Merlin Story? Bergs' 95x94mm drag motor...where is it now?

[Jim Ratto]

everybody's probably familiar with the black '67 Berg drag sedan....how about the 2.6 liter ARPM-cased, Berg/Superflow heads, custom roller cam, 94mm crank, 95mm Porsche/Mahle piston & cylinders...?

I was fortunate enough to see the black car do its stuff back when it had the Berg/Haltech EFI at Sacramento. Think drag motors have to sound lopey and unhappy and burping and popping? Nope, not Merlin.

Maybe some of you have some inside stories about this incredible drag motor?

I know Hot VW's did a nice, in depth article on the motor, back when it was still running conventional VW Mahle 94mm's....maybe fabs has a copy to cyber share?

Jim

[Bewitched666]

Cool,Kawell is building me something similar

[speedwell]

....maybe fabs has a copy to cyber share?

Jim

jim have you an idea of the year ??

[Jim Ratto]

1992-93-94?

sorry can't be more specific 

[Frank LUX]

I don't remember in which Issue of Hot VW's it was, but i do remeber that it had a Roller Lifters Set-up...

Frank

[Donny B.]

I got to see a lot of that motor at the shop.  It had a roller cam.  The lifters were keyed with some 36hp pieces.  There was enough meat in the ARPM case to allow for that.  I remember talking to Gene about that motor and asked how much HP it made.  He wouldn't telll me, but he did say it was over 300HP.  That was way back over 12 years ago.  I recall that it took two Porsche cylinders to make one VW cylinder.  I remember when they ran the fuel injection as well.  I was talking with Gene about how they banned Fuel injection saying that it was too expensive for the competition.  So Gene showed me their first prototype 58mm carb.  He told me then that it was a great deal more expensive to make the bigger carbs, but he did it because he could.  He just laughed.  I am sure he would be pretty pleased to see all the EFI cars today. 

[Jim Ratto]

I got to see a lot of that motor at the shop.  It had a roller cam.  The lifters were keyed with some 36hp pieces.  There was enough meat in the ARPM case to allow for that.  I remember talking to Gene about that motor and asked how much HP it made.  He wouldn't telll me, but he did say it was over 300HP.  That was way back over 12 years ago.  I recall that it took two Porsche cylinders to make one VW cylinder.  I remember when they ran the fuel injection as well.  I was talking with Gene about how they banned Fuel injection saying that it was too expensive for the competition.  So Gene showed me their first prototype 58mm carb.  He told me then that it was a great deal more expensive to make the bigger carbs, but he did it because he could.  He just laughed.  I am sure he would be pretty pleased to see all the EFI cars today. 

Cool Don...remember the white-painted cooling tins, and the bell crank linkage operating the throttle bodies. That car was just bad ass. I remember when I first saw the 58mm prototype carbs. Looked like big slugs of weld that resembled an IDA. Where is that motor now?

[Donny B.]

Where is that motor now?

I believe that all the pieces are still there in the shop.  I do know that Doug raced it once and I don't think Dee was real pleased, but I don't know for sure.  The last time I saw it it was all apart.  Knowing those folks it could be back together running in a few hours.  I am sure they still have everything that went into it.  Gene showed me those carbs and they were ugly.  He said that when they made the original molds they used very early IDAs as masters and they didn't have enough meat to do what was necessary so the just welded the heck out of them.  He said that early IDAs were physically smaller than the later ones.  I don't know if that is true.

[Steve D.]

If I remember right, a few years ago in Sacramento Doug and company tossed the big motor back in the car the night after Doug put one of the Schubeck lifters into the valve cover.  He ran the next day short shifting the car (complete with bus 5 speed) to try and slow it down for the index he was running.

Sound familiar to anybody else? 

[Donny B.]

Yeah,  I was there when he over revved the engine in the water box and blew the lifter.  Doesn't surprise me that he put in the Merlin engine to run the next day...

Doug's a funny guy!

[Zach Gomulka]

Doug is nuttier than squirrel sh*t!!

[louisb]

Oug? Have not seen him around in forever.

--louis

[didi]

Just found your requested article about gary berg's 2600cc engine in the september 1992 hot vw's.

didi

[WCB Hitler's Hot Rod]

I beilieve in pulled well over 300hp and other than the black car: Clyde had it in his old race car. I remember seeing 3 tires off the ground when he launced it towards the moon. I have a MERLIN shirt somewhere that they issued a while back.

[stealth67vw]

I got to see a lot of that motor at the shop.  It had a roller cam.  The lifters were keyed with some 36hp pieces.  There was enough meat in the ARPM case to allow for that.  I remember talking to Gene about that motor and asked how much HP it made.  He wouldn't telll me, but he did say it was over 300HP.  That was way back over 12 years ago.  I recall that it took two Porsche cylinders to make one VW cylinder.  I remember when they ran the fuel injection as well.  I was talking with Gene about how they banned Fuel injection saying that it was too expensive for the competition.  So Gene showed me their first prototype 58mm carb.  He told me then that it was a great deal more expensive to make the bigger carbs, but he did it because he could.  He just laughed.  I am sure he would be pretty pleased to see all the EFI cars today. 

Cool Don...remember the white-painted cooling tins, and the bell crank linkage operating the throttle bodies. That car was just bad ass. I remember when I first saw the 58mm prototype carbs. Looked like big slugs of weld that resembled an IDA. Where is that motor now?

[Bewitched666]

Btw does Gary still race or is it just Clyde?

[WCB Hitler's Hot Rod]

I got to see a lot of that motor at the shop.  It had a roller cam.  The lifters were keyed with some 36hp pieces.  There was enough meat in the ARPM case to allow for that.  I remember talking to Gene about that motor and asked how much HP it made.  He wouldn't telll me, but he did say it was over 300HP.  That was way back over 12 years ago.  I recall that it took two Porsche cylinders to make one VW cylinder.  I remember when they ran the fuel injection as well.  I was talking with Gene about how they banned Fuel injection saying that it was too expensive for the competition.  So Gene showed me their first prototype 58mm carb.  He told me then that it was a great deal more expensive to make the bigger carbs, but he did it because he could.  He just laughed.  I am sure he would be pretty pleased to see all the EFI cars today. 

I have a set of those cylinders and they are a work of art. 8 cylinders were used to make a set. Lots and lots of time went into those.

[Jim Ratto]

I got to see a lot of that motor at the shop.  It had a roller cam.  The lifters were keyed with some 36hp pieces.  There was enough meat in the ARPM case to allow for that.  I remember talking to Gene about that motor and asked how much HP it made.  He wouldn't telll me, but he did say it was over 300HP.  That was way back over 12 years ago.  I recall that it took two Porsche cylinders to make one VW cylinder.  I remember when they ran the fuel injection as well.  I was talking with Gene about how they banned Fuel injection saying that it was too expensive for the competition.  So Gene showed me their first prototype 58mm carb.  He told me then that it was a great deal more expensive to make the bigger carbs, but he did it because he could.  He just laughed.  I am sure he would be pretty pleased to see all the EFI cars today. 

Cool Don...remember the white-painted cooling tins, and the bell crank linkage operating the throttle bodies. That car was just bad ass. I remember when I first saw the 58mm prototype carbs. Looked like big slugs of weld that resembled an IDA. Where is that motor now?

That car was fricking amazing to watch. I don't think I have watched too many other drag cars that seemed so "dialed" as the black Berg car,
watched in awe as they warmed the EFI Merlin up, then made passes @ Sac... blew my mind.
Nobody has yet mimicked that motor for a street car yet, in the 16 years since?
If I ever have a dollar extra to my name.......... 

[drgouk]

Jim,
     Gene was buliding a 86 by 95 engine before he died, it did not have a roller cam, but it had the extended porsche cylinders, I think one of the boys ended up finishing it and it went in dee's 67. I remember one of there employess, jim lynch drove it at one of the drag meets, not sure how it went. There are pics of that motor on gary bergs web site, gb-adventures i think?

I remember those articles from hotvw's, the one on merlin and the one on gary's 67 engine, that one convincened me that making a bug engine go fast was worth doing.

[Jim Ratto]

how cool would a 95 x 94 monster be on the street. Even at 8.0:1 it would be a killer, but run the CR up, run the cam up, and pray to god you don't need the brakes. What COULDN'T you eat alive on the street?

[Rennsurfer]

What COULDN'T you eat alive on the street?

True, but there ARE a few 959 and 917 cars still left in the world.

 

[DKK Ted]

The motor that your talking about that was in Dee's car is the motor that was run in the black car. Doug has taken it apart a few for repairs/upgrade. I believe it's the same motor that is in the car now. The Merlin your talking about the last time I saw is sitting in the shop covered up, but that has been awhile now.