Overview

So you want a not out of the box engine for your Beetle, what should you do about it. There are
many, many parts available for your engine, just take a look inside any VW mag and you will see
ads for parts you have no idea what they are, but sound impressive. The most important part to
building your own engine is not to jump straight in, read, ask and observe where ever you can.
y let down has been living in !uernsey "a small island off the north #rench coast of only $%
s&uare miles', when ( started racing in the )%*s there was almost no+one ( could ask locally who
had any idea that a Beetle could produce more that just a whistling sound, let alone ,%%B-., so (
had to learn by my own e/perience and by long phone calls to 0utocavan who helped without
really knowing my full re&uirements, as nor did (. -ow can you know what you want until you
have e/perienced it, and without a car how could ( e/perience it, ( wasn*t going to enter a 12%%cc
Super Beetle with standard road tyres up against , litre #ord twin cams boasting huge amounts of
power, my vanity was to great for that.
( am hoping to try and pass on some of my e/periences and save you e/perimenting as ( did.
Throughout this document ( will try to give you calculations and comparisons to make it a little
easier to make the right choice. 3ou will still have to make the final choice as ( will not tell you
what to buy, just what ball park to look in.
4eturn to the 5ontents
What do you want
6ne of the hardest parts of building an engine is deciding what you really want, are you
intending to take granny to church on Sunday but be able to keep up with your mates each
evening, or are you after something a little hotter, such as 1%% + 17%B-.. (f you intend to go
beyond the 17%B-. mark then this document is not really for you, only so much can be covered
and all out engines, especially when used on the road, re&uire so many areas to be considered
together that one could fill a book with the possibilities as have people like 8eith Seume with his
very informative book *0ircooled VW 9ngine (nterchange anual*, which is a :%*s version of
*-ow To -otrod 3our VW 9ngine*.
#irstly, how much money are you prepared to spend; <ow if you double it that will give you an
idea of what it will probably cost. ( built a 11%B-. engine for a lad who came to me and said *(
have =1%%% to spend, ( want.....*, and proceeded to list =$%%% of parts alone. When he finished (
calmed him down and e/plained what things cost. -e finally spent =1)%%, and went away happy.
What sort of power range did you intend to have, 7%+>7B-., >7+ 1%%B-., 1%%+17%B-.; To give
some idea of the e/pected cost, ( use the formula B-. ? ,%, this gives an amount that turns out
to be closer than just pricing up the crank and carbs.
6ne thing you should be aware of, VW made their parts much too strong for what they were
intended, meaning you can retain a large number of parts from your donor@e/isting engine.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Crankcases
There are many crankcases available, your original case, a new original case, a clearanced case
and race cases, they are all good for what they were built for. (f you intend to keep your original
case and want anything over >7B-. you should only do this if it is a twin port, that is one whose
serial number begins with two alpha characters from 0B to 0S. They should also have the part
number 0S,1 or 0SA1 "this is on the side under the pushrod tubes'. 0pparently the 0S,1,
produced after the 0SA1, has a greater aluminium to magnesium ratio than the 0SA1 and
therefore handles heat better, although ( have never had any trouble with an 0B 1$%% case
"0SA1' up to 1)%B-., but ( have never used one long term on the road. !ene Berg has done
much work looking into the differences and advocates the use of 0S,1 rather than 0SA1, but (
have not found any noticeable difference.
5ase studs were also changed from about 1:>7 for )mm rather than 1%mm. The reason for this is
that the 1%mm studs stretch once heated more than the )mm, once again (*ve never e/perienced
any trouble with the larger studs.
(t is possible to obtain case savers, these are stud sleeves, which re&uires the case being tapped to
1Amm where the old studs went, then inserting the case savers, then the )mm or 1%mm studs. Be
warned, if you plan to open the case up for :Amm cylinders you will e/perience trouble with the
inserts encroaching in the holes.
The ne/t case up is a clearanced case, these have been machined for :%.7@:,mm cylinders and
the insides have been opened up to accept an )Amm crankshaft. These cases are very good value
for money when you consider the cost of a new universal case and then the machining costs.
4ace cases come from the top names, 0utocraft, Bugpack, .auter, 4imco and Scat, but they
aren*t cheap. Bse one only if you feel you really have to, or you*re a chap ( know who won*t buy
what will do the job, he has to have the most e/pensive. They are, however, very strong,
sometimes heavier than a standard case, but really not necessary for a road going 17%bhp engine.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Crankshafts and flywheels
(f you plan on using your engine at over 77%% rpm, which is &uite likely, you can forget using
your stock crank. There are, like most other parts, loads of different crankshafts on the market,
the bottom of the range is a welded counterweight 2:mm crank. The counterweights are what
allow you to e/ceed 77%% rpm. 0ll cranks ( will mention from this point will have counterweight
on them, either welded or forged from new.
0fter the welded counterweights comes forged cranks, these come in many different siCes from
2:mm up. There are two crankshafts ( would recommend, firstly a 2:mm, either welded or
forged, and a >)mm forged. These will give reliable horsepower from 17)7cc up to ,%%>cc from
a standard case.
5rankshafts over 2:mm are referred to as *strokers*.
The advantage of using a 2:mm crank is that it can rotate faster than a stroker. 4emember an
engine is an air pump, the faster and easier you can get the air in and out, the faster the engine
will go. So with that in mind, you can see how a short stroke, although giving a smaller capacity
and theoretically a lower power output can run faster and give a higher rpm. #or street use this
isn*t always a great advantage as it re&uires the revs to be &uite high to get full benefit, but if you
intend taking your animal to the strip it could work well.
0ll *aftermarket* cranks come drilled for ) dowel pins, these are the bits that keep the flywheel
turning with the crank. The more pins the more chance of the flywheel staying attached to the
crank. The nut that holds these two together needs, as standard, ,7% lbs@ft "$7mkg' which is &uite
an amount of pressure. To give you some idea of what that means, if you hang 1) inches "A7cms'
down a bar with a socket on the end you would need to weigh 127lbs@>7kgs "1, stone'. #or a
high powered engine ( would recommend about A%%+7%% lbs@ft "77+>%mkg', this means if you do
weigh 127 lbs you will now need to be between ,.7 and $ feet ">7+ :%cms' down the bar. 0ll that
weight on a $2mm headed nut, wow.
The journals "the bits the bearings go on' are available in many different siCes to fit different
con+rods "see that section', but why cause more e/pense than is really necessary;
There are also flanged crankshafts, these have a larger flywheel end which allows for better
mating with the flywheel, but does need a special bearing set and a matching flywheel.
Whilst on the subject of flywheel mating, there are wedge+mated crank and flywheel sets
available. These have been machined with a taper on both the crank end and the matching
flywheel face, this does work well. They work just like steering rod ball joints, have you ever
tried to get one of those off; But, once again, if you intend to stay below ,%%B-. you will never
need one of these.
There are heavy duty nuts and larger washers available, they are usually made of chrome+moly.
They aren*t really needed, the standard nuts will take at least 7%%lbs@ft ">%mkg' and who needs a
larger washer "they are meant to keep the dowels in place', where are the dowel pins e/pected to
go;
3our flywheel, apart from re&uiring the e/tra A dowel holes should be machined to weigh
between 1% and 1$ lbs "A.7+2 kgs', the weight must be removed from the outer most edge "not
the teeth' and most machine shops will be able to carry out this operation for you. 3ou could
always buy a ready cut flywheel, but of course you will have to pay for a flywheel that you
already have and then have one spare when you*ve finished.
6nce you have your flywheel and crank ready, get your clutch pressure plate and take them to a
balancer, it is well worth it as it allows for a smoother running engine along with the fact it will
should help your engine last longer.
Whilst (*m on the subject of longevity, it should be noted that if you increase your power output
you can e/pect parts to wear out a little more &uickly, and so doing everything you can to make
the engine run smoother will slow this degradation. ( will point out anything to help this as we
go.
6ne last point, there are shims in between the crankshaft and the flywheel, these set the
crankshaft endfloat. The recommended gap is %.%>+%.1$mm "%.%%$+%.%%7in', open that up to
about %.,7mm "%.%1%in' if your engine is going to be over 1,%B-.. This will allow the e/tra
heat to be dissipated better from the crank and crankcase without binding "<B the case and crank
e/pand and contract at different speeds'.
To help you decide the length of stroke you re&uire, use this calculation, Bore X Bore X Stroke X
0.0031416.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Con-rods
6nce again, there are many rods available, your standard rods "use type $11, this will be cast into
the bottom of the big end' should be good as they are for most engines up to 1%% B-. and with a
2:mm stroke crank. 6nce you go to a longer crank you will either re&uire these rods to be
machined or to buy a set of previously cleared rods, the advantage of buying a set of rods is that
they will have been balanced end for end and as a set, which will help your engine*s longevity.
Dike crankshafts, con+rods are available with different journals, and like the crankshafts you
have no need to change from the stock VW 77mm diameter.
4od length is also an area to look into as this can move the power band, like a cam, higher or
lower in the rev range. The length of the rod and the length of the crankshaft stroke give the rod
ratio. Rod length (mm) divided b the !rank "troke (mm) # Rod Ratio. The lower the ratio the
lower the power band, the higher the ratio the higher up the range the power band will move. 0s
a comparison the stock 12%%cc set+up is 1$>@2: E 1.:), now if you wish to hill climb you will
re&uire a lower ratio "( had a ratio of 1.>2' and if you wish to drag race a high one.
5hevy $,> rods are 1A7mm long, are strong and cheap, but will re&uire some machining as the
big end is only 71 mm instead of the 77mm of the VW. These used with a stock length crank will
give a high revving engine with a high power band, giving a rod ratio of ,.1%, ideal for a drag
engine. The .orsche :1, rod is a little shorter than the VW, but when it comes down to it the VW
is stronger, not a bad length and it fits.
This is the theory of rod ratio.
0 long rod will give a slower piston speed, and therefore a longer life for the rings and cylinder
walls, but this also causes the cylinders to fill up slowly when the piston moves down during the
inlet stroke. 6f course, once the rpm builds this is overcome, hence the higher power band. 0
shorter rod will, of course, fill the cylinder much faster and therefore give more power at lower
engine speeds, but be limited to its rev range.
There are many aftermarket rods available, but like crankcases ( can see no reason to change to a
set of rods costing more than ( sell a complete recon 12%%cc engine for.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Cylinder and piston sets
There are only a few choices here, you can go for an ))mm or a :%.7mm, in either a stock or
long stroke design. DO NOT EVER UE ! "#$-#N ET as the cylinder wall are too thin to
withstand road use for any length of time. #or the same reason (, along with many others, do not
recommend the use of :,mm cylinder sets. These have the same outside diameter as the :%.7mm
sets, but obviously have a larger inside diameter, thereby giving a thinner wall. 0s Fick <uss
would say GBoo :,sG. ( had a set of :,s which, after only , race meetings, had four shiny lines
up and down the cylinder and four beautifully untouched lines. This was caused by the cylinder
becoming s&uared to the four head studs and the rings then binding on the walls. Fon*t let this
happen to you as it costs %uch %ore to strip down a road going engine.
0lways use a forged piston if you can and use Teflon Buttons. This comes back to one of my
first comments that something sounding good, but you don*t know what they are. Teflon Buttons
replace the clips that hold in the wrist pins "the bit that hold the piston to the con+rod' and won*t
come loose like a clip can. They are small mushroom shaped buttons that slide against the
cylinder wall and being Teflon don*t wear out.
6ne other part to be aware of is total seal piston rings, these have no breaks in them and
therefore give better compression. ( have never used them and so can give no comment on their
ability, longevity and cost.
-ere is the calculation for 55, Bore X Bore X Stroke X 0.0031416.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Cylinder heads
3ou can buy some lovely heads from the shops, but know now that they all need finishing off.
<o head can be built for your re&uirements and be a standard *off the shelf* number. 0ll of these
heads will improve your engine as they are, but you should always consider a little head work at
a recognised porting shop.
(f you plan to stay under 1%%B-. then you can happily use your standard VW twin port heads
without any work, less a good clean up. Don&t 'other with sin(le port heads, change to a pair
of twin ports.
3ou can buy %A%, %A1, %A, and %AA heads, these are all based on the standard VW head, but still
re&uire work to perform well, especially the %A1. The %A% has A%mm ? $7.7mm valves, the %A1
is similar but has $: ? $, "not much better than standard', the %A, is a development of the %A1,
but with bigger valves, A%mm ? $7.7mm. The %AA is the best of these heads and has more metal
in the important areas near the valve seats and plug hole and therefore re&uires a long reach
spark plug. The e/tra metal helps prevent cracking, a common problem on all these and standard
heads. 6f these heads ( would recommend the %AA greatly over the other %A heads.
y personal favourites for road use is the 9liminator which has plenty of metal in all the right
places and with only a little port polishing they run very well, although they do need long reach
spark plugs. Beyond these are those from all the top names, these come from Bugpack, !ene
Berg, .auter and Scat, but remember like any *off the shelf* head, it will still re&uire some work
to make it perform at its best, so the more money you spend on a pair of heads there is still
money you will need to spend.
-ave a look through the catalogues and speak to the vendors, sum up the best value for money,
but don*t buy heads that are too big for what you want.
( won*t go into heads any further as your re&uirements are something only you know, so go and
speak to a head shop, let them know what you want and see what they say. (f they know what
they are doing they will recommend a head and then be able to machine it to your spec.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Ca%shafts and the valve train
5ams, like heads, are a big area, you can really mess up an engine with the wrong cam, even
more so than with heads. 0 12>: with Weber $A(5Ts and standard heads will not run with an
9ngle #8:) cam.
5ams have two main measurements, the lift, in either millimeters or inches, and the duration in
degrees of the crank. The duration is the time the valve is opened for, the longer this duration the
more fuel gets into the engine and the bigger the bang when it ignites. Well, that*s the theory, in
actual fact the longer the valve is open for the faster the engine needs to be running for this to
happen, so at idle the engine will not run all that well. #or street use you should not consider
anything with a duration of greater than ,:% degrees. The most popular cam ( have ever seen
used on the street is the 9ngle W11%, it has ,)2 degrees and %.A$1G valve lift. 9ngle also make
the W1%% which is often better used on an engine under 1>%%cc. The duration of this cam is only
,>2 degrees which brings the power band down where a smaller capacity engine needs it.
4emember thisH The longer the duration the higher the power band, and subse&uently the lack of
power in the lower rev range.
5am lift is usually measured in inches "*cos most manufacturers of VW cams are 0merican' and
either is at the valve or the cam, so make sure you know which before deciding on one. There are
different rocker ratios as well, the standard rockers multiply the lift by 1.1, whereas others have
ratios of 1.AH1 and 1.7H1, this of course means the cam lift is multiplied by 1.A or 1.7 to give full
valve lift "less the rocker@valve clearance, usually %.%%AG@%.1mm for inlet and %.%%2G@%.17mm for
e/haust'. (f you intend using higher ratio rockers, check the cam card closely and check if you
can@should run a ratio rocker with it. The more lift you have the more fuel goes in and the bigger
the bang when it ignites, so the higher the lift the more fuel "well, it almost works like that'.
ost manufacturers have their popular street cams, (*ve mentioned 9ngle*s, Bugpack have their
A%2,+1%, which gives a little less lift and a little less duration, Scat have the 5$7, !ene Berg has
his !B,:>, slight differences, but all much the same. 0ny of these cams will work well on the
road throughout the rev range, plus give increased performance over the standard cam. They all
have around ,)A+,)2 degrees and about %.A17 + %.A71G. (f you want a little more lift without the
e/tra duration, my personal road choice is the 9ngle VI,7, but these do work better with
modified heads.
(f you insist in going over the ,:% degree barrier, then it*s your own fault when it*s a bit sluggish
in town. Valve lift is not &uite as bad, but please use 1.1H1 rockers as there are very few road
cams that are designed to use a 1.AH1 or 1.7H1 that work any better than an e&uivalent one
designed to run on 1.1H1 rockers. Still try to keep your total valve lift to below %.7%%G as this is
the limit of a standard head.
There are adjustable cam gears available, don*t buy one. 3ou cannot set up the cam better that it
was manufactured. (f the cam doesn*t match the cam card it came with it is either a faulty cam or
a faulty cam gear, so take it@them back. There are also straight cut gears, these prevent cam lash
caused by the synchromesh type gear, but as you won*t be running dual valve springs, you won*t
need these either, plus they are so noisy.
Fual valve springs are available to fit any head, don*t buy them, you don*t need them for street
use and they slow your engine down. 0ny e/tra work you make your engine do, like open valves
with more springs on than they need, will slow it down. 0 new set of single springs is a good
idea, however, as this will keep your valves closed when they should be closed because twenty
five year old springs don*t work as well as they did when they were new.
3ou can buy chrome+moly pushrods, don*t. 3ou can and should consider *cut to length* steel
pushrods, these will allow your rocker arm geometry to stay set.
Rocker ar% (eo%etry) This is getting the valve opening through the full swing of the rocker
arm. To set this up, you will need to get a soft spring the same siCe as the valve spring "you can
use the inner spring from a dual set' and fit it. ake an adjustable pushrod, this consists of
cutting an old pushrod in half, removing about ,cms "$@A inch' from one half, inserting a length
of 2 thread with a nut on it tight into one end and drill out the other half to 2mm so the thread
slips in. 4educe the adjustable pushrod to its shortest. 0ssemble the engine with no pushrod
tubes on. Set the rocker adjusting screw to half way, and e/tend the pushrod until you have a
valve clearance of %.%%2G@%.17mm, turn the engine over until the valve is half open "you will
need a dial indicator for this', at this point the rocker arm should be level with the head*s rocker
cover seat "valve top and pushrod top are level'. (f not, adjust with rocker stand shims and valve
lash caps "if necessary' until it is level, re+adjust the length of the pushrod, recheck and if 68
you can cut your pushrods.
When you come to push the ends in after having cut them to length, use a large hammer and a
pair of old cam followers. 3ou will have eight of them floating around after putting new ones in
with your new cam. *ou %ust use new ca% followers with a new ca%, and not just because the
bloke selling you the cam tell you to. Dook after your cam and it will look after you "or was that
something else;'.
3ou can buy hydraulic cam followers and large base followers, don*t. There are light weight
followers, (*ve never used these, but there is no reason you shouldn*t spend your hard earned
money on them.
There are many different valve types available, but use those that come with your heads, they
will probably be stainless steel and all in the price. #or road use you don*t need sodium filled
titanium valves at several hundred pounds a set, or anything else too special.
When you install your cam do use the paste they supply with it, in fact splash it on all over the
cam and the follower bases, plus do run the engine as the instruction say.
4eturn to the 5ontents
The oil syste%
Take a look at an oil pump, it consists of two gears and a case, not much to it. The oil is picked
up from the centre of the engine "above the oil draining plug' and enters the pump on the right,
leaves on the left and heads for the first pressure relief valve "the one below and to the left of the
pump', if the oil is hot it is sent to the oil cooler, if not it goes straight to the bearings via the oil
pressure switch. 6nce here it feeds the camshaft, the cam followers "which in turn feed the
rocker shaft through the pushrods', the crankshaft and the big end bearings and then the small
end bearings. The last part of its journey is through the second pressure relief valve "this is near
the flywheel end', this keeps the oil pressure to its set value.
3ou can replace the relief valves and springs with higher pressure versions, these aren*t really
worth the effort, as the standard version works well. These are often just a longer piston rather
than a longer spring, but sometimes you get both. 3ou can replace the oil pump with a higher
pressure version, these are the same design e/cept have larger gears in a larger case. ( would not
ever run a high pressure oil pump with oil pressure boost springs.
There are oil pump covers available with an outlet pipe which is to allow an oil filter to be added.
3ou will have to block the pumps normal outlet by pushing a bung into the hole in the case "you
should tap the case and use a length of thread so it can be removed later, if need be', then drill a
hole in the case "you can see the raised part of the case that goes up and to the left at A7 degrees
from the pump, follow that up until it comes to a lug in the case facing toward you and use that
as your return point' tap this to 1@A BS. "this is the standard thread type used in oil systems' and
connect your filter. Bse e/ternally braided hose, as being so close to the ground and near so
many other parts it will need protecting from damage. Fo not fit your filter where it can be
damaged i.e. inside the wheel arch or too near the ground.
There are also dry sump pumps, these are a two stage pump, the first is the oil in, this takes oil
from a separate tank and pressuriCes it into the engine. The second stage is the oil recovery
which is twice the siCe of the first and sucks the oil up from the bottom of the engine and returns
it to the tank. They are not all that common on road cars, their main use is when an engine is
pushed from side to side a lot, such as off road. When using an engine in this way the oil spends
a lot of time being pushed into the heads and therefore not near the oil pickup, so seiCure is
waiting to happen. These pumps are e/pensive, they re&uire an e/tra tank, a lot more hose and
some case machining. Fon*t bother with one for the road, you don*t need it. ( used one for hill
climbing as without one ( could not have gone around the bends &uite as fast.
There are sump baffles, these work &uite well. They are a simple drilled plate that slips into the
case just below the camshaft. The idea is to prevent the oil easily running into the cylinder heads
on cornering and starving the oil pickup.
( have used and am happy with an oil suction kit, this consists of a new sump plate with an
e/tension to the oil pickup that fits very close to it. The idea being it only re&uires about Amm of
oil to still be able to pick it up, the standard pickup re&uires about 1%mm.
3ou could consider a high capacity oil sump, these add about 1., pints "%.> ltrs' of oil to the
engine. They come with an e/tension to fit onto the standard pickup which collects the oil from
the new tank. They have one major disadvantage, they hang about $ inches ">7mm' below the
engine and can cause a problem with a lowered car.
ini sumps work like a mi/ture of the last two sumps, they have an e/tra mini sump along with
an e/tension pickup. ( still prefer the oil suction kit.
5oolersH There are many different kits available for cooling your oil. (f you have the time and the
want to strip part of your engine after using it for a week, use the standard cooler and a
temperature gauge and if it regularly rises above 1,% degrees 5 you need an e/ternal cooler.
These use an adaptor that fits in place of the standard cooler and has two connecting pipes on,
one in and one out which point to the flywheel. Some kits come with fitting instructions that
show the cooler fitted to the fan housing inlet, whoever thought of this should also be strapped to
the fan intake themselves. The air going into the fan housing should be as cold as possible,
warming it up with an oil cooler is rather defeating the object. #it your oil cooler somewhere
under the car, along side the gearbo/ or somewhere where it is out of the way of any passing
objects, but close enough to the fresh air.
Don&t run an oil cooler fro% an oil pu%p outlet plate "as mention earlier' as this will send
cold oil to the cooler which will cause e/tra stress on the cooler and could blow it out.
4eturn to the 5ontents
#(nition
What ever you may read, you cannot gain any e/tra power by changing your distributor, ignition
leads, coil, or spark plugs. 3ou can help the engine to run smoother and more efficiently, though.
3our choice of distributors is limited to Bosch %%: and %7% in either a standard configuration or
with a Dumenition 6ptronic system or other electronic pack. These electronic units will help
your engine run smoothly and with a more accurate spark, but ( personally don*t think they are
worth the e/tra cost. (f you change your carbs for a dual system you will need a purely
centrifugal advance distributor. The %%: and %7% are of this type. There are two differences
between the %%: and the %7%, firstly the %7% doesn*t retard number $ cylinder, as the %%: and all
standard distributors do. <ot recommended for road use, as it can cause number $ cylinder to
overheat, which is why the %%: does. The %7% also advances at a faster rate than the %%:,
meaning it gets to its full advance at a lower engine speed, this is not a good idea for a lower
powered engine "under 1%%B-.' as it will put more of a demand on the engine before it is really
ready to give it.
agnetos, they don*t use a coil and are very e/pensive. They are mostly used by high revving
drag race engines. 0 coil and %%: is a far, far better and cheaper option for a road car.
5oils are available in many different types, but they are all basically the same, a coil of wire in
an oil bath. The most common coil seen on the Beetle is the Bosch Blue, this is a good unit and
will give you many happy hours, well, years. The choice is almost endless, they are made by
more names than ( care to mention, and nearly all of them will do what you want, but for the
price, and ease of availability, there is no reason you shouldn*t get a new Bosch Blue.
3ou can change to silicon ignition leads in both >mm and )mm siCes and in many colours "the
silicon part is the wrapping'. The siCe of the lead isn*t important to a road car, but colour
obviously is "only joking'. 3our original leads will work well, but a new set can*t hurt and they
aren*t e/pensive. 3ou can get deals which include a %%:, Bosch Blue coil and a set of silicon
leads.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Car'urettors
Det*s start by reminding you of one of my earlier statements, an engine i" an air $um$% the fa"ter
and ea"ier ou !an get the air in and out% the fa"ter the engine &ill go. 3ou must remember,
though, if you are running a standard carb and change the air filter for an aftermarket type which
will flow better than the standard VW unit you will need to increase the main jet on the carb.
<oteH ore air needs more fuel. 3ou can buy adjustable main jets for the Sole/ $1 .(5T+$ or A
and the $A .(5T+$ as used on the 1$%% and 12%% twin ports respectively. (t is a better idea to buy
an adjustable main jet, as trying to guess the jet you need could be e/pensive before you finally
get it right.
5arb choices are getting smaller. The A)(F0 was always used with the big engines, but Weber
don*t make them any more which is making them difficult to get hold of. The 0mericans used to
use the -olley Bugspray for the street engines whilst in 9urope we used the Weber $,@$2 F#9V.
The Bugspray is no longer available new, whereas the $,@$2 F#9V is still going strong. (f you
can find a Bugspray it will help a small capacity engine run much better, and an engine up to
1)%%cc will like the $,@$2 F#9V. The Weber is a progressive twin choke, this means that the first
$,mm barrel does all the main work until you floor the accelerator and then the $2mm cuts in,
which you will notice. There was, and ( think there still maybe, a set of 8adron Sole/ carbs,
these are two single Sole/ carbs on individual manifolds with a crude linkage "which often lost
one of its retaining clips'. -aving said that, they are good value for money, as are any other twin
single carbs sets.
0fter that comes the best of the rest, $A(5T, A%(F# and AA(F#. Fellorto also make an e&uivalent
range, $A#4F, A%F4D0 and A7F4D0, the only difference is the Fells are usually a little more
e/pensive "due to a smaller demand', but if you intend using a blow through turbo system you
can forget the Webers, they can*t handle the pressure as well. The $A(5T@$A#4F are great for a
small engine up to 1)%%cc, it gives a good response and is much better on fuel consumption than
the $,@$2 F#9V. The $A#4F, Baby Fels, are now no longer made. (f you can get some, do. They
have two separate single carbs, one above each head. The A%(F#@F4D0 and AA(F#@A7F4D0 are
twin chokes which can be used as either single centre mounted or as two side mounded carbs.
The single centre mounting doesn*t work well *out of the bo/*, but if you can get it jetted
correctly it should run well. The best way to run these carbs is as a twin set+up with one either
side of the engine. They usually come as a complete set with manifolds, air filters, linkage and
fuel line. They run well on any engine from 12%%cc up, although ( would use the A%(F#@F4D0
for 12%%+1)%%cc and the AA(F#@A7F4D0 from 1)%%+,%%%cc.
(n my opionion the Fellorto has a far superior linkage system that the Weber, it uses a he/agonal
rather than a round bar, which means the arms don*t need bolting up so damn tight, but have a
look at them both and see what you think.
6ne point to note, you cannot use your standard fuel pump with these dual twin carb set+ups.
They work well until you reach about A,7%% rpm then start to struggle. 9lectric pumps are
available from many outlets and some are designed to replace the e/isting pump and sit on an
adapter ne/t to the distributor, but most pumps should be run from as near the tank as possible,
as they are designed to push not pull the fuel. There is a nice recess on the opposite side to the
master cylinder along side the front of the floor pan framehead.
3ou can use A)(F0s on the road, but you will get better mileage and easier town running from a
set of A% or AA@A7s.
(f you plan to run a set of A%s on an 1)%%, do ask the shop for a set designed for this engine. The
set+up the A%s come with is designed for a 12%%cc engine, using ,)mm choke and 117 main jets,
where an 1)%%cc engine will re&uire $,mm chokes and 1,) mains. Bse these calculations for
your carbsH
Fetermine carb siCeH (S'uare root of (!linder !! X maximum r$m)) divided b 40 "( would
suggest a ma/imum rpm of 2,7%% to >,%%%'
Fetermine choke siCeH ((arb "i)e X 40) divided b *0
Fetermine main jet siCeH (hoke "i)e X 4
4eturn to the 5ontents
E+hausts
68, let*s go back to what ( keep saying, an engine is an air pump, the faster and easier you can
get the air in and out, the faster the engine will go, so an e/haust with as little restriction as
possible is the key to this. 0 twin &uiet pack will allow the gases out easier than a single, because
each silencer only has to handle half as much e/haust as a single, J9F.
3ou must be aware of how an e/tractor e/haust works, as there are many on offer that are not
e/tractors. To make an e/haust work to help the engine you will re&uire the four pipes to meet
together at the same time, that is the four of them must be the same length. Fue to the e/tra
length re&uired to get from cylinders 1 and $ "nearest the front of the car' you need to make
number , and A longer. Dook at most performance e/hausts and you will see a great winding of
metal, this is to make up the e/tra length re&uired for the back cylinders. These four pipes must
then merge into a collector together, this creates a small vacuum in the collector whenever one
pulse passes. To put it another way, when number 1 cylinder e/haust passes through the collector
it produces a vacuum in the other three pipes, as number A is ne/t it will be pulled down the pipe,
so helping the piston. The smoother and straighter the pipes are the better this system works,
unfortunately this pushes the collector so far out the back it is just not practical for a road car. (n
0merica (*m sure they can get away with it, but in 9urope we have smaller roads and in
!uernsey we have them even smaller, put it this way, !uernsey has a very high case of broker
door mirrors, on both sides.
To continue the process of helping the gases escape, you can use a GStingerG which tapers out for
about 1) inches "A7cms' and aids this vacuum effect. 6f course, using a stinger on the roads is
asking for trouble, not only are they loud, but they stick out the back so damn far.
3ou may want to e/change your heat e/changers for GKG pipes, these are simply a replacement,
they do not really aid the e/haust much, but do make the engine lighter. 3ou will have to make
some new brackets for the lower tinware if you use these.
Fon*t e/pect the following e/hausts to help the engine in any way, other than keeping it &uietH
Bugpack Bniversal 9/haust@ KS5 9conomy -eader L uffler and !T 9/haust Systems, any
dual e/haust "used on buggies@Bajas', onCa .erformance 9/haust, Ioom Tubes@Ioomie "these
are very 1:>%s'. Bse your discretion, if it doesn*t have a merged collector, it isn*t going to help.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Coolin(
When an engine produces more power, it subse&uently produces more heat. This means that
cooling is more important now than before. ( always fit a new thermostat to a performance
engine, as the cost far out weighs the trouble caused if it doesn*t work. 0nother favourite of mine
is the 5ylinder 5ool Tin, these are a copy of the Type $ under cylinder deflector. They cause the
air coming down from the fan housing to wrap around the lower part of the cylinder far better
than those tiny little plates you have already.
3ou should also use a cylinder head temperature gauge and connect it to cylinder M$ "as this is
always the hottest'. The senders for these gauges fit under the spark plug like a washer, but be
careful as they are easy to break. ( have, in the past, connected them to a cylinder head bolt, the
upper one second in from the left on the left hand head, but this does mean drilling the tinware
and more importantly, they are there to stay once the tinware has been fitted.
(f you have fitted an e/ternal oil cooler you can change your fan housing for one other than a
Gdog+houseG type "that*s the standard type used after 1:>1'. 3ou must remove the control flaps
from within your old fan housing and transfer them to the new aftermarket one you have bought.
The reason for this is that those flaps allow the engine to reach its correct operating temperature
&uite &uickly and thereby reduce cylinder wear to a minimum. Be aware that many of the
aftermarket fan housings don*t fit too well and do not have provision for the control flaps, if this
is the case, don*t buy it. 3ou really can*t do much better than the standard post 1:>1 fan housing,
but remember if you are going to remove the oil cooler you will need to patch the back of the
housing to keep the air in.
.ower pulley are smaller pulley wheels which turn the fan slower and therefore re&uire less
power from the engine, that means the engine will not receive all the air it needs. (t is worth
noting that if you intend running your car in and around town, the power pulley is not for you,
but if you plan on running your engine at high 4. for any length of time i.e. drag racing, you
should consider one as the standard fan doesn*t work very well over 2,%%%4. "engine speed'
and by reducing its speed it will e/tend the usable range of the fan. .lease remember, if you use a
power pulley in town, you are asking for trouble. There are also dry sump pump pulleys
available, these are even smaller and have been designed to run with this huge pump. 0s ( have
already recommended you don*t use a dry sump pump, you don*t need to ask me about these
pulleys.
y final point on cooling is this, Volkswagen spend a lot of time and money working out the
best way to cool their engine, so what makes you think a badly fitting aluminium $2hp replica is
going to work any better.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Clutches
<ot too much to say about clutches, just don*t use a feramic centre plate for use on the roads "the
feramic pads get stickier the hotter they get, so you cannot slip them, therefore no good in town'
or a pressure plate heavier than 1>%%lbs, unless you have a hydraulic clutch system and 0rnold
SchwarCenegger*s left thigh. 6ther than that, the choice is yours. There is a centre plate called a
.ro!rip, ( have just fitted one to a , litre ( have just built, it feels like a standard plate, but
appears to stick very well considering it have a standard pressure plate.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Runnin( for the first ti%e
0ll right, so you*ve built your dream engine. Fon*t destroy it before you have used it. (f you have
replaced most parts of the engine, and of course, you used an air line to blow out all the oil
galleries to make sure they were open, there will be no oil in your engine. 3ou can, before you fit
the oil cooler, using a small funnel, pour oil into the hole nearest the pulley wheel end. (t will
take &uite some time to pass down the line, but if you turn the engine over backwards by hand
this will help pull the oil down. .ut about 1 pint@half a litre down into the engine, then fill it up
normally "through that silly little, offset pipe'. Bse a good oil, and once you have filled it up and
fully assembled the engine, connect it all up, all e/cept the positive supply to the coil. The idea
here is that you don*t want the engine to fire up, just yet.
Turn the engine over with your foot hard down on the accelerator pedal and until a short while
after the oil light goes out "about the count of 7'. <ow the oil has passed through the engine you
can connect the coil. This time pump the accelerator twice and leave it alone "until the engine
fires', turn on the ignition and fire the animal up, but do remember what it said on the
instructions that came with the cam.
4ight, now go and show those #ord owners what a Bug can do.
4eturn to the 5ontents
Useful data
Calculations and useful nu%'ers)
Calculate CC) Bore ? Bore ? Stroke ? %.%%$1A12
Calculate cylinder CC) "Bore ? Bore ? Stroke ? %.%%$1A12' divided by A
Deck hei(ht CC) "Bore ? Bore ? Feck height in mm ? %.%%$1A12' divided by A
,ead CC) using a measuring jug "one in c.c.s and in single units' fill it with 1%% c.c.s of a li&uid
"( use 0T# *cos it*s red, but you can use anything that is easy to see' put the head in a vice with
the bottom of the valves facing upwards "you will need both valves and a spark plug in', make
sure it is level and pour in your li&uid until it is level with the surface where the cylinder mates
with the head, once there you know how much fluid it took to fill it up.
Co%pression ratio) "5ylinder 55 N Feck height 55 N -ead 55' divided by "Feck height 55 N
-ead 55'
Calculate car' si-e) "S&uare root of "5ylinder 55 ? a/ 4.'' divided by A%
Calculate Choke si-e) "5arb siCe ? A%' divided by 7%
Calculate .ain /et si-e) 5hoke siCe ? A
Oil te%perature) Fon*t go over 1,% degrees 5 too much
Other data)
To set up a %%: or %7% distributor when using a degreed pulley wheel, make a mark on the $,
degrees before TF5 with a felt pen or li&uid paper, then run the engine using a strobe light
attached, slowly raising the revs, then when the engine is at full advance "you will know when
that is as the mark you made stops moving' turn the distributor to move the mark until it lines up
with the case centre.
To balance a set of dual carbs is not all that difficult, if you have a carb synchroniser this can be
used to measure rather than listening for evenness. 9ither way, firstly disconnect the linkage to
both of the carbs, then screw in both idle adjustment screws in about two turns. (f you are going
to use a synchroniser, remove the air filters. <ow start the engine, it should run relatively high,
now by adjusting only one idle screw up and then down until the engine sounds sweet and
smooth or measures the same on both sides. Turn off the engine. 4econnect the linkage to both
carbs and loosen the adjustments on one side. <ow adjust the linkage on that side until both
throttle arms rest on their stops. 6pen the throttle from the cable link "centre of the cross+bar'
noting which carb opens first, adjust the linkage to raise or lower that throttle rest and continue
until both carbs open together, then tighten the linkage lock nuts and re+ fit the air filters. 4e+start
the engine and unwind the idle screws evenly until you have a nice running engine.
To set up the idle mi/ture, wind all four screws in gently until they stop, then wind them out
about two turns "as long as it is the same on all four carbs'. 4estart the engine, once it has
warmed up it should be running smoothly.