1200 power increase

[pantone149]

I've got a stock 1200-40HP in my 65 type 1 with 009, blue coil, and pertronix that runs great and only has 20K since rebuild. What are the things I can do, without tearing the motor apart, to add HP? Can I stick on a bigger carb? If so, which would be best? How about exhaust? Again, I'd like to add some HP without lots of money and without tearing the engine apart. If I needed to tear the engine apart I'd simply stick in a 1600 instead.

[Airboxer]

A friend of me used 2 28mm pict 1 carb's with 009 and a fast cam. I can't beat him with my standard 1600. He can reads a speed of 160km/h. That is 100Miles/h

Grtz!!

Arno

[G-wood Todd]

I'm in the middle of building a performance 40hp. Its seems the best way to increase hp on a 40hp is to go with the 83mm big bore kit. (although you would have to tear the motor apart) As far as bolt on performance, the only thing I could suggest is dual carbs. I'm going to run a set of weber ict 34's on mine. The one problem that you will have with dual carbs on a 40hp are the manifolds. Unless you find an old okrasa or speedwell set, you will have to modify the manifold to fit. I'm also running a 1200 merged header for exhaust. Although I don't know if this will increase hp much. Unfortunatly with a 40hp, you are much more limited than a 1600.
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[bugnut68]

Honestly, in my opinion, the hallmark of the 40 horse is the fact that it's rock solid reliable. If you tinker around with it and try to make it something it's not--and everything has been tried over the years--you just diminish this aspect. 40 horses are simply not designed for performance, with smaller oil passages, single relief cases (at least here in the states) and that's the reason there are no parts available...other than Bugpack headers and mufflers.
I guess if you're playing around with a project, or are going for an authentic vintage motorsport-style period/era performance motor it's cool, but to me it's just a waste of time. With the money you wrap up in trying to make a 1200 fast you could just throw a 1600 in there, maybe with some mild bolt ons, like Kads, exhaust, etc. Good luck.

[Steve22]

[Envious]

[smkn_vw]

[65BAJA]

Get a set of rockers off of a 1600 (1.1to1 ratio) and put them on the intake only valve. Its the intake that is severely restricted on the 1200. The exhaust is fine. Dual carbs will make a big difference also.
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[RIS]

When I bought my '63 Sedan about 5-6 years ago it had a 40hp in it. Looked bone-stock from the outside, 28PICT, stock muffler, 009 distributor. I pulled it for a 1904cc I built, stuffed the 40hp in my '66 Bus and drove it daily for about a year. It would run 70mph on the highway and "seemed" industructible.

One day driving home from the Local VW Shop I worked at I lost a rod bearing. Pulled the engine that night and tore it down, low and behold there were a set of Kolbenshcmidt 83mm Slip-fit Piston & Cylinders in this thing. Everything else stock.

I know you don't want to disassemble the engine, but I would seriously consider a set of the 83mm slip-in that are available now. No replacement for displacement!
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[james caste]

I just finished building a 1200cc for '62 vert, added a couple little things to it to give it more hmmph and reliability. I used 1300cc heads so it will breathe a little better and have stronger studs for the rocker assemblies which are now 1.25:1 ratios. Also a deep sump for cooling and circulation, never hurt. Now that they're 1300 head finding a set of dual carbs will be much easier. A 1200cc header for exhaust, the thing will have a little more power and cruise nicely. Hope this helps.

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[R0B]

i would suggest switching to a 30pict-1 carb, 83mm slip in pistons and 1.1:1 rockers. if you are lucky that should give you another 5bhp. good luck

[Envious]

[Rome]

Wisconsinbug, if you add a bigger carb (30 PICT as suggested above), I don';t know if you need a different intake manifold since the mounting flange for the carb most likely is different. If a different manifold is needed, you first have to take the original one out. To do that effectively, you need to lift up the generator and fan shroud if you do that with the engine in the car. This is not that easy to do, so I recommend taking the engine out for better access. If you have the engine out and lift the shroud up a few inches, then it is not much more work to take it fully off, strip the rest of the shrouds and tin off to get to the heads. Then you can either switch heads like James did, or just go for the 83mm P/C which gives you 1385cc. James lives near me but I have not yet seen his engine. The valves on the 1300 head are the same size as on your 1200 so the "flow" improvement he mentions comes from the SLIGHTLY larger intake manifold and the angle of the intake port on the head. You can also find single-throat dual carb kits that are for single-port heads; those heads would be either a 1300, 1500 or 1600 head with the angled intake manifold mounting flange, not your 1200 with a horizontal flange. That is why Envious mentioned "modified manifolds", starting out with ones for the 1300-1600 heads and having the carb mounting flange cut and repositioned for your carbs, and possibly adapting the 1200 manifold's head flange to the later dual manifolds.

If you take your heads off or use a different set, then have a good engine machine shop give them a 3-angle valve job and have the intake valves back-cut.

You can also fit 1.25 rockers (also mentioned by James) to just the intakes, and the stock factory 1.1s to the exhausts with ANY setup you choose. Both of those rockers slip right onto your 1200's rocker shafts without modification.

There is a VW shop in WI named Connie's VW Service or similar; Connie and his son Brian have been around ACVWs for decades and would be able to help you with your 1200 engine. I realize your "location" is Monterey, but if you still have roots in WI I'd highly recommend them. Tell then Roland from NY says hi.

Arno- what type of linkage did your friend use on the engine you pictured?

[bugnut68]

30/31 PICT will fit, no problem, as that's the set up I'm running, with a 12 volt generator. Not sure of the fit with an alternator, though. As for a deep sump and cooling, sumps don't make any substantial difference in dropping oil temps, they're purpose is to keep a constant supply of oil to the engine during aggresssive driving and hard cornering.

[pantone149]

So lets just say I start with the most simple thing by changing to a solex 30 pict. Will I notice the difference?

[Envious]

[G-wood Todd]

[buggeezer]

This conversation has been very interesting to me. I'm 76 now, still building and restoring bugs and buses as I have since about 1980. Up to about 23 bugs and buses my son and I have owned. My 1965 1200 was in Hot VWs in 2013. Changing the intake rocker arms is interesting. I thought of trying a very mild cam, 009, raising the compression a little and just smoothing the ports. I need to keep this 1965 looking stock and if the 009 helps, I'll attach the vacuum advance to make it look stock. I know if I cut the heads, I'll have to cut the manifold but that is no big deal. I need to know how much the 1600 rockers increase valve lift if anyone knows. Too much work, like bigger jugs, would have to have a larger carb. so I won't go that route.

[Robert Chambers]

In my opinion for best results at the least work and money, just change to a 30 Solex, 1600 rockers and flare tip tail pipes. This combination will make a noticeable difference paired with an 009 or 010 distributor. This can be done in a short time in the car. The rockers will work with the carb to get some more flow. The tail pipes will free the exhaust. I have done this on several 40s over the years. Good luck!
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[Kjell Roar]

The 1600 have 1:1,1 ratio rockers. If you run original heads, you wont gain much by changing camshaft, because the heads are too restrictive. 1,25 rockers will probably do mostly the same, as it lift earlier and close later, like a hotted CAM will do. One trick is 1,25 on inlet, 1,1 on outlet valves. Outlet dont need higher lift, its i let that is restrictive.

The 009 will not add hp, but you might get rid of some in lower and midrange. Thats why they feel sporty at top.
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