Performance engine sugestions

IIRC, no, you'll have to open up the case and heads for those larger cylinders...1776's use the stock 69mm stroke crankshaft. If you end up taking the engine apart to do any machining then I recommend that you change to a counterweighted crank.....even if you keep the RPMs low it'll give you other benefits (other than preventing vibratory engine damage) IE: smoother running, longer life, maybe slightly more torque.

IMHO there's not much point in spending the money and time to properly install 1.25 rockers. Larger ratio rockers should only be used with a matching cam. Once again, if you have the engine apart then you have the option of installing the proper cam.

Something to ponder, a 1914 (some call it a 1915) costs almost exactly the same to build as a 1776, so you may consider that. The only possible downside is that unless you have a properly functioning cooling system there's a possibility of it running a touch hotter, and it *might* lose some ring seal sooner than a 1776.....BUT.....these aren't anywhere near as problematic as some would have you believe. The older 94mm barrels and pistons (1914 size) had some issues but those have been corrected.

-ANT

Ooops! My bad.....Dave is right, I done forgotted to mention the zed gap rings (as the Brits might say). Hell, some people run them on the top as well. Dunno if that's really necessary.

I'd also recommend drilling and tapping ALL the oil passage plugs so you can clean out the nasties left over from the machining processes. Your bearings will thank you.

Of course the list of things to do is literally endless, only limited by your wallet, time constraints, and your imagination. Am not a fan of welding the case, shuffle pins, line boring, and a score of other questionable machine operations.

Sand seals are handy if you want to try to reduce dripage (is that a real word?) Just don't forget to increase the crankcase ventilation though (you really can't go too large on this)

-ANT PS Keep those 009's away from me or there's gonna be trubble. :-)

Where are you located?

Max

Ok, so your recomendation is 69 x 94, drill and tap, counterweighted crank, ZGS, ratio rocker arms, matching cam, and oil cooling system. For that price and work required I can star thinking about having it built. Where can I build this without worries? I don't want to end up shipping back an engine 'cause it leaks everywhere.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.

So unless there's someone in the Dominican Republic, you'll be dealing with the cost of shipping an engine.

There's a guy in Phoenix, Arizona named Steve Hollingsworth. Steve is one of the best kept secrets in the engine business. I've known Steve since his business was in San Jose, CA. Steve has credentials in this hobbie nobody can match.

See also: http://63.230.74.177/cruises/phoenixbor03/ (t> Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.

I can deal with shipping the engine, that's ok. what I'm trying to avoid is having to ship it back due to defects.

If you have reasonable mechanical ability and posses decent observational skills and a touch of common sense then you should be able to build this yourself. Hell, all those hippies for all those years seemed to be able to make it back home, and they built their engines while stoned! Granted, they probably didn't last all that long, but surely had more durability than your average GEX engine LOL

Am sure someone will pipe up with some good links to handy sites. Bill B, are your ears burning?

-ANT

A number of years ago Bill Collins and a group of friends drove a collection of early VWs across the US, shipped them to Europe and on to Wolfsburg for VWs 50th aniversary. This was the "Return to the Fatherland Cruise". I believe there was a series of articles in VW Trends about it. Steve's name appears frequently in those articles. He was invited specifically to accompany that group. I've seen his tool-chest bearing the signatures of that entire group.

As far as I know, Steve doesn't advertize anywhere. I'm not sure he has ever needed to. Word-of-mouth has been enough. The web-site is a fairly new thing.

Max

can he build a turnkey reliable enough for export?

Not the cheapest but very good:

Unless he's recently changed his policy of not building T1 engines, I also recommend:

Oh yeah. Steve can build you a turnkey reliable enough to drive pole-to-pole out of the crate if you wish.

Steve will want to talk to you about the intended application to make sure the combination you have in mind will give you what you want.

V.W. Performance is a fully-equipped machine shop including an engine dyno. So everything can be run-in and tested right there. Any leaks or other problems can be corrected before it ships. He also has a Howard Washington designed flow-bench if you turn him loose on your heads and manifolds. In fact, on any given day, Howard Washington himself is doing engine research there at the shop. Howard likes to explain how everything works, too, so it's a facinating place to visit if you are ever in Phoenix.

Max

3,880 just for the longblock?????? this better be good.

and I've been seriously thinking about RAT lately. I prefer spending 5k on a

2000+cc from RAT than 4k on a longblock anywhere else. I think he does build T1, but not the smaller ones.

if I'm willing to spend a large sum on this, should I consider a type IV?

Max, at the risk of starting another rash of poo, does he still believe in semi-hemis?

Has he yet to play with any SS pistoons?

-ANT

Jake doesn't like to do T1 engines. It's a huge hassle because he doesn't stock parts and every build requires orders, orders, orders. He's really a T4 kind of guy now. And judging by some of the lousy luck he's had shipping south of the equator... dunno. I'd approach such a request without a whole lot of high hopes.

You can get a RAT for $5000? Complete? Hell, sign me up for two of 'em. (Really, I doubt you can get a RAT T4 for $5kUS)

For your info, the DR is NORTH of the equator. just east of puerto rico and southeast of cuba. and I don't want him to ship it here. I can pick it up or fedex it to miami and have it shiipped from there.

>

that's the starting price on some models according to the website.