I am so screwed.. typeIII to type 2 case conversion..

Ok, so I've gotten the whole engine assembled up to putting on the generator pedestal, when I realize as I'm looking at the case that there's no place for the oil dipstick. ARRGHHHH...I've got a type III case!

What happened was, I got all the parts together to build my squareback engine about 9 months ago, but never got around to it. so when I pulled the bus engine, I thought I'd save some time, money, and a trip back to the VW place 2 hours away and just use this case and parts. I had bearings, cam, pistons, the whole nine yards. hurray for me! except for the dipstick hole. and the extra hole at the bottom left hand corner at the back where type III's put their dipstick thingybob. again...AAAAARRRRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

So the question is this...how deep do I have to drill to get a dipstick hole into this case. The boss is there to drill into, but if I've got to go through 4 inches of case, I'm off to a machine shop, at which point I just get a new case. I've actually got the case.

I'm gonna go take a nap and lunch. If anyone happens to be quick on the draw, I hope to save myself having to completely tear down the engine and start over with a different case. I've already gotten too much time into this, and don't have much time left before this bus has to be on the road.

OH, btw, thanks to those with great ideas for a shop test stand. I've gotten the transaxle case and such and am gonna use it on the next engine I actually finish.

Glenn Roesener Air-cooled, as God intended

Reply to
ubergoober
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Glenn,

You actually have a few options. Been there (recently) done that.

There is an aftermarket dipstick, Bugpack I think, that will bolt to where the type III tube goes. Not a great solution but a solution. The quality ain't great but it works.

To drill it takes a LONG drill bit. I thought about doing that for about 5 minutes and then abandonded the idea.I think it's more than 4 inches.

What I did, is use the type III tube and welded a threaded piece on the end of it then got a galvanized pipe cap that would fit it. Then I got a dipstick off an old lawn mower engine and welded it into the pipe cap. Had to play with it a little to get the length right but it works. Add a quart of oil, mark the stick. Add another quart and another mark. When I got my oil level full, I now know when I am half a quart low or a full quart. I even painted the thing and it looks right spiffy I think.

Hope you had a good nap and awake to find a possible solution.

Peace, < TC

Reply to
tcrdn11

My lunch and nap produced some level of peace, and the realization that I also don't have a place to put the oil pressure sensor, so I'm just going to tear down and put all the bits into another case, after I send it to the shop. I wouldn't feel so bad if I wasn't trying to show my son how to build an engine. What I did was show him how NOT to build one. I feel pretty bad, because he's gotta leave this next weekend and I'm not going to be here for the next three days. Oh, well, I guess he'll have to swim with the sharks :D

Reply to
ubergoober

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Dear Glenn,

The hole in the sump isn't a problem. Using a fuel pump gasket as your drill-guide, fabricate a cover plate from 1/8" aluminum. Make a gasket (or use one for a fuel pump) and install with a light wipe of #3 Permatex on both surfaces.

As for the dip stick, you first need a replacement dip-stick tube. To salvage one from an old case, split a 1/4" dowel and stuff it down the donor tube to keep it from collapsing when you twist it out with vise-grips. It won't want to come but it will after you pop that half of the case in a 400 degree oven for thirty minutes. (If you use your KITCHEN oven, if the donor case isn't clean as a whistle you'll probably have to move -- you'll never get the smell out of the house.) Grip the tube LIGHTLY -- it's easy to crush. Removing the oil pick-up tube will give you access to the lower end of the dip-stick tube, which you may pry GENTLY upwards with a piece of wood.

Once you have a donor tube on-hand you'll need to make a drill guide. Use the case from which you salvaged the donor tube. Drill a 1/4" plate -- al. or stl. -- to match the dynamo tower bolts but overhanging by about an inch and a half above the dip-stick hole. Use a dowel or rod inserted in the dipstick hole to spot a drilling location on the underside of the plate. Remove the plate and drill it to accept an 8mm (or size O [ie, alphabetic 'oh', not zero) AIRCRAFT drill. That is, a twist drill that is 12" long. (This is a standard item from any machinist's supply house... MSC, Enco, McMaster-Carr, Travers, etc.) If you use size 'O' you may need to ream it a bit. Standard VW valve stem reamer works fine.

Use the donor engine case to determine the location of the dip-stick tube hole. Center-punch the location. Install the plate on the dynamo base, chuck the aircraft bit in a portable drill and do what comes naturally.

The combination of the hole in the plate and the center-punch will get you started at the right angle.

You'll have to drill through about 3" of cast magnesium alloy so don't hog the bit. Pull it out every half inch or so to clear the swarf. This will end up giving you an over-size hole but it doesn't seem to effect the fit of the tube.

The marks on the donor tube should tell you how deep it needs to be inserted into the crankcase. Put the tube in the freezer OVERNIGHT and heat the crankcase to about 300F for 30 minutes. The tube should slip right in. You may use a dot or two of sleeve retainer if you wish but the shrink fit is usually tight enough to form a leak-free fit.

This is one of those jobs that sounds more complicated than it is. The tricky bit is drilling a deep hole at a compound angle; the guide plate makes that a no-brainer. Any VW mechanic with any experience at all has such a plate in his kit but as shown above, it's easy enough to make one.

Or, you can strip your case, box it up and shoot it off to RIMCO, who will be happy to do the work for you. But you really gotta ask yourself: Is it wise to build an engine on a crankcase that old? They do age-harden, you know.

-Bob Hoover

Reply to
veeduber

I know that places like RIMCO can install a beetle style tube in there to convert the case. You can get a blank-off plate for the type 3 oil filler hole. Sorry, but I don't know how long a drill bit this might take. I'd be more concerned about getting chips inside the case, or of drilling into the cam.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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Reply to
Jim Adney

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