Engine ? Engine tin ?

[red-beard]

I recently picked up a fantastic deal with a few warts. The gentleman who sold me the car knew almost nothing about it. He said it was a 73 (VIN verifies this) and a 1.7. I cannot find the Engine number in the normal spot for the 1.7/1.8. The engine tin doesn't fit right and I had a serious problem changing the plugs. Some of the tin is missing (So I'm looking for engine tin). But I need some help figuring out what I have first.

On first examination, I thought maybe I had a 2.0 bus, but upon reviewing the head design, it can't be. The heads are a 4 bolt setup. Did the spark plug holes change between the 1.7 and the 1.8 ?

[kokanee]

It sounds like your car could have originally been a 2.0 but when they swapped the engine, they didn't bother to swap the tin out. look at the engine sticker on the driver's side inside the engine compartment if it says 120 cu. in. then the car started its life as a 2.0. the only engines that came with 3 stud heads and different plug angles were the 2.0's that came in the 914. bus 2.0's and 1.8's and 1.7's should be the same.

The 2.0 tin has spark plug access holes an inch above the outer intake stud on each side, while the 1.7/1.8 holes are close to the top of the lump. where does it not fit right? <==(this doesn't sound good) what parts are missing? what condition is the tin in? car in? engine in?

If this is the case and you need a set of top tin for 1.7-1.8 I have a pair and would trade for the same tin for a 2.0.

let us know how things go.

K-

I have a

[red-beard]

The plugs are angled outward toward the front and rear of the engine. The holes are basically to near the center of the head.

The tin isn't in very good shape, as it has been bent/ripped to allow the plugs to be removed. Also, I am missing all of the lower tin and there are missing tin parts on both side of the compartment. I don't think I have anything to trade here.

I feel like I need to remove the engine to see what I have. It seems to move the car around better than my 1971 1.7. I expect that either there was a better engine in this car at one point, or someone was planning on putting a better engine in, or this one has been reworked.

Upgrades that came on this car: Fiberglass flares, front swaybar, boxed trailing arms, chassis stiffening kit, paint stripped and then repainted, underbody stone guarded, short shift kit, momo steering wheel (But the PO kept that ), new shocks (Koni adjustable) and struts, stainless heat exchangers, after market mag wheels (American racing style).

Background: This car sat in the PO's driveway for 3 years. It looks like he replaced one rear caliper and planned to change the other. In the process, he broke the right rear brake line from the proportioning valve to the flex line. $5 worth of metric brake line, 5 oz of brake fluid and my girlfriend on the brake pedal and I had an operable car.

Needs: Most of the rest of the heating system components, engine tin, fixing a couple of holes in the front right fendor, a few spots of smoothing on the trunk, fixing a cracked left rear flair, a new paint job, reinstalling the head lights, new tires, and maybe a fuel tank sending unit.




[This message has been edited by red-beard (edited 11-21-2000).]

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

It could be from some other VW Type IV. Or possibly from an "AN" motor, which was a European 1.8 914. And some VW 412s as well. I recently read (from an AA auction on E-bay) that those heads had "better" spark plug locations than the other Type IV heads except the 2.0 914 ones.

Check the part number cast on the heads, then go to http://www.tunacan.net/t4/reference/cylhead.htm . I think the heads from the "AN" motor are the "021-101-371S" ones.

The AN motor, in a 914 at least, ran 8.6:1 compression, had dual single-throat Solex carbs, and made 85 HP.

--DD

[red-beard]

I expect that the sheet metal was replaced or that the engine was installed quickly to get it out of the PPO's yard, when the PO bought it.

I'll be looking into the exact part numbers for the heads and then I'll start searching for the proper tin.

[aircooled]

I didn't see it stated in any earlier replies so I thought I'd mention that 2.0 VW Bus heads had 4 intake studs. The original 2.0 914 heads were the only Type IV heads to have 3 intake studs.

Rick