The GTV

[Zach Gomulka]

Right, it was a bit slow at work the last week so I managed to get a bit done on my engine case. First thing I did was prep for the EMPI oil pump/filter. I pulled out the original oil pump studs, and gave the threads a good cleaning. It was a good thing I did, because there was a bunch of muck behind the studs that didn't come out when the case was hot tanked. I did a little measuring, and found out that a 50mm stud would go all the way in the case, flush to the inside, and give me just enough stud to put a nut on the outside. I got the studs installed and found out that I also had to grind the mounting boss on the right side of the case to clear the filter adapter. Now it's all good
With that out of the way, I turned my attention to the deep sump... Previous to me, someone had stripped out 2 of the threads in the case, so they drilled out the case and installed 8x1.25 to 6x1.00 step studs Also, the stud that holds the oil sucker on had about half of it's threads left. Not acceptable. So I had an idea, called Steve Hollingsworth to confirm my solution, and drilled out and tapped the rest of them to 8x1.25. I also drilled out my EMPI mag sump to accept the 8mm studs, and I will use the 11mm hex nuts usually used on exhausts to secure the deep sump Now I'm waiting on the nuts so I can figure out just how long the studs need to be.
Ohh, and I ground the casting marks and sharp edges inside the case, clearanced for the "5th rod", opened the windows between the cylinders, polished all of the grinding marks, and made a huge mess

[Zach Gomulka]

I got my NOS EMPI steering (Custom or Rallye?) wheel worked out There was a little spacer that was in the bottom of the box that I missed. It clears the wiper switch fine now, even the horn works again for the first time in 4 years (the old GT wheel had an early adapter that wouldn't coordinate with the horn contacts). I absolutely LOVE how this wheel looks in my 70's car!! You can also see the EMPI/VWOA parcel shelf that I found at OCTO last year (not secured yet), and the original EMPI pedal pads that I installed right before I took the car off the road last May. It's getting pretty EMPI-fied in there

[louisb]

Looking really nice.

--louis

[speedwell]

look nice zach , my first choice, the day i've decided to go with a empi steering wheels  it was the "DELUXE" one ,the one with with black leather , but what a surprise the day i receive it , it was a "RALLY/CUSTOM" and i wasn't very happy ,  but after a short time i I started to appreciate it, and seen that I always liked the "DELUXE" I managed to have a empi steering cover a black one , like that i can change the color of my steering wheels  , and that doesn't shock because the black reminds the color of the seats and the dashboard  and when the cover is out , it reminds the wood of the instruments panel
 

[empicolector]

very nice steering wheel

[roland]

I'm liking that interior! 

[Zach Gomulka]

I'm liking that interior! 

It will get better. That's next on the agenda after the engine is finished

[Nico86]

Yep yep that's sweet 

[roland]

I'm liking that interior! 

It will get better. That's next on the agenda after the engine is finished

What are the plans? Good clean-up, new carpets, stuff like that or more?

[Zach Gomulka]

What are the plans? Good clean-up, new carpets, stuff like that or more?

I did the seats with a TMI kit when I first got the car. I wanted it original so that was the best option. I was also broke so I didn't get new pads for the seats, just re-padded it with what I had So new coco pads from WW will go on the cushions, and the backrests will get the new TMI "Sport Foam" with lateral support I will make new seat covers with yellow/black plaid and black vinyl, and do the door cards to match, with pockets this time, and NO speakers in the doors! The rear seat backrest will be from my old Fastback, complete with center arm rest
Carpet was simple purlon, but I will upgrade to German Square weave. I will also do the same 4 speaker setup that's in AssHull's car. Original Sapphire will receive a jack to play my ipod through

[Harry/FDK]

Zach, 8mm on the sump studs ?!? Couldn't you go M7 ? There's not much meat for M8. BRAVE MAN !

(I understand that the 1.25 thread makes it all much stronger).

Harry

[Zach Gomulka]

Zach, 8mm on the sump studs ?!? Couldn't you go M7 ? There's not much meat for M8. BRAVE MAN !

(I understand that the 1.25 thread makes it all much stronger).

Harry

I would have gone M7 but 2 of the 6 were already drilled and tapped to M8. So in the interest of keeping everything the same, M8 it was.

[Harry/FDK]

Damn, i was thinking M7 Timesert, Helicoil or some inch size that would keep enough meat on the case. Anyway, done is done.
BTW. Nice project. And Steve is my man.

[Rick Meredith]

I got my NOS EMPI steering (Custom or Rallye?) wheel worked out There was a little spacer that was in the bottom of the box that I missed. It clears the wiper switch fine now, even the horn works again for the first time in 4 years (the old GT wheel had an early adapter that wouldn't coordinate with the horn contacts). I absolutely LOVE how this wheel looks in my 70's car!! You can also see the EMPI/VWOA parcel shelf that I found at OCTO last year (not secured yet), and the original EMPI pedal pads that I installed right before I took the car off the road last May. It's getting pretty EMPI-fied in there

Looks good Zach!

[j-dub]

Looks Good Zach!

[Zach Gomulka]

This past Friday I drove down to Steve Hollingsworth's VW Performance and picked up my heads. Steve/Greg Tims did the port work, valve job and assembly, but I'm overly anal so I had Steve dial them in for me He also set up my original EMPI 1.4:1 rockers, so now all I have to do is set the pushrod length and I'm good to go With a LOT of arm twisting, I convinced him to make my EMPI oil pump/filter as good as it possibly can be. Hopefully I can pick that up soon so I can start bolting the case halves together!

Here's my heads. 48cc in the chambers with .040" deck will get me 8.7:1... too high for Shell 91??

[fredy66]

nice to have some help.
looks good

[SPEEDWELL66]

NICE ROCKERS!!!!

[Zach Gomulka]

Case is ready to build!

A friend turned me on to this thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=451234&highlight=soda+blast+case

So I purchased the soda blaster, 18lbs of Arm & Hammer, and went to work on the case. It turned out very well, the case actually looked even better than this before I got it wet for the final wash. No more grungy magnesium... for now

Hopefully I'll have a shortblock by the end of the week

[Diederick/DVK]

very nice! just soak it with WD40 now and it should be fine for a long time!
now, get building

[Zach Gomulka]

I thought about WD-40, but I'm worried about it being on the sealing surfaces (case halves, pushrod tubes, etc) as I want to try and limit leaks as much as possible! Guess I could just clean it off before assembly...

[Zach Gomulka]

So... when I installed the NOS GT Rallye wheel, I never really got used to the red-ish tint that it has. I learned that there was a real wood wheel, the GT Custom, and I happened to find one on the samba It was for an early column, so I had to have it machined to fit my '72, but luckily my Rallye wheel was the perfect guide I like this wheel MUCH better, it is a perfect match to the rest of the wood in the interior

[Nico86]

Sweeeeet    Makes me want to have my Flat4 GT wheel blasted to have a more "satin" finish like this, instead of bright polished finish.

[Zach Gomulka]

Break out the steel wool, Nico

So I'm working on the bottom end of my engine. How do I choose which cam gear (+/-) is correct? I have an original (date stamped 10/71, but has no +/- stamping unlike my earlier NOS EMPI gears which do) EMPI gear in there right now, and it turns over fine, the cam isn't being pushed out of the bearings, but to be honest I really don't know exactly what I'm to look for. It's been over ten years since I've built an engine without straight cuts in it

Are all stock style gears sold today a standard size? Did they do away with the +/-?

[Zach Gomulka]

Small update:
For a cam gear, I settled on a -2. Luckily, I had an NOS EMPI gear in my stash Yesterday I got off work a little early so I decided to make myself a shortblock I got the case halves bolted together, installed my EMPI filter/pump, and realized I forgot to check the cam bolt to oil pump clearance. DOH!

[Harry/FDK]

That will not happen to you again Zach! DOH ! (i mean getting off work early..).

[Matt Tobias]

Small update:
For a cam gear, I settled on a -2. Luckily, I had an NOS EMPI gear in my stash Yesterday I got off work a little early so I decided to make myself a shortblock I got the case halves bolted together, installed my EMPI filter/pump, and realized I forgot to check the cam bolt to oil pump clearance. DOH!

I just did damn near the same thing.  I wrapped up my shortblock and remembered that I did not check my cam thrust bearing side play.  So  a quick tear down, sand the the thrust bearings down and I'm back in business.  What a bonehead move!!!

At least we remembered, right?

[Zach Gomulka]

Ok, moving on. Having a hard time staying motivated on this project, not getting as much done as I'd wish. Anyway, finally got my deck height measured, I tried every p/c set in every hole to try and get the decks as close as possible. They are all between .046 and .049, so that should put me at about 8.5-8.6:1 with my 48cc chambers I was expecting more deck, and to have to have the cylinders machined down but it doesn't look like that is the case. Hopefully I will have a long block soon!

[Zach Gomulka]

I've been working on this little beast a bit every day, quite diligently. Since I'm re-using nearly all of the original parts, I expected tin fitment to be very straight forward, send it off to powdercoat, and be done with it. But it has not! First of all, the head tins required a LOT of clearancing to get the EMPI manifolds in there. The EMPI manifolds are cast in with the 3rd center stud, so I had to push the opening further and further back, until the tin hit the center head studs, and this still wasn't enough. Mind you now, the engine is also a scosh narrower than it was before because the steps in the chambers are now gone. So I took a grinder to the studs, re fit tins, and then the spark plug deflector tin was jamming in to the head Pulled them back off, took about 1/8" off of the tin, and finally it fit. But I had to move the openings back so far that it cracked my previously uncracked head tins! So I welded them up, and finally they fit and work like they should.

I'm upgrading to a type 4 oil cooler with a Berg conversion kit, I haven't messed with the shroud yet but I did extend the Hoover bit 5/8" to match the wider cooler.

The lower head tins, the "sleds" by 1&3, were all cracked and broken where the tabs mount to the case, so I welded them up. #4 screwed right on like I wanted it to, but I changed #3 to the pre '67 style since I will of course no longer be needing a pre-heat to a stock carburetor. I welded up the small oval pre heat hole in it, and the corresponding large hole in the breast plate tin.

I tried to fit my oil filler this morning, but I found out that it now fouls the lower cylinder tin by #3 that I changed I have never liked the oil filler with the draft tube anyway (designed to leak = designed to fail), so I've found a fuel injection Beetle pulley tin that doesn't have the provision for the tube, and I'll fit a non draft tube filler that I have in stock.... But this means I will have to find a proper way to vent it to the outside so excess pressure doesn't build up. Going to fit the pulley tin up tonight, but I'm fully expecting to to modify it to work, as well.

Enough rambling, this is what I've got thus far

[cal-look 56]

Almost there.  looking good