Engine removed -- Finally!

Biggie,

From what I can see in the photo, the new shop looks great!

Did you:

- pour the new floor?
- how big is the new shop (length x width x height)?
- is it heated?
- detached or attached?

Did you have any troubles getting the engine out?

Good luck with the rebuild, hope it goes smoothly & quickly...I also hope that since you are splitting the case, that you have plenty of reference materials (books/videos/website info)...and hopefully some previous engine rebuild experience to provide some extra confidence!

- Nick

Garage is attached to the house. Not heated but I'm able to work in there without any extra heat (just wearing a jacket) and its been around the -20 mark for a few weeks now   Floor is poured concrete, about 30 x 17.

Pulling the engine was a bit of an ordeal (first time I've tried, and I did it on my own.)   I didn't have an engine dolly to lower it on to, so getting it off the jack and onto the pieces of wood took a bit of brute force.  It wasn't very elegant haha   I think I will invest in one of those small dolly's when I try to put it back in.

The carb is a Weber DFAV (yes, 'A' for water choke! ugh!) that the previous owner had put on.  I think he tried to wire an electric choke to it but whenever it was connected it caused my coil to get too hot.  Its been a nightmare and mileage has been horrible.  It runs very rich, and I cant seem to tune it.  I don't know anything about setting jets, but the richness screws do NOTHING at this point    Tonight I started tearing the engine down and I'm finding it to be a holy nightmare to pull things apart because there is one nut that is completely inaccessible and the side of the carb sticks out too far over the alternator for me to remove it.  I had to dismantle the top of the carb just to squeeze the alternator and fan shroud out.  Then I could finally remove the rest of the carb from the manifold once I got in behind it.  It was a real motivation killer

I also snapped one of the exhaust manifold studs on the head (ouch!) but my bother (certified machinist... how convenient!) says he can probably fix that.  (Drill new hole, tap, and put in some sort of case saver?)

Also (embarassing moment coming up) I bought a new carb last year, expecting to replace the Weber, but I'm not sure if I just got the wrong carb, or I have a non-stock manifold because It doesn't appear to fit   So I think I'm on the lookout for a stock carb manifold now as well (sigh)  I'm assuming since there are two ports int eh manifold that it is specifically made for the 2 barrel carb?

I'm also trying to figure out what kind of sensor would be on the top of the case, pointing out towards the flywheel?  Its a three pronged wire and it was not connected to anything on the other end.

I've got a few of the Bug Me DVDs (including rebuild) which I've watched a few times. I also have a Bently, Haynes, and a pretty thick (and amusing) "How to Keep your VW Alive."   So far I'm just very proud to be able to identify everything that I'm pulling off.  Two years ago I wouldn't have known a fuel pump from the distributor

Hiya Biggie,

A couple of suggestions if I may........................

Since you are just about to get under way in a rebuild you should invest a few of your hard-earned dollars in Tom Wilson's How To Rebuild Your Volkswagen Engine.  I can't imagine anybody trying a rebuild for the first time without this book at their side.

And.............

I've seen a few of Rick Higgin's Bug Me video series.  They are also an excellent resource.  However, I would take issue with one procedure Rick shows in the Engine Rebuild video.  He waits until the case is assembled to install the distributor drive gear.  And it looks easy enough in the video.  BUT..........  what happens if the distributor drive gear doesn't want to seat?  What happens if those end washers get separated or lost?  Even Rick advises that you only have one chance at this procedure.  To avoid having to pull the case apart to solve your problem, install the distributor drive gear while the case is apart the first time.  Not only do you forego the problems mentioned above but you will be sure the distributor drive gear is properly in place and seated.

Bookwus: Actually I do have that Tom Wilson book also, forgot about that   Also, yes, the distributor gear seems easy enough to pull out when the case was apart, I'm really not sure why he would wait until the case is closed to put it back in?

So I've split the case and got everything apart. Only a few small issues...

I'm not sure about the cam - i can see some slight wear, but no 'pitting.'  I'm not sure if its too worn to put back in, so I'll have to get some opinions.  I think I'll be replacing MOST parts just to get some longevity out of the engine, but costs are adding up pretty quick

A couple of the crank bearings were definitely pushing back into the case so I'll need to have the crank bored and find some over-sized bearings.

The one thing I'm a little worried about though is the cylinder/head studs.  Three of the studs came out.  They screwed out, not pulled - there ARE case savers already in the block and all of the studs appeared to be solid (I tightened them a bit first to see if they'd pull the studs out.)   Three nuts were rusted onto the studs.  I'll get a new stud kit just to be safe but there appears to be one case saver that's broken or half-missing?  When I put a stud into that particular hole there ARE some threads further in, but the case saver is not visible (not flush with the edge of the case at least).  Seems like the case saver is either too short, broken, or was inserted too far into the case?  Any thoughts?

I'm debating weather to continue with a stock rebuild or try to get a bit more performance.  Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that I just TRY to rebuild a stock engine first, before worrying about performance.  BUT, since I will be getting my heads/case worked on anyway,  would it be worth my while to get the heads/case bored out to accept some larger cylinders?  (Nothing crazy, maybe 1700 or 1800 max)