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Thu May 14, 2009 1:09 pm

Just bought my first Westy; hell, my first VW period. Taking a leap of faith, you might say. Anyway, he doesn't run the best (if at all), so my father-in-law and I are planning to rebuild the engine, partly as a bonding experience.

Found a great looking book "How to Rebuild VW Aircooleds". I didn't buy it (yet) but Amazon reviewers say how easy it is to find cheap rebuild kits. Well, I've used theSamba search, Google search, even google.de to no avail. I don't have an VW shop in Augusta, GA, but my poor van is sadly stuck in Atlanta.

My question: should I call up the shops in ATL for a kit or is there a fantastic online source I've overlooked?

Just in case: it's a '82 Westy w/auto trans. This is the first step in a long project...and I'm getting anxious to start steps 2-10000. :D

Thanks in advance for this one and thanks in retrospect for the hundreds of threads I've read in the past months.

-Sam (proud owner of Morris)

Thu May 14, 2009 1:14 pm

How many miles are on the engine?
I have not seen a kit for air cooled engines, but the parts are available.

Thu May 14, 2009 1:16 pm

Best call first, but go here and read up.....

http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/store/home.php?cat=307

They are even in GA!

Thu May 14, 2009 1:18 pm

That book is a good reference, but I would also get the video from the "Bug Me ?" series about Type IV's.
This will give you a really good insight into the rebuild process step by step.
It is also co-hosted by Jake Raby, a name that you will hear a lot when it comes to Type IV engines.
The biggest thing that you want to spend money on is going to be the cylinder heads. Get quality ones from either Headflow Masters or from Aircooled Technology.
At least you realize that it is going to be a long road, and your not in denial about it.
:D

Thu May 14, 2009 1:20 pm

Randy in Maine wrote:
They are even in GA!

Oh, yeah I totally forgot that!
That is very good for you.

Thu May 14, 2009 6:17 pm

Happy to help and I have friends in Augusta that can help you..

If you want a kit, I have you covered.. Just don't expect it to be cheap or delivered tomorrow- but it will be right.

Fri May 15, 2009 5:10 am

I knew there had to be something I was missing. Thanks guys! I sure wouldn't mind one of those camper specials...(drooling). Are those ready for Vanagons yet?

The odometer claims 99k, but it's not spinning and probably hasn't in years. Based on overall condition, I'd guess anywhere between 110k to 150k.

The FIL (father-in-law) rebuilt an aircooled bug back in his hayday (70s) without even taking the engine out. I'm skeptic about doing the same for Morris. Give me the truth, even if it hurts: will we have to drop the engine?

On the plus side, at least one of us knows what we're doing...sorta.

Fri May 15, 2009 5:28 am

No, you want to take the engine out and put it on an engine stand to allow you to work on it easily.

You want the engine to be surgically clean inside and out and the case halves to be a perfect fit so that you will not have any oil leakage anywhere. Do it right the first time so that you don't have to do it again.

I would also suggest installing some instrumentation so that you can see what is going on back there as you drive down the road. I did the Dakota Digital set up myself and am pleased.

Even if you don't do a Raby kit, at least buy the video to give you a good idea on what needs to happen.

http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/store/product.php?productid=16468&cat=317&page=1

Fri May 15, 2009 6:56 am

The CS kit for the Vanagon is still a working development.. I would not call it experimental as the combination has been proven for a decade..

I'd feel safe selling you one and I am about the most objective person on this Planet..

Fri May 15, 2009 11:10 am

Morris_82 wrote:

The FIL (father-in-law) rebuilt an aircooled bug back in his hayday (70s) without even taking the engine out. I'm skeptic about doing the same for Morris. Give me the truth, even if it hurts: will we have to drop the engine?

one of us knows what we're doing...sorta.

Virtually impossible to rebuild a Beetle engine in the vehicle... So not to call the FIL a liar but maybe a BS artist.
In A Bay Window or Vanagon with the Typ 4 Engine you can pull the Heads and P&C Set off while the engine is in the Van.

Fri May 15, 2009 1:45 pm

Ha! "BS artist". I'm gonna remember that one.

I'm guessing the FIL has a loose interpretation of the term "rebuild." Or maybe he had a dune buggy type setup. He's a man of few words, so details of his stories come at a premium (usually a cheap bottle of vodka).

Fri May 15, 2009 2:03 pm

Morris_82, Some of my kinfolks were "men of few words" and Id be damn if Id call any of them "a BS artist "least ye be pickin up teeth."
Add to that a cheap bottle of vodka and Id say youd be ina heapo trouble boy :D

Do a complete tear down and take the FIL out on a camping trip when your all done :wink:

Fri May 15, 2009 2:16 pm

Jake Raby wrote: The CS kit for the Vanagon is still a working development.. I would not call it experimental as the combination has been proven for a decade..

I'd feel safe selling you one and I am about the most objective person on this Planet..

you have no other realistic option, given both the above and your location. your actually extremely lucky in that the aircooled vanagon westy is one of the last great deals you can get on vans and getting one with a shoddy motor and then putting in a Raby kit is about the most perfect setup you could get in terms of future enjoyment and retaining the resell value. (by retaining I mean increasing twofold)

Sat May 16, 2009 5:08 pm

Wow, Chris, you'd make a good salesman. I'm going to memorize your post to use on my wife. :D

Setting the record straight: after a bottle of Mr. Boston, the FIL clarifies he did take the engine out of his buggy to rebuild.

Thanks for all the tips, guys.