Is it ok to put a Porsche 1.7L in my 1978 Westy?

[smitty1976bus]

Hi All,
I've been searching for an engine to put into my 78 Westy, and don't have a lot of money to do so. The bus came with a 1.8L from a 1976 bus, and it's in pretty rough shape, it will need a total rebuild, if it's even salvageable. I just found a VW guy with a Porsche 1.7L, and he offered it to me for a couple thousand dollars, and my 1.8L for a trade. My question is: is this a good deal? I've been told that the 1.8L i have was only used for 1 year, and thus, a rare engine. Is it worth anything being in the really rough condition it's in?

Another question is, will a Porsche 1.7 be a smart engine for my bus? Will it last?

Thank you
Sean

[sonofamitch]

For a couple grand you're better off trying to source out a 2.0L with the original fuel injection system. It doesn't get much better than that. What is the condition of the 1.7? If it's been rebuilt it might not be a bad deal.
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'77 Westy 2.0L FI

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=568454&highlight=

[smitty1976bus]

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that the Porsche 1.7L has been completely rebuilt, and in great running condition. I just don't know if it has enough low end torque to get the bus moving.

[Xevin]

I would be concerned about the lack of torque. Especially a camper.
Then there's the fiddling to get it to work properly. Engine tins etc.
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Keep on Busin'

[Wildthings]

Without knowing what cam is in it, it would be hard to make any kind of decision on how it would move a bus. A stock cam would be pretty much the same as a bus cam, but I suspect few people build Porsche motors using stock cams.

I agree with others, if you are paying a couple of grand, then get yourself a 1800 or 2000 built for you. FWIW, if your present motor was originally from a '76 model and hasn't been altered over the years then it would be a 2000 and not an 1800.

[raygreenwood]

Well...if we are being precise here....the 1.7l.... if its from a 411/412/914....with injection, and not carbs (because none of those cars had 1.7l with carbs in the 914, 412 and qnything other than the 68-70 411)......then they had 99 ft lbs of torque......7 more than any bus 1.8....and 6 ft/lbs less than a 2.0 bus engine. The real issue is that the 914/411/412 engine made its peak torque at about 3500 rpm.....and the 2.0 bus made its peak torque at about 2800 rpm.
However......the 1.7 with 80 to 82 hp at 4900-5000 rpm (depending on year of 1.7) as compared to the bus making 70 at 4200 rpm........if you had the gearing and cooling....you could almost make them act similar...but the 1.7 will always be at risk of overheating under load in a 4000 lb bus. Just some things to think about. Ray

[Wasted youth]

Is it really a Porsche motor? What's the engine code? Any pics?

[Xevin]

[1967250s]

A couple thousand?? and a trade?? Think on that- there is a reason he wants that 1.8 motor. You should be able to do a good rebuild for quite a bit less than that. Also, the 1.7 was really built for revving, nearly the same HP, but less torque, the 1.8 not so much. This will change the way your tranny works with the motor; it'll bog and not work nearly as efficiently.
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'72 Elm Green Deluxe

[smitty1976bus]

yes, these are all the questions I've been asking myself, and feel the same way, thank you. I'm not sure on all the specs of the Porsche engine, I'm going to call the owner of it later on today and have a nice conversation on it.

He also says that my 1.8L is not worth rebuilding, that it was an unreliable engine to begin with. It all makes me very suspicious. My 1.8L engine code is:

ED210313

I looked it up, and correction, it's a 1975 1.8L

I'll post the specs of the Porsche engine after I speak to the guy. Thank you all, youve been very very helpful
Smitty

[busdaddy]

[Wildthings]

[oorwullie]

i ran a W engine out of a 411 in my 75 6 rib westie. used all the original bus engine tin, heat exchangers etc and used solex carbs from an 1800 AP euro engine with carbed vanagon pointless (in europe) ignition.

after some trial and error with timing etc the bus went like a rocket and used barely any gas.

yes, i did find it helped to keep it revving.

the engine was a factory recon missing the injectors with barely any mileage on it that i scored for $100 from the basement of a local VW agency.

i thought i'd screwed it with hard driving and off the clock on the highway but when i took it out the bus i saw that my fresh 2k black was all burned away around the no.1 plug hole. simply a shorting plug cap.

i fitted a 2 litre then cos i had and still have plenty good engines but i still have the 1700 and might fit it somewhere again some day.

so i'd say if you have access to one for reasonable money and have a pair of functioning hands and braincells plus all the bay parts for a conversion then go for it.

but your engine specialist sounds like some kinda scammer to me, maybe take a knowledgable aquaintance with you to interogate him!

[raygreenwood]

[Brian]

[Bleyseng]

[morymob]

Most engines of ANY type vehicles like the 914 have been driven hard put up wet, or of a different wording, had the crap run out of them,not a good trade in my2cts.

[sjbartnik]

[cefalu]

I have a 1.8 sourced from a 914 in my '74 Westfalia. It moves along just fine, I'm happy with the power.

I picked up the 914 1.8 that's in my bus on craigslist for $500. It had been recently rebuilt. The 1.8 heads have bigger valve's that the 2.0 heads.

The real problem is checking the oil. The 914's dipstick is on top and you need to open the engine hatch to check it, which is a pain if you are camping and have a bunch of stuff stored in the "wayback".

However, an ED engine code is for a 1975 bus motor, not a 914. Your dipstick should be in the correct place. The '75's had L-jet EFI.
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1970 Jeepster Commando
1974 Volkswagen P27 Westfalia Camper
1974 Mercedes SL350 Euro Market Model
1974 Jeep J-20 ZZ
1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6
2005 Toyota 4Runner V8 Sport
2008 Mercedes E350 Wagon
2018 Lexus GX460

[raygreenwood]