On Jan 13, 10:06*pm, "Peter Dohm" wrote:

At the obvious cost of proving myself a heretic regarding VWs....

We could go back into the old debate about whether a nearly stock VW engine
could be a reliable 50 to 60hp powerplant with the right sort of pressure
cooling system. *With all due respect to Bob, a/k/a Veeduber, I am still
convinced that it can

I have to side with VeeDuber here. I've got the benefit of experience
he probably doesn't. All my ground bound VW's operated at a density
altitude of 7000 ft - on average. When it comes too cooling by air it
takes air to do the cooling. We have less of it here than folks in
his area do.

A VW bus with a stock 1600cc was marginal and if modified to give it's
rated hp at our density altitude cooling became enemy number one. My
motors lasted longer than the guys across town in large part because I
was PICKY about the cooling, going to such extremes as siliconeing the
gap between the fan housing and the cylinder covers to keep the
cooling air inside. I bought spark plug hole seals by the
hundreds.............

The later model bus with the 1700/2000 would even show signs of heat
stress in stock form if the seal between the engine and body was
missing (flat rate shop across town never put them back).

Point is, cooling these things IS a problem. As much as I like the
old air-cooled VW's they have real problems and limitations. The most
reliable VW bus motor was one I ripped out of a Rabbit and stuffed
into the hole. 100K miles later with no heating problems, more hill
climbing power and fuel efficiency made the cost of the swaps worth
every penny. Rabbit radiator fits under the deck sideways and the
customers had heat too..... no more scraping the ice off the inside of
the windows as you drove.

BTW did you know that a stripped 8 valve VW water cooled motor weighs
LESS than an air cooled TP IV? Rather than keep flogging the air-
cooled why not try a belt PSRU on one of these canted over at about 45
degrees?

Simple as an air-cooled 1600 based VW? No. More reliable? Probably.
==============================
Leon McAtee