Recycling the whole car by keeping it on the road

[Christ]

That must be the case, then. Like I said, I'm going on what other (potentially less than credible) people are telling me. I assumed that the dyno test was an actual chassis dyno test, that would be testing vehicle speed. I know that there are emissions tests which are supposed to test emissions at speed (under load) because emissions change under load compared to just being at speed with no load.

Also, Carlos' post suggests [they used 2nd and 3rd gears, but not 5th] that they did require a vehicle speed/RPM test.

[roflwaffle]

I think dyno load is constant for all LDVs. Emissions limits are determined by vehicle weight and age, not gearing AFAIK. In order to compensate for heavier vehicles having to move around more weight, their pass/fail limit is lower than a lighter vehicle's would be, so that all vehicles on the road stay under whatever level of emissions per mile. I'm thinking it's a lot easier to just change the emissions limits than it would be to have an adjustable dyno.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

I think dyno load is constant for all LDVs. Emissions limits are determined by vehicle weight and age, not gearing AFAIK. In order to compensate for heavier vehicles having to move around more weight, their pass/fail limit is lower than a lighter vehicle's would be, so that all vehicles on the road stay under whatever level of emissions per mile. I'm thinking it's a lot easier to just change the emissions limits than it would be to have an adjustable dyno.

Seems proper, I'll go with it.

[CoastRider]

I bought My 1989 last spring, I plan to keep it ten years or so.

Why buy new junk?

[bgd73]

Originally Posted by CoastRider

I bought My 1989 last spring, I plan to keep it ten years or so.

Why buy new junk?

I look around for yet another old sube, or the exotic synchro AWD (we can day dream)

I learned as my license is as old as my 87 sube

• oil has improved
• gas has improved
• filters have improved
• even car batteries..(my original sube battery leaked like all the others from that generation)
• I finally have a t-rated tread worth a nickel..20 years ago, and t-rated, anybody remember? they simply sucked.
• an old car was simply old stuff, today it does not have to be that way, with the same engine and gears...it can be a newer car.

The warmer climate areas have it made in the shade, the bodies hanging onto modern changes easily...and even then, I could add a mig welder to my list of changes that help old stuff (I have a 115v that does .25 inch thickness..20 years ago? no go)

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

Not if you did it right. Go get a newer model year package (engine along w/ emissions systems, the state ref won't care about gearing although its "technically" illegal), install it as per factory spec...

There is no such animal for a 914. The last application of the VW Type IV motor in a car (the Microbus is a "truck", and you cannot smog a truck engine in a car!) was in 1976, in a 914 (and a 912E) and had funky analog electronic fuel injection on it.

Like I said... GROSS POLLUTER for making something that cuts down emissions by 80%.

Other engines could be swapped in, but those have their own complications.

-soD

[Christ]

Huh... Thought the Micro was a "wagon" designation?


I have to second guess my thought about recycling the whole car by keeping it on the road, honestly.

Imagine what happens if you part it out? A bunch of other similar model cars get to stay on the road, and it's THAT MUCH LESS pollution, plus you get to make a buck!

[some_other_dave]

You'll have to pry the keys from my cold dead hands. I'm keeping that car on the road until I can't physically get myself in and out of the driver's seat.

I was initially illustrating that emissions testing in most areas is quite arbitrary, and generally of the "DON'T TOUCH IT YOU DUMMY" variety. And then someone tried to "correct" me on a point I've done a fair bit of research into...

-soD

[Christ]

By "part it out", I meant any car, not necessarily yours. There were two separate points in that post... one about the Micro being a wagon, the other being about my second guessing myself in how I feel about keeping cars on the road.

I'm partially biased, though, I make part of my living by parting out cars so that others can keep theirs on the road longer and cheaper.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

There is no such animal for a 914. The last application of the VW Type IV motor in a car (the Microbus is a "truck", and you cannot smog a truck engine in a car!) was in 1976, in a 914 (and a 912E) and had funky analog electronic fuel injection on it.

Unless the Microbus was a MDV or HDV (And is the same year or newer than the vehicle getting it's drivetrain) you can drop everything right in, provided it comes w/ all the fixins (emissions/fuel/etc). You can't just swap over pieces, the entire rig top to bottom has to be EPA approved. Call up the BAR if you don't believe me. If I can make it fit, I could take a 6.5L diesel engine from a light duty Chevy pickup and drop it in a Civic of the same year or earlier. Otoh, I can't drop a diesel from an Isuzu NPR, a MDV IIRC, in my pickup, even if it's a lot cleaner than the stock engine.

Here's a good write up, a bit easier on the eyes than state regs.

Vehicle family Rule:
Engine must come from a vehicle from the same family, ie. light duty to light duty, medium and heavy duty to same. What surprised me was the family range. Everything from a mini to a 1 ton truck is considered light duty, and engines can be interchanged. Everything greater than 1 ton pickup is considered med/heavy duty and thus cannot be used as a donor into a car.