The Cal-look Lounge

I broke my motor a while back when it ingested some hardware from inside the air cleaner.  Had to repair the head and replace valve seats.  I also ruined a piston (it had a hole completely through it).  I was running Berg special 90.5 cylinders and pistons and they are very pricey even one at a time so I decided to up the displacement with some 94mm cylinders and pistons.  At the same time I bumped the compression a little.  I am still running much lower compression than anyone on the Lounge, but Oh well...

Here are a few photos from the progress over the past two days.

Looking good Donny. So does that make it a 2276? What cam? Don't you have a set of IDA's stashed? Might be a good time to try them out.  ;)

--louis

No IDAs, just DCNFs.  I have a friend that wants to sell me his, but right now the money is tight.  It will be a 2165, it was a 2007.  Cam is a K8 and I love it.  I have Berg 1.4 rockers.  It should be fun.

I`ll bet it runs a whole lot better with more compression and more displacement.

Nope, 8 +, but not much more...

94 x 78 is a great motor. Looks good. Do you always use that red cam lube? I don't trust that stuff....

It's Torco cam lube.  I have been using it for a while. I am running Udo Becker tool steel lifters so I don't think it will be an issue.  I figure it will end up in my Oberg pretty quickly.  I used to use STP back on the day.  The cam is already broken in.  The lifters I took out were starting to pit, but the cam showed no sign of wear yet.  This is the 4th cam in this engine, all the others having gone flat or at least on their way to flat.

Good to see it's going back on the road soon, Don! Let us know how it drives compared to the last combination.

Will do.

Here are some more pictures of my progress.  Notice the o-ring on the sump to seal it to the engine case and the special washer to seal the drain plug.  These are Earl's part numbers.  The sump plate has o-rings around each stud and one big one around the diameter of the sump plate to seal it to the case.  No gaskets.

Did you have to have a groove cut in the sump? That's a slick way to do it.

--louis

Yes.  It's just like my sump plate.  I have encouraged the Bergs to machine them that way.  They are listening, but I don't know if it will work.  They have a sample of the sump plate as well....

Call and bug them, perhaps it will happen.

That's it, I'm going to do this too.  I thought about and designed the same thing but never had it made. O-ringing the bottom of the sump, around each sump plate stud, and the drain plug / bolt - brilliant!  I'm so surprised that there hasn't been something like this offered by any of the VW Aircooled Aftermarket companies.  The only thing I wanted to add to the design was to try and machine in fins (if possible) to kind of match  the bottom of the sump.  I think the fins would interrupt the sump plate bolt area though.  I've seen billet sump plates out there but none address the potential leak points that Don's has here.  I think there is a market for a sump late like this. Nice Work Don!  Did you machine it yourself?  I like it!

No.  I had a friend Tim Tesnow do it for me.  He has been maiking the sump plates and machining the o-ring groove into the sumps for a while at my suggestion.  He has recently moved out of state and no longer has the resources to do this.  I have suggested to Alistair at the Bergs that they do them.  We'll see.

Made a little more progress this afternoon.

looking good  8)

don, what kind of heads are you using? those ports are pretty large.
looking very proper and tidy! did you not need any shims on the rocker shaft? i can hardly make them out. just wondering...

The heads are Berg GB865.  On one side I needed to use a .015" set of shims otherwise nothing.  I am using Berg 1.45 rockers with a K8 cam.  The heads were ported by Mick Wooten.  It's a narrow engine.  I had to shorten the barrels because I am using Porsche length rods with a 78mm Berg crank.  No barrel spacers or copper gaskets.

wow, that is narrow especially having to cut the barrels given your rel. low CR.

Yeah we took about .040 off the cylinders to get the deck down. 

lookin good don. it,ll be a hoot to drive thats for sure :)

Got a little farther yesterday.  Hopefully I will get it in the car over the holidays.

whats up with the 6 main case nuts? Are they Nylocs or the self sealing nuts? If they are VW sealing nuts, I believe they are supposed to face the red side (plastic) towards the case?

Yeah the 6 main case nuts are the German self sealing ones.  Sorry, but I am an old Gene Berg kind of guy.  He said to turn them out so I do.  I have never had a leak.  Remember there are o-rings around the studs between the case halves.  I suspect that there was a tech notice by VW a very long time ago regarding this.  I have never turned the read sealing side in. 

OK, I have my main studs shuffle-pinned so no O-rings are used. So I used the sealing nuts with plastic directly against the case, with no washers.
 :)

In those cases I use a small bead of RTV on the underside of the washer and still turn the seal out.  It has always worked well for me.  I like the washer because it helps spread out the force when I torque the nuts.  I really don't like to go without the washer.

sorry double post

When you use the red sealing nuts in, you can get incorrect torque readings.

My 2165.

I use either non-seal or use red seal with red seals OUT. I use Loctitie 574 under 12mm washers, and a smear of 50W oil on threads and underside of 12mm nut.

A couple of photos of my trial fitting of the exhaust to the engine.  I was having exhaust leaks where the heater boxes bolted to the header.  I had flanges with gaskets, but the flanges were too thin and warped causing leaks.  I wanted V-band clamps, but I couldn't find anything smaller in diameter than two inch.  So I ordered three sets of 2" V-Band clamps.  Then I had to figure out how to adapt them to my current 1 5/8" exhaust header.  I found some 2" O.D. steel tubing with a 1 5/8" I.D.  I cut some rings about 3/4" long from the tubing and welded them to the V-Band parts.  I then fitted them over the 1 5/8" tubing of the header and the heater boxes and welded them in place.  The result is what you see in the photo.  I don't have any fancy welders so I used my little gas welder.  It isn't real pretty, but should end the exhaust leaks.  I have one left over V-band clamp and have to decide whether or not to put that on the collector to tail pipe connection.  Time will tell...

Looking good. Almost time to put it in and take a ride.

--louis

A couple of my buddies from the club came over Saturday and we got the engine in the car.  Blare Haines and Terry Skinner shown here helping me get the engine in place.  Blair is manning the jack while Terry is on the right and that old phart on the left is yours truly.

Wow, real beauty...

Hi Mr. Don,great car,great engine indeed :)

Thanks!

So how does it run?

--louis

Not running yet.  Still have a lot to do.  I have been interrupted by my grandkids and my part time job.  Hopefully this weekend it will happen.

Hmmm    94's    welcome to the darkside... I'll bet it runs great, It sure looks good, some nice parts there.  Bill

Thanks Bill, yeah I'll be hiding in the shadows from now on...

Well we fired it up today.  Me and my buddy Terry took it around the block.  Went to 7500 like nothing I have ever seen.  We were doing 70 so quickly and it felt so smooth.  This is by far the smoothest engine I have ever had.  It went like a rocket, now I have to figure out how to get full throttle.

great to hear that it is beyond what you expected.

as for full throttle: diaper and a heavy right foot.  :P

Sounds cool. Bet it felt great to get it running again.

--louis

Here are a few photos from yesterday.  One of my buddy and me finishing up.  That's Terry on the ground and the dumb looking guy staring at the engine is me.  Finally we had some typical January weather here in Phoenix.  The last photo shows my signature in out driveway.  Just couldn't resist.  It has been a while...[attachment=2]

 ;D

So refreshing to see those marks outside your garage.

Thank you for sharing Donny B!

Best rgs
BB

Cool! Can't wait to see it in a couple weeks!

Zach, are you coming the BBQ the day before the Copperstate?  It starts around noon.  Just bring beverages the food is provided.

So is fixing the fender next?

--louis

I'm planning on it, Donny. I'll be leaving the GTV at home this time, bringing my truck down to off some stuff in the swap meet.

Probably.  If I can get Dave Rosenstiel to do it for me.  He is the best!  Although I really need to rebuild the carb on my '49 Ford F-1 so I can actually use it.

Good to hear, Donny.  Get some miles on 'er. 

Will do.

Yeah, why don't you drive it out to Daytona for the Winter Jam. Be a nice lil vacation.  ;)

--louis

that's right! i do the same thing whit the sealing nuts on the engines that my brother and i built  :)


THE MEXICAN DUDE

KILLER ENGINE SEÑOR BULLITA!!!  :o


GENE BERG PARTS RULE!



THE MEXICAN DUDE

Good.  I can't, because it is FREAKING WINTER TIME IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Sorry.  Cabin fever is bad this year.

Its winter time here as well.  It was in the 70s over the weekend.  Just beautiful.  It will get worse again, but then in the summer it gets up to 115 and higher...  At least I don't have to shovel sunshine.

Nice marks in the driveway. 94 x 78 is a great combo, congrats Donny.

Thanks Jim, I am really enjoying the extra power and it's so smooth.  Just so everyone knows the sump and sump plate are staying bone dry.  No oil from the crank case at all.  I am lovin' it!  Should have done the o-ring thing years ago.

Love your car and the new motor!

stealth67, Don,

i notice both of you use the 15mm x 8mm head nut and washer (Berg case conversion kit) on the case halves. how much do you torque them up to?

Berg recommends up from 14ibs to 19-20 lbs.

I've had studs pull trying to get that much out of them.

I've been torquing them to 18 ft. Lbs.  The only one that has been a problem for me is the long one at the rear near the flywheel.  Although not on this engine.  I use the large washers and nuts on pretty much all of my engines.  I think it is just a positive thing to do that doesn't cost much.  I think it distributes the torque/force more evenly.

I torqued them to 18lbs also.

thanks!! i dint quite like the 15mm nuts and washers that came in the Berg kit, they look like chrome, collected some old german washers and nuts (hardened)

1 more question,

how about the 6 main bearing seal nuts, 19mm & 12mm washers?

Berg recommends 29-30lbs for engines running up to 6000 to 7500 rpm and 33-34lbs for over 7500rpm.

thanks!

I torque the big nuts to 28 ft. Lbs.

30lbs for mine.

thanks!!

Here's a photo of my sump and plate so you can see how dry it is staying.  Not retouched. You will notice a drop of oil on my traction bar.  That came from above.  I have an oil issue... either the dip stick or the pulley. 

I am so please that I have no weeping from the sump or the sump plate.  The o-rings cured all of that.

yr camber compensater looks just like the one i got yesterday off a friend.

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/pupjoint1/pupjoint2/wfh1.jpg)
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/pupjoint1/pupjoint2/wfh2.jpg)
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/pupjoint1/pupjoint2/wfh3.jpg)

It is similar, however I believe mine is an EMPI from back in the day.  I have had it about 20 years.  I have another one that I am currently not using that is just like the one on my car.

cool. mine is also more than 10 years old. my friend who sold it to me told me he got it in 2002 from one of the local Malaysian VW mechanics in the 60s, whom has since passed away due to old age. he told me it came in an old broken box but sadly he has thrown it away. no brand or whatsoever marking on the bar.