rebuilding from 1835 to 2110

[OrangeCrusher]

I have a worn out 1835. If I go backwards to a 1776, will my heads match the 90.5mm P/C? I understand they are interchangeable but wanted to make sure.
Is there a way I can measure before I buy a P/C kit?

*****edited the title of thread 03/25/22

[OrangeCrusher]

I just realized there's a thick wall 92 P/C kit that will fit my case but I'll have to have my heads done which I should probably do anyway.

Anyone have experience with the 92 TW and their longevity as compared to a 90.5 setup??

[woodsbuggy1]

What is this motor in? I believe that proper tuning and cooling are very important to engine life. I also have my 1776 apart for a refresh after 6 years of boosted abuse in my offroad buggy. I can measure cylinders and heads if you like but 1776 and 1835 should have the same exterior cylinder dimensions. I have a set of 92TW cylinders but have not used them on a build yet but would expect them to stay round longer.
Good luck and let me know if I can be of assistance.
Kenric

[Ol'fogasaurus]

https://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopi ... 35#p698199

A lot of info here.

I run a 1776 but, on the dunes, where I ride so there is a lot of grunt work for the engine to handle.

I made some additional changes when I built it many years ago, but things and opinions may have changed some in that time span.

Lee

[OrangeCrusher]

Decided to go 2110.
I just got the crank in the mail this week along with some 5.4 super race H-beam rods from CB and have AA pistons and cylinders on the bench. I have the case cleaned and inspected. along with a lot of the rest of the engine. I probably need to take some measurements next and order some bearings.

I know this isn't gonna be a quick deal especially since this is my first VW build from the ground up. There's a lot of reading to do and some special tools to get. I probably won't even finish this year which is sad but I hope it'll be worth it. I plan to do my own heads and set up everything on the engine myself. Not a whole lot of mechanics for VWs in my neck of the woods and I have a real hard time trusting other people with my machines unless they have a tool I need and cannot get. I have a lot of toys that need constant work and I'm not rich and my sugar momma is only good for the sugar, not the scratch, so I have to be patient. I'll come back with updates and questions and see what people have to say. I'm finding the VW community is getting a little sparse and divided the last few years. Maybe it's just me?

[woodsbuggy1]

Good plan on the stroker, you won't be sorry. Where are you located?
It is getting harder to find people that I trust to do work also. As far as cylinder heads, Car Craft has been great to deal with. I ordered heads opened to 90.5 bore and cut for 55cc and had them in less than a week very good pricing too.
Please keep us posted on your progress, would like to hear about the rest of your build, heads, cam etc.
Kenric

[OrangeCrusher]

Hey Kenric,
I'm on the west side of Michigan, pretty close to our prized Silver Lake Sand dunes. I'm not a sand dune type guy though so I don't know people in the scene. I have gotten names and numbers of some people who 'do it in their spare time'. I don't know. I'm kinda stubborn, anti-social, and like to learn the hard way so I'm gonna look for any way I can to do it myself and not rely on someone else, within reason.
I have a thread over at Samba but I grow tired of the same old back-and-forth over there. Seems like not a whole lot of people are interested in helping and it's always the same couple that do. Maybe I can find a few more enthusiastic people who are willing to listen over here and get some more opinions.
Thanks and I'll update when I move forward again. One of the odd things is I had an aftermarket cam in my engine but I have no idea what it is. I measured lift but apart from that I can't identify what it is which would be nice incase I can use it again and so I will know how it will affect the rest of my build. The numbers on the end of the shaft don't match up with anything I have found yet.

[woodsbuggy1]

What is this motor going in?
I understand where you are at with trusting people, however I have learned that there are some people that have been building performance VWs for many years and some of them are willing to share knowledge, hopefully you can learn from some of these gentlemen.
I am sure that others with more knowledge will be willing to help.
If you can decide what you would like performance wise from your motor it is much easier to make suggestions to help you achieve your goal.
Great to hear back from you, I think the " Dramba" is good for finding parts and some occasional info but definitely prefer the atmosphere here.
Kenric

[OrangeCrusher]

This is going in my 70 Baja. I have motorcycles which I generally use all summer to get around. But when I need a car this is what I prefer. I live in the rust belt, so we have a large portion of the year where I have to drive a "winter beater". If you want to keep something nice you only drive it in summer. My beagle Chewie loves going everywhere with me and this is our ride. I'm generally just looking for a fresh, reliable motor. The 1835 thin wall version of this motor never really let me down. It's truly amazing how little a vw needs to keep running. I've had spark plugs strip out and eject and it still kept going. I've submarined it in between dunes in the lagoon, drained the water out and drove it 50 miles home. The power wasn't bad. It just was short lived. I've had to rebuild several times, meaning P/C's only. But honestly, I probably wasn't doing ABSOLUTELY everything I could to make it run perfect though I tried. I just didn't know. That's another reason for the rebuild. Better understanding.
The whole car is due for a restoration. The floors are holy and the paint is faded bad. The fiberglass is cracking but I'm hoping I can bring it back to life.
I do like to take it off-road, but nothing wild. Just forest roads in northern Michigan. I don't need it to make it up test hill at Silver Lake or crawl rocks. I want to keep most everything stock for the most part. It's a classic car first and foremost to me and I don't want to lose that. I have a lot of vehicles I maintain and this one I'd like to restore and not have to do anything major to it for a good long time.


This one is to scratch my need for modifications.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

A very nice-looking toy!

If you haven't done it already, I would recommend two things: one by adding a truss/Kaffer bar to the rear to support the trans mounts. Since you have had a pan off build, I hope the seams were welded too.

One the front BJ beam I think you should have suspensions stops added also.

setting up for hook and pin stops 007.JPG

This is a thing for those "OOPs" situations when you run into a bump or hole and the suspension travels so much that the lower ball-joint could be pulled out of the lower trailing arm (it is pressed in from above on the arm so the spindle is on the top and the ASSY could be pulled out of the lower trailing arm).

Lee

[OrangeCrusher]

I actually did all that on the baja. I've been so busy with the woodsbuggy engine and rear suspension I've never done anything with the stock BJ beam on it. It has sat for years being worked on. Not much time on it at all, yet I noticed the boots on the BJ's are starting to tear just the other day. I hate when things fall apart from lack of use. Damn shame. But she's getting used this season if I have to drag it behind my jeep to say I did!

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I suspected that you took care of the rear of the buggy which is pretty normal. I think I saw the front beam upper and lower end supports but the supports for the shock towers...

IMG_2422 copy.jpg

(for example) ... but the stiffening of the shock towers is usually missed.

013.JPG

for example: If you can find one this shows both a stock VW spindle and a stock Thing spindle.

Bug spindle.JPG

This is a stock VW spindle

Thing spindle.JPG

And this is a stock Thing spindle being installed. The ball-joints in both cases are pressed in from the upper surfaces of the arms but the stock bug BJ post faces up while the Thing post faces down giving the additional support from the underside of the arm.

I hope this helps some.

Lee

[OrangeCrusher]

I was trying to find the picture of how I did my front beam on the baja. I didn't do the two hook type system, it was a little different, big surprise! But I do remember welding up all the seams. I put adjusters to try to get a little more lift. I don't think the adjusters were worthwhile though. Maybe I'll need to play around with some leaf springs.
One thing I haven't done on the baja is take the rear drums off. At some point the nuts were torqued to a point where they don't want to come back off. I got a really nice impact that has taken everything else off I've had issues with, but not those damn rear axle nuts. I'm aware that there's a torque multiplier tool that can help with this, but up to this point, a 130$ tool I'll use once on one thing hasn't been a priority for me.
With my baja last time I was upgrading her, I had built in some bumpers and did some suspension things because everything was pretty whooped from sand from the previous owner. I'm hoping this time around to improve on that some more. I like my bumpers, but I don't know if I'll keep em. The rear was really hard to get right, but I'd like to shave off some weight on this thing. It's getting torn down to the chassis and all the metal work fixed. In the process I'll re-evaluate the things I did previously, so you suggestions are welcome Lee.

[OrangeCrusher]

My rear bumper...

[OrangeCrusher]