HELP PLEASE "what engine for a 1973 camper"

[73 Westy]

I have a 1973 T2 Westy and the big end has just went in my 1600 tp so I need a new engine. A new stock is going to set me back £1000 so I would like to consider an alternative so I can get the power upgrade I have always longed for, and then I can use the van as a daily driver and sell the car to pay for it all.

I don't need anything excessive, I just want to be able to sit at 70 mph on the motorway, regardless of hills and get some reliability. I would prefer to get a porsche engine to keep it aircooled and use the same gearbox + breaks but I am at the mercy of my budget which can't stretch beyond £1500 - £2000 for the engine including fitting as I have already spent £1500 on the resto over the winter and she still needs a full respray.

Can someone please tell me which engine would be best for my T2 Camper, how much extra modification or problems I will have to get it running and where to start looking as my resto is nearly finished and I need it ready for the summer

Many thanks for any help or advice as it is urgently required.

David

[wrenchnride247]

'73 T2 should have a T4 motor from factory (although T1's are retro fitted all the time). A "camper special" from Aircooled Technology should do the trick!

[73 Westy]

Thanks for your help. I have decided to go for a Laurie Pettitt 1776 engine as he is only 50 miles away here in the UK and is very highly recommended as he will stand over the engine if anything goes wrong.

He recommended a heaver clutch kit (£65), oil cooler/full flow case (£80) and twin solex 35mm carbs with a 31 choke (£260) with a short stock cam block (£900), post 1976 twin van tail pipes for my beetle zorst (£24) so they will exit by the rear wheels, and £250 Labour so it is looking like £1579 all in but I may upgrade to a performance cam.

I hope this set up will provide the low torque required for the Scottish Highlands and be able to cruse at 70 - 80 mpr on the motorway without slipping sown to 55 mph on long motorway hills or thrashing her guts out. Any recommendation's or suggestions on the parts would still be appreciated,

Thanks

David

[oasis]

Originally Posted by 73 Westy

I have decided to go for a Laurie Pettitt 1776 engine as he is only 50 miles away here in the UK and is very highly recommended as he will stand over the engine if anything goes wrong...I hope this set up will provide the low torque required for the Scottish Highlands and be able to cruse at 70 - 80 mpr on the motorway without slipping sown to 55 mph on long motorway hills or thrashing her guts out.

Boy, oh boy, David ... I don't want to come off as being the definitive Mr. Knowledgeable or anything but I have to agree with Wrench. I have driven and ridden in a few 1776 cars and I think they're nice engines -- maybe even something VW should have done themselves at one time or another -- but for a bug, not a Westy.

I looked up the Scottish Highlands to see how they might compare to the Alleghenies. I am not sure I got that answer but it looks quite rugged (and beautiful). Cruising at 80 mph? Not slipping down to 55 mph on graded terrain? (You did mean low-end torque rather than low torque, didn't you?) Unless there is something that sets this 1776 well apart from the ones I experienced in Type 1's and Type 3's, I don't see it.

It's nice to have someone nearby who will back their work. If the favorable (for you) exchange rate doesn't compel you to buy one of Jake's camper specials, maybe there is someone nearby who will do a nice Type IV engine for you ... or maybe there is a better Type I engine for your needs.

Maybe someone else will chime in.

[73 Westy]

The country roads in the highlands are only single track (with passing places) so you don't get out of 2nd gear most of the time so speed isn't an issue but some more low end torque would make driving a bit easier and put less stress on the engine. On my last original 1600 tp engine with a webber progressive carb, I was able to sit just under 70 most of the time on the motorways but some of the longer/steeper hills meant that I lost most of the momentum that the 45 bhp engine could muster.

I am still hoping that the 80 -90 bhp from the 1776 will give me the extra power required and expect that I will be able to average 70-80 mph on longer motorway trips!

Cheers

[oasis]

I hope you are right. Let us know. Good luck.