Engine rebuild kits
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skeejunkee
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:36 pm
Engine rebuild kits
I am looking for a complete kit, crank, cam, pistons and heads. Any advised on where to purchase? Are the hydraulic lifters worth the money? I have never rebuilt a air cooled engine, is it that hard or should I look into a long block any advise?
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Bullvi22
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:27 pm
First engine
Welcome to the aircooled world!
Aircooled VW motors in my experience are generally much easier to work on than their watercooled counterparts, and generally cheap in comparison to other engines and cars, with exceptions of course.
You didnt mention if you have any other previous build experience, so i'll assume you're not familiar with aircooleds at all. First off, volks motors comprise of a case (engine block), piston and cylinder set (p/c) which unlike other engines are removable. When each head is removed the cylinders will slide off the case individually, much like a dirt bike or atv engine, if your familiar with that. The case itself splits down the middle into halves, allowing the crank and such to be removed. Some pictures will be worth a thousand words here to get you familiar. Thesamba.com has a huge amount of pictures of parts, disassembled engines and such for a reference. The site also has a large classified ad section with individual parts and complete longblocks.
You didnt mention what if anything you have to start with as far as a case, or complete motor altogether. Once again i'll assume you are starting from scratch. If you do have something, try to identify what it is and go from there.
As far as complete kit, like crank, cam, pistons, and heads, thats not usually the way parts are assembled. Unless you wanted to buy a complete longblock of course.
Usually if you want to buy each bit individually you would buy say a crank from one retailer such as serrano's, a p/c set from mahle or similar outfit, and heads from CB, A.J. Sims or whoever, depending on what you need. You can buy new stocker heads as well if you arent looking for performance parts.
It really all depends on what you want. If you are just looking for a motor im not sure piecing it together would be the way to go. But, VW motors are simple to work on compared to other engines and there is a huge aftermarket offering every part, high performance or stock replacement, to suit your needs.
Like i said, it really depends on what you want to do. Hope i've helped a bit.
Aircooled VW motors in my experience are generally much easier to work on than their watercooled counterparts, and generally cheap in comparison to other engines and cars, with exceptions of course.
You didnt mention if you have any other previous build experience, so i'll assume you're not familiar with aircooleds at all. First off, volks motors comprise of a case (engine block), piston and cylinder set (p/c) which unlike other engines are removable. When each head is removed the cylinders will slide off the case individually, much like a dirt bike or atv engine, if your familiar with that. The case itself splits down the middle into halves, allowing the crank and such to be removed. Some pictures will be worth a thousand words here to get you familiar. Thesamba.com has a huge amount of pictures of parts, disassembled engines and such for a reference. The site also has a large classified ad section with individual parts and complete longblocks.
You didnt mention what if anything you have to start with as far as a case, or complete motor altogether. Once again i'll assume you are starting from scratch. If you do have something, try to identify what it is and go from there.
As far as complete kit, like crank, cam, pistons, and heads, thats not usually the way parts are assembled. Unless you wanted to buy a complete longblock of course.
Usually if you want to buy each bit individually you would buy say a crank from one retailer such as serrano's, a p/c set from mahle or similar outfit, and heads from CB, A.J. Sims or whoever, depending on what you need. You can buy new stocker heads as well if you arent looking for performance parts.
It really all depends on what you want. If you are just looking for a motor im not sure piecing it together would be the way to go. But, VW motors are simple to work on compared to other engines and there is a huge aftermarket offering every part, high performance or stock replacement, to suit your needs.
Like i said, it really depends on what you want to do. Hope i've helped a bit.
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skeejunkee
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:36 pm
more info
V8’s and a lot of 2 strokes. I have purchased a couple of the Bug me Videos and they have help me do pans, heater channels, tune ups. I am looking into the engine rebuild DVD. Just not sure if it is worth it? Some kits are $450 and then you build it. One company has a long block for $999. I am sure it would be fun to do but just asking for some advice. Also I want a daily driver with some get up and go, what size pistons should I go with?
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Bullvi22
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:27 pm
thats easy
Ah shoot man, your good as gold. Vw's are a piece of cake.
As far as piston size; welcome to the big dilema. When it comes to bigger displacement motors there are a few very common choices. One is stroker cranks; usually 74,76,78, or 82 are a few of the popular choices. The factory stroke on most vdubs is 69mm FYI. Strokers are the ultimate way to go for performance, but case and cam clearancing are necessary if you go every big. Bigger than 76mm at the largest.
But, you asked about piston sizes so i reckon your probably more interested in that than a stroker right now. The very common p/c sizes are 87,88s,90.5,92, and 94mm. The factory bore on a 1600 is 85.5mm. Now, in order to fit anything bigger than 87's ,which are slip ins, will require boring the case to fit the larger cylinder. You know what, now that i think of it there is an excellent article about this very thing on aircooled.net under the technical articles. Check it out for a more thorough comparison from somebody that knows a lot more than me.
But, invariably the displacements that you are going to encounter the most, based on the 69mm stroke, are the 1641 (87), 1679 (88), 1776 (90.5), 1835 (92), and 1914 (94). Each size has a reputation of its own and if you read very much you'll pick up on whats popular and whats not quite so popular. For example, if your goina machine your case for 88's, why not go for 90.5's? Some people would just say go for 94's, which seem to be a good choice, but if longevity and such are more important than all out po 90.5s might be the best choice. Read around a bit to see what will best suit your needs. I think you'll find 1776 and 1914 to be the most common sizes, and again, sometimes bigger means a little more work to fit.
Of course, this goes without saying, but displacement is not the biggie when it comes to making power. Heads, carburation, cams, and such are going to be the deciding factor on how much power your making.
This is such a huge can of worms. Its a car lover's dream though as far as parts choices and ultimate performance potential. There's nothing like the thought of a 150 hp beetle spanking the 'big bad' V8 guys that thing their somehthing else. Granted 150 hp is a big number for a first vw motor, but its certainly not out of sight. What can i say, look around and see decide whats in your budget and what you want it to do.
As far as piston size; welcome to the big dilema. When it comes to bigger displacement motors there are a few very common choices. One is stroker cranks; usually 74,76,78, or 82 are a few of the popular choices. The factory stroke on most vdubs is 69mm FYI. Strokers are the ultimate way to go for performance, but case and cam clearancing are necessary if you go every big. Bigger than 76mm at the largest.
But, you asked about piston sizes so i reckon your probably more interested in that than a stroker right now. The very common p/c sizes are 87,88s,90.5,92, and 94mm. The factory bore on a 1600 is 85.5mm. Now, in order to fit anything bigger than 87's ,which are slip ins, will require boring the case to fit the larger cylinder. You know what, now that i think of it there is an excellent article about this very thing on aircooled.net under the technical articles. Check it out for a more thorough comparison from somebody that knows a lot more than me.
But, invariably the displacements that you are going to encounter the most, based on the 69mm stroke, are the 1641 (87), 1679 (88), 1776 (90.5), 1835 (92), and 1914 (94). Each size has a reputation of its own and if you read very much you'll pick up on whats popular and whats not quite so popular. For example, if your goina machine your case for 88's, why not go for 90.5's? Some people would just say go for 94's, which seem to be a good choice, but if longevity and such are more important than all out po 90.5s might be the best choice. Read around a bit to see what will best suit your needs. I think you'll find 1776 and 1914 to be the most common sizes, and again, sometimes bigger means a little more work to fit.
Of course, this goes without saying, but displacement is not the biggie when it comes to making power. Heads, carburation, cams, and such are going to be the deciding factor on how much power your making.
This is such a huge can of worms. Its a car lover's dream though as far as parts choices and ultimate performance potential. There's nothing like the thought of a 150 hp beetle spanking the 'big bad' V8 guys that thing their somehthing else. Granted 150 hp is a big number for a first vw motor, but its certainly not out of sight. What can i say, look around and see decide whats in your budget and what you want it to do.
