Remanufactured engine - need value help please

[itsa914]

Hi everyone. I'm a 914 guy and trying to gather info on value of a remanufactured what I believe is a Vanagon motor. I purchase a project 914 over a year ago and sitting inside the engine bay was the engine. The owner had passed away and the family couldn't really tell me anything about the 914 or why this engine was installed (but not completely).

I pulled the engine and it has been sitting on my engine shelf ever since. I do turn it over once or twice a month. There is a Michigan Buggy Builders show next month and a buddy is getting a space and asked f I have anything I would like to take. I don't have a need for this engine anytime soon so I think it is best to move it along.

So I am asking for some help here on fair value of the long block. The serial number is CV005433 3 and has remanufactured sticker on it from VW Canada. I'm not looking to retire off the sale of it, just looking for a honest value for it.

So what do you think? I will clean the dust off of course before I take it to the show. Hopefully the pictures will load.

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Garold Shaffer
1970 Porsche 914 w 2.0L
INR SCCA #70 DSP

[djkeev]

Air Cooled?
There is a market but you don't know who did the work or exactly what they did.

Failing having that knowledge the value will be relatively small.

You can enhance value with compression numbers and oil pressure readings.

If it rotates my gut feeling is maybe $500. There is value in a good rebuildable core.
Are the heads cracked? New rings? New pistons? New Cylinders? Was the case split? If so what was renewed inside? Was it an shade tree garage rebuild or a Boston Bob rebuild?

If you knew more and had some basic engine health numbers, more $$'s, maybe a lot more $$'s if you knew a lot more.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[itsa914]

Thanks Dave. I wish I had more build info on it, but I don't. I was thinking $500 - $750 value and to be honest I would be happy with that. It does me no good sitting on my engine shelf and it needs to go to someone that can use it.
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Garold Shaffer
1970 Porsche 914 w 2.0L
INR SCCA #70 DSP

[djkeev]

Remember, that engine has value not only to Early Vanagon owners but the late Bay Windows used that same power plant.

It may have a greater market with the Bay owners. Vanagons are very easily upgraded to water cooled power plants........ Bays are not.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[itsa914]

Thanks for the education.
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Garold Shaffer
1970 Porsche 914 w 2.0L
INR SCCA #70 DSP

[Gauche1968]

IIRC, Wasserboxers remanufactured by VW Canada have a hit or miss reputation. Not sure about aircooled motors, though.
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1984 Vanagon GL
1984 Vanagon Westy

[?Waldo?]

There are enough differences between the vanagon air-cooled engine and the late bay engine that it's irritating to mix and match. Engine tin is different. Alt is different. Exhaust ports in the head are different and consequently the heater boxes and the rest of the exhaust as well. Etc, etc etc... Point is, it's not a desirable engine for the late bay vanagons compared to the one that actually fits.

[djkeev]

[Wildthings]

The only problem with the heads, assuming they are good if that they require one to find a pair of '79 Federal heat exchangers. This could be as simple as a call to Busted Bus or it could take months of searching. In a way this is a good thing though, as '79 will take the early '72-74 mufflers instead of the pile of spaghetti used on 75-78 buses.

FWIW, if I can not run an engine and get it hot and put it under load I am just not very apt to want to pay very much for it. I have one supposedly zero mile engine I need to tear into sometime that I bought from a respected Samba member. I was able to start and run it but not put it under load before buying it, but once installed it I drove one trip around the block and pulled it right back out as it was beating itself to death when under load.

[AZ Landshaper]

I got $900 for my AC motor here in Tucson. Good riddens!
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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[MarkWard]

That does not look like Vanagon tin work. It also does not look like 2.0 Porsche tin work either. Probably tin work from a 1700 or 1800 914.

The main difference in the VW type 4 heads was the exhaust port shape. Early heads had oval ports and used a copper crush gasket to seal the exhaust. The later heads had "square" ports and used a conventional type of exhaust port gasket.

My guess is the previous owner was going about getting the car back on the road with that engine. I assume you have other plans for the chassis. An examination of the intake and exhaust ports should give you an idea of the mileage. As mentioned a compression test, but probably easier to do a cylinder leak down on the bench to get some comparison numbers.
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