What to expect from stroker performance...inquiriy from first-timer.

[Dave Rosique]

First experience on my OWN stroker was a blast!
Mid 80's, built this 78.4X94, W-130, ported 40X35.5, straight cuts, 45mm dual Dells, close ratio gearbox powered MANX!
From the moment I got it running, I drove it like I stole it!! Just got the car running, 10:00pm, raining outside, no top on the Manx but I have to drive it!
I swear I had that car pitched sideways for a quarter mile at a time that night! TOTALLY unsafe, TOTAL rush better than any drug!! The car hauled a**!! Problem is, EVERY time I drove it I was looking for a race! HA! Rayburn remembers this one!!

Anyway, NOTHING quite like a good running stroker!! I miss that car and those times but I hope to have some fun with my "new" project soon...

Good luck and DO IT!!

~DR
 

                                                       We drove the crap out of that Manx! We should have gone to jail for 20 years EVERY time we took it out. I would always volunteer to pick up lunch IF, I could take the Manx. The answer was always yes, but there always had to be a time alottment built in to whenever people wanted their food, because there was always a long way to get there and back. Usually an extra half hour or more had to be built in.

Good times, eh John??
Yep, no prob asking John to pick up lunch
Sorry-- one more story (until I think of more )
Drove the "stroker" Manx down to the local plumbing supply house one Saturday morning... I pull out of the driveway safely in front of a Turbo Supra and this guy changes lanes to pass me (he's now on it!) I stand on it, grab second gear exactly as I cross the railroad tracks (these tracks are known to be rough) and proceeded to pull the front wheels up an easy foot or so through second gear ! Honest! I could not believe it! Neither could the Supra owner!!
Ha!
So... Bugnut... Stroker= more smiles per mile!

 
 

[bugnut68]

No apologies needed...  Keep 'em coming.  I'm seriously hoping to have this engine together before the end of the year.  About the only external parts needed  for the engine itself are a sump and muffler, though I do have a baffled stinger in the garage.  Still need to have my cylinders honed and the rotating mass balanced; for that I still need a new pressure plate, figured I'd go with a KEP Stage I, unless someone suggests otherwise.

I figure I'll be going to Eugene (my old hometown) Oregon this summer on vacation for a week so I can likely get my parts honed and balanced while I'm up there. 

[fredy66]

thanks boys now i don't want a stroker 

[fredy66]

my friends old turbo bug

yes  me giggling in the back seat

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[youngnstudly]

I built a 2276 for my '67 in my one bedroom A-frame shack in Quincy CA one time. You just have to want it bad enough. 


Crank in the freezer and crank gears on top of wood stove to warm.

That's a good tip!  I'll give that a whirl.

First motor I built I heated the oily old crank gears on my Mom's kitchen stove while she was away... smoked up the house real good
 

Haha. The first motor I built (we) heated the crank gears in a Costco size tin coffee can and later the dog came and drank it all up! She looked like a greaser from the 60's with her fur, ears, feet, and chest hair "slicked" back. There had to have been over half a quart of veggie oil in the can!

As for the performance of a stroker, it should surprise you to say the least. The first time I took my 2276 out, I only ran it out to 4,000 RPM in 2nd while going through town and the car lunged forward like a puppy on a leash! The most surprising part of driving a car with 170 hp is how easily the tires break loose (even in 3rd gear at 45 mph!). You have to "watch it" and not get carried away...until you get used to the power! Enjoy!

Andy

[bugnut68]

As an update, I'm getting close to firing this thing for the first time.  Hoping to be ready for cam break in this weekend.  Fingers crossed!

[bugnut68]

Fire-up a no go.. fighting the Zalex test stand at the moment... starter is binding up and won't turn the engine over fast enough to even build oil pressure.

[rick m]

Bugnut,

I am going to date myself with my comments.  My first VW, a 66 sedan (purchased in 1970), had the stock 1300cc motor that I managed to kill within a couple months.  I had added an extractor exhaust and an 010 distributor which really livened it up.  Unfortunately I believe it ran lean after I fooled with the timing and I ended up twisting it too hard and sucked the exhaust valve on the #3 cylinder. Not having funds to do a complete rebuild, I let the car sit for awhile and decided to do a complete overhaul, paint, interior, motor, wheels, etc.

Later that year I traveled to Southern, California, to attend one of the early Bug-Ins.  My first dash plaque was from #5. After seeing the crazy things DDS, EMPI and others were doing with VWs, I soon had to do the same. The car sat for a few months after that first Bug-In until I ran into a guy that was a VW/Porsche mechanic at a local shop.  Mike Laurmann (obviously of German descent) turned me on to the ability to enlarge a VW.

My first stroker was nothing compared to today's standards but going from 1300cc to 1968cc (92x74) was an incredible rush.  Especially when the first motor only had a Holley Bugspray on it. I had no idea what a pair of dual carbs would soon do to the motor later on.  The only word I can use to describe the transition from 1300cc to almost a 2 liter motor is that it put a huge smile on my face the first time I got in and let out the clutch.  Motor specs were:

- 92mm NPRs
- Stock VW clearanced rods
- BUD WHITFIELD Circular counterweight 74mm stroker crank
- Norris Cam
- Dual Springs and Aluminum retainers
- Merged 1 1/2 exhaust
- Stock lifters
- 010 Bosch Distributor
- Home ported dual port heads
- Rapid Cool remote cooler and filter
- Holley Bugspray carb and plenum manifold

It was pretty fast compared to the 1300cc motor, but did not really come alive until the dual carb motor was done. Attached is a shot of the car. It was not a CAL LOOK. The cal look had not officially been defined in 1970-71.  The car had flared fiberglass fenders, hood, American 5 spoke mags, Bridgestone racing tires, HD Sway Bars and was primarily built for handling/auto-cross type driving. I'm the lean tall guy on the left. My friend, Earl Bair, is on the right. Earl had a 67 with a similar look (flared fenders, etc). 

Rick Mortensen

[bugnut68]

That's pretty good stuff, Rick, it helps keep me motivated as I'm on the cusp of having this thing running but currently on hiatus due to issues with this engine test stand.  BTW, I purchased a set of stock-valved, semi-hemi 90.5-bore heads from you probably seven or eight years ago for a 1776 I built when I still lived in Eugene, Oregon; still running great on the same engine that has since changed hands! :-)

Right now I'm in a position of having to send back the adapter ring for this stand (www.zalexindustries.com) for hopefully an exchange of one that functions... there seems to be an issue of alignment for the starter, which is dragging and not disengaging/engaging properly on the flywheel.  At this point I'm almost tempted to send the whole thing back and get my money back and just shove the engine into the car and do things the "old fashioned" way...lol.  At least in the car I have oil gauges (temp and pressure).

[Harry/FDK]

Bugnut, i would like to build a proper engine stand for testing etc. What are the problems with the www.zalexindustries.com stand ?

Regards,
Harry

[bugnut68]

Bugnut, i would like to build a proper engine stand for testing etc. What are the problems with the www.zalexindustries.com stand ?

Regards,
Harry

Well, I'm thinking my issues are likely just a fluke, and I'd really prefer to wait and list all my grievances until I've had a chance to actually use the stand.  By all purposes and intents, it's a very well made unit... and I can see the engine will run on the stand without wobbling all over the place, as it's very substantial.

That being said, my current problem is that my starter will not freely operate and/or engage/disengage.  The gear tends to stick and not retract when you let go of the starter button and it's a perfectly functional starter that came out of my '70.  It worked fine for thousands of miles with my last 1776 and to even confirm the possibility of a tired starter my buddy and I took it apart, cleaned everything and reassembled it only to have the same problems.  It's laboring to turn over the engine with no plugs in and the rockers/pushrods out, and the engine turns relatively easily by hand (wrench on the pulley bolt) so I know the engine itself is not binding.

It appears to be some sort of minor alignment issue with the adapter ring that bolts to the engine case whcih then bolts the engine to the stand itself.  I'm only frustrated because I hate sending things back and being further delayed.  I bought this stand with the anticipation of using it on future engine projects, and thought it would be a convenient thing to have in the garage.  Hopefully this will prove to be the case!

[Zach Gomulka]

...I let the car sit for awhile and decided to do a complete overhaul, paint, interior, motor, wheels, etc.

How little things change, eh Rick?!

[Fiatdude]

Screw the stand and stab it into the car --- don't need no stinking stand -- take you about 3 months to get use to the big motor and you'll be wanting a turbo to go on top of it -- then you'll be wanting a 3 liter with a turbo, with EFI, with innercooler -- of course I'm just using myself as an example

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[bugnut68]

I'm impressed  I've got plenty of future desires in the back of my head, but right now this 2017 will have to do... I remember when my last mild 1776 was the biggest engine I'd had to date, can't wait to see what this one will do. :-)  Dollars and time are two things (especially the first one!) that I lack more than anything...lol.  But who doesn't?

[rick m]

Zach....that was funny.  I cannot seem to leave anything alone too long.  Still, I hope to make it to the CE open house, even if my decklid and rear apron are still in primer.  I have little time to do everything that needs to be completed.  Will have it in paint by Bug-In. Are you cruising over for it with Chris?

Rick M

[tperazzo]

Bugnut, i would like to build a proper engine stand for testing etc. What are the problems with the www.zalexindustries.com stand ?

Regards,
Harry

Well, I'm thinking my issues are likely just a fluke, and I'd really prefer to wait and list all my grievances until I've had a chance to actually use the stand.  By all purposes and intents, it's a very well made unit... and I can see the engine will run on the stand without wobbling all over the place, as it's very substantial.

That being said, my current problem is that my starter will not freely operate and/or engage/disengage.  The gear tends to stick and not retract when you let go of the starter button and it's a perfectly functional starter that came out of my '70.  It worked fine for thousands of miles with my last 1776 and to even confirm the possibility of a tired starter my buddy and I took it apart, cleaned everything and reassembled it only to have the same problems.  It's laboring to turn over the engine with no plugs in and the rockers/pushrods out, and the engine turns relatively easily by hand (wrench on the pulley bolt) so I know the engine itself is not binding.

It appears to be some sort of minor alignment issue with the adapter ring that bolts to the engine case whcih then bolts the engine to the stand itself.  I'm only frustrated because I hate sending things back and being further delayed.  I bought this stand with the anticipation of using it on future engine projects, and thought it would be a convenient thing to have in the garage.  Hopefully this will prove to be the case!

I know bugnut68 got his engine running and is in the process of fine tuning his engine on our stand.  That is the most important part!
    
We inspect the gear backlash of every starter adapter ring using the custom fixture below on an actual engine.  An identical fixture is used during the welding process, so our success rate is very high.  Nevertheless, strange things happen and we sent Ryan a replacement starter adapter ring.


It turns out that the issues bugnut68 wrote about above were all due to a faulty battery.  If anyone has any concerns or questions about our products at www.Zalexindustries.com, I would be happy to help.
Thank You,
Tom Perazzo
Zalex Ind.
858-243-0476

[bugnut68]

Bugnut, i would like to build a proper engine stand for testing etc. What are the problems with the www.zalexindustries.com stand ?

Regards,
Harry

Well, I'm thinking my issues are likely just a fluke, and I'd really prefer to wait and list all my grievances until I've had a chance to actually use the stand.  By all purposes and intents, it's a very well made unit... and I can see the engine will run on the stand without wobbling all over the place, as it's very substantial.

That being said, my current problem is that my starter will not freely operate and/or engage/disengage.  The gear tends to stick and not retract when you let go of the starter button and it's a perfectly functional starter that came out of my '70.  It worked fine for thousands of miles with my last 1776 and to even confirm the possibility of a tired starter my buddy and I took it apart, cleaned everything and reassembled it only to have the same problems.  It's laboring to turn over the engine with no plugs in and the rockers/pushrods out, and the engine turns relatively easily by hand (wrench on the pulley bolt) so I know the engine itself is not binding.

It appears to be some sort of minor alignment issue with the adapter ring that bolts to the engine case whcih then bolts the engine to the stand itself.  I'm only frustrated because I hate sending things back and being further delayed.  I bought this stand with the anticipation of using it on future engine projects, and thought it would be a convenient thing to have in the garage.  Hopefully this will prove to be the case!

I know bugnut68 got his engine running and is in the process of fine tuning his engine on our stand.  That is the most important part!
    
We inspect the gear backlash of every starter adapter ring using the custom fixture below on an actual engine.  An identical fixture is used during the welding process, so our success rate is very high.  Nevertheless, strange things happen and we sent Ryan a replacement starter adapter ring.


It turns out that the issues bugnut68 wrote about above were all due to a faulty battery.  If anyone has any concerns or questions about our products at www.Zalexindustries.com, I would be happy to help.
Thank You,
Tom Perazzo
Zalex Ind.
858-243-0476

All true!  I apologize for not updating this thread, Tom, I had like three therads going about my engine build, I think, and lost track!  Tom is correct, my battery was the issue... and I discovered this after buying a new starter as well.  The battery was functional when I last had it in the car and operational, but at this time the battery has been out of commission for the last year plus, and is now about eight years old.  So that was that!

The engine has since gone through cam break-in on the stand, and everything works great.  No wobbling, no rocking around or anything like that.  Great stand for working on an engine outside the car!