Type 4 in a Thing

BlueBus · Post by **BlueBus** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:36 am

I know there are a few Things around with Type 4s in them. Has anyone done an article on how the install went and what trans and problems there were?
BlueBus

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:35 pm

Although I have never put a T-4 motor in a Thing there are a few folks here who have. Hopefully they will post to this thread. Bob Ingman did an awesome job putting a T-4 in his Thing..

Go-SpeedRacer · Post by **Go-SpeedRacer** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:54 pm

I just went through this same issue. While I did not go with at T4, I did speak with a lot of people about the process, and it appears from everyone that I spoke with it is a very easy and painless change. The general feeling is that the stock transaxle will work for a while depending on how much abuse you give it. If you need a new transaxle, then you would want to buy one that is designed for whatever T4 motor you select. If you go with a stock T4, a stock Thing transaxle will do fine, but if you step up your engine, you are just stepping up the chance of tearing up your transaxle.

Its all about the money, HP & TQ, the more HP & TQ, the more money you will spend. The more HP & TQ, the more likely you will need a stronger transaxle. If you need more information on a T4, Jake's the man, check out his web site, pretty informative, there is also www.tunacan.net/t4

Good Luck!

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Thu May 17, 2007 5:04 pm

Good post thanks. Good set of folks to contact. Matching the engine to the trans it came with is a good idea. But a bus trans requires different mounts.

Tuna is currently in the throws of graduation but his forum here on STF concerning T-4 is awesome and he understands much about t-4 in connection with the Thing

tuna · Post by **tuna** » Fri May 18, 2007 7:22 am

Ok, I need a break from studying, so I thought share what I know about this subject.

A Type 4 in a Thing is pretty easy. It is pretty much the same install as a Bug, the only difference is that the exhaust systems for a Bug would probably hang too low for offroading.

The easy part of the T4->Thing conversion is that all of the Things (at least here in the US) came with the late style throw-out bearing in the trans, so no conversion is needed there.

I've got a tech article on doing the T4->Bug ( http://tunacan.net/t4/howto/starting/ ) that I'd recommend you become familiar with. Remember, the bit about the throw out bearing shouldn't apply to you, so you can use a stock Bus 210 or 215 pressure plate with no worries.

Stop into the Type 4rum sometime and say hi! We've got a few guys that have done the conversion.

Tuna

BlueBus · Post by **BlueBus** » Fri May 18, 2007 8:23 am

Thanks for the info. I'm still looking for a Thing and I'm just kicking around a few possabilities. I have a 2.0l type 4 and bus trans. I may put it in my Bug or wait untill I find a Thing.
BlueBus

Ephry73 · Post by **Ephry73** » Fri May 18, 2007 8:51 am

Do a search also on the Jake Raby 484 project. Good choice of engine for a thing.

E

LB181 · Post by **LB181** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:07 pm

I did a Type 4 Swap in my Thing. All of the sites listed will answer all your questions, especially the tunacan site. Its not a hard swap as far as the THing. You have to decide if you are going to do an upright fan shroud or keep the stock pancake setup. Honestly its all going to boil down to cost. Upright swaps are nice and are designed to cool very well. If you want to keep it budget like I did, you can keep the stock fanshroud, but it will not fit behind the stock decklid. You will have to look for Bob Ingman's swap. If I remember correctly, he had a body lift kit, which allowed the shroud to clear the decklid. The major problem for any type of type IV swap in a Thing is the exhaust system. I have not looked lately, but as far as I know, you are not going to find a cheap exhaust system like you can with a bug. The stock bus exhaust sucks for ground clearance if you offroad, as was stated earlier. When I eventually get back to my Thing project, I'm going to have to design myself an offroad exhaust. Honestly the actual swap is pretty easy and there is a ton of info on this site to help you along. But as far as is it worth it, I really think the engine would have been ideal as the stock Thing powerplant.

IanEpperson · Post by **IanEpperson** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:45 am

I'm in the middle of the conversion myself, and as LB181 says, the exhaust is the tough bit - few good options.

The best is Tangerine Racing - Chris builds each to fit. He built mine and he's working on 2 more (that I know of) now. Expect to spend around $2k for it.

http://www.tangerineracing.com/Super_Header.htm

Mattt · Post by **Mattt** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:55 pm

There are a few more reasonable options for a T4 into T181 exhaust. Im going to be installing a T4 in my Thing shortly here. I scored on an uprighted T4 Porsche 2.0 in a Thing I bought a while back. I figured I'd try the T4 out before going thru the hassle of swapping in the Subaru 2.5 I have waiting to go in my Thing. If you are in SoCal, there are a few well respected exhaust shops that have built very nice custom exhaust systems for this conversion. A1 in Santa Ana has the nicest one Ive seen, and it runs around $700. You could also pick up the stub pipes from Fat Performance and have a nice exhaust built from that. There are a few other options, but they are only practical if you are local.

MNAirHead · Post by **MNAirHead** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:21 pm

somewhere right now there's a 181 t4 exhaust used.. about $650..

Bob did his conversion a few years back.l.. there are cool pix of the setup.

T.

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