Hi All,

As per another post around here somewhere I'm going on an engine building adventure. At present I only possess your standard household hardware tools, spanners, screwdrivers, drills etc. Clearly more stuff will be required, but what? Could you please let me know what you think are the minimum requirements for the job, and the nice to haves. Also any recommendations for good places to get the right gear in western Sydney (Blacktown area) would be great.

Cheers

Craig

ring compressor ,tension wrench engine stand if possible metric spanners

If you want a crankshaft oil seal install tool you can have one if you come and pick it up.

DH

a press or some other method of removing the distributor gear off the crankshaft.
flywheel lock.
a type one engine? the gizmo socket tool thingo to put the oil filler/breather on with.
shitloads of clean cotton rags.
swear jar
bandaids
beer

400 cans of degreaser. Getting things clean is the worst part of the job.

patience and cleanliness

Amazer, you forgot 'pizza' and my personal favourite, corn chips

Obviously you will need a "Hot to" book.

I have no idea if it is a good reference book for engine rebuilding, but John Muir has a section in his "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" book that may be useful.

Apart from a set of good metric ring/open ended spanners and sockets and the usual other tools, I'd wait until I found that I needed special tools, before I bought them.

Take lots of pictures to show how things should be together, before you pull them apart.

Take lots of notes about whats's what.

Also lots of tin cans to keep the little bits together.

Good luck.

Thanks guys,

I have a beer fridge in the garage, a tripod to sit the camera on, more ice cream buckets than you can poke a stick at, a stereo, a nurse to bandage me up, a workshop manual, Muirs book, a current UltraVW series on engine builds, and the other things I'll have to work on organising.

What could go wrong

Craig

I'm about to get off my ass and put mine backtogether :P so far havent needed any special tools but i did get the crank and case machined for me so i wouldnt have to pull the gear off etc.

Well I can say you DONT need a ring compressor or a flywheel seal installation tool unless they're free....waste of money. ( I've seen more broken rings using a ring compressor than not)

How to Hotrod a Volkswagen Engine is THE book to get, dated but so are our engines, crank gear puller and a 1"dial indicator/magnetic base if you plan on more than one engine, otherwise all you need is a quality torque wrench and a really good set of eyes and an AVD connection. But you got that

Quote:

Originally posted by matberry Well I can say you DONT need a ring compressor or a flywheel seal installation tool unless they're free....waste of money. ( I've seen more broken rings using a ring compressor than not) How to Hotrod a Volkswagen Engine is THE book to get, dated but so are our engines, crank gear puller and a 1"dial indicator/magnetic base if you plan on more than one engine, otherwise all you need is a quality torque wrench and a really good set of eyes and an AVD connection. But you got that

Sorry dude, maybe offer them as useful hold down weights ???

They do a nice job so not discounting their use, just prioritising in this case for someone with limited tools.

I think he's only about half an hour from me Matt so if he wants to collect a few tools which could be usefull it's not much out of ones life. There's even a 3/4" socket drive for a 3/4" diameter length of bar if he likes to wait for an hour. Better to help the newbies to VW rather than have them waste their time and money getting others to do some of the simple tasks. Remember it's better to give than to lend as it ends up costing the same.

DH

Yes mate, with you all the way. It's only a few tools , many can be hand made, that make the difference.

Thanks Matt and DH,

I do have the 'how to Hot Rod VW engines', in fact I have two, as someone who used to play with them a long time ago heard I'd bought a Dub and sent me his old copy after I'd bought a new one!

DH, thank you very much for your offer, I'm sure Gwendolyn (the Beetle) would love a trip out to sunny North Richmond (some nice roads from there), and I'll take whatever help I can get, because I'm sure going to need it.

Craig

That's ok Graig. You are welcome to drop in. Not next weekend as I'll be up at Tamworth (again!!). I still talk to Type 1s even though I learned to count to (Type) 3 in 1967!!

DH

Hi All,

While I should have perhaps guessed this, torque wrenches come in different ratings from 1Nm through to about 330Nm. What's the maximum torque I'm going to need??

Thanks
Craig

I'd respond to that but for fear my wife might read this!

Quote:

Originally posted by rose

internet connection - Great for:
* Streaming music
* Keeping the kids away from your tools
* Asking questions
* Inspirational pictures scrolling as your screensaver
* Contacting workshops
* Staying out of the bosses hair

I have wireless so the laptop is often taken out into the shed. Grooveshark is fantastic for playing music while working on the car.

http://www.grooveshark.com 

B.

Your best tool may be a wallet filled with cash or a credit card!

You'll need a torque wrench no more than 50 ft/lb. Obviously the gland nut or axle nut are over this at 217ft/lb, but this is out of reach for an engine assembly torque wrench without a torque multiplier.

Thanks guys, well after about 12 years, my el cheapo (and broken) socket set can be retired, replaced by the finest that Mr Sidchrome can offer. Likewise I now have a torque wrench that goes up to 120ft/lb. I think the tool shop saw me coming.

My wallet is currently whimpering in a corner. I just have to make sure I get good use out of it all now so I don't get in trouble from the better half.

Cheers
Craig

pls tell me you didn't buy a NEW sidchrome set. sidchrome is not what it used to be.

BTW, I'm more than happy to take one of those books off your hands.

See you later on this morning.

Hi Pete,

Book is yours in exchange for a longish term lend of your engine stand. Less stuff to move for you

As Matt says you don't need lots of special tools,they are nice to have but a lot of patience and attention to detail works much better,good luck with the rebuild and if you are unsure just ask.Rose thats magic but I'm not sure.We used to call them apprentice controllers cheers Les