Project Budget Beater Part VII: The Final Scrounge

When we last left the Project: Budget Beater, we had a complete long block assembled by Jason Lauffer of VW Paradise and we had spent just over the $1000 budget, $1009.28, to be exact.

Since then, I have been scrounging more parts, digging through mine and other friends' garages and shops, to finish the engine off. I managed to talk friend Russell Miller out of a good, 1971-and-later "doghouse" style fan shroud, along with all of the exit tin, for free. I also managed to acquire all of the German cylinder tin, fan and other little pieces from Glenn Miller, noted VW photographer from the old EMPI "Inch Pincher" days.

As well, I scored a set of Weber 40 IDFs, complete with manifolds, air cleaners and linkage at a swap meet, for $100, that only needed a rebuild. Editor Ryan Price donated an exhaust and dual mufflers, and I had an alternator, backing plate and nut, along with an old 009 distributor, laying around in my garage.

My garage also yielded a used set of heater boxes, "doghouse" offset oil cooler, new alternator from a previous project and a new fuel pump. All of that, along with some spark plugs and plug wires, spray paint for the tin and other small miscellaneous items--like the carb rebuild kits, coil and new air filters--ran a total of $321.22.

The final tab for the turn-key, plug-in engine was $1330.48. I got an old Rapid-Cool oil cooler of the internet auction Web site eBay. I had an oil filter adapter laying around and took all the bits and pieces to Bill Shearer's shop, Shear Speed, in Escondido, Calif., where Bill assembled the rest of the engine.

I think I have shown that, with some scrounging around, and some good trading and negotiating skills, you can build a high performance VW engine relatively cheaply.

Hit all the swap meets in your area, raid your neighbors and friend's garages, put the word out that you are looking for certain items for your project, and I think you will be surprised what turns up.

Now that the engine is done, I would like to thank all of the people who helped me in my quest for cheap power: Thanks to neighbor Bill Stewart for the crank and rods, Clyde Berg for checking them out, Jason Reich for the engine case, Jason Lauffer for the actual building of the long block, the guy at the Litchfield Bug-In swap meet for the carbs and linkage, Fred Simpson for the cylinder heads, Elliot at BLIMP for the 94mm pistons and cylinders, Glenn Miller for all of the German cylinder tin, Russell Miller for the fan shroud and exit tin and Bill Shearer for the used Engle 110 cam, new German lifters and final assembly of the engine.

I know that I could have built the engine cheaper, by omitting the hi-po cylinder heads, the solid rocker shafts, chromoly pushrods, external oil cooler and filter, but I felt that it would be false economy, considering the intended use of this engine in a truck, hauling cars and parts around and freeway driving.

I am quite happy with the outcome, and I proved my point: You don't have to have a 33-gallon trash bag full of cash to build an engine.

You, too, can do it on the cheap!