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My extensive research on the net had taken me to a website that sold engine kits from Los Angeles. The place was called AA Performance Products. They had kits ranging from a 1641 right up to the big boys such as the 2276 and 2332. The prices were the thing that caught my eye. $549 USD for a 1641? I emailed them and asked about postage and handling and after all the numbers were crunched it was still going to be under $1000 AUD just to land it here in Sydney. This was obviously helped by the strong AUD at the time. This I was very happy with. So the goal was to build a 1641. At least it would last long, and give me the opportunity to learn how to rebuild an engine. If the parts were good and the engine turned out well, then I could tackle a bigger engine option.
That meant I had the green light to tear apart my engine. This was a messy messy job and I wish I wasn't wearing white sneakers at the time. Also doing it on the workshop floor was tiring on the body and back, and I recommend people to not bother doing this on the floor.
Putting the rattle gun to good use.
I think we dropped something down the intake holes.
The cylinder barrels are now off. Getting messy.
Hammering out the piston pin.
Left the spanner in the muck! Oh no.
Looking lonely. This engine had a surprise on the inside though.
Things got just a little interesting when the pistons came out. Brendon noted the cylinder head and saw that the piston spacing had been bored all the way out to the little markers underneath the cylinder head. After scraping some carbon off the top of one of the pistons we saw that the were actually 94 mm pistons, meaning the engine was a 1916!
Luckily I didn't order that 1641 kit. I immediately placed an order for a 1916 engine rebuild kit and it was promptly mailed over. Gotta love the US service. Much better than things here.
It's not a dick in a box, it's an engine in a box.
I spent a long time cleaning all the parts in a parts bath. Was not fun, and I'm still not happy they are all entirely clean. Will give a few pieces a second dose of the parts bath I think.
The pistons, conrods, flywheel, clutch pressure plate, and crank have all been sent off for balancing. The lifters also have been sent off to be machined. Stay tuned for pictures.
After messing around with the bits and pieces from last blog, I decided it was time to tackle the engine. Brendon from Production Automotive prepped the engine so it was ready for installation. He then bolted the engine back into the bug.
I had been lucky enough to pick up a set of twin Kadrons with the manifolds and linkages off ebay for a tidy sum. These were in great condition and of course Brendon fitted them to the 1600 TP. This is what it all looks like.
The 1600 in with the twin Kadrons. The Kadron filters will be a tight fit.
Yes the engine looks its age. And has the cobwebs to prove it.
At this stage it was time to make sure everything was attached correctly, and give it a start. This is where excitement turned to disappointment. After having a little play around with the timing and checking everything else, the engine finally did start, but it all turned to shit when we realised that it had the EXACT same problem as the 1300 we had just removed. Yep, a bottom end bearing was also broken in this engine. Can you believe my luck?
I needed some time to think about the next step. Do I a) rebuild this engine, b) try and find another engine and see how it goes, c) try and find a running Super Bug for cheap or d) buy a crate motor or e) buy a motor that someone had recently rebuilt here in Oz?
Option a) sounded ok, but parts in Australia aren't that cheap and with labour I'd probably be looking at $2000, maybe more just for a stock 1600 TP or at best a 1641. Boring and expensive. Option B) did not sound good at all, as I had just tried that and it had failed. Not touching that choice again. Option C) had merit but I spent some time looking and everyone that I found ended up selling for more than I wanted to pay just for an engine. Option D) was kind of out due to the sheer price of the engine and then the difficulty we'd have bringing it back from the States. Although a tough 2276 would be nice , I'll have to save that for later. Option E) seemed to cost about half of a crate motor from the states in some instances and wasn't really that much of a jump up.
I did some research on the net while tossing up my options. I wanted to find a new option, or at least weigh up exactly which would be the better one to choose from. I was pretty disappointed at this stage.
Hi all, welcome to my blog. This blog will cover all things automotive that I have an interest in. It can vary from F1 thoughts, to car reviews, old and new, to interesting things I've seen or talked with other motor enthusiasts about, to cars I am building or driving at the moment.
Having been interested in cars all my life and worked for car magazines in the past I just can't help but love cars and I hope to share this passion of mine with you all.
So sit back, strap your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride
Engine swap time
The next step for the Bug was to remove the 1300 with the spun bearing and see if the 1600 TP was actually going to be a good investment or not. Easy enough on a Bug, but not as easy as with a Kombi! Oh well
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Obviously checking the car was all done prior to purchase, but once the bug was firmly in my grasp I gave it a more thorough look over. What a find. There was no rust, but it had the classic ratty/worn out old look. The black was flat and obviously not stock, but it still appeared fine, and had the kind of look I wanted anyway, a natural rat look, not a manufactured one. The floor pan was free from rust and holes and had been galvanised. Most of the trim was there. The brakes had been rebuilt recently and everything appeared in working order.
Beetle the day before it was lowered
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Well it has been a couple of years now. Three actually so more than a couple. Have not posted a blog for a long while. Guess I just got a bit over the whole writing about cars thing. While cars are still a passion of mine, writing and reporting about new cars was getting a bit old. Everyone is doing it and generally it isn't even done well.
Yeah there have been some exciting cars come out of late. But I serious these designers are struggling I think, and just are not putting the effort in. Of course design standards and rules stifle this to some degree. But in reality there are still ways to make cars unique and attractive. Maybe due to the recent GFC a lot of car manufacturers just hired some fresh out of school designers, stuck them on a $50k a year salary and crossed their fingers and toes. Who knows? Who cares really
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Aston Martin has done what most people hoped and prayed they would do, but never actually expected them to. That's right, they have gone and stuck a V12 motor into the previously V8 Vantage. But to makes things a little more spicy, instead of just going with the regular (if you could call it that) Aston V12, they decided to plug the Vantage engine bay with none other than the fire breathing, 600hp motor from the DBRS9 race car.
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Ever since Jim Richards called the booing crowd at Bathurst back in 1992 a 'pack of arseholes', the Nissan GTR has become a legend of Australian Racing folklore, but has not been able to set tyre to track in anger in any race series of note. That may all be about to change with Nissan Australia's marketing manager, Ross Booth considering entering the latest GTR into the Targa Tasmania. “Nissan will get back into some form of motorsport [in Australia] to show the capabilities of this vehicle [the GT-R],” says Ross Booth. “One of the problems with Australian motorsport is a lack of a showcase for this type of vehicle [GT-R]. The organisers of V8 Supercars wouldn’t let us race in 1993 and I can guarantee they’re not going to let us race in 2008. It’s not a taxi as you know. It’s a matter of what’s the right [motorsport] program for it, and when we do it bearing in mind the car doesn’t go on sale here until early 2009,” says Booth.
“One of the most obvious options is the Targa [Tasmania] rally. And whether we can enter it into the Bathurst 12-hour depends on the rules. At the moment there’s a $125,000 [price tag] cut-off limit.”
Race-prepped GTR testing and tuning at Suzuka
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There was no doubt really at the end of the last F1 season that Fernando Alonso would be looking to leave McLaren after the rumoured Lewis Hamilton favouritism and ensuing dramas placed what Alonso saw as a dampener on his aspirations to take out his third F1 crown. But where could Alonso go was the question everyone was trying to figure out. McLaren was a top tier team last season and is always up there in speed, even though some seasons have seen reliablity an issue. Ferrari has Masa and Raikkonen, neither of which were going anywhere. Similarly, BMW looked full and Renault didn't look like an option either.
Hopefully he will look happier in '08
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Holden have finally released the new VE Ute. Always a big seller amongst rev heads and tradesmen, sometimes even rev head tradesmen. Demonstrating both practicality and the ability to handle itself at the Red Light Grand Prix like a concreter on the piss, it is easy to see why many were excited about the arrival of the brand new ute.
Launched in Melbourne today, Holden took the opportunity to wax lyrical about the history and iconic image of the brand new ute: "The ute's development tells the story of Australia. Today's ute is about working hard, playing hard and enjoying an active lifestyle," Mr Gubbey said. "VE Ute raises the bar in this segment and sets new standards in safety, comfort, flexibility and performance, and all at the great value price you'd expect from Holden."
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Comment by Adrian Paton
on Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Motor Maniac
Motor Maniacitis