Everyday i read posts by Bob Hoover that are very informative and always provide me with new info about the volkswagen engine. I almost always just lurk here, since i really do not have much to say but after reading Bobs posts, and understanding that he preaches stock stock stock, it makes me wonder what kind of engine that Bob would build if he was to stray from the church and build a non stock motor.Does he have secret dreams of a 2600 cc Type 4 that would blow those young punks away?i am not trying to make fun of anybody,Most of all Bob,but all this talk of stock motors has me courious about what he might build... Now with these questions presented, let the flaming begin.
You've apparently only read my posts about vehicle engines.
There are eight engines in my shop at the moment. Two of them are 1584's but none of them are what you could call stock.
I've got a couple of Type IV's around here... somewhere. But I've not worked on very many of them and don't consider myself qualified to do so, other than for repair work.
There's also a push-rod Subie, a 2-cylinder air cooled DIESEL and a couple of others... hell of a mess.
I've been working on engines, mostly air cooled, for more than fifty years. I preach stock to youngsters because most of them are being victimized by after-market retailers who prey upon their lack of experience. Every now & then one of those youngsters gets the message. Most don't. Most think I'm talking about engines; that stock is good and anything else isn't. The real message is about thinking for yourself -- about taking charge of your life -- about not being a victim simply because all your buds think it's a swell idea.
thank you for your reply.i really like reading your articals because with so much info out their, the basics get lost in the shuffle.thanks for your time.
My only wish, is that Mr.Hoover would provide us with a link to/containing all his writings/ramblings. They are to say the least invaluable(did I get that right?) to us of the learning kind, I try to soak up every little nugget he posts.... I am more than gratefull !! Being educated an engineer myself (some time ago, and even more pints ago) I really appreciate the fact that one individual takes the time to share his hard earned knowledge like Mr.Hoover does. I have a copy(a legit one at that) of the Sermons and only wish I could share it with those not fortunate to hold one... But out of respect I do not share it on a p. to p. basis.
Hopefully Mr.Hoover will continue to share his thoughts with/for us, they are better and more detailed than any book you can buy! Believe me, cause I hold copy's of anything that resembles seriousness ever written on the subject(Strictly air-cooled VW related that is). You can of cause dive into related material written for engineers, but it would take you a long time to filter out the air-cooled bitts related to our hobby....
I've sorta had the same question. I've been following the newsgroup for about three years now and have collected a lot of good information. I've never had much to add to the newsgroup so I just haven't posted before. Now that I have another VW project going I find answers to a lot of my questions just by doing a newsgroup search. Yesterday I started on replacing my nonexistant shift rod bushing which was causing shifting troubles. A quick search on the newsgroup revealed lots of good information about how much fun I'd be having. But getting back to the original question (I believe) I never have gotten a good grasp for what Bob, or others, feel are the practical limits of the VW aircooled engine as far as getting more power out of it without blowing it up immediately or have it die a slow painful death. I'm planning on keeping my '64 Beetle stock for now but I sure wouldn't mind getting a little more power out of it so I can keep up with the rest of the traffic on the highway. (a little bit better...) For example, If I built a new engine what would be the largest displacement I could go to without having cooling problems, etc. I understand that things like engine balancing, chamber volume, etc., all play an important role in getting the most out of an acvw engine, not just more cc's. (i.e. more cc's does not automatically = more power) And I have no interest in showing off to (or showing up) my son and his rice burner friends.
On Sun, 30 May 2004 16:12:07 GMT, "Mike64Bug" scribbled this interesting note:
When we got our '59, which still has the original 36hp engine, I too had similar misgivings. The answer? It is not more power. When driving a VW with a 36hp engine you merely learn different driving habits, much like driving a loaded dump truck or a lightweight, invisible motorcycle. BTW, that original 36hp engine will still push that car up to and over 70mph. How much more than that do you need on the highway?
-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)
Well, I wasn't really thinking necessarily along the lines of increasing top speed. If I wanted to go faster I wouldn't be tinkering with old VW's. : ) I was thinking more along the lines of not having to enter the highway like I was driving a loaded truck. I don't mind staying out of the way or adjusting my driving style. However, there are times when it would be nice to NOT be a slow moving target when trying to get moving. Bob's writings have really made the point quite well that bigger isn't always better. Years ago I never gave any thought to the fact that the basic VW engine could benefit from such "minor" things like balancing etc. The point has been well taken and understood. I guess I'm trying to figure out if there's something beyond all of that. After one takes in to account all of the inadequacies that your average person doesn't know about what happens when you DO start increasing the engines displacement or increasing it's breathing capabilities with better carburetion and a better exhaust? Keeping reliablity and practicality in mind, Is there more?
I suggest you take some time to preserve the old engine -- belt removed, rocker arms slacked off so the valves can close, dessicant plugs in the spark plug holes and all opening to the crankcase carefully sealed. Oil the exposed exhaust valve stems (exhaust system is removed). Empty the carb and store it dry and dismantled. Make a check-off list describing everything that is done to pickle the engine and pack a copy with the engine when you bag it.
Old Volkswagens are appreciating very nicely. If you have all (or most) of the original parts it will be quite valuable in a few years. In the meantime, a larger, more modern engine will allow you to get some use from the vehicle.
Be sure the flywheel & starter are compatible.
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With regard to obtaining a little bit more power... The point most fail to appreciate about the VW engine is that it is a highly optimized system. Tinkering with it to enhance some aspect of its performance will ALWAYS result in some down-stream effects, most of which tend to reduce its reliability. A nice example of this may be seen in virtually all of the popular 'improvements' such as adding an after-market exhaust system... that leaves the heat exhangers in place, effectively upsetting the engine's volumetric balance. Or replacing one relatively small carb with two larger carbs... but keeping the same cam, valves and diameter of exhaust plumbing.
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My ride is an old bus. Living in southern California, I can appreciate the merging problem. In the long run I think you'll find the larger engine, properly tuned but otherwise unmodified, to be far more practical than than trying to crank more low-end torque our of your present engine.
Thanks for your replies. Yes, the 1600 idea sounds close to what I had been thinking. I just wasn't sure about maybe something "bigger". I guess discusing that would just open a huge can of worms. I had a '69 Bug years ago that had a stock 1600 dual port replacement engine in it and it seemed to be quite adequate. My '64 Bug has about 73k miles on it and it has all of the signs of having been well maintained through most of it's earlier life. The p/o,(2nd owner) was an elderly gent who didn't drive it much as he got older and probably didn't have the time or money to maintain it as well over the past 10-15 years. Fortunately, the family that inherited it didn't let it sit or drive it until it was dead. They put it on eBay and passed it on to someone (me) who would bring it back to life. The original engine runs great with just a bit of stumble at idle. I wouldn't dream of messing with it. It doesn't even have one of those little plastic fuel filters in the fuel line going to the carb! The car spent it's life in N.C. (I'm in Maryland) and all of the rubber is dried out. BUT, no major rust. Since it's now a "toy" so to speak I'm just having fun with it.
On Mon, 31 May 2004 15:29:28 GMT, "Mike64Bug" ran around screaming and yelling:
thats a good mind set....i have fun with vw's,as i don't rely on them for daily transportation anymore(wish i still did though)....they are fun vehicles, and i like them...now im going out to cut the rear apron off mine... JT
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