What size engine

[Paulwhite68]

I am thinking about building a new engine for my bus but not sure what block to go for.... I was going to get a 1776 big bore but someone else has said " just go for a 2L "
Does anyone have an opinion on this and where is the best place to punches
Cheers

 

[fatgaz]

I fitted a 2l with twin 38mm Kadrons in my bus.

 

[1961bluebug]

I´m building a singleport 1835 engine with thickwall cylinders for longevity. Dual Kadrons. Not an usual engine.

 

[Moseley]

Before you just get a long list of replies telling you what others have in their buses, you need to prioritise a few key things. For drivability; particularly with a heavily loaded bus, a bigger engine will always be better. However, the bigger you go, the more expensive it gets, and also the more consideration needs to get made to your gearbox and brakes, and the mpg you'll see. Furthermore, bolting more 'tuning' components to an engine will invariably mean that it requires more frequent maintenance and fettling.

Everything is a trade-off, so you need to decide on what your priorities are!

 

[Davydomes]

I looked at this a while ago. When I searched the forum everything seemed to point to the following for economy and power: etc-

1776
6 Rib Box
Twin 36mm Carbs
Discs on front

Let the bun fight begin :msn4:

 

[Dickie524]

My recollections on the matter, as a VW newbie:

I went through this exact throught process about 18 months ago, having originally wanted a 2L bus, but I learned that fitting a 2l (i.e Type 4) engine apparently requires a fair amount of cutting of the engine bay. The more I looked at the bus, the more original I realised it was, so it seemed like sacrilege in this case.

So that left me at Type 2 engines, and a consensus held amongst some is that 1776 is a sensible trade off between cost, reliability and engine size, if you are sicking to Type 2 engines. I realise bigger is possible but the advice I received is that 1776 is a sensible upper limit all considered for most people.

I later learned through investigation that my bus had its original engine and tinware etc, so I opted to keep all this for nostalgia's sake - basically meant I was down to 1641cc but with twin carbs and a moderate Engle 90 cam.

It pulls absolutely fine on the road, but I haven't done any motorway stuff with it yet.... Having a good tune up means it is going great guns and bhp decent figures (which I forget as I don't find them particularly interesting - but it goes like a train!!)

This probably hasn't helped... :lol:

R

 

[vassy69SC]

I have built 2 quality engines for 2 different kombis.
Both good in their own way.
A 1640cc with twin 36mm Dellortos, CSP exhaust, 043 heads, mild cam. Pushes our Dormobile along quite well.
A 2165cc with twin 45mm Dellortos, 044 heads, mild cam, pushes the single cab along quite briskly.
Next engine I build and IMO the best for a bus is a 2007cc : 78mm stroke by 90.5mm cylinders, 043 heads etc.
Hot VW's did a right up on a bus engine build like this and it makes sense. The 90.5mm cylinders are the best compromise for size and cooling.
Research and make up your mind how many $ you want to invest.

 

[fatgaz]

Forgot to metion in my last post my bus was built for the US market so had no issues fitting a Type 4 as these were standard for them then.