Blown Engine :(

[jacobcallaghan]

Update!

Slit the case. Found lots of bad news. Looks like cylinder 2 was toast. The rods were warped. It looks like at some point in the life of the engine there was a blown piston and the just poped a new one on there without rebuilding. There was piston metal all in the case. Lifters were toast. The case was cracked. Main bearing was seizing up. Crank was toast. And a lot of other things. Basically the engine had problems for a while.

My mechanic out here recommended going with an engine builder as he could not compete with the price. He said he could build me a quote but thinks it might be significantly more than some of the others recommended on the forums.

I called Jeff over at gem vw. I put a deposit on a stock turnkey 1600cc dual port 34 carb. Should be getting the engine feb 7th.

[Xevin]

Curious. What was brought on this revelation to Gary that he couldn’t compete in price with other builders? Labor, parts, specs, etc ? Odd that you had bus towed there only to find out he couldn’t meet your budget/timeline. At least you had some other builders holstered and ready.
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Keep on Busin'

[jacobcallaghan]

When I first took the van to Gary he thought that the engine was not as in bad of shape as it is. He was also under the impression it was a 1600 and my case would not be cracked.

Gary is an old school guy. He has been doing it for 45 years. He has built hundreds of engines but is primarily a general mechanics shop. For the turn key from Jeff it’s 3599 with shipping. Gary would not be buying in bulk and sourcing each part himeself and doing everything niche just for me as he does not build engines 100 percent of the time. He thought he could not compete with that price. I assume Jeff can do things cheaper as he does things in bulk and has a streamlined process with parts already sourced and buyers he trusts because he is primarily an engine builder.

I wish it could have worked with Gary. I tore the case apart with him today and learned a ton working with him. He is a knowledgeable and good human. But his quote would be quite a bit higher than Jeff’s.

[Xevin]

Makes sense. Good luck. And you know Aeromech will be “Looking over the shoulder” of Gem VW. Not a bad guy to have in your corner
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Keep on Busin'

[richparker]

You’re buying a turn key not a long block?
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
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[SGKent]

The good news is that someone who knows AC VW engines looked it over. The OP could have been in a situation where someone said no problem, charged him $1800 and put the old bad parts back in.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[jacobcallaghan]

[airschooled]

I spoke with Jeff on the phone to help a client chose an engine builder last month. Though we went another route, I was very pleased with how quickly Jeff picked up the phone himself and answered all my (picky) questions, and was so willing to work with a tough timeline. I think you made a great choice.

I also think your combo will go a long way towards achieving your list.

Dual port tin mandatory reading:
http://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/cylinder_air_vanes.html

Though you might not be buying tin from AP, the advice is sound. The dual-port tins have different architecture that REALLY need the air deflectors. Single port and aftermarket tin do not have the deflectors. (Ask my valve seats how I learned this the hard way…)

Best of luck with your new engine!
Robbie
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Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
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[Zed999]

One of my customers (I'm retired now) learned the hard way. When he arrived the lower tin had somehow been fitted the wrong way round, scooping up air against the fan flow, three vanes in the aftermarket fan housing had fallen off and blocked what flow there was to 3&4, at least one big end was gone and the oil looked like grinding paste, but it was still running. He took it elsewhere, I probably shouldn't have laughed so much.

[Davada66]

I would suggest you get a 1776 cc long block it uses the same 69mm crank the 1600 uses and will run fine on the 34pict carburetor or you can get a center mounted Weber 40 that will boost your performance. Pistons will be 90.5 and your cylinder heads should up grade to big valve heads 40. intake 35.5 exhaust. AA cylinder heads will work well I have been using them in a 2084cc I just built and they seem fine in my application. Get high ZDDP Break in Oil when you first start the motor, you have to bring up the rps to around 2500 for 30 minutes to properly break in the lifters and cam shaft and start the rings seating. AA pistons work well but change the piston rings to Grant rings. Always use a high ZDDP motor oil it costs more but that is what a air cooled engine needs. See if you can find a company in your area so if anything goes wrong it can be resolved locally. Maybe full flow the case so you can have an oil filter on the new engine. the engine will last much longer and install a oil sump of 2 quarts at least, really helps will oil temperature. No hill driving until after 500 miles and vary the rpm during driving nothing over 55 miles per hr. Good Luck.

[jacobcallaghan]

New 1600cc Engine from Jeff at Gemvw goes in today! Will post photos and videos soon!

[jacobcallaghan]

Engine is in! Runs like a dream. Almost fully stock

Cant thank Jeff from Gemvw and Jerry from Youngs Old Volks Home enough. You guys really helped me out! Thanks to all the smabanighhts as well! Yall rock. Happy to be back on the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdeU0Rb8Kao&feature=youtu.be

[Spike0180]

Congrats on getting back on the road. The engine sounds smooth and looks good. Happy putting
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Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[scdevon]

I just read the whole thread. Congrats on the new engine. It sounds great.
Put an SVDA distributor on your to-do list. An 034 will work well. The engine will seem like a different animal in the low end with a SVDA distributor.
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1970 Beetle 1600 DP