Who first installed 356 Motor in a VW

[Jon Schmid]

I have a Porsche 912 motor in my 62 Double Cab. I personally don't think it belongs there (too tight!), but the driveability is just amazing!

Hi jp,
Just curious, did you have to add any extra cooling slots or vents for the 912 motor or do anything else regarding engine heat removal?
Thanks--
Jon

[janerick3]

The son of one of my dad's co-workers installed a '56 1600N into his '57 oval window around 1966-67. He pulled the 356 engine when he sold the '57 to buy a TR-4. My brother bought the engine from him in 1973 and installed it with a loud Pacer extractor into his '65 bug. He drove it for a few months until he overheated it for not running a full set of tin. The engine now sits in my garage and has never been taken apart, so we still don't know the source of the internal rap after 39 years.
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Thanks,
Jan K.

[fcampbell356]

janerick 3. Are you not the least bit intrested in finding out what lurks inside of the 356 engine? I would in a heartbeat. As to the cooling
effect in VWs with 356 engines, it is a must to seal off the tin so that
there is good airflow from out side of the car.
My brother and I did a lot of Formula Vee racing back when and we used a VW Delux Bus as a tow truck. We installed a Porsche industrial engine
in the VW with no cooling problems. The Bus carried a roof rack with wheels, tires and inside all the tool boxes, jacks and a bed. This little V-Wagon
would peg the speedo anytime. We used it also as a tow truck to pick-up cars for repair. No cooling problems.
Frank

[mtwrench540]

in 1965 in france had 64 113,blew engine bought wrecked 56 356 and installed engine,brakes seats guages and wheels,r8 gordini's did not stand a chance!
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87 wolfsberg,74 181w/1915 and lots of patina! learned to fix vw's from hot vw mag in 1964,VWOA instructor,DSM,69 to73,service mgr at different porsche-audi dealers etc,etc,now retired!!! first vw new 64,transplanted 356 eng in 65,400characters are not enough space!!

[Steve Heinrichs]

The Collier Museum in Florida has a VW with a 4-cam Porsche flat fan (for Elva-Porsches) motor installed. It is very cool.

Steve Heinrichs

[FarmerJohn]

I installed a 69 912 engine in my Manx 2 years ago
It's got a 68 type 3 swing rear in it

[dawerks]

[Jon Schmid]

Good for you, jp. I have had a few knowledgeable people tell me that 356/912 engines would run too hot given the stock cooling openings on buses. Obviously that is not a problem for you.
Jon

[dawerks]

I ran it up and down the mountains and I thought it did over heat but the coil wire slipped off and killed my engine. I've been driving it about 60KM/day now and it's seems to be running pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgb8nfqaSNY
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"There is only one sin; disconnection from self."

[Bill Bixby]

Back in the 70s, I put an early 356 engine in old beat up VW bug and blew away a hopped up Empi stickered VW and a VW fiber glass dune buggy who were challenging each other an intersection on Lakewood Blvd. in Long Beach. Currently have a 73' Ghia Vert that I dropped in a '67 912 (similar to a 356). Changed out the transmission to accomodate the added torque.

billb

[mark tucker]

I built a 2387 type 1 for a 65 912.

[fcampbell356]

Mark: That is interesting. Is it still running and what did you do for matching up the engine to the tranny? Flywheel, clutch ect.
Frank

[mark tucker]

as far as I know it slides right in .no issues. just a fabed bracket for the rear hanger to fit on to the vw case.the trans pattern is the same. I recently picked up a compleate porsche motor, tin,solex's,aircleaners everything I saw nothing different that would keep it from going right into a vw.
as for the 2387 it's out of town and the guy is taking his sweet time with it.I fired it up checked it out told him to change the shift shaft bush& a few other things,he hasent done it yet.he had also had the trans rebuilt & dont know how to adjust the clutch,and didnt put the return spring back on the clutch,so he ordered some porch parts. he had tiger at A1 build the 1 5/8"sidewinder for it. it sounds wicked, but no I havent driven it.I dont think the tires will last long.but it should be a fun ride.( he got the compleate 1965,1600 porsche motor so the car could be compleat if he ever sold it)

[ruvwen]

My Hispano Aleman VW buggy, built in 1970, has a 356SC engine on top of other Porsche bits (741 dual-nose Porsche gearbox, 356 B brakes and wheels, 356 Koni absorbers, 911 swb gauges and 911 R Recaro seats)

Everything original from 1970.

[Steve F]

Nice!!

[Da TOW'D]

[Rome]

In the early '90's I worked a lot with a colleague at another company facility less than an hour away. I knew he was a car guy, but neither of us knew of our mutual VW interests. He found out from a guy in my office that I was into aircooled VWs, so we struck up quite a conversation during my next visit. He had a '62 Beetle in the mid '60's. Went to a junkyard near where he lived in Staten Island, New York and bought a 356 engine for the cheap prices they were back then, and installed it into the Beetle. Drove the car as his daily driver for several years when he was stationed at an air force base in northern NY state. Kept the car until he got a job as a field engineer for Alfa Romeo in the early '70's whereby he received a company vehicle. He kept the Beetle but it ended up just rotting away. He removed many of the body parts and the engine and kept them but junked the rolling shell.

When he was preparing to get remarried in '95 and selling his old house, he gave me the removed original German fenders, engine lid (I still have them) but kept the 356 engine. I was over to his new house several years later and he showed me the 356 engine which he had mostly disassembled. I remember seeing the "smallish" dual carbs; definitely not the big Solex P40's- could've been either Zenith NDIXs or single-throat Solexes (?). He was toying with the idea of reassembling the engine and finding a solid donor Beetle to install it as a retirement project. I unfortunately lost contact with him so I don't know if he ever actively pursued that.

[streamr]

In 1969 I installed a 1600 Normal in my '65 bug. I don't remember it being very difficult. I was only able to enjoy it for a few weeks before it was stolen. It was nice, pop-out side windows, sunroof with 356 chrome slotted wheels. I bought a '59 356A coupe after that loss.
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'03 MV