i am interested in buying a 1974 kombi campervan. i am not too experienced with kombis, so could someone tell me what i should be looking for as far as the motor is concerned.

i know absolutely nothing about a lot of things even less about kombis,but it depends on what you want it for,if you were going around australia per chance i would get an nrma inspection done on the likely candidates,if it was yours to keep for a few years id get one with the least amount of rust as possible,i reckon motors are cheap so if you find a nice kombi with a stuffed motor its a nice bargaining position to be in,anyway good luck to you,and i mean that.Mick.

Welcome aboard, and might I add that '74 Kombi campers are cool!

OK, firstly the bad news. The majority of Kombis you are going to look at are pretty stuffed. The last Series 2 Kombis were imported in 1979, which is already 23 years ago. They have all had a hard life, and it's VERY difficult to find one that's in good condition. Many of them aren't worth buying.

But the good news ... some of them ARE. Take your time to look at plenty of 4-sales before you buy... the more you look the more you will learn. Kombis are SO much better than the Jap vans that you will never regret owning one. Kombis always were the BEST VWs... and I owned a Beetle for 20 years so I oughtta know.

Anyway, some things to look for.

ALWAYS go for a Type 4 motor. This is the larger 'big block' motor which came from the 411 sedan (not sold in Australia). They are SO much better than the old Type 1 Beetle motor that it's really no contest. They first appeared in 1973 in 1700cc form (rare in Aust), then 1800 in '74 and '75, then 2000cc from 1976 to '79.

Why are they better than 1600 'upright' Kombis? Aluminium block, no soft magnesium. 5-bolt crank. Two crank seals. Short, tough rods. Much larger cam lobes and followers. Bigger sump. Oil filter AND strainer built in. Better fan. Stronger heads. Better pushrod tubes. Much bigger and stronger valve gear. Bigger oil cooler, better cooling. Twin carbs (or FI).

You can easily tell a Type 4 Kombi - look for the fan belt. If it sits upright and is out in the open, it's an old 1600. If the fanbelt is mostly hidden and seems to go from right to left, with a big fan in the middle, it's a Type 4.

2000cc Kombis have a CJ engine number, and earlier 1800 Kombis have an AP engine number. There isn't much difference between them...2000s have 5mm more stroke and 1mm bigger bore, but 1800s have better heads. Either is fine.

If you find a nice one, do a compression check. Old Type 4 engines can have valve seat problems, which require a rebuild. If in doubt, someone here will help you.

Now as for the camping setup, that's a whole new chapter!