VWinVT wrote:Ok...please someone explain to me why the Bug motors can be rebuilt and modified to produce a lot of horsepower? Why can't this be done to the type 4 bus/vanagon motors? Or maybe it can and I am just late/missing the party?!?! Yes, I am watching garage squad on velocity right now...
VW already did that to those motors when they built them.
Chances are that if you have a T4 motor now and aren't happy with the horsepower you have, you would be ecstatic with how much you have when it's built back up fresh with total stock components. Built CORRECTLY with stock components that is. I used to always dream about the Raby motors (when he was doing them) thinking that even the 2.0's were just not cutting it. I eventually happened upon a bus who's stock motor (hydraulic lifters) really put that notion to bed. It's not the best of builds as it runs hot unless you are rich with the mixture, but it's got all the power anyone would ever need. Someone just slapped bone stock AMC heads back onto a stock block as a quick and dirty refresh - but it's pulling it's own no problem.
I would avoid going with all of the custom cams and bullshit that's out there until you drive a stock one, setup well, and have decided that even that isn't good enough. Then you have to decide if you want to drop the kind of coin needed to correctly upgrade a T4 or just go the Subaru route.
As for headflow masters - it really is a shame there isn't at least 2 or 3 other shops like him. I think if he was a little less busy he might be able to take the time to work out all of these little issues. If he's as backed up as it sounds like he is, all the time, he's not in a position where he has to change.