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Mon Sep 08, 2025 8:43 am

Hi all,

I have spent hours and hours reading posts here and talking to some local engine builders about the upcoming rebuild of the engine for my 1967 Deluxe. This will be my first full rebuild and I will be working with an experienced builder. I have been studying Tom Wilson's book on rebuilding and Bill Fischer's book on hot rodding. The goal is to have a strong, reliable engine that appears stock-ish. The engine will be bolted to an overhauled stock transaxle with reduction boxes so I know top end speed will be limited. I live in the Denver metro area so hills are prevalent.

I have settled on an 1835 single port for the build with the following details. If you see anything wrong, please let me know.

-Case is a dual relief AS21 Brazilian replacement that was in the bus. Torn down, galley plugs removed, doesn't appear to have been cut before. It will be sent off for machining, line bore, full flow, then cleaned and cleaned again.
-Crank, I have the stock 69mm crank that checks out good but looking to replace it with CB Performance 69.5mm counterweight crank for longevity.
-Rods, I have the stock rods that check out good but it has been recommended to go with new CB Performance rods.
-Heads, PN 040.101.373.2 Brazilian replacement heads were installed. Plan to overhaul them with new valves, guides, springs as needed and use stock rockers with solid shafts and elephant feet.
-Cam, will need to purchase new stock cam as existing is worn pretty bad. Any recommendations? Plan to use stock pushrods and reground stock lifters.
-Pistons and Cylinders, 92mm thick wall from AA Performance, compression 8:1.
-Cooling, dog house shroud with large fan, flaps and thermostat installed. All tin installed. It's been recommended to install external oil cooler. Curious about thoughts on this.
-Fuel pump, stock Pierberg overhauled by Volksbitz.
-Distributor, it had 009 but I don't think that will work with this setup. Any recommendations?
-Carb, planning for 34PICT 3. Overhauled stock or new? Stock dual port center manifold with single port ends. Stock oil bath air cleaner.
-Exhaust, will be running stock heater boxes. Vintage speed muffler seems to be best option based on my research.
-Flywheel will be ground and dynamically balanced with crank, pistons, and pressure plate.

I appreciate any and all assistance from the experts. I'll update thread with photos as the build progresses.

Mon Sep 08, 2025 9:22 am

If you are going to keep the stock carb, just run a cb2280 cheater cam.

BUT... you live a mile high, and want to drive it higher. You will need more compression, even with the cheater cam. I would do a .040" deck, and 8.3 minimum, but closer to 8.5.

Here is a thread I did long ago about making single port heads work better.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=682243&highlight=

Easy to do, and big improvements for little money.

I wouldn't discount dual kadrons either. Especially if you are wanting to use the bus to run up into the mountains. Getting rid of the stock carb, and letting it breath makes a HUGE, HUGE difference on single ports. You could also bump the cam to a cb2232 with the kads, and the whole thing will really come alive, and be far more pleasant to drive through the rockys.

The rest of the combo looks fine, and you have picked good quality stuff to use or rebuild.

Brian

Mon Sep 08, 2025 11:07 am

2 thihgs.
Dont go 92/94 with sgl port heads. There is a great risk of there not being enough material to support the sealing area. Stay at 90,5 and be 95% safe. you want more displacement, - go buy a stroker crank.
I am all in for stock carbed set ups. but, if the alternative is a stock sgl port intake I will have to agree with Brian. If you are ready to swop to a CB center section and Empi end castings along with increasing the Solex venturi to 28 mm then a stock style set up can work very well, also with the appropriate SVDA or 123 BT.

And yes, you need more compression. 8,5 is the bare minimum at a mile and a half with a 2280 cam.

Mon Sep 08, 2025 3:43 pm

I would go with the stock crank, magnafluxed, eight doweled, polished. That's because I can eight dowel and polish the crank myself. I can have it magnafluxed by my aviation mechanic buddies.

The CB crank just adds a lot of expense and worse, weight to the reciprocating assembly.

The extra .5mm may be handy to tighten your deck height and raise your compression.

Observe a 5000 rpm redline. You probably won't wind it tighter than that especially if you stick with a single carb.

Rules are meant to be broken. Exceed 5000 rpm if you must. Just know that if you want to buzz that thing you should build a different motor, one with dual port heads perhaps.

Use the money you save to buy some new lifters. CB's low buck stock replacement lifters cost around $20 per set.

Match your compression to your cam. I go a little low on compression because I'm often at sea level on hot days.

Your best investment is a Berg kit to CC your heads. Plug the numbers into CB's engine calculator.

.
.

Mon Sep 08, 2025 4:14 pm

ive not driven a bus with RGB's but have put quite a few miles on a Baja with RGB's ( and a 2021cc ). I know the Baja is considerably lighter but even with 31" tires there's not much need for the Baja to be stroked. if I was to build another engine for it, it'd probably be less stroke and higher strung. again I know there's a difference between the two vehicles...
I will say I loooove CB's 69.5 crank. a lot just being that I like the oddball engines sizes, aside from that ive been told that crank has been seen turning 9k.

Mon Sep 08, 2025 9:29 pm

My first engine was a 1775 single port, web 218 ground on 103 LC, Kadrons with 32 vents, merged header, very nice little engine with good torque.

Tue Sep 09, 2025 1:14 pm

vince1 wrote: My first engine was a 1775 single port, web 218 ground on 103 LC, Kadrons with 32 vents, merged header, very nice little engine with good torque.

And look! It blew a big hole in the floor! :twisted:

.
.

Tue Sep 09, 2025 2:03 pm

That engines name Buffalo Bill by chance?

Tue Sep 09, 2025 2:11 pm

vince1 wrote: My first engine was a 1775 single port, web 218 ground on 103 LC, Kadrons with 32 vents, merged header, very nice little engine with good torque.

That's a cool engine. A 218/119 and really detailed heads might be the only thing that could be changed.

Brian

Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:21 am

Brian_e wrote: vince1 wrote: My first engine was a 1775 single port, web 218 ground on 103 LC, Kadrons with 32 vents, merged header, very nice little engine with good torque.

That's a cool engine. A 218/119 and really detailed heads might be the only thing that could be changed.

Brian

What about just 1.0 rockers on the exhaust if the engine is already together or if you want the spicy version, 1.25 stock style rockers on the intake only? That would achieve loosely the same thing perhaps. Maybe the heads don't flow enough additionally at lifts that would justify the 1.25 on a 218 profile.

Fri Sep 19, 2025 10:29 am

Thanks guys,

Sorry, been out for work. Looks like higher compression is the way to go.

Brian_e - I'll take a look into the cb2280 cam over the stock. Thanks for the head info. I should be able to do the same. BTW-I love your disk brake kit. Have installed them on my overhauled front beam.

Alstrup - Is there a way to measure my current heads to see if there will be enough sealing area? I have a stock 113.129.701C E manifold with a 35 mm port. Planning on the Empi end castings. What would be the appropriate SVDA distributor?

Dusty1 - It is my understanding that the crank weight is not as critical as having the reciprocating mass balanced so that it spins true in the journals. Correct me if I'm wrong. All will be dynamically balanced too. Plan to CC the heads.

Any opinions out there on the CB performance rods versus the stock rods?

And cooling, can the engine run cool enough with the doghouse alone? Or is the external cooler a necessity?

Fri Sep 19, 2025 10:48 am

You can add a velocity ring on the fan shroud for a little more air flow, like these:

https://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/vw-venturi-rings

Fri Sep 19, 2025 3:39 pm

Just run the stock crank and stock rods. You won’t be turning any significant rpm to justify anything fancy. Stock crank’s are awesome when balanced. Stock rods are also great when correctly rebuilt. DPR does great work rebuilding cranks. Any local v8 engine shop can balance it all for you.

I would focus on the first 1” before the valve seat, and the 1” after the valve seat. Getting that area right, and getting the compression to match the cam with a .040” deck height will make a big difference in how it runs.

Brian

Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:58 pm

Alstrup wrote: 2 thihgs.
Dont go 92/94 with sgl port heads. There is a great risk of there not being enough material to support the sealing area. Stay at 90,5 and be 95% safe. you want more displacement, - go buy a stroker crank.

Would you mind expanding on this, i was thinking of doing the same thing, 1835 thick walls on new single port heads. Whats the issue? arent they the same as dual port heads in the cylinder mating area, in terms of dimensions?

Cheers
Richard

Wed Nov 12, 2025 4:41 pm

if weight is a concern you can use lightened flywheel to off set the crank counterweights