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Fri Feb 11, 2005 7:24 pm

Hi,
Can somebody please tell me the difference between a 1200cc bus engine
and a 1200cc beetle engine?
Can the bus engine be installed into a beetle? Or the other way around?
What parts would have to be changed?
Thanks

Fri Feb 11, 2005 7:49 pm

They are all the same.

Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:09 am

Hi,
Thanks "RFV", for your reply.

Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:02 am

Hi Clockman,
You need to be more specific! 36 HP engines, Bastard 40 HP and 40 HP engines are all 1200cc engines. There was even a DP 1200cc engine sold in Europe in the 1970s. Generally speaking the air cleaner, carb jetting. Plus the Bastard 40 HP and later bus engines have a muffler designed just for the bus to get the exhaust out to the rear corner so the slipstream sucks it away. This bus only muffler reduces the possibilty of monoxide poisoning inside the bus, because the flat rear of the bus otherwise holds a cloud of exhaust against the body and sucked through ANY crack in the rear hatch, engine lid, or engine seals. This will occur when the cooling fan forces heating air into the interior of the bus or even happens at higher MPH with the heat off because the interior of the bus is lower than the air it is pushing through!!
Eric&Barb

Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:21 pm

Other than the afore mentioned muffler the air cleaner would need to be exchanged for a bus air cleaner since the beetle air cleaner will not clear the engine bay roof. besides that there is very little difference.

Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:50 pm

36hp Bus Engines have a mechanical advance distributor and 36hp Bug Engines have vacuum advance distributors with a hard line plumbed to the carb. The Bus Engine will also have a single tip muffler while Bug has a dual tip muffler. The aircleaners are also different but other than that they are about the same. I've heard that Bus Engines may have had a slightly higher compression ratio from the factory but I don't know if that is true or not.