700 miles and counting

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon May 22, 2006 12:01 pm

I ran into an old VW mechanic while in my buggy. We were talking about this thread. Some of his statements were: Sure you should be able to go 80 in a buggy with a 1500. (power to weight ratio) 30 MPG sounds about right Naw, you aint gonna burn up that motor going that fast. Cylinder head temp. shouldnt be a problem as long as you arent running too lean... just his :2cents:

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:20 pm

[QUOTE="WuZaBuG"] At 70 MHP the buggy sounds like an angry bee with the Sidewinder humming back there... This brings up a question though. is it possible to wind out the motor too much by going too fast? I know a stock beetle will plane out around 65 or so but with this light body on this car I wonder if I can push the motor too much. I can keep a steady 85MPH most of the time. Its just a stock 1500...Any thoughts? I think im getting around 30 MPG with the stock 1500. does that sound about right?[/QUOTE] Well I answered my own question... 3,000 miles of hard driving as caused me to spin a bearing. I can hear it and it gets louder all the time. I have started getting the 1600DP in that old Beetle running. I hope the rod holds out long enough...

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:13 pm

I guess that old VW mechanic was more interested in his own repeat business than the longevity of your engine. That responsibility falls squarely on our own shoulders. Sorry to hear about the bearing. I hope it doesn't leave you stranded.

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:30 pm

Just curious, what kind of oil were you running? Was the motor from Germany or a rebuild?

joemama · Post by **joemama** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:37 pm

If you are planning on running your engine at high rpm, strongly consider using a counterweighed crank, as well as having your engine balanced, both are cheap insurance, and will provide smoother and stronger performance. The stock vw engine is not happy revving much past 4500 rpm, and even casual spurts past this point will pound bearings, and make the case halves shuffle.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:49 am

Furbar, I was running straight 30wt. oil Joe, Thanks for the info. I dont have a tach. so I can only guess about the RPM's. This is my first VW engine. Funny thing is the power band on that 1500 is way up there. To get the best performance I need to keep the RPM's high. I'm not really worried about being stranded. I will stay local until I get the 1600 running. Then I get to try my hand at rebuilding the 1500 if I dont throw a rod first...

Thanks guys.

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:36 am

I asked my friend in San Diego about oil. He said that his engine builder recomended Valvoline 20-50. He changes it frequently but his motor (type 1 150hp ) is no stranger to high rpms and has many seasons on it. If you are a huge fan of high speed, you can put in a rotary engine. No real redline on those. They do suck down a lot of fuel. And sound like a blender.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:59 pm

[QUOTE="fubar"]I asked my friend in San Diego about oil. He said that his engine builder recomended Valvoline 20-50. He changes it frequently but his motor (type 1 150hp ) is no stranger to high rpms and has many seasons on it. If you are a huge fan of high speed, you can put in a rotary engine. No real redline on those. They do suck down a lot of fuel. And sound like a blender.[/QUOTE] Fubar, Thanks I'm not really a fan of high speed but I do like a quick car... I guess I did my damage from 3dr to 4th. The other gears shift well and have power at moderate RPM's but 4th is a dog so I rev it up in 3rd ( up to 55 MPH or so with a stock tranny) then dump the clutch. If I dont do this, the engine lags and unless I'm on flat ground or going down hill, I loose speed. Ah well, like I said I'm new to VW's I guess I'm asking too much from a stock 1500. When I rebiuld the 1600DP I will do some mild upgrades. Nothing too crazy just looking for a little power. Any suggestions out there on what I should do to gain low end power (as opposed to top end speed)?

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:26 pm

Scott, I regeared the transmission. My back tires are about 28.5" tall, and they can be intimidating to a stock engine. I went with a 4.37 ring and pinion and a 1.00 fourth gear. I now tach 3,000 RPM at 55 MPH. A blip up to 70 MPH will tach around 4,000 RPM. I drive at a sustained 60 MPH on the freeway, which gives an RPM reading of around 3,500 RPM. That's right in the power band for the stock engine, so it is happy. I can pull most hills in fourth gear unless they are fairly steep and / or I have a headwind. Then it's down to third gear, doing 45 MPH, enjoying the scenery. Life in the slow lane. If you want to keep up with traffic (80 MPH + for So. CA), you will need a much larger engine. Set your gearing up accordingly. I am happy with the reliability of the stock engine, although I am entertaining the idea of building a 1776 and using the stock carb on it in an effort to gain a little more power while keeping it simple.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:14 pm

[QUOTE="Lee"]Scott, I regeared the transmission. My back tires are about 28.5" tall, and they can be intimidating to a stock engine. I went with a 4.37 ring and pinion and a 1.00 fourth gear. I now tach 3,000 RPM at 55 MPH. A blip up to 70 MPH will tach around 4,000 RPM. I drive at a sustained 60 MPH on the freeway, which gives an RPM reading of around 3,500 RPM. That's right in the power band for the stock engine, so it is happy. I can pull most hills in fourth gear unless they are fairly steep and / or I have a headwind. Then it's down to third gear, doing 45 MPH, enjoying the scenery. Life in the slow lane. If you want to keep up with traffic (80 MPH + for So. CA), you will need a much larger engine. Set your gearing up accordingly. I am happy with the reliability of the stock engine, although I am entertaining the idea of building a 1776 and using the stock carb on it in an effort to gain a little more power while keeping it simple.[/QUOTE] Thanks Lee, In regards to the tranny,I wish I knew what all those numbers meant... Thats kinda what I was thinking about the motor. Just a small upgrade for the power. I still need some basic info on what to change on a 1600 to get more low end torque. When I do install another engine,I guess I have to install a tach so I can watch my RPM's.

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:44 pm

The vw in stock form probably would not pull a grade in 4th gear, but would cruise the freeway in 4th. The big difference is tire size. Try a set of small tires on the back to compare. It may look a little silly, but you can do it at night so nobody sees you. Small tires are like lowering your ring and pinion. With the right gear set you can have a lower hp engine with large tires and still use all the gears. It is the cheapest way to ad horsepower because eventually you will end up there. If you build a strong enough engine to pull tall gears, it will tear up the stock transaxel .