I'd imagine that die-hard fans could be put off by the conversion, where as newbies may be more receptive. Horses for courses.
I looked at a Subaru conversion amongst other alternatives and rejected it for a couple of reasons. 1, Subaru engines are a bit too revvy for me, I really am the sort of bloke who shouts, 'Can you feel it coming on the cam!' as I drop a motor car down two ratios. 2, The radiator would have been fixed to the bottom of the bus floor. Although this would have warmed the interior to a degree in the winter months, I no longer use my bus all year round and it would cause my dog to overheat in the summer.
As I have said in past post I used to have Triumph Stags. Folk used to put V8 Rover engines in. Not worth as much now and all these years later would you still consider fitting one? Still not bothered either way tho myself.
Like with Stags my view it depends on 'usability' The Triumph V8 was considered carp and the Rover far better so it made sense to swap. Now that Stags are more 'collectors' cars originality is paramount and they're willing to accept the unreliability that comes with the Triumph V8. I don't see the same happening with T2s, given the vast difference in numbers produced, but even if it did I'd want usability now rather than £X more in 15 years time. If (when) my engine 'goes' I'll seriously consider a Scooby conversion as I like to keep it reasonably original but not at all costs.
I've bought my van because it had a Subaru engine in it. For me it added value to it. But I don't see my bus as a collection piece. It only has value to me if it is being used. What's powering it is really not something that matters to me (if it's reliable, not too complex to run and powerful enough to take me from A to B without being dangerously slow)
The stag issue was a particular problem of overheating if the cooling system wasn't regularly flushed, due to a design flaw. As with many classics an aftermarket modification or two has made it a non-issue these days. It would be a bit boring if everyone did the same thing with their buses and I can see why a scooby conversion is attractive.
Phhh I haven’t put it up for sale yet But when I do It will be for a realistic price And priced to sell I would of thought it would sell ok I may even sell it well below it’s value if I have to I won’t be insuring it again this year after it expires And it has to be insured to be kept in Storage facility So don’t hold your breath Wilf
I have zero intention of ever selling mine and the Subaru engine gives it a much higher chance of use by me. The Rover V8 engine stags saw far more use than their original engines stable mates over the last 30 years I'd imagine. Given that there are far more of these vans with different conversions and in different conditions ..ensuring its classic is a moot point...the ones heavily used needed parts as maintenance, the unused ones (rare) are owned by people scared to use them I bet. Is it a thing to use, or an investment to stare at...in which case buy Whisky or Watches as they don't need a garage and don't rust.
If it wasn’t for the fact I wanted a T5 I’d of gone scooby in the bay as I just wanted to go camping with as little hassle as possible! It was the oh look the weathers good this weekend let’s bugger off to the coast that we wanted to achieve, the bay didn’t quite do this for us but it was cheaper than a T5 and it served us well for 4 years giving us an idea of what it was like to be campervan’ers & we liked it so that meant the bigger investment in buying the California was justified to us Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've tidied this thread up. Can we please be pleasant to one and other. There is no need to be personal to each other or make veiled threats. Any more and the thread will be deleted.
My standard Type 4 engine does all that. Shame the bodywork is shot. Not the mpg and bhp though, but is very handy at mugging Mercs on the motorway. Have to say I'm split on the scooby thing, it's a 70s vehicle with everything you expect from that era, steady on the tarmac it is, ain't no choice. If I needed to be somewhere quick, the T4 was put into action.
Thanx for all the constructive comments guys..personally i think it is a selling point & i am particularly interested in buying an prototype bay i have been offered purely because it has a scooby engine. Reliability and power is the key for me. Like said..how much would an aircooled engine cost that makes 140bhp & would it ever be as reliable and run as smoothly as a scooby? Incidentally i have not bought this vehicle as yet so if anyone does have a scooby powered late bay that they are considering selling fir a reasonable price please feel free to pm me. Thanx
I think having a scooby fitted would make no differance to the value of any bus ....it's all up to the buyer . I think maybe to a newcomer who has no experience of the bus scene might wonder about the scooby . But there must be loads of people out there searching for one in ..surely . I can remember driving back from a job in Stoke On Trent in my tranny ....i noticed a blue bay looking back from wing mirror , so thought i would slow down so i could watch it pass me It absolutely flew passed me i couldn't even catch up ...well i didn't bother . Point is it didn't look any different to any other bus . I think slamming them is a bit of a deal with me ...but hay each to there own and ALL of them are reverse able .
Lively discussion and I am a novice here but offer one more point; would such a significant modification bar tax free Historic Vehicle status?
I had a rebuilt Stag engine and used the car as a daily runabout with a van for work. But then the kids came along and it wasn't big enough and had to go. Like most things if they are built proper you don't have many issues.
