Cosmetic restoration of type 4 engine

[Francoc]

So my type 4 engine looks crappy and I'm considering removing it to do some cosmetic restoration. I guess the reason why I started this thread is that I'd like to get some feedback from people who have done this before. For example, and I know this is very subjective, but how many hours of work are we talking about? 50? 200? Assuming I remove the engine, how much work is it to remove the magnesium (or aluminum or whatever the material is) fan housing? And assuming I'm able to remove them, what do I do with them to make them look nicer? There are also some steel parts that are painted black, like the air plenum, that would need to be removed, sanded, primed, and painted. Is this one of those projects that once I'm underway, I start to realize what a huge mistake I made, and I end up with the engine on a bench for months? Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

[KentABQ]

A couple years ago, I did what you are considering doing. It took me a month of my spare time to do it all. But the majority of that time was cleaning ten years of built up grime off the block and transmission.

It's very doable. Just take your time and do it the way you want. I felt pretty proud when it was finished.

Edit: There are four studs holding the fan shroud to the block. If you replace those studs with bolts, you'll be able to remove the shroud in the future without removing the whole engine.
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[Wildthings]

Do not disassemble the fan to clean and paint it. It is a carefully balanced assembly and you don't want to have to learn how to rebalance it.

Read up on painting the various different material, aluminium, magnesium, and steel. About the ugliest engine out there is one where the paint is peeling off and/or has turned color from the heat.

[Zed999]

Also consider that once you have the engine out you'll want to restore the engine bay or it'll look really bad when you put the shiny engine back in.

[orangebug60guy]

My opinion is to just run it. What’s your track record for removing an engine and putting it back in with no problems? Yeah shiny motors are nice. 75% of the engine can be cleaned up and looking nice without taking it out. Think about the process and are there things on the engine you want to replace due to wear, old and filthy, just not working?
_________________
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Coprastasophobia- Fear of constipation.

[SamboSamba22]

The thing got nasty because seals are old, metal has rust, and the overall heating and cooling of the engine has taken it's toll on the engine tin. IF removing the engine to clean properly, you're going to and should do more and replace seals, inspect components, etc...
I'm with the crowd, run it as is. BUT if you do remove it, go the extra $60 and a couple more days before reinstalling it to replace pushrod seals, the flywheel seal, the fan hub seal, paint tin, etc...

Honestly? That engine doesn't look really that bad.
_________________
The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
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March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
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[trailrunnerbus]

If you go looking for problems when everything is seemingly perfect, you will find them.


If you are going to bother, go ahead and do your fuel lines while you are at it. Cosmetic things are nice, but functionality is king.

[ivwshane]

As someone who is currently going through this and is almost done, you can look in my gallery to see where I started and where I’m at.

In terms of time, that depends entirely what level you want to take it. For me I replaced all seals, hoses, cleaned fi injectors, and either replaced or refurbished any part that wasn’t in great condition and I replaced every bolt, nut, and washer. Since my engine was already running great I didn’t mess with anything that could change that (so I didn’t remove the heads or case bolts nor did I touch the oil pump). I was lucky in that most of my oil galley plugs were already plugged with threaded fittings.

Once the motor was stripped, almost every part has been media blasted and powder coated. The costs to get my own media blaster and power kit have already paid for itself in terms of costs, convenience, and time. Most of my costs have been in purchasing new and better parts like gee bee hoses, a rebuilt throttle body from whip (a member here) and over $100 in hardware.

How long has this taken me? That’s hard to say as I not only had to teach myself how to do everything but I’m also hella slow and have to be in the mood to work on it. But let’s say I only touched it on weekends and only for a couple of hours, I’m going on a year or roughly 100 hours. Anyone with better skills and focus could probably do all of this in a month.



I forgot to add. The hardest part for me has been the refurbishment of my heat exchangers (and yes I’ve refurbished the heating system as well). Because my exchangers weren’t perfect I had to buy a welder and teach myself to weld. Because of my new found “skill” I’ve also decided to tackle the A/C hole left by the dealer as well as replacing the battery tray. Like another poster said, once you go looking you’ll find issues everywhere.

[timvw7476]

That engine already looks detailed to me...with the exception of a missing mesh
screen to the fan.
But seriously, it's hard to make a utility design like the Type IV look, uh, 'good'.
No real hood to pop to impress the crowd. : (

[Francoc]

Thanks for the feedback. I think that I will leave the engine alone and enjoy my bus.

[KentABQ]

[my59]

[Mispeld]

Look here and scroll to the bottom and you will see my before and after pictures. It took me about a week including the weekend and after work Mon-Fri. I masked off the fan shroud, but took off all of the tins, intake etc.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...start=8760

I was in the same boat as to whether it was worth it but decided to do it since I was doing other work. Once it was all out, I sprayed degreaser on it, then pressure washed it. I cleaned, cleaned and cleaned parts and tins with a big rubbermade tote, kerosene, and kerosene brush. I think I pressure washed the long block again after having the tins renoved so the jugs and cooling fins got nice and clean. I am sure air flows better now.

I am very glad I did it. Ya, still leaks a little oil but is easy to wipe off and keep an eye on thngs. I say do it.
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Tom
1977 Westy. 2.0 Fuel Injected.

[ronzo]

Here’s where we are so far on our ‘73. I had the alloy air box powder coated, cleaned & painted the tin, engine bay, etc. I want the engine & bay looking as good as the rest of the bus.