gtlover
07-13-2006, 07:53 PM
What do you do when you've got a classic VW in need of more power and a deep affection for solid Swedish iron? Put the two together, of course. It's not what I'd call "plug and play" but it's not impossible.
WHY MESS WITH NATURE?
Because old VW's have a certain cool factor. Some people even like having a somewhat underpowered engine with finicky carburetors and Kettering (points & condenser) ignition. Others find the oil leaks and 100,000 mile (or shorter) rebuild intervals to be part of the quirky charm. Yes, the classic aircooled flat 4 is capable of impressive performance, but at the expense of durability and much cash.
In this case, the vehicle in question is a 1976 Deluxe Campmobile, aka Westfalia or "Westy". The VW Camper Bus is 3,500 pounds of pure european brick, which reminds me of a Volvo wagon. The stock 2.0L flat-four can crank out 68HP and 101 ft-lbs of torque, which is not bad considering it's an aircooled pushrod motor with intentional ignition retard on the #3 cylinder. That output can be bumped up if you're ready to spend at least several thousand dollars for hotter parts, labor is of course extra. Don't expect great fuel economy or a motor that will last hundreds of thousands of miles; you're pushing the design to its limits. And forget about passing emissions, you're putting this in a sandrail or a show car, right?
Some of us would like our Westies to do the speed limit on steep grades. If you've got a Vanagon, it's not too hard - Subaru boxers are a nice fit. With an older bus, you're generally limited to a pushrod Subie mill, which is little improvement over stock. However, quite a few other motors will fit. Off-roaders and kit car builders have also found the late bus tranny to be a fairly stout and economical unit for rear-mount, independent suspension applications. Hence, lunatics the world over are mating a wide range of reciprocating motors to VW trannies to gain the desired features of each. Chevy and Buick V-6 and V-8 engines are favorites; others simply use VW's watercooled engines, to each his own.
WHAT DO I NEED?
-A VW or similar chassis
I chose my '76 bus, but the procedure is similar for bugs, squarebacks, dune buggies, etc.
-VW transmission
The 091 tranny is good for 200 HP with the stock clutch
-New engine
Keep in mind issues like overall size, weight, and a powerband suited to the gearing.
I'm partial to Volvo redblocks myself, but many OHC motors work well. Corvair engines and Honda engines rotate "backwards" so some extra engineering is required for those.
-Bellhousing adapter
Kennedy Engineered products is probably the biggest supplier of these
If you have the tools and skills, you can always make it yourself
-Adapter flywheel
Again, Kennedy is the natural source, or you can roll your own
-Clutch
200 HP not enough? Kennedy and others have heavy duty units available
-Motor mounts
You'll need to fabricate these; I used 1/2" thick mild steel flat bar to adapt the Volvo mounts
-Radiator and expansion tank
Many people mount these up front, which is a lot of tubing to plumb and get the air bubbles out of. Otherwise, it's the roof or the rear end with electric puller fans. Don't forget the expansion tank needs to be the highest point in the system.
-Custom exhaust
If you're handy with a torch, get a pile of tube and mandrel bends and get busy. But many places will do anything you want for enough money.
Now would also be the time to rebuild or do a stage '0' tune on the drivetrain and chassis. Timing belts are a breeze when the engine's on a stand!
And, we'll need to address another issue - you're probably adding a bit of weight. So, I HIGHLY recommend beefing up your torsion bars, adding or upgrading swaybars, and upgrading the shocks. Contrary to what you see at the local import show, VWs were not intended to ride with 15 degrees of negative camber in the rear. If you're going for the lowered look, that's cool - but I suggest you might want to modify the swingarms to reduce the camber, and still firm up both torsion bars and shocks. Your tires will thank you!
GOING BIG?
For those with a serious need for speed, you'll want to look into:
-Heavy-duty rebuilt transaxle
Sometimes referred to as "Rhino" trannies, and often using reinforced 3rd and 4th gears. Apparently VW didn't think you'd be climbing hills at 85MPH in 4th.
-Heavy-duty CV joints
Most people use Porsche 930 CV joints, as they'll handle some crazy power and allow greater articulation.
-Reinforced shock mounts
Dune buggy chassis come with these - stock chassis don't.
***more to come...***
WHY MESS WITH NATURE?
Because old VW's have a certain cool factor. Some people even like having a somewhat underpowered engine with finicky carburetors and Kettering (points & condenser) ignition. Others find the oil leaks and 100,000 mile (or shorter) rebuild intervals to be part of the quirky charm. Yes, the classic aircooled flat 4 is capable of impressive performance, but at the expense of durability and much cash.
In this case, the vehicle in question is a 1976 Deluxe Campmobile, aka Westfalia or "Westy". The VW Camper Bus is 3,500 pounds of pure european brick, which reminds me of a Volvo wagon. The stock 2.0L flat-four can crank out 68HP and 101 ft-lbs of torque, which is not bad considering it's an aircooled pushrod motor with intentional ignition retard on the #3 cylinder. That output can be bumped up if you're ready to spend at least several thousand dollars for hotter parts, labor is of course extra. Don't expect great fuel economy or a motor that will last hundreds of thousands of miles; you're pushing the design to its limits. And forget about passing emissions, you're putting this in a sandrail or a show car, right?
Some of us would like our Westies to do the speed limit on steep grades. If you've got a Vanagon, it's not too hard - Subaru boxers are a nice fit. With an older bus, you're generally limited to a pushrod Subie mill, which is little improvement over stock. However, quite a few other motors will fit. Off-roaders and kit car builders have also found the late bus tranny to be a fairly stout and economical unit for rear-mount, independent suspension applications. Hence, lunatics the world over are mating a wide range of reciprocating motors to VW trannies to gain the desired features of each. Chevy and Buick V-6 and V-8 engines are favorites; others simply use VW's watercooled engines, to each his own.
WHAT DO I NEED?
-A VW or similar chassis
I chose my '76 bus, but the procedure is similar for bugs, squarebacks, dune buggies, etc.
-VW transmission
The 091 tranny is good for 200 HP with the stock clutch
-New engine
Keep in mind issues like overall size, weight, and a powerband suited to the gearing.
I'm partial to Volvo redblocks myself, but many OHC motors work well. Corvair engines and Honda engines rotate "backwards" so some extra engineering is required for those.
-Bellhousing adapter
Kennedy Engineered products is probably the biggest supplier of these
If you have the tools and skills, you can always make it yourself
-Adapter flywheel
Again, Kennedy is the natural source, or you can roll your own
-Clutch
200 HP not enough? Kennedy and others have heavy duty units available
-Motor mounts
You'll need to fabricate these; I used 1/2" thick mild steel flat bar to adapt the Volvo mounts
-Radiator and expansion tank
Many people mount these up front, which is a lot of tubing to plumb and get the air bubbles out of. Otherwise, it's the roof or the rear end with electric puller fans. Don't forget the expansion tank needs to be the highest point in the system.
-Custom exhaust
If you're handy with a torch, get a pile of tube and mandrel bends and get busy. But many places will do anything you want for enough money.
Now would also be the time to rebuild or do a stage '0' tune on the drivetrain and chassis. Timing belts are a breeze when the engine's on a stand!
And, we'll need to address another issue - you're probably adding a bit of weight. So, I HIGHLY recommend beefing up your torsion bars, adding or upgrading swaybars, and upgrading the shocks. Contrary to what you see at the local import show, VWs were not intended to ride with 15 degrees of negative camber in the rear. If you're going for the lowered look, that's cool - but I suggest you might want to modify the swingarms to reduce the camber, and still firm up both torsion bars and shocks. Your tires will thank you!
GOING BIG?
For those with a serious need for speed, you'll want to look into:
-Heavy-duty rebuilt transaxle
Sometimes referred to as "Rhino" trannies, and often using reinforced 3rd and 4th gears. Apparently VW didn't think you'd be climbing hills at 85MPH in 4th.
-Heavy-duty CV joints
Most people use Porsche 930 CV joints, as they'll handle some crazy power and allow greater articulation.
-Reinforced shock mounts
Dune buggy chassis come with these - stock chassis don't.
***more to come...***