Club 80-90 Forums

This one has been on the cards for a while...
Anyway, it finally arrived a few weeks ago and typically I am overloaded with work again!
Made a start, makes such a pleasant change to be presented with a clean engine to begin with.
Its an early suffix B (thin bearing) DG running twin carbs and making circa 94 bhp on the rollers, very impressive but customer would like a bit more torque.
So its going 2.1 and will be tested on efi before it leaves me and then will be re-tuned by a third party.
Pics:
The engine is in superb condition, piston skirts are unmarked, flywheel is like new.

Just a couple of studs to swap, oil pump is A1 (engine runs an external oil cooler) and the water jacket seals are original VW. You never see them like this.

That looks great!  What a pleasure to see a good unit.

I have split the case to let it fully drain overnight, the cam followers are perfect and unworn and the cam looks to be quite reuseable in another DG.
Its actually a bit of a shame to be opening up a perfectly good engine (but the iffy head studs would have let it down eventually)
This engine has definitely been very well looked after for its entire life so far.

The case gets a hot ultrasonic clean and a few iffy studs swapped while its all toasty!

This is going to be the last "suffix B" wbx from me for a while, so let's go out with a bang!
Brand new crank, pistons and liners from Classic (and a set of rebushed early rods with the re-useable non-stretch bolts)

Mmmmmmm, fresh parts

Breathers on the rocker covers I see, would there be any benefit to doing this into a catch can along with the oil tower?

This engine is fitted with twin carbs so the breather arrangement is a bit different to that for a 2E3 or efi.

All,

This is how I ran her before the refresh, both rocker covers and oil tower vented to a CB breather box, then to top of carbs. There are 6 entry points to the breather box so 1 spare that’s blanked off.

Will continue to use this afterwards too, not sure if it helped any but every little helps! 

Mmmmm, lovely

Cam timing is a job best done on a cool, quiet Saturday morning
New 2.1 crank, barrels and DJ pistons from VW Classic Parts, Grant piston rings (USA), Newman 2.1 cam, early conrods (recycled from a healthy donor!)
Cam gear is a really nice one, a late unmarked example that appears to be a "0" with just the tiniest hint of backlash

Coming together again.
Camshaft timing double checked, screws glued and staked for extra security.
Its always a little stressful when closing up but in these temps, you have to work extra fast to get everything torqued before the flange sealant cures...

Valves modified for extra flow with 30 degree back cut after lapping in

VW recon water pump rebuilt with a new seal (recent coolant weep from telltale hole)

Looking more like an engine again

Thanks Ian,

Looking forward to running this in now, and getting excited about future journeys.

Proud to be keeping it waterboxer…………..bought from GoWesty in the US of A!

About ready to test! Had a worrisome moment when it refused to raise any oil pressure while cold cranking with the plugs out. Turned out to be a faulty Mann 719/12 oil filter. Fitted a fresh (primed) Mahle OC203 and got an instant 45psi.
I think I'd better pop the exhaust on first...