Van/Beetle engines

[Tim]

Helloo,

A question I may regret asking, but hey ho!

Can I fit a beetle engine in a 72 bay?

I'm sure everyone except me knows the answer...

has anyone got a contact number for that fella in Christian Malford? I went out there today but nooo one was home! :lol:

Cheers

T

 

[surf]

Simple answer is yes, but you will need to buy an adaptor plate that fits on to the oil pump to locate the rear engine support.

 

[Araon]

yes with this http://www.machine7.com/product.php?xProd=514

 

[surf]

Yea, that's the baby.

 

[pete nice]

If you do it, take your time & seal it well as they can sometimes leak.

There are hundreds of busses running around with brackets & as time goes on I guess there will be more. camper engines are harder to find now...

 

[Tim]

Cool!....

Soo, are there any downsides at all?

Does it have to be the same year? my bay is a `72 I read something about the size of the clutch..

T

 

[Araon]

some of the brackets can require a bit of reworking as not all the manufacturers are so keen on there quality control...

 

[-tipi-]

Some of the later beetle engine blocks have the holes for the rear support, so if your lucky you might get away without buying the adapter. But you might want to change the intake manifold to bus type, or modify the beetle manifold to get vacuum for brake servo. Also stock beetle exhaust might interfere with bus rear apron or bumper.

 

[Monkeyspinner Tim]

all the later 'universal' cases have the holes alread ydrilled and tapped. if you get on that doesn't and you dont want to use the adapter just drill and tap the case or get someone to do it for you. you don't go right through so there is no chance of getting swarf in the oil. it is a fairly skilled job though.

 

[ProfessorWheeto]

Any idea of what year these cases came in?

 

[angus]

As an aside - what are the mechanical differences between a van and a beetle engine (apart from the mount)?

 

[Monkeyspinner Tim]

Air filter, exhaust and front tinware as far as i know... nothing internally although the 68-70 models had a 1600single port engine using the non doghouse oil cooler which was never available in a beetle.

 

[angus]

Thanks Tim - thats what I have!

 

[james_stan]

Cool!....

Soo, are there any downsides at all?

Does it have to be the same year? my bay is a `72 I read something about the size of the clutch..

T

Some say that they (the brackets) can damage the case around the oil pump - no evidence that I have seen though.

Also you might struggle to fit an oil pump take-off plate for full-flow if you go that way - that was my problem.

I used a Beetle engine as the base for my 1776 without checking for differences Doh ! I was kinda lucky cos 2 out of the three 'bosses' for the mounts were cast into the case and I managed to drill and TAP them satisfactorily with a hand electric drill. The third boss would have fouled the full-flow outlet so I left it off. The tolerances for this are not critical and provided you don't drill completely on the p!ss you should be OK.

Vis clutch then you may find the Beetle has a 180 mm version flywheel/clutch rather than a 200mm which might not be adequate to prevent slip.


Cheers

James