Porsche engine compared to VW.

[hbays]

Any advantage of a super 90 early porsche engine to a vw for my ghia? Is it worth finding a 356B or C motor or a waste of money?

[Bruce]

Do you know what an early 356 engine is worth? How about the cost of parts?
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[hbays]

Yeah, wasn't sure if there was some mystique to the porsche engine I was missing.

[Gary]

Unless you want to mortgage your house to rebuild a "period correct" modification, you'd be better off building a 1776 or even going 1902 with your VW engine. You'll crap your pants at the mere price of 356 heads.
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

[DSF]

Money aside though... ? And a performance VW vs. a stock 356 is that far off?

[Glenn]

I'll take my 2180 over a Super 90 anyday.. .and i'll pocket the $5000 I save.

And why would I want a low power Porsche engine over a built Type 1 engine?
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[///Mink]

[Glenn]

[Cohibra45]

hbays and DSF,

The Porsche 356 Super 90 engine produced 90bhp in stock form. It also produced 100lbs/ft of torque. Where this felt strong to us that remember driving these over the VWs of that era is in the gearing.

1st gear for the Porsche was 3.09 where the VW was 3.80. The rear end ratios are similar P = 4.42 and VW = 4.12. The first gear in the VW seems to run out of steam very early where the Porsche has better ratios all around. Believe it or not, the top speed in the Porsche is only 10-12mph difference with the Porsche Super 90 topping out at 100mph.

A well built performance VW engine can easily exceed the stock Porsche engine at 1/4 the costs. Whenever you inject the 'P' word into the equation, the 'purists' start to get soggy eyed and the VW performance crowd just smiles ... They understand that many of those 'purists' back in the day use to go to the VW parts counter to get replacement parts for 1/2 less and do just as good in their Porsche...

Here is a technical article published on the 356 Registry about the parts that are interchangable:

http://www.356registry.org/tech/vwtoporsche.html

Check out the link to Jake Rabys type 1 kit here:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=273765

Read and enjoy,

Kelly (Cohibra45)

[70 140]

Hamburger Brads engine build is also an interesting mix and match of parts.

I don't know if there is a thread about it though. User (Auslander) has some photos.

[Glenn]

[DSF]

And reliability of a 356SC/912 motor vs. a built type 1? Which would you drive cross country?

Just curious. Not advocating.

Interesting note: the 90hp (105hp ASA) in the 356SC is coming from a 1583cc.

[Glenn]

[DSF]

[Cohibra45]

Honestly, the reliability issue is or should be a moot point...Both the Porsche and VW HiPo engines can be tremendously reliable!!! It's just that the VW engines will typically cost at least 1/2 less money than the Porsche and you will have to be extremely picky about the parts and/or builder you use!!!

Check out the thread on Jake Rabys 200hp type 1 engine kit. He is taking the headache out of the performance engine build. He will QC all the parts you will use. He will also perform the balance of all rotating parts and machine the case for the use of stroker cranks. Heck, his kit is so complete that it even includes the sealants used for reassemble !!!

Here is a link to this thread here on the samba:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=273765

If you notice, he says early on that he might make three different engine kit sizes for different hp/budgets !!!

Here is a link to his Type 1 kits:

http://www.type1turnkeys.com/

Enjoy the reading...BTW, sign up for his other forum and say hello:

http://forums.aircooledtechnology.com/

Take care,

Kelly (Cohibra45)

[DSF]

Nice info-- thanks, Kelly...

[Rome]

Consider the scene for VW engine power 45 years ago, when the Super90 came out- its engine that had more than twice the power of a stock VW, and could put that out all day. There were hardly any hi-po VW engine parts on the market. Those that were (predominantly OKRASA) could cost much of the price of a FRESH original 356 engine pulled out of a crashed Porsche, and most likely not match the power.

Indeed, such an engine swap would NOW be considered purely nostalgic. I think it is quite the blast to build up a VW engine to surpass the power of the Super90, just to be able to put away misconceptions that a VW can have a strong engine. I'm still attempting that Everyone knows that Porsche engines should make your Beetle fast. But it still is wise to invest in top-quality parts for a hot VW engine to have the peace of mind of longterm reliability.

[efi67vw]

[Driveway Jewelry]

[hbays]

Ok, now how do I get a vw motor to run smooth and quiet? Are hydraulic lifters the answer? As far as mufflers go I want something quiet like a porsche. Is the quiet pack single the answer?
Your feedback has been excellent!
Thanks