Can I put my drive train in a 71 fast back?

[wdkingery]

Hey guys.. I went away to Europe for a few months, but I'm afraid I left a bunch of oil containers in the trunk, and when I return my interior might be beyond repair.

Diesels don't exist where I live, but  I'd like to buy just any VW that I can continue to use free fuel in, so I must find a cheap gasser and drop my drive train in. Of you have ever read a post of mine, you know it doesn't have to be pretty, or even safe. Just needs to be cheap.

My drive train is an alleged ME code 1985 1.6l non turbo diesel.

But this 1971 VW fastback is in great shape (maybe I could even leave the beater life behind!) and is possibly cheap.
richmond.craigslist.org/cto/3815392065.html

Or, being that thing is probably rear wheel drive and won't work, anyone got any suggestions?

Thanks!

[ORCoaster]

Welcome back to the ol USA.  You can't diesel that one up.  It won't get you the mileage you want either.  Unless you want all the trouble of that style of VW I would say keep looking.  Ebay? 

[Syncroincity]

Never say never.    How much work, time & $$ are you willing to put into it? I personally love Squares, I always wanted to do one with a Subaru STI motor...

The engine bay is VERY cramped, so even using Vanagon-style 50-degree mounting you'd have to raise the decklid. You'd need an adaptor for the trans, or swap to a T3 Vanagon or T2 trans with removeable bellhouse so you can use the diesel T3 bellhouse. Radiator up front where the spare lives, been done lots of times. Hell, you'd even have a real heater in the winter.

Your main problem here is keeping the engine bay separate from the cargo compartment... I'd say raise the whole floor of the bay. ...Or buy a Notchback and make the trunk into a straight-up engine bay. 

[ORCoaster]

This is the guy that runs motor oil through his diesel because he is too cheap to buy the real thing.  I doubt he will have the dollars to convert anything over to a diesel except a diesel. 

[CRSMP5]

http://www.fatdubs.com/forums/index.php

someone in that forum, local to me.. has a carburated one in his.. he modded the trunk lid i think to miss the carb.. so diesel will fit nice..

[Syncroincity]

This is the guy that runs motor oil through his diesel because he is too cheap to buy the real thing.  I doubt he will have the dollars to convert anything over to a diesel except a diesel. 

[wdkingery]

lol thanks guy.  yes as ORCoaster pointed out, I'm not in this for the beauty, but for the cheap.

I guess i'll just put a trash bag over my driver's seat and concoct some sort of "fume wall" segregating the driver's area from the rest of the machine.

[mystery3]

Why not just strip the interior and give it a good washing? You don't really need an interior, you could probably pick up a decent used seat on cl or at the yard?

Good luck finding a rusting shell of a notch for under $10,000!

[wdkingery]

Yeah after extensive Craigslist searching, I have decided to do just that.. Scrub the interior. The seats were new from the yard, sadly.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Yeah after extensive Craigslist searching, I have decided to do just that.. Scrub the interior. The seats were new from the yard, sadly.

1.) pull interior..
2.) simple green every square inch of the interior bits you removed, and let it soak for a bit. scrub it around even.
3.) pressure wash the he!! out of it..
4.) let that shizz dry out real good..
5.) while the interior bits are drying, go ahead and scrub out the remaining oil in the car, and clean it up as well..
6.) reinstall the freshly cleaned interior..

(dont get too close with the pressure washer.. if you are using a good, high pressure unit, it will be possible to cut right into/thru whatever you are washing)

[Smoker]

I have a 95 4-dr gasser Golf for sale, cheap... if you're still looking.  I'm not too far from you.