PDF VWKD how to with pics

Introduction

So, you come this far ¨C you decided that your air-cooled engine is no longer up to

the job, it¡¯s let you down too many times, requires too much of your precious time

to keep it reliable, or you¡¯re looking for more power and have reached the point

where a pair of performance heads could buy you a complete 250bhp engine!

Whatever your motivation VWKD have put together this beginner¡¯s guide to

answer a few of those questions and to distil all the information on our web site

into a simple beginners guide. We have tried to keep it generic

as specialist advice is available through the various sub-sections of the website.

Everyone wants something different from their engine and different people have

different models of VW they wish to convert. Regardless, the basic principles of

swapping and engine remain the same.

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Choosing an engine

There are a few key considerations with an engine swap ¨C most importantly you

need to be realistic about your ability and the money you wish to spend and

choose an engine that fits this profile. If you¡¯ve never lifted a spanner before, and

you¡¯re on a tight budget, then perhaps it¡¯s not best to be breaking new ground but

better treading a familiar path where solutions are readily available. Be realistic!

You also need to think carefully and realistically about what you will use the car

for, a 2.5 turbo-charged Subaru engine is not going to be economical in any car

(although it may be more economical than your old air-cooled) and whilst it might

do the right things on the strip or track you may not find this best for long trips on

the motorway.

Remember Diesels are also an option so don¡¯t write these off, in fact on some

earlier diesels simplicity will reward you with their simplicity. Don¡¯t get too hung

up on brand loyalty ¨C VW don¡¯t make ¡®the¡¯ best engines, they make good engines

but you often have to pay more for them. There are many other options out there

¨Cso don¡¯t judge an engine by the car it came in!

Good donors come in all shapes and sizes..

Parts are also a consideration, if you want to keep things cheap, then you may

want to choose a conventional and popular engine with a diverse range of

applications. This will become particularly useful when you¡¯re looking for a

flywheel with a different offset, a starter with a different length drive or even just

for a cheap and reliable source of spares. A good example of this may be the

Peugeot / Citroen 1.9 Diesel ¨C available in many variations, turbo, normally

aspirated, HDI, and in every model of Peugeot from a 306 to a small van,

Citroens and even some Fiats!

There are other practical considerations, for example your engine choice should

consider what adaptors are available and you may also need to think about

physical size of the new engine ¨C a v12 jag engine isn¡¯t going to fit in your beetle

engine bay without a lot of work!!!!

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Once you decided which engine is for you do your research ¨C find out what a

good price is and what a bad price is. There are often specialist forums for

individual cars on the internet ¨C so join up and start asking questions as you will

find there are often variations on any single engine ¨C some will make your life

harder, some easier and some versions may be more costly than others. An

example may be VW 20v Turbo¡­.the version fitted to the TT is considered the

most tuneable but is also the most expensive, whereas the more common Passat

version delivers a little less performance but at a cheaper price. With many

engines you may need other parts from the donor (often you need the engine

loom, instruments, keys and ancillaries too) to make it run and these may not be

available or may cost more than the engine ¨C so find out what you need to make

it run before you bid on eBay for a bare block!

Once you¡¯ve chosen your engine and done all your research you¡¯ll need to buy

one. There¡¯s not much I can say here except be careful ¨C there are thousands of

engines out there so don¡¯t get carried away.

To reduce the risk of buying an engine only fit to be a boat anchor, try and buy

one in or at least see it in a running car. If you can afford the whole car then buy

it - you will be able to make use of many other parts on the vehicle and weigh it in

for scrap after ¨C other bits you may also be able to sell on eBay. If you cannot

buy the whole car you want to hear it running before you remove it. Buying an

engine without knowing it runs will waste a lot of time later in the build. Don¡¯t be

dazzled by warranties ¨C many of these will not cover you putting it in a different

vehicle and will probably have run out by the time you have fitted it in your car.

Be careful ¨C and make sure you get what you paid for! If possible try to get a

lower mileage engine; a rebuilt engine will not be as good as a low mileage

original one. Factor in if you want to keep the car for a long time as if you do then

if you can foresee your engine will require a rebuild in your future it may work out

cheaper to bite the bullet and get a better/more expensive one initially.

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from this document please contact admin@vwkd.co.uk

Adaptors and gearbox

Gearboxes are important features of your conversion and will determine how

much pleasure you get from driving your converted vehicle ¨Cyou might have

300bhp on tap or the potential to get 50 mpg but it¡¯s not much use when you¡¯re

driving around at 6000rpm everywhere! Fortunately there is great interchangeability between VW models (depending on how many modifications you

may wish to be involved) and also some of the Porsche boxes may fit with some

modification so often the answer can be found on internet forums.

In a road car you are aiming for tall gearing (more so in a low revving diesel) to

assist with economy, strength and reliability. In a race car these considerations

may be slightly different! The converters ¡®favourite¡¯ is generally considered to be

the 091 or the 6 Rib box as fitted to later model 2.0 litre bay window campers ¨C

these have been fitted to beetles (with modifications) but simply bolt in to other

bay window campers. T25s also had a version of the 091 gearbox but this came

with a different shifter arrangement. Split screens can use beetle IRS boxes or, if

none of the above are for you and you have a little more cash then gearbox

specialists such as Bears or Cog Box can fit different ratios of your choice to your

original box. A simpler and cheaper option may be to consider using larger

wheels and tyres ¨C as little as 1 inch gained in rolling diameter may produce

some surprising results. Like all things how far you wish to take this depends on

your budget. You do not have to change your gearbox but it will enable you to

gain more from your conversion.

Larger wheels will give you lower gearing!

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from this document please contact admin@vwkd.co.uk

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