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Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:24 pm

When did VW change from 36hp to 40hp?

I've always assumed that my '64 Deluxe has been a 40hp, but looking at the birth certificate, it says 30bhp, so I'm totally confused (what is bhp anyway?).

Also, what's so different between the 36hp and 40hp that VW felt the need to make the upgrade... performance-wise it doesn't seem like a big increase, was it a design change/optimization?

Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:17 pm

30 Bhp is a different standard than the 40Hp SAE rating the engine got in the US and other countries.

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=...Horsepower

Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:26 pm

I thought 40 hp had the separate, bolt-on generator stand and 36 hp had the stand as part of the case half.

Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:36 pm

A US 64 came with a 40hp .

Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:35 pm

If the engine is original to the car and the serial number starts with 7 or 8, it's a 40hp. If the engine number starts with 3, it's a 36hp.

Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:21 pm

Thanks for clearing up the confusion guys. My engine number starts with an 8 and it has a bolt on genny stand, so definitely a 40hp!

Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:44 pm

Bravo 1 wrote:
Also, what's so different between the 36hp and 40hp that VW felt the need to make the upgrade... performance-wise it doesn't seem like a big increase, was it a design change/optimization?

Exactly. They got those extra few HP from things like redesigning the intake system/heads. (They had tried to implement some upgrades to the engine block for the Transporter models first. That was something of a disaster, they didn't get it right and most of those so-called "bastard 40HP" engines were later recalled/replaced.) When they put the new engine in the bugs, it was a better design. The valvetrain was improved with the new lifter design (although those 61-64 40HP heads with the long rocker studs was a bit of a design failure, as it turned out.) Plus an overall engine redesign that allowed them a basic block that lent itself to being better suited to be enlarged in later years.

And actually, I've seen VW listings for that engine to be 41.5HP. And VW tinkered with the engine through the 61-65 era as well, minor changes like valve angle, and enlarging the intake ports on the heads and the intake manifold. They never changed the HP rating though, but as a result of those minor tweaks, I think in actuality it might have gone up a little bit between the 1961 version and the ones they were selling in 1965.

Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:51 am

As mentioned above, it's only 40hp when measured by SAE standards.

Germany and the rest of Europe measured it as 34hp. The pre '61 engines were rated at 30hp and the 1300 single port engines introduced in 1966 were 40hp. The 1500 was 44hp, same as the 1300 twin port, and the 1600 was 50hp (SAE rates it at 60hp)