72 ish engine review
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:37 pm
Hello, forum
Mostly an introduction, with a couple questions thrown in way after most of you will have stopped reading.
I have a beetle with a number on the tunnel that suggests 69, no number on the body but I was told 72, and an engine that's the third in the two short years I've owned it (BH975092 for those keeping score).
The first engine, in it after it had sat in a yard for 8 months or 4 months but hadn't been registered for 3 years, was taken apart and put back together by me, with no beetle engine building experience, and the neighbor, 81 years old, who pulled a greasy service manual off his garage shelf when I was pulling the thing off the trailer, so therefore must know what he's talking about. The car managed 2 miles before dumping oil all over and having no measurable compression.
The second engine was provided by a guy with an auto repair shop, built by his top beetle guy, or by his brother in law, or by the guy selling meth out the back door. I paid a couple hundred for this service. It managed about 25 miles, just far enough for me to get confident enough to put my money down on a lemons race, and rental gear, and then it boiled the fuel, refused to start at any temperature above ambient (tricky when it stalls in the middle of the pit road) and then locked up entirely with two bent valves.
I decided to leave it with the shop guy for a while (turned out to be about 8 months), unsure of my next move, and when I finally got around to collecting it last week, it had another engine, which couldn't be tested because the coil was gone. Fine. I have a pocket full of bonus money and some free time, let's get this pig rolling again.
On to the questions, after a few more rambles:
There's no coil, the distributor is a 009, and there are points, not electronic ignition thingy. What coil do I buy? Is the Blue Bosch usually the answer?
There's an electric fuel pump, not wired up at all, and there is no electric fuel pump relay to be found. I wired the car after stripping it for the race, so I know there's no relay hiding anywhere. I read there's no need for e-pump in anything close to a stock build, and this was free and has a single solex. Should I get a mechanical fuel pump?
I'm very close to just towing it to an actual reputable shop (like, for money, with a website and inventory!) and begging him to put me right. I'll have to show him my ebay special switch panel, but it's only like 3 wires so he should be able to figure it out. I just feel like surely I can pull this off, it's only a beetle, it's practically a lawnmower everyone says. But I would like to drive it again this year, so it might be worth it to start with a known quantity.
Mostly an introduction, with a couple questions thrown in way after most of you will have stopped reading.
I have a beetle with a number on the tunnel that suggests 69, no number on the body but I was told 72, and an engine that's the third in the two short years I've owned it (BH975092 for those keeping score).
The first engine, in it after it had sat in a yard for 8 months or 4 months but hadn't been registered for 3 years, was taken apart and put back together by me, with no beetle engine building experience, and the neighbor, 81 years old, who pulled a greasy service manual off his garage shelf when I was pulling the thing off the trailer, so therefore must know what he's talking about. The car managed 2 miles before dumping oil all over and having no measurable compression.
The second engine was provided by a guy with an auto repair shop, built by his top beetle guy, or by his brother in law, or by the guy selling meth out the back door. I paid a couple hundred for this service. It managed about 25 miles, just far enough for me to get confident enough to put my money down on a lemons race, and rental gear, and then it boiled the fuel, refused to start at any temperature above ambient (tricky when it stalls in the middle of the pit road) and then locked up entirely with two bent valves.
I decided to leave it with the shop guy for a while (turned out to be about 8 months), unsure of my next move, and when I finally got around to collecting it last week, it had another engine, which couldn't be tested because the coil was gone. Fine. I have a pocket full of bonus money and some free time, let's get this pig rolling again.
On to the questions, after a few more rambles:
There's no coil, the distributor is a 009, and there are points, not electronic ignition thingy. What coil do I buy? Is the Blue Bosch usually the answer?
There's an electric fuel pump, not wired up at all, and there is no electric fuel pump relay to be found. I wired the car after stripping it for the race, so I know there's no relay hiding anywhere. I read there's no need for e-pump in anything close to a stock build, and this was free and has a single solex. Should I get a mechanical fuel pump?
I'm very close to just towing it to an actual reputable shop (like, for money, with a website and inventory!) and begging him to put me right. I'll have to show him my ebay special switch panel, but it's only like 3 wires so he should be able to figure it out. I just feel like surely I can pull this off, it's only a beetle, it's practically a lawnmower everyone says. But I would like to drive it again this year, so it might be worth it to start with a known quantity.