356 into ghia?

[widebody911]

I stumbled upon a 356 engine for sale, and it would be really tempting to put it into my '56 ghia. I'm normally a 'keep it stock' kinda guy, but this is intruiging.

First off, what should I be looking out for on a 356 engine? The engine is out of the car, but 'it ran when it was pulled,' of course - don't they all? Rolling Eyes

I have a rig to start a VW engine on the ground - will it work on the 356 engine?

What else is involved in adapting the 356 engine to the VW transaxle - mine has already been converted to a tunnel case.

[Geary]

This has always been one of the favorite conversions, so it can't be very involved. There's a guy who brings his early Ghia with 356 engine to the Kelly Park show each year. Very nice Ghia.

[salek]

Bear with me, I will get to some useful information. I just choose to explain why I am doing what I am doing.

I bought a Karmann a few years ago, 26 to be more exact. I bought it because at the age of 18 I could not afford a Porsche. When I got into my profession years later, I acquired a 912 as a compromise. I wanted the engine to be relatively interchangable with my Karmann, the VW bus (wife's) and the Beetle (daughter's). As you know, the 912's Type VI engine is the terminal form of the VW Type I engine that evolved in the 356s, thus the decision for a 912 instead of a 911.

9/11 and the dot.bomb happened and after being laid off and going to work back into the slave labor category instead of professional category, I did not have the money to repair/replace my 912 after it was blondsided May 14 (2005).

I bought back the carcass to keep that recently rebuilt engine. And, I took the insurance money from the 912 and started a body off restoration of my Karmann.

During the body off phase, I bolted the Type VI directly to the naked chassis. It, of course, bolted right on. The main issues forseen in this phase are:
1) that the Type I chassis and engine expect a wire accelerator cable and the Type VI engine / 901 body expect a solid link.
2) the Motorraum sheet metal won't fit.

I completed my bodywork and returned the Type I engine because I had to have a performance mod done to the Type VI. Therefore I have a basically stock Karmann again at this time.

I did not want to modify the Type 14 body at all so that I could return to the Type I engine at any time should I choose to do so. (The Type VI would be great in the VW bus, right?) Thus I created an adapter that will allow the accelerator cable to run to the front of the fan housing where I then connect the cable to the linkage. Returning to a Type I engine means merely replacing the accelerator cable. I don't even have to remove the adapter.

Today's project is to start the sheet metal work modifying Type I sheet metal and sacrificing a few computer cases (sheet metal, raw form) to start my "Sheet Metal, Mark I". This is occuring inside my office behind this computer. The grinding/cutting will be outside, however. I expect to make the front (firewall) sheet metal fit the engine. The back sheet metal shall be started, with room for adjustment when I actually intend to install the Type VI.
The side plates shall be made to fit the engine, but oversized relative to the hole where the engine sits. I shall trim to fit upon actual engine installation.
The object shall be to install the long block and to start adding the sheet metal, adjusting/cutting as I build up to a complete engine.

Here is now the unforseen collateral estoppal problem that has put this on major hold. The stock Type VI tank muffler won't fit under the rear apron. I have a header/muffler arrangement. It won't fit either. Both come out of the 2/4 Zylinder heads and are longer than the apron. I would simply trim the apron off, except that I don't want to mess with the body and that the tank muffler is wider than the structural members that support the apron and bumpers.

I'm currently desparate, and looking for a header system that will fit a Type VI but fit under the Type 14s rear apron.

I bought a new Type I header with the idea of cutting the attachment points of both header types and putting the Type VI connectors on the Type I header. However, I am not that good at welding and the Type I is wider. I may or may not attempt to bend the Type I header inward, then weld. This will be an expensive learning experience if I fail as I would destroy two headers if I fail.

Anybody with information about a header that will fit, please contact me/us, please.

[DesmoDog]

Pellow's "Secrets of the Inner Circle" is a book you should get if you want to start playing around with 356 engines. It even has a chapter on putting a 356 engine into a VW.

I have a 1958 1600N enigne I plan on putting into my 1960 Ghia as soon as I finish a few other projects and have time to rebuild it...

[bt1211]

Check this out
http://www.bayarea.net/~diddler/black-sheep/engine-text.htm

[salek]

Well, I managed to get the Type VI into the Type XIV body. Found out the hard way that it would not turn over. nope. no way. The flywheel appears to be about 5 mm deeper than a stock VW flywheel. There were all kinds of teeth marks in the Type I tranny bell housing.
I'm now about to attempt to measure the space needed. My options then are to carve some of the metal off of the transaxle (Type I) bell housing and/or add spacers to force an offset of the Type VI engine from the Type I bell housing.
I shall also be measuring the distance and teeth engagement of the starter. I'm planning on porting the 12V starter from the 912 to the Type I tranny. I hope that it fits an then engages the Type VI flywheel.

Ok, still working on this. Not finished.

Salek