Engine/Transmission removed where and how would you start?

[SGKent]

leave it alone or you may break it. It may not want to come out. If you want something to work on in the lubrication system, and I would have left the mount alone, get one of these and cut your filter open. Also if you pull the strainer plate off, 9 ft lbs when you tighten the nut or kiss the engine goodbye.

https://www.amazon.com/77750-Filter-Cutter-Cutting...amp;sr=8-1
_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

[poundman]

Got the 3&4 head off today. The 2 outer top studs came out but I got them threaded back with some high temp thread locker. Look similar to the other head.

Lot of cleaning of the lower case.

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[poundman]

Today I cleaned up the threads on my spark plug holes. Tool worked great on 3 holes but the lucky cylinder #3 has no hope. I will need to install a saver in this hole. Any recommendations?

Lucky #3 cylinder

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[SGKent]

I would find a local AUTOMOTIVE MACHINE SHOP, not a mechanic, and have them do the work using a drill press and table. There are a couple ways to repair it. A time cert can be used, or it can be tigged, milled, re-drilled, and tapped. Time certs sometimes come out, helicoils in that situation may leak. Be sure to look carefully at the roofs of the ports, and between valves, to make sure the head does not have cracks in it, or you are wasting your money fixing just the plug hole. Also inspect the valve seats carefully because they have a tendency to fall out when they get high miles on them.

Since the whole engine is not going to be rebuilt, it doesn't warrant a lot of money but if you can't find someone local, you might consider sending both heads to Brothers VW Machine Shop in Ontario California, and have them go over them and do any work that needs to be done. That is what I probably would do in this situation. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brothers-VW-Machine-Shop/158542860835505
_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

[Shonandb]

Hey "poundman". I just did a search in Texas for VW focused machine shops and a couple came up. I know Texas is a big State but there must be more around. Maybe check with some of the bigger centers like Austin or Dallas Fort Worth area VW Clubs and ask them who they recommend.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/shops/search.php

EG 1:
Name Automotive Machine & Supply
Categories Parts
Engine
Location Cleburne
Description VW Machine Shop and Parts specialist since 1963. We operate 2 fully equipped machine shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area. Over 54+ years of VW engine building experience. We stock a full line of VW parts.

For more info give us a call at 817-335-9331 or visit our web sites, www.automotivemachine.com , www.amsmotomachine.com, and facebook www.facebook.com/AMS.machine

We've supported the Ft Worth Volksfolks VW Club for many years, along with other local VW clubs and events. We eat, sleep, live, and love Volkswagens

Please note: we recently moved from our Fort Worth shop on Carroll St to a newer and larger shop just 15 miles south of Fort Worth.

Contact Info Eric Nichols / Tom Nichols
Automotive Machine & Supply
5215 Conveyor Dr (aka FM 917)
Cleburne, TX 76031
Just 15 miles south of Fort Worth on I-35W, then 2 miles west on FM 917.
817-335-9331
or contact us thru our websites
Website http://www.automotivemachine.com
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*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[67rustavenger]

Don't forget Bughaus in Tulsa,
https://www.bughaus.com/links.htm
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!
Don't let your bad ideas remain, ideas!

[poundman]

[SGKent]

[poundman]

I have decided to ship my heads to Brothers VW. I did get estimate from the Automotive Machine in Dallas but they recommended new AMC heads because their estimated would be very high. I realized those Bus Depot are the same recommended AMC heads, which would be over $1200 with shipping.

Brothers VW has good reviews here on Samba. Now that I am going down this path, while I am all the way deep in this motor, I will remove the jugs and do a better inspection and cleaning of pistons. I did use the thinnest feeler gauge around the edge of the rings and I could not go around them. Not sure if that is a big indicator. In for a penny, in for a pound I guess. I have the Tom Wilson book for reference now.

I guess what I don't know is what is the pros/cons of just doing heads now, and jugs/pistons/rings later, or do all at the same time. I guess the labor in tear down.

I have done a lot of cleaning and will be repainting tins. etc...
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[SGKent]

If you pull the cylinders off and you will have to hone the cylinders, and replace the rings. You know that, right? You cannot get dirt inside the engine so be extra careful moving forward.
_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

[SGKent]

[poundman]

[SGKent]

for $11 I'd try it. Just use some WD40 on it. It is mostly solvent.

Yes, a magnet pulls them out or snap ring (duck bill) pliers can grab them. Make sure Brothers does them before you pull them out. If they don't there is no reason to remove them. You won't like what you see when you look at the camshaft anyway. It will look like this most likely. If you roll the engine on its side they may fall out, and then you will not know where they came from. They must go back in the same bore unless they are resurfaced.

The lifters have a convex surface. As they wear, the center wears and they get flat. Where the two lifter edges overlap, they wear the center of the lobe. Each lifter actually rides on the outside and not the center because two lifters share a lobe. Meaning that this cam below may not look pretty but it could be used for a while more. To replace it means a complete engine rebuild, which I think is a lot more than you need or want to do. Get comfortable with the engine first and when the time comes, you will already be prepared to work on it deeper.

_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

I wanted to inspect so I managed to get 1 lifter out with a magnet. It has a flat top and very slightly mushroomed top. I assumed the other 3 on that side would not come out due to the mushrooming. I sprayed some fogging oil in (i didn't have any WD40), maybe it will help. I will give it another try and try the other side later today.

I will share pictures later and I will use my endoscope to examine the lobs.
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[SGKent]

what do you mean by mushroomed? I know what the word means but not in the context of what you are seeing. The lifter should be curved with the center higher than the edges. As it wears out, the center wears away and it becomes flat. Then the edges start to wear the cam lobe in the center because that is where opposite lifters overlap on the lobes. When the center is still higher, the edges do not touch the cam lobe.

I snagged this off crankshaftcoalition images to show what it means to have a convex crown. When the crown wears away, the edges of the lifter wear into the cam lobe. Since two lifters are shared the same lobe on a T4, where they overlap the cam wears faster, and that creates the wear pattern. Resurfacing puts the crown back in, but since the steel is hardened, it can't be done if the lifter is too worn out, but in that case the cam will normally be at the end of its life too. It can be reground also, but the hardening is gone so it wears a lot faster if too much material is taken off when the cam grinder, regrinds it.

_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[Wildthings]

Mushrooming typically means the metal is too soft. There would also be no way to get the lifters out without splitting the case.

[soissisc]

Sometimes there is a buildup of baked oil on the end of the lifter that makes it difficult to get out with a magnet.
_________________
Mark

68 Westy
92 Jetta (oh it is retired)
99 Eurovan
05 NBC
06 Audi A3
72 Westy (I am going to fix it up)