still use an iron you heat up in your coal fire? Tin bath in the front room? Outside toilet? Own a radiogram? Have several household items made from Bakelite? ream of a Wireless with pictures?

I had a splitty up to 70mph, but that was on a long downhill. It was…interesting.

Thankfully, the climb on the other side slowed us down as the brakes were made of cheese.

Fantastic OHH!

Its all about cars that shouldn’t go fast but do (says the owner of a 150+ Bhp Camper van and a 250Bhp Volvo V70)

There is something very very satisfying about humiliating an unsuspecting boy racer in a peugot with shiny wheels, more fibreglass nailed to it than a small boat and a 15yr girlfriend in the passenger seat when he thinks he’s about to drop some hippy in an old rusty van.

Plus the look on there faces when you put the foot to the floor and it tries to lift the front wheels and gives that scooby roar (engine at back and about 2foot of exhaust!) – priceless.

TBH the reason it only got to 105 is because I got very very very scared. The engine felt like it had plenty of push left.

Look forward to taking it to the pod for a quarter mile time once the brakes and sus are sorted.

Based on the specs of a similar van:

1973 bay panel van, 2.2 subaru lump
Vehicle & model: panel van
Year: 1973
Engine details: 2.2 subaru legacy
1/4 mile time 17.4 @ 75mph
0-60 7.5 sec
Top speed 115 + mph

Seeing as the compression ratio should be a bit higher in mine (2.0l heads on 2.2l EJ22 block) and maybe another 20bhp I should be able to do something similar.

😯

Is the Scooby engine a common mod with the radiator where you have it?

I’ve seen those new build ones with the dummy spare on the nose and I’m not keen. Nice to see it’s possible to run a water cooled unit without the unsightly rad.

Body untampered enough to keep tax exemption?

Ace!

I sold my Golf GTi to a mate and he fitted the engine to his beetle Using an adaptor plate from OZ. Absolutely silly but awesome at the same time.

good on you sir.

Body untampered enough to keep tax exemption?

Unfortunately about 6months too ‘young’ for tax exemption 🙁 Think the cut off was 1st of Jan 1973 and the bus is august ’73 iirc.

The scooby mod is pretty popular – just requires a conversion plate on the box and some ‘interesting’ wiring (but theres 35yrs of random wiring to start with!). Most have the rad either there or underneath.