71 transporter... engine, man o man

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I just bought a 71 transporter for 550 dollars. ITs in decent shape, except a few things. THe guy i bought it from says he bought it from a guy it broke down on. Apparently oil was somehow leaking heavily out of the seal right below the distributor. He also said the engine was rebuilt a year ago. I jumpstarted the battery, reconnected the ignition to a button since the ignition didnt work, and tried starting the thing up. PLenty of oil, theres gas, but what happened is the flywheel moved about an inch or so the first time, then the second time, it just clicked, and clicked again the third, and so on... Now i tried to move the flywheel a little and apparently the engine is locked up(i think). Out of all this i cant even think of where to begin to solve this problem. If anyone can give me some pointers, or ideas about what the hell might be going on, I would greatly appreciate it since im new to VW's. THanks in advance...

Mike

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If you bought a good bus for 550 bucks It may be worth looking into a new/rebuilt longblock and swapping your tin and carb/s over to. You could spend all your time and effort on a wasted block. Thats why 71 is an awesome year..drop 500-1000 bucks on a type 1 style longblock and drive a 1500 bus all over the place. As for the starting problem....welcome to busses... hook up a 'hard-start relay' so the starter gets plenty of juice, check/replace all corroded primary wires make sure your battery is fresh. Overall it's a simple system, you just have to start from the beginning. Be thankful...you'll never have a coolant leak to contend with.

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Are there different kinds of Type 1 style longblock engines? or is that it? If i can spend that much to get it running that would be great. Becuase ive been quoted about 1500 - 2000 for a new/refurbished type 2 engine.

Mike

[chabanais]

I started out on the "I got my 71 for so cheap" plan too and, many thousands later, it's a great car. But before you sink cash into an engine check out stuff like the brakes, CV joints, tranny, etc. IF the only thing wrong with it is the engine then $1,500 for a new/refurbished engine sounds about right. I upgraded my engine to 1776 and have been happy with it. The cost might not be too much more for that.

Just make sure, before you spend any more money, that your Bus is a solid foundation. Remember, you can get any car to run well if you have enough time and money.

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The '68-'71 type 2 engine is basically identical to the type 1, except it has the three rear engine mount holes in the crankcase. However, most all new replacement engine cases have these three bolt holes, so you should be able to bolt on a good new or rebuilt 1600. I agree with the previous post, I've liked the 1680 and 1776 cc big bore engines for a little extra power. My '69 previous '69 Westy had a 1680 cc, Kadron carbs, header, etc and had lots of torque. Try a search to find the reputable suppliers in your area...I believe that the new VW factory (Mexican) longblocks are about $1400 without core exchange...check ScatEnterprises.com, for example. Good luck!

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Well, last night i took the engine out o the bus, stripped it down, and opened the heads. WOW, there was a hole in the top of the crankcase, right below the carb, one piston was broken, the piston head broken into about 5 peices. the top of the cylinder was ground up and smashed, metal flakes throughout the entire engine, basically... the engine was gone. Some people have told me to swap a different engine in there, but i want to stay VW if at all possible. I want more power, but dont want a hassle getting an engine in there. I havent even looked at anything but the engine.

I was told the engine was rebuilt a year ago. Well, i was lied to for the most part. They werent even running with the air cleaner hooked up, the valve on the carb was almost black. Im completely open to suggestions as far as what engine and how much, and where to go is concerned. 1000 and less would be great.

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Well - it depends on where you are at - and your monetary options.

In AZ we have BAP Import Parts - and they sell NEW 1600 DP Engines for 1000 (longblocks). Quality engines. I bought one for my 63. The only problem *I* had was that I had NO other engine parts - and had to scrounge for all of them. You at least have a whole engine that at one time was running. - BUT - the good part about buying a new longblock is that they usualy come with a warranty. Just make sure you get it from a "GOOD" engine supplier. Do your homework!!!

Ryan

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dude,
I paid $150 for my 71 bay and I put an engine
together from spare parts. Now I have a
bad ass bus that people have offered up to
$6,000 for. Can you do that for a split bus?
I doubt it.

Dont' be afraid to do it yourself. I you
mess up, oh well--you learn!

conejo.

1963 Kombi
1967 panel slider
1971 delulxe
1971 super-euro wannabe
1985 westy

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Any easy engine swaps for my 71? Or is it best to stay with the 1600?

[60freak]

Well, I did two splitwindows like you conejo13, one (a 1960) cost me 200 bucks, the other (a 1964) for free. Fixed them both up, under 500 invested in both (except the '60 has BRM's now and those cost more than 1k alone!), the 1960 is now my daily driver, the 64 sold a while ago for 4,000.

[static]

Easy engine swaps?

In my humble opinion, your best bet is sticking with a stock 1600 DP engine.
The new longblocks are OK, usually.

Of course, right after I post this there will be a bunch of yahoos with different opinions:

"Dude! Put in a 2.O liter!!"
"Yo, get a Suburu engine!"
"Hey man, get dual Kadrons and race cam!"

Just ignore them. Keep it fairly stock.

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I had the same upgrade debate on a 71. You wouldn't believe how reliable a 1600 dp with a 34 pict carb is. I drive my bus year round after a carb o'haul and some rubber seal replacements. hot or cold she goes fine. yeah it's no screamer but we all pile in and it always has gotten us home. Do some searching and grab up a longblock and try your luck swapping the external parts over and learn that way. I did it myself in a driveway with a floor jack, two jack stands and an old skateboard, and it ran!? VW engines are meant to be basic, learn on this one and tackle the 2 liter dual carb deal later after you love it more.

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Well i just bought an engine last nite. 1600 out of a bug i believe. It was as-is. Only missing a carb, exhaust, and a missing distributor cap. Anyways... my carb off my old engine was too big for the manifold on this one. The new engine has a single intake manifold, it was dual on theother. SO i dont want to fork over 130 dollars for a new carb to fit this, what can i do about it?