Community engine

[ruckman101]

I think the best way to go is stock, stock, stock. German crank, German cam, German rods, Brazilian pistons, good OG or Mexican case, balanced plate to pulley, piston to piston. I've driven hundreds of Volks, and any performance gains or price reductions I've seen from aftermarket crap pail in comparison to the losses in feel, overall driveability and reliability.

Any schmo can build a reliable Type1, as long as they can source decent machine work on decent stock parts. Reground this or polished that is better than shiny Chinese poop.

Oh hey, that's me! This schmo is hitting the road tomorrow in Gretchen Ghia.


neal

[DjEep]

Lord King God Bwana Schmo!

[ruckman101]

Lord King God Bwana Schmo!

lol, I guess so. First drive went excellent. I thinks Ise gots a Ghia again.



neal

[DjEep]

Schweet! I took Betsy on a nice sunset cruise to Oakridge last night. She did good, but her oil light comes on below 1000 rpms after extended 65+mph driving.

[Amskeptic]

I'm not sure I see the glory of building an intentional piece of crap.
As far as building a running engine from junkyard parts, "builders" have been scamming this way for years.

Not here for glory . . . science.
Not scamming anyone . . . testing.

Get out of your head, maaaaan
Colin

[DjEep]

Hey now, I've heard murmurs around town of other local shops telling people we use "old parts" when our shop builds engines. Which is entirely true, but is not the failing that they imply. We rebuild the engines that the other guys have built with brand new chinese garbage that lasted >40k using reconditioned "junkyard" parts, and in the three years I've worked here, all warranty repairs we've done on new engines have involved failures of brand new parts, like AMC heads or AA pistons.

[Amskeptic]

Hey now, I've heard murmurs around town of other local shops telling people we use "old parts" when our shop builds engines. Which is entirely true, but is not the failing that they imply. We rebuild the engines that the other guys have built with brand new chinese garbage that lasted >40k using reconditioned "junkyard" parts, and in the three years I've worked here, all warranty repairs we've done on new engines have involved failures of brand new parts, like AMC heads or AA pistons.

I will happily knurl the hell out of stock Kolbenschmidt pistons over new cheap stuff.

I will also bet a new Chinese content engine against my junkyard wily engine that I win on longevity.
Someday . . .
Colin

[DjEep]

Yup. The current powerplant in my bus is an OG AE case, cut .020 over w/ .010 on thrust, reground German 4-rivet cam and lifters from Delta Cam, .010 reground German crank, honed low-mile Mahle p&c's, Grant rings, NOS VW singleport heads. It's already the smoothest engine I've had in a bus, I'll keep you updated on longevity.