How to pep-up a 1500cc single-port engine on a student budget.

[donder]

hi everybody

i'm thinking of putting a 1500cc single-port 44 hp(instead of the 30hp) strong engine in my 59 bug with the original gearbox from the 1500cc(longer final ratio), but i would like it to be a bit faster.
Because i'm still a student that has to pay everything by himself it has to fit in my budget.
So here are my plans, if anyone has some interesting advice/ tip, please let me know.
I was thinking of a lightened flywheel, compression ratio sligtly raised(9:1?), a set of vw type3 1500s carbs, and an other exhaust, the valve rockers from a 1300cc double inlet port head(1.1:1) instead of the 1 : 1 rockers.

that's about it, i'm not planning to open the engine because he has only 41K km's om the tacho.
The engine has to become a motor that is fun to drive with, and can be daily driven like a stock one.

So, what are you're suggestions?

Thanx

Philip

[SOB/RFH]

Wow!!! I love those no money but lot's a power engines. So here is my way of thinking. Like it or dislike it, but it is out of the box.

first, leave the bottom end stock, but in good shape (bearings and oilpump, yes 21 mm is superb as a size, in great shape not neceserly new). We need volume to kepp revs down. 87 P/C. Good quality and narrow piston rings. Single port heads from a 1500S with 35,5 and 32 valves. Put all the money in a good vavlejob according to the How to Hot Rod Volkswagen engines book and port them out like described. You need as mouch compression as your gasoline can take. In Europe you can go for 9,5: if you use 98 octane RON gasoline. Use the stock 31 PICT carb, remove choke and bore venturie 1 mm bigger, round all surfaces inside carb bowl- A good exhaust and a 009 distrubotor and you will be flying.........No money makes lots of thinking/planning and hard work blue printing to the exact specs a winning combo and you will pick up knowledge valuable thru life!!   

[The Ideaman]

I like the twin 32's from a type 3, instead of the single 30 pict.  Toss the heaterboxes, and flycut the heads to 8.5to1.  As stated above, good valvejob, single springs and some port cleaning.  Motor should make more power than stock and will live.

[SOB/RFH]

Done right the single carb is capable of 80+ hp.....it takes skills, but how cool is it to beat a dual carb mail order 1776 with W100 cam and all the chrome in the world with a single carbed soggy looking stock screaming engine!!! Long live single carbs!!

[Zach Gomulka]

The 1500 heads already have 1.1:1 rockers. If I was you I wouldnt even take the heads off. Install a pair of single port Kadrons, 010 distributor, 1 3/8" header and j-tubes if you dont mind living without heat. You will be very surprised at the increase in performance!! You could lighten the flywheel, but it will beat up main bearings faster with the non counterweighted crank.

[javabug]

I had Kadrons, an 019, and extractor/QP on my singleport 1500.  It wasn't "fast", but it ran a lot better than when stock.  If you do a little with the heads, and the bottom end is tight, it should run even better.  Mine was a little tired.

[lowfastbus]

Nice thinking Donder, would like to see it happen, if you need parts or help...

[donder]

What do you guys think of an electronic ingnition from a vw golf with delay time for the 3th cilinder( like original)? The guy who sells the igintion has build that in his last year at school for a 1600cc double inletport beetle engine and claims its so much better than the stock one. 60kV instead of 15kV he said. It also has a vacuum port.
Would'nt this be better than an 009 or something?


-What kind/size do those kadrons have?

-Are the valve sizes of a type3 1500s different from the 1500 beetle engine?

-Is it doable to do a head job at home? or is this something only someone with a flowbench and a lot of experience can do well?
Or is it worth the try to perform this myself if i have the how to hot rod vw's book?

-21mm is the stock oilpump?

-the lightened flywheel is deleted from my plans

-compression ratio from 7.5:1 to 8.5:1 ?

-I'm not going to remplace the cilinders because the engine has only 40000km's, so ist like new and shall be re-used.

-Camshaft is staying stock one as the lower part of the engine (except the heads) is staying closed.

-Because i got a dremel from my girlfriends parents for my birthday,so that could come in handy when practicing on the heads.( i will try first on an broken head or something)

-I have no clue  what type of carter it is, i will take a look as soon possible.
I read somewhere that there are 1500cc engine with large (like 1600 doubleport) oil lines and enginecases with the early small oil lines. What letter is which one?

-Do the j-tubes have a larger diameter than the stock heater boxes? I would like to remain the heaterboxes (it can be fucking cold overhere ) so Isn't there a possibility to cut open the stock heater boxes and place the larger J-tubes inside? Or are there heaterboxes on the market with larger diameter exhaust?



thx again, after my exams i'm beginning with removing the engine and gearbox from its current position.

Philip

[donder]

hello,

those kadrons carbs, are those the 40mm type? or....
Is it possible to buy inletmanifolds for single port for the kadrons ?
Wont those kadrons be overcarbed on my engine, i think those 1500s carbs wil suit my engine far better than the larger kadrons?

thanks

[besserwisser]

 The horsepower is in the heads. Flycut 1,5 mm, open upp around the valves and open upp the inside of the seat. Put single heavy duty springs on it and try to find 1-1.25 rockers. Intake for single port heads are available and get some pdsit solex carbs. Put a centerpull linkage on it and you will have around 60hp. I think the original 1500s had 54hp. Keep the choke if you drive in cold conditions but you can gain some hp by removing them. If you want to keep the heaters just buy one of those cheap 1,5 inch systems that bolt on the rear.I am in the process of putting together a sinle port screamer with a 284 cam, dual springs and sinle port heads that have been flycut 2mm.I am topping this of with dual 32-34 pdsit carbs with chokes removed. The reason for this combination is that most people think its wrong.Forgot to mention that the rockers are old erson 1.45. Try something new and find out or play it safe and keep wondering.

[javabug]

Yep the Kads are 40mm.  Need to buy the manifolds secondhand now, as far as I know.  Either the Kads or the smaller Solexes should be comparable, depending on what else you are doing.

Mine worked very well on my 1500, once I got the jetting dialed in and sync'd up.  The centerpull linkage is a must!

[Diederick/DVK]

is the scat linkage the one you mean mike?

also, are kadrons better than baby dellortos?

[Zach Gomulka]

is the scat linkage the one you mean mike?

also, are kadrons better than baby dellortos?

Yes, and yes

[Diederick/DVK]

thanks zach 

so what's wrong with the classic kadron linkage?

[Zach Gomulka]

thanks zach 

so what's wrong with the classic kadron linkage?

I dont know, Ive never had a problem with it!!

[Diederick/DVK]

i was just wondering why you would wanna have 1500 heads off a type 3 if you already have 1500 heads?

are type 3 heads different?

-excuse my ignorance 

[donder]

I wanted to know if the type 3 1500s heads are different from the stock 1500 heads.
But i found out that the 1500s had just different pistons whereby he becomes a higher compresion.
So the stock heads will remain.

[SOB/RFH]

1500S heads have bigger valves in them....35,5 and 32 respectivly......more valves means more power....no money means right decissions to compensate. Flycut for compression, new valveguides, new exhaust valves at least and really good valvejob (rewards you five times the money compered to any oterh part changed like camshaft). Have fun!!

[Diederick/DVK]

does the flycutting require cutting the pushrods (2mm) 
or do you compensate that with shims?

[SOB/RFH]

Set the rocker arm geometry (free horsepower) and use non flexing CrMo pusrods......You will like all the small contributions that blueprinting give you instead of buying speed parts!!!

[Diederick/DVK]

what do you mean with free horsepower? is there anything to gain from setting the geometry? apart from a better functioning engine i suppose...
or do you mean moving up to 1.25 of 1.4?

[SOB/RFH]

A wrongly set up rocker geometry robs power from the motor, you don't have a lot of HP to give away so keep what you got as hard as you can!! So making it work with less resistance is the key in blueprinting!! You should allways check the geometry when heads are flycut or rockers are changed

[Diederick/DVK]

i'm still wondering if installing a new cam is worth the extra work and investment, while on the other hand keeping it low budget.

and if so, what cam would set the setup and requirements best?

[alex d]

I've been told that the CB2332 works great on single ports, but then, changing the cam steers away from the student budget in my book (at least when I was a student I couldn't!)

[Diederick/DVK]

i was thinking of a CB cam too, but the 2332 doesn't exist, perhaps you mean 2232 or 2233.

it probably will not fit in the budget, i suppose it would then lead to a total rebuild. 

[alex d]

sorry I meant 2232, I don't know where this 2332 figure came from, what was I thinking? 

[Eddie DVK]

SOB/DBR:

Use the stock 31 PICT carb, remove choke

Can you tell me more about this and how about the choke shut off valve do you remove this as well.

Kind Regards Edgar

[SOB/RFH]

It is all in the "How to Hot Rod Volswagen" book. There is also a very good feature in Hot VW  from way back in the 89's by David Vizzard who flowed and tested the mods. I n short. Remove choke vent, it does not raise the HP but takes away unneeded stuff. Grind a small raious and take away flaws of meatall with a flapdisc and sanding paper in the bowl from the choke vent to the venturie. Big improve from that. Streamline the vent by grinding away material on the side not touching the carb housing. Open te venturie 1 mm and streamline in by taking away flaws and polish.   wash in carbcleaner and new gaskets an you wil be the hero of the parkin lot when you open the lid after a burn out and they all see a single PICT......put a N2O system on the back of the intake and give it a 40 hp shot an you can get in to the 14's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eddie DVK]

Ok thanks.
For some reason I never bought that book.......but I will now.

kind regards edgar

[Diederick/DVK]

How about a power pulley? I read my Bill Fisher book last night, which has an amazing example of this thread. And he reckons a power pulley would have increased the hp even more...

But are they recommended for street use too? Don't they increase the engine temp due to the lower speed of the fan?