Jay Laifman
Member
I've made these comments on another thread, but not in this folder. So I'm putting them here in case someone happens to be looking for ideas.
History:
I build this Sebring in 1978 with my dad. At that time, it had a 1600 VW with Rajay turbo. He drove it probably 80 miles a day until 1987, when the VW engine ate a valve. We then found a 1987 Fiero with almost no miles that had been totaled. We pulled out the engine, ECU, wiring harness, etc., and transplanted it into the Sebring. My dad was a rocket scientist. So it was a pretty meticulous job.
He then continued to drive it for many years, but much less miles. Then basically stopped driving it. I got it from him about 10 years ago, but haven't driven it a ton. I'm now about to put back in a VW engine, maybe only temporarily. Here is why:
Pro (or why not to go back to VW):
The Fiero V6 is great. Smooth. Reliable.
The installation is great. The radiator fits well in the front trunk.
We have custom water tubes running through the center channel under the car.
The engine sounds great too.
Engine can power AC no problem.
Engine doesn't burn or leak oil.
Con (or why to go to VW):
Lot more weight in back. Car still handles pretty well, but I also don't push it to its limit, and generally avoid getting in a situation where I'd have to abruptly lift mid corner.
Car burns out mufflers repeatedly. I think it's because of the short exhaust headers straight into the mufflers. But, I have since found higher quality Borla and MagnaFlow options that I think will stop this problem.
The engine is closer to the Sebring gas tank, and in a bad rear end accident (which are more frequent these days), I'm worried it is more likely to push the engine into the tank than with a VW engine, which would be catastrophic (yes, a custom fuel cell would probably resolve this - but I think the body has to come off the chassis to make that happen).
Car just doesn't feel as overall "balanced" as the VW engine did.
Car feels hotter - which is probably more of a result of more power than different engine (but if runs hot, do have extra fan on radiator that brings temp down in all but the 105+ days)
Recently built a 912 and love it now. I'm hoping for a similar engine feel and overall balanced feel in the Sebring.
Just seems like the extra weight and heat are taxing the VW chassis in a way that the VW engine didn't.
Even with the V6, it's not like it's competitive with today's hot cars - and certainly not for its looks! I'd never actually use that as a goal anyway - too much else on the car couldn't match such power.
If the VW engine isn't what we hope for, we can always go back to the V6 (but before doing that, we'd probably also first put the Rajay turbo back on and have fun with that first)
I'd actually try out electric, and put the batteries in the side pontoons, if the batteries weren't so damn expensive.
History:
I build this Sebring in 1978 with my dad. At that time, it had a 1600 VW with Rajay turbo. He drove it probably 80 miles a day until 1987, when the VW engine ate a valve. We then found a 1987 Fiero with almost no miles that had been totaled. We pulled out the engine, ECU, wiring harness, etc., and transplanted it into the Sebring. My dad was a rocket scientist. So it was a pretty meticulous job.
He then continued to drive it for many years, but much less miles. Then basically stopped driving it. I got it from him about 10 years ago, but haven't driven it a ton. I'm now about to put back in a VW engine, maybe only temporarily. Here is why:
Pro (or why not to go back to VW):
The Fiero V6 is great. Smooth. Reliable.
The installation is great. The radiator fits well in the front trunk.
We have custom water tubes running through the center channel under the car.
The engine sounds great too.
Engine can power AC no problem.
Engine doesn't burn or leak oil.
Con (or why to go to VW):
Lot more weight in back. Car still handles pretty well, but I also don't push it to its limit, and generally avoid getting in a situation where I'd have to abruptly lift mid corner.
Car burns out mufflers repeatedly. I think it's because of the short exhaust headers straight into the mufflers. But, I have since found higher quality Borla and MagnaFlow options that I think will stop this problem.
The engine is closer to the Sebring gas tank, and in a bad rear end accident (which are more frequent these days), I'm worried it is more likely to push the engine into the tank than with a VW engine, which would be catastrophic (yes, a custom fuel cell would probably resolve this - but I think the body has to come off the chassis to make that happen).
Car just doesn't feel as overall "balanced" as the VW engine did.
Car feels hotter - which is probably more of a result of more power than different engine (but if runs hot, do have extra fan on radiator that brings temp down in all but the 105+ days)
Recently built a 912 and love it now. I'm hoping for a similar engine feel and overall balanced feel in the Sebring.
Just seems like the extra weight and heat are taxing the VW chassis in a way that the VW engine didn't.
Even with the V6, it's not like it's competitive with today's hot cars - and certainly not for its looks! I'd never actually use that as a goal anyway - too much else on the car couldn't match such power.
If the VW engine isn't what we hope for, we can always go back to the V6 (but before doing that, we'd probably also first put the Rajay turbo back on and have fun with that first)
I'd actually try out electric, and put the batteries in the side pontoons, if the batteries weren't so damn expensive.
