tech

By Ryan Lee Price
Photography: By the Author

Once in our garage with a covered Beetle for a background, we were ready to continue the job we started last month. You'll notice we've already installed the fuel pump, generator stand, distributor and oil cooler.

Now that everything is in its proper place and all of the needed parts are completely at hand, another obstacle presents itself. We were originally adding on the ancillary equipment to this 1600cc longblock from The Real Source in our office, but word came down from the top that they were repainting and recarpeting the VWT HQ. So we had to move it, us and everything else that wasn't nailed down. So, it was another delay that cost us time, but we had a few extra days built into our schedule. As it turns out, doing this buildup in our shop with all of our tools nearby, is more convenient and less obtrusive to the day-to-day functions in the office. Odds are good you're not building your engine in your office at work, so why should we, right?

The first thing you'll notice is the beautiful shine some of our new parts have, namely the exhaust system, heat exchangers, the intake manifolds and pre-heater pipe (even the generator stand has a sheen to it). On most engines these parts are, if not rusted by time and moisture, discolored from heat. But we won't have that problem on this engine and neither should you. For starters, our parts are brand new, but we took it a step further and dropped the heater boxes, exhaust, manifolds and stand to A-1 Muffler in Santa Ana, who, in partnership with Engineer Application in Brandon, Calif., were able to not only protect the parts from the elements but give them a lasting shine that will really improve the overall look of our engine compartment.

In contrast, we had all of the tinware properly powdercoated by our local coating shop for equal protection from the elements. The black will go well with the manifolds and exhaust.

Most of what we are going to do to finish up this project can be done with simple tools found in most any tool box, specifically 10- and 13mm wrenches and a flat-head screwdriver. Keep handy a pair of pliers and a crescent wrench.

Next month, we'll put together the rest of the engine, attach the fuel hoses, adjust the valves, etc. and start it up to see how everything works. Yes, we've taken this quite slow, but if you do too, problems and confusion will hopefully be kept to a minimum.

1. The first order of business is to install each of the two cylinder cover plates. There is a right and a left, so make sure that you get the correct sides. As well, you may have to do some modification so that the manifolds will clear the lip of the tin.		2. At the rear of the engine, place the flange gaskets (dry) and bolt on the heat exchangers. There is a left and a right for these as well, so make sure to note which is which--they're actually labeled with an "L" and an "R" on the underside.		3. Moving to the front of the engine, place the metal gaskets (also dry) on the exhaust ports and fit the exhaust system. Of course, some stretching was necessary to get the ports to line up properly, but this ensured a tight fit. Make sure to include the gaskets for the heating junction boxes on both sides.
4. Attach the intake manifold to the intake ports with 13mm nuts and washers. You may have to modify the cylinder cover tin to make the connection solid. In this case, we started on the right side, but it doesn't matter. Since the manifold has to slip under the generator stand, it is easier to do it piece by piece. Clamp it together with the polyurethane clamps.		5. The intake gasket is placed dry and the manifold on top with 13mm nuts. The opposite side goes on last because it can be fitted to the cross piece.		6. Don't forget gaskets on both sides of the exhaust flange. The flange is bolted to the exhaust system via four 10mm bolts and washers. You may have to loosen almost everything so far (the heater boxes, exhaust and manifold) to make sure everything can be adjusted to fit.
7. For the sake of fitting, we placed the doghouse fanshroud on top of the cylinder cover tin to check for location. There are two engine tin screws on either side that hold the shroud in place. This is temporary and is easier to do now without all the weight from the generator. You may need a flat-head screwdriver to pry open the cylinder tin slightly to accomodate the shroud.		8.		9. Over on the bench we've laid out the parts needed to assemble the generator to the fan. Missing in the shot are three spacer washers.
10. This little Woodruff Key is quite important to the whole process. If you assemble it without this key, odds are good you'll start spinning the fan hub (which might cause the fan to malfunction) and ultimately damage the engine.		11. Place the two cover plates onto the generator and bolt them down. Use Loctite and lock washers, as these bolts aren't something you want to lose inside the fan shroud.		12. The Woodruff key slips into the slot on the generator shaft and make sure it is properly seated. Add a spacer before the thrust
13. The thrust washer and fan hub are place on the shaft next. While the hub is slipped on, make sure it is lined up with the Woodruff key and that they key isn't pushed out of alignment.		14. Use the three spacer washers to achieve a 2mm distance between the fan and the fan cover. If you use one spacer between the hub and the thrust washer, the other two should be placed between the lock washer and the fan. The nut should be torqued to 40- to 47lb-ft.		15. While still at the bench, slip the fan into the shroud and attach the cover with four tin screws and washers.
16. Here is our progress so far. The fan shroud should fit tightly over the cylinder cover tin. Screw it down on both ends of the shroud.		17. The generator strap easily slips around the stand and is tightened with a 13mm wrench.		18. Next up is the carburetor and paper gasket. It is difficult to reach around to the back to thread the rear 13mm nut and washer, but not impossible.
19.		20. Place the inner half of the pulley on the generator. When working with the fan belt, you'll want to have realitively clean hands, as any oil on the belt can cause it to slip under stress.		21. Add as many spacers as you need to obtain the proper belt tension between the two pulley halves. The belt, when pressed down between the pulleys should yeild approximately 15mm (which is 0.6 inches). Use a screwdriver in the slot on the inner pulley half to hold the pulley while you tighten the nut.
22. The simple process of attaching the spark plug wires to their respective spark plugs is next. In your kit, you're given two long wires and two short wires. Obviously the long ones are for the opposite pistons and the short ones are for the pistons nearest the distributor.		23.		24. The coil lead arrives "unassembled," meaning that the end connection needs to be attached. This gives you the freedom to mount the coil in any place you want on the engine, either in plain sight or hidden from view.
25. We decided on the stock-looking plain sight location. It is easy and traditional. If your shroud doesn't have holes, you'll have to drill two to mount the coil.		26. Three more pieces of tinware to go. The snorkle blows hot air off of the cooler and out of the engine compartment, while the rear engine seal tin keeps the compartment closed tight.		27. There you have it. Simple and easy, the ancillary equipment is on our engine, but we're far from ready to stick it in our Beetle and fire this thing up.

Sources
The Real Source One MidAmerica Place Effingham, IL 62401 (800) 588-2844	A-1 Muffler 721 S. Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 836-7201
Engineer Application 4727 East 49th Street Vernon, CA 90058 (323) 585-2894