looking for reputable mechanic for KG engine rebuild or swap

[Deweyart]

I'm reposting from the Forum to here to possibly get some feedback from the motor heads.
I have a '69 KG vert that I acquired last winter. I took it to a local mechanic and they tested the compression and it was barely registering on the left side cylinders. It had been modified previously. I am looking for recommendations on an experienced and qualified volkswagon mechanic, preferably in southeast Michigan who is familiar with these older models or could advise on acquiring a rebuilt engine. The current one has 96K on it.

Thanks in advance,

Phil

[Wolfgangdieter]

Wow - clean car and engine (especially for Michigan). Hard to believe that clean an engine has 96k miles on it. Perhaps it was rebuilt somewhere in its life? Is that the original engine - check serial number against the year/VIN (chassis #). If it original engine you probably want to keep it. Could be as simple as a cylinder honing and valve job. Check to see if there is a local VW club that can provide their expertise.
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CMC '57 Porsche Speedster Replica and Dolphin boat tailed full pan VW MOD-T Street Buggy

[SGKent]

Question. Why do people buy 50 year old cars and then ask where they can find a LOCAL mechanic who knows how to do anything they want to their 50 year old car for a reasonable price? The car was probably made before the average owner's father was born. It would be like me asking 25 years ago, where can I find a local shop that has quality rebuilds on a 1920 Ford, or has some spare rebuilt engines sitting around waiting for a buyer.

Like everyone else here, buy a set of wrenches, a floor jack, some old clothes you can toss when done, and lots of reading material on how to rebuild them. Good luck.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[txoval]

Most places will ship the engine to you if you’re looking to buy a new engine.

If you need someone to install it too, I’m not sure about your location.

If you have the space and time, I agree with the post above.

[Glenn]

Link


Reminds me that 10 years ago someone brought their 1973 Beetle to the local VW dealer to have the engine rebuilt. The dealership called my friends shop that works on aircooled VWs and he call me.

I rebuilt it and got paid, my friend then upcharged it to the dealer and got paid and the dealer upcharged it to the customer and got paid.

Somehow I get the feeling that the end customer paid a lot of money for a "dealer" rebuilt engine.

BTW, in the 10+ years since that, I have no and my friend has not seen the car since.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

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עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[Dusty1]

Just for reference, I looked up Mofoco's rates and lead times. Mofoco's prices start at around $6k for a 1600 with incremental steps in performance and price up to $8k for a complete turnkey performance engine. Lead times are quoted at 16 weeks minimum for an engine built on a rebuilt case and 24 weeks for an engine built on a new case.

Prices and lead times presented for reference. Mofoco is in Wisconsin. But... they will build you an engine, crate it ans ship it to your door.


You could try Larry in Ann Arbor.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2334287

Larry rebuilds a few engines per year. Larry does super solid work. Last time I talked to Larry he said,

"Don't send me anything between May and around September." In other words don't expect Larry to be up to his elbows in your motor when it's warm and green in Michigan. So: Larry effectively has a 16 week lead time.

Call him. Your results may vary.


Samba member Greg Hudson is another guy who may be semi- local to you. The way it sometimes goes with VW engine rebuilders is the better they are, the less public visibility they have. The guys who are good have all the work they'll ever want. PM Greg via TheSamba.

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[SGKent]