Hi everyone
I have just about saved the money to rebuild the engine in my 77 2ltr bus.
I really need more torque than standard, but I dont want to go overboard with machining, is it better to go whith a cam & carbs or to fit bigger jugs ( more cube's) or stroke it, I dont need top end, just more pulling power!
I am really getting upset about having to take a mile or so to get past the four wheel drive and caravan brigade on the highway only to have them catch me and pass me again on the next hill.
If anyone can give me some advice on engine configureation, I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Rob....

1 carbs
2 cam
3 jugs
4 stroke

T4 strokers are BLOODY expensive.
Jugs are not much cheaper.
Best bet is a slightly perky cam, a bit of head work and a good set of carbs.

Is this an auto or manual?

Well as the old saying goes - speed costs money, how fast do you wanna go?

Type 4 engines are big and strong and will respond well to some tuning. You can increase the capacity, bump up the compression and improve the breathing. But it costs $$$$$.

If you don't want to have your engine machined, it rules out bigger cylinders. Stock 2-litre engines have 94mm cylinders, and while it is possible to find slip-in 95 or 96mm kits (usually made from Porsche 911 parts), they will not last as long in a Kombi application. The more common 103 and 105mm big-bore T4 kits, made from Chevy or TRW pistons, need case and head machining to fit. I found a set second hand and it still cost me $2K before that alone was sorted.

2-litre cranks have a 71mm stroke. You can certainly buy aftermarket stroker cranks, but allow at least twice the cost of a Type 1 aftermarket crank. You will also need to do more work on the heads to keep the compression fairly low (VW detuned the Type 4 engine for the Kombi, and stock engines only run 7.3:1 compression)

You may not need to go to these extremes. The fact is that stock Kombi engines are quite strong when in good condition, and yours is probably just worn out. A good quality, careful stock rebuild with as many new parts as you can afford - pistons, cylinders, heads, cam and lifters - and you will be surprised how well they go.

In my case, I put in 103mm cylinders and kept everything else stock. I even lowered the compression to 7.1:1. It needed bigger main jets and smaller air corrections, but that was all. And boy it goes well. Top end is no better than stock (I rarely exceed 100km/h anyway) but acceleration is fantastic.

Hi Guys
Thanks for the advice
I was thinking of getting the heads converted to unleaded and cleaned up, (Jax, Lismore) new cylinders Pistons and rings (stock), big and little ends resized and new bearings, I am already running an 1" 5/8 4 into one SS extractor system and a 009 dizzy.
The reason I want to get the heads done, is because of the experience that I have had running LRP fuel in my BMW aircooled boxer M/C, it absolutly hated this fuel, I had terrible problems with pinging (detonation) and the combustion chambers and plugs had an orange discoloration upon pulling them down.
I had the heads rebuilt and twin plugged and now run it on PULP, no more pinging, although the extra spark plug would-could be contributing to this I spose.
The only thing that has put any dougbt in my mind is that I know that ULP burns hotter, so I am wondering if this will make the engine run hotter, I have a VDO oil temp gauge running off a dipstick sender, I sometimes see temps of 125+ on the highway at 100-110 Kph, especially when towing, causing me to slow down to 80, or stop altogether, to counter this I have ordered an additional external cooler kit from V.VDubs, it runs off a sandwich block between the filter and block, has any one installed one of these?
I would value your opinion.
Thanks
Rob......

Robo,
I have a set up like the one your are going to install on your bus (I have a 1978 bus). I have found it to work very well.....may be a little to well and keeping the oil a bit to cool for some people here on the forum; however I swear by it. I have a morris minor oil cooler running off the sandwhich plate via HP/H-Temp oil line.

for more info have a look for one of my posts about 4 months ago!

Good luck with the rebuild.

See you on the road, cheers

Mick

blue74l - you are right it is effect in the context of that sentence. Affect is more of a verb although don't quote me on that - eg. LRP has detrimental effects on engine performance.......vs ...... LRP detrimentally affects the performance of engines etc etc

Enough of the English lesson, LRP is crap - I only realised this more recently with my near stock 63 beetle 40hp engine. I now run optimax and have notice significant improvements.

With respect to type IV rebuild - I am in the process of an upright conversion for my bug - stroking is costly and difficult (crank to cam clearance is a big issue). 96mm p&c set can get exy to - look at aircooled.net. I am going to run a mild reground cam with a pair of 40 dells and up the compression a bit (not as big an issue since it will be pushing a lot less weight in the bug than a bay window bus).

Toss the 009 and put the stock carby back on with its vacuum advance. Invest in an electronic points conversion instead.

Get some 1800 heads with their larger valves.

Personally, I'd say go with the factory fuel injection. It makes a lot more torque down low, even though its peak Hp is only a few more than the twin carb. You will notice the difference. If fuel injection isn't for you, get yourself a decent set of carbies, or just pay a lot of attention to setting the stock ones up correctly. :thumb

Thanks for the advice
I live at Tweed heads, where can I get the brakerless dizzy conversion, and whats the cost?

Check this thread first....