Good Excuse

[beesquad711]

So I was flipping some donuts in my field with my Baja (yeah I know...it's not GL but my next one will be so you get to hear the story...I don't know why) and had my stock 1600 dp engine turning somewhere north of 6000 rpm...not good. Long story short, I blew the front main seal....or the rear main seal...whichever one is closest to the pulley (i.e. facing you when you look at the back of the car). I decided that this is a good enough excuse for me to buy a new long block and plug in a serious power upgrade. I'm thinking something like 74mm stroke with 92mm p/c (1993cc I think). Should be a tourque whore which would be nice with the greatly oversized rears on that thing. And as long as it's gonna be off the road for a few days I might as well do a disc brake conversion up front (nothing fancy probably). This week is too crazy at work to get started on anything so I'm gonna continue to run it as is for a few more days and probably park it some time next week. Any suggestions for engine size would be appreciated. I have dual Weber 40's so I think anything in the 2.0L range should be ok. As previously stated, I'm looking for tons of torque over big hp numbers. Thanks for the help.

[zen]

may be more than you want to deal with, but if you are looking for torque for the baja, go TIV. if sticking to T1, no_h20 just got some great numbers out of his 2275. if memory servers it was like 145ft/lbs. do a search and you can find more info on it.

[beesquad711]

I'm thinking maybe 2275 is a little more than I want. I think if I go that big I would be under-carbeurated and way under-cooled with the stock shroud/tin. Then there is the issue of longevity and cost. I can't imagine there is much left of the case after clearancing it for the crank and big p/c's. I am on a pretty tight budget too. I'll be calling a few places a little later on to see what options I'm looking at. I need some concrete info on what kind of power numbers I can get for a given dollar amount. If anybody would like to suggest a west coast engine builder that would be great. Right now I'm working off of ads in VWTrends and Hot VW's...places likie Scat, GEX and the like. I'll keep you all updated as I learn more about what my options really are. Thanks for the suggestion zen. It was a killer idea I just don't know if it will work out at this point in time.

[NO_H2O]

There is no seal at the pully normaly. You can put a sand seal there, either push in or mach. in.
I have known some folks that have done this on street cars due to case pressure build up.
If you are going to build an egine I would do it your self, that way you know what is in it and if it is realy balanced etc. I'm sure you can find some good builders if it is beyond your tool/skills/space but do your homework. Don't just buy from someone because of thier add in a magazine. I have read some horor stories about a couple of builders that run big adds in magazines. A long block isn't that hard to build, if the machine work is right it should be a drop fit.

[NO_H2O]

Oh yea, it's 152 lb.ft. at 4000

[beesquad711]

Building myself was my first thought but by the time I started looking at the parts (c/w crank, p/c, heads, cam, etc.) it was looking to be at least as much as a built long block, and that was before I figured in machining costs and my time. As for homework, that's what I'm doing right now. I trust the Scat name (based on limited experience) but I don't really know much about any other builders. If anyone here has any suggestions or warnings about particular shops they are more than welcome. The nice thing about buying a longblock is the fact that most of the ones I have seen come with some type of warranty - 12 months seems to be standard. If I build it myself I have no recourse if/when it blows up again. More than anything I just want to stop throwing money at this thing so I can start a GL project.

[boygenius]

I have hearn nothing but BAD things about GEX, no personal experience though.

The cheap rebuilders will often use re-ground cranks/ cams and lifters to save on cost. Just check all the fine print with reguards to the parts used in the engine.

[Wally]

Brandon,
As for your original Q: longer strokes usually give the easiest torque, so a 78mm stroke x 90,5 bore might be just for you. 78 stroke is also much more common then 74, so it could be cheaper (less expensive...).

Best regards,
Walter

[beesquad711]

Thank you everybody for all of your help. At this point I still don't know what I'm going to do...in fact my picture has become less clear. I am starting to think that maybe I should scrap the new long block idea and invest my cash in a rolling shell for my GL project. I saw a sweet bug with a chopped top, suicide doors, and a one piece tip out front end a few months back at a pseudo salvage yard. As soon as I get a day off I'm gonna run and see if it's still there and how much he wants for it. That would be a fun way to start a project . Anyway, now I'm rambling and way off the topic. Thanks again for the help and I'm sure I'll have a few more crazy questions in the next few days/weeks.

[vwpride73]

Originally Posted by NO_H2O

There is no seal at the pully normaly. You can put a sand seal there, either push in or mach. in.

There is a metal disc that is on the crank that keeps the oil inside the case. I would start looking there to figure out the problem.

[beesquad711]

Just in case anybody was wondering, I finally have a plan. Over the next week or two I am going to keep my eyes out for a rolling shell I can't live without (i.e. one with suicide doors and a chopped top). If there are no deals to be had I will spend the money on rebuilding the engine - myself. If I stumble upon something I can't live without, or something that is unique enough to not be available any other time, I plan to buy the project and go with a cheap, easy fix on the baja (new seal, nothing else). Since I work 12 hour days all week, on Friday I'm sending my dad up to the guy's shop I mentioned earlier to take as many pictures as he can. That will give me a better idea as to whether or not he has something worth buying. Now for the engine report.

If I go the route of rebuilding the engine I have decided on a few of the parts I need. I plan on using the 78mm crank and either 90.5 or 92mm p/c's. Also, a lightened and balanced flywheel is in the plan. New heads with big fat valves are coming too. A new cam, rockers, and pushrods, complete it.....I think (am I forgetting anything?). What kind of setup would be OK to use with stock fan/colling tin? Also, at what point do the dual weber's stop being enough to feed this thing? Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thanks in advance.

[NO_H2O]

Remember as you collect your parts. It all must work together as a COMBO. Start with the case, it is the foundation. Chose your displacment and have the case machined and inspected. Then research the best combo. of heads(valve size etc.), C.R., exhaust, carbs, cam, etc. that will work together to make the bast engine for your application.

[craigt-from-atl]

Originally Posted by boygenius

I have hearn nothing but BAD things about GEX, no personal experience though.

...

Ditto. Nothing ever good about GEX.

[beesquad711]

Well I did it. I bought a GL. Well she's not a GL yet but my "new" '72 super is going to be the foundation for my project. I picked it up last night so I'll give you all the run down of the hot, not-so-hot, and somewhere-in-the-middle stuff.

Hot:
-STRAIGHT body. The shell has ZERO dents or dings (as far as I can tell at this point)
-Headliner and carpet are in great shape. Im not sure how much that's gonna matter in the future b/c there's a good chance I'll strip the interior but for now I think it's pretty cool.
-EMPI 8-spoke wheels with good rubber. hmmmm....They might go on my baja
-Off-road rally seats? Not sure what they're doing in a super but into the baja they go.
-Complete engine minus distributor points and a burned valve. It turns over but obviously won't start without points.
-Floor pans look to be in great shape except for the battery tray

Not-So-Hot:
-Whoever painted this thing had spent far too much time in a booth without a mask prior to lending their services to the previous owner.
-The de-chrome job wasn't done very well...huge bondo patches visible through the paint.
-The hood won't open and has a nice bit of cancer on the passenger side by the windshield...should be repairable.
-Rear apron needs to be replaced because of rust/dents. No big deal.
-No decklid

Somewhere-in-the-middle:
-Left rear fender is mashed up, but it's not a big deal since I plan on replacing them all anyway.
-After market shifter that looks kinda cool but doesn't shift very well.
-I haven't seen the heater channels so that could be ugly (they are covered by the aforementioned nice carpet).

All things considered I think it was a pretty good deal at $600 so I jumped on it. Unfortunately it leaves me with no money to upgrade the engine in the baja so it stays stock for now. I do plan on going through it some time soon and putting in new seals and gaskets and replaceing anything that desperately needs to be replaced so it's safe when I take it away to school.

I don't think this belongs in the "Engines" forum anymore...o well

[zen]

congrats. welcome to the sickness. :agree: