HI , I have a 59 Bug and its time for a engine revamp, Im at the crossroads of what engine options to go for.
my car is all orig 36000 mls great condition other than lowered and wider 14inch rims.
I dont want the highest preformer as i want to keep everything standard (box breaks etc) and the bug is only a weekender,
i want to atleast start off with a 1600 TP as a base. i dont want twin carbies , i know ive put the engine in a certain catogory already.
Im being steered basically to a 1640 ish recond engine.
But without turning it into a boy racer and jumping up into the next level ,whats going to be the best little motor combo for Torque and performance without getting carried away.
Any help appreciated Paul

Even without any other engine work it is hard to go past a cc increase, dual throut carb and freer exhaust. you will find plenty in the OG style

What engine is in it now?

Hi currently I've got a 40 hp 1200 , the orig one with only 25-30k on it got squashed when a 4x4 ran up the back. The current one came out of a combi that caught fire, we just put it in and see how it goes sort of thing and its been in there for 22 years , it runs reliable but I think it is a bit , I gave it its first service the other day , I'm embarrassed to say . It was my first car when I was 17 , I soon got a XU1 torana and the bug got put in the shed and just used as a back-up. so I want to finally give it a good donk.

I don't mind going up cube sizes , as long as I then don't need to give it flash heads and then start climbing up the cost level.

There is an issue increasing power but leaving gear box and brakes standard

You really need to upgrade both

I'm certain an upgrade from 1200cc to a stock 1600 will provide a substantial performance difference to satisfy. Its a jump from 40 hp to 65hp in an instant, and thats OEM (thats a 62.5% hp increase!).

1641cc involves use of thin walled jugs to prevent need for case machining, and is generally frowned upon in regards to reliability in industry, although i can't recall hearing a real case where it has been an issue

stock 1600 base with maybe a mild cam, upgrated carb, aftermarket exhaust and some ratio rockers and you'll probably be satisfied if you feel the need for more than oem 1600.

I'll keep it particularly affordable too.

One thing i find interesting is people do say about brake upgrades, which by all means the ability to stop faster is by technicality safer. But just because you uprate the engine for a street car doesn't mean you'll be driving faster then the speed limit you already comply with. So by 'technicality', If you are hitting the brakes with a 1200 or a 1600 (or a 2332cc monster) at the same speed, you'll have the same stopping distance with your stock brakes anyways, so you're not worse off with or without the greater performing engine. If you feel your brakes are adequate now then i don't see the relevance in uprating unless self control with passionate driving becomes an issue haha.

Or unless you want to increase your performance by reducing average transit times by reducing brake distance

I think you will find a capacity increase to 1600 will also require a disc brake conversion on the front.

Thanks guys for your input, this is what I want to hear , there is plenty of info on options out there , but its not much of a guide of what you need. Mates have suggested a 1600 would be ample for what I want , but I thought while in going down the line of building a motor I didn't want to under do it. The trouble is I've only driven my dub and have nothing to compare with. My late uncle was a mad vw guy , dad and he built a 1600 for their combi that they drove around Australia in , dads been saying all along a 1600 is all I need
If it was a Holden engine id have no probs.

How much can standard 1600 heads handle if I go up pot sizes to gain some cubes without getting things out of whack.