Building Up a Longblock with All-New Parts, Part One

Even though we're going to show you how to do it in a few months, building your own engine from a pile of parts--though completely possible for any first timer, of course isn't something to be taken lightly. There are specialized tools you'll need, a host of information to consider and a very long list of parts, parts for parts and a detailed schedule to maintain in order to do everything correctly. For a novice engine builder, the many boxes of parts that will arrive at your doorstep can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you're learning about what goes where for the first time. What we're going to show you today, however, is the easy alternative: Let someone else worry about all of the complicated insides, while you tackle assembling the ancillary items, like the carburetor, alternator, fan housing and engine tin. In the long run, you'll not only save yourself a bucket of money by not buying a turnkey engine, and instead, you'll learn that much more about what powers your Volkswagen.

To do this, we contacted The Real Source in Effingham, Ill., and ordered one of everything in the engine section of their catalog, including their "Factory Fresh" 1600cc longblock, straight from VW's original equipment supplier. This longblock comes complete from valve cover to valve cover, everything you'll need to get started on your engine. Best of all, the complicated parts of the engine have been built for you. Better than that is the parts are all brand new, not rebuilt. All you have to do is add the ancillary items such as fuel supply, carburetor, intake, cooling and exhaust. That, in part is what we are going to do this month.

For starters, since this could take a couple of days to put together, it is best to dedicate a section of your workshop and dedicate some funds for a engine stand. The Real Source can set you up with one (they have the floor model as well as the bench model), but ours came from EMPI. The tools you need are simple and found in the most basic of toolboxes: screw drivers and a handful of the usual metric sockets will do the job from start to finish. Since our engine arrives fresh from the factory, it (and some of the new parts from The Real Source) come with a dousing of Cosmoline, a nasty, sticky petrolatum used to protect the parts from rusting during shipping.

The first order of business is to get everything straightened out. Find out what you have and what you might still need. We discovered that none of the parts came with the required hardware, so we sent away to Totally Stainless in Gettysburg, Penn., for a host of the stainless steel fasteners they're famous for, specifically their engine and exhaust kits. As well, we wanted to make this engine look as good as it will run, so we packed up our 25-piece fan shroud kit and sent them off to our local powdercoater for some protection and we shipped out the exhaust pieces, heater boxes, intake pipes and even the alternator stand to get them ceramic coated.

It is because of these delays that we'll have to cut our story slightly shorter than we anticipated. But, in the world of car restorations and magazines, it happens, right? So, we'll take you as far as we can this month and then pick up the slack in the following issue; plus, this'll give you a month to get your longblock and several boxes of parts sent to you from The Real Source.

Conclusion:
True, there are more complicated things that you could do in the engine department and this is hardly a proceedure that's going to keep you up at night worrying about it. But certain things must be done in order for you to enjoy your ride, and this is one of them. Perhaps you're an old veteran and you know how to do this already, but if you're picking up a wrench for the first time and you're trying to save yourself a few bucks while learning the trade, this is for you. Engines are easy if you know what to do, but if you don't, it might as well be brain surgery. Next month, we'll tackle the rest of the buildup and see our labors to fruition.