Caution: Long Post! A few years ago I retired my 1915 motor that I built when I was fresh out of high school. The motor was a blast - it was N/A but ran a consistent 13 sec 1/4 mile on radials at 1000' asl. I was very pleased with that motor until I took it apart to freshen it up and found some pitted lifters and a flat cam.
After doing some thinking, I decided to build my dream motor. After 15+ years of watching turbo VW's really evolve and make massive yet drivable power, I was finally ready to do the same thing. What actually started it all was the SDS EFI kit I picked up used off of E-bay for $325. So, over the next 2 years I gathered the parts needed to build the thing. I also had a decent looking car to put it in and a built trans from my last motor. The only struggle is that I live in a small mountain town with no VW enthusiasts/shops anywhere near me, so I was pretty much on my own for building and fabricating things.
The car:
Along the way, I was able to really add some style and "safer" elements to the car. A narrowed and rebuilt OG beam, dropped spindles, disc brakes up front, type 3 brakes in the back and so on have really helped with the look, handling and, more importantly, stopping abilities.
After much reading and discussion, I started collecting parts for the build. I decided to buy a fair amount of "used but in good condition" parts so that I was not breaking the bank. Most of the time this worked, but some of the parts I turned around and sold, only to buy something else or brand new parts. Here's what I started out with:
And here is a list of the engine components I finally ended up using to build this motor, in all its detail:
-CB Autolinea Alu high roof super case, full flowed, shuffle pinned, etc
-DPR 82mm crank, VW journal
-OG Kolbenschmidt main bearings
-CB H-beam rods, stock length, VW journal
-OG lightened 12lb resurfaced flywheel
-ACE Diamonback clutch disc w/ KEP Stage II Pressure Plate
-Gene Berg Gland nut, torqued to 450 ft/lbs
-Mahle 94mm pistons and cylinders, Tru Arc piston pin clips, Mahle/ Cima rings
-Engle V-26 cam, ground on 112 LC
-Silverline cam bearings
-Magnum straight cut cam gears
-Shadek 26mm oil pump, blueprinted, plugged for full flow
-Gene Berg full flow cover
-Shag Leone hand ported 40x37 turbo prepped heads. Approx 8:21 compression (~62cc chambers), AA 501 casting, 12mm plug holes. CB dual valve springs, ti retainers
-CB 10mm cro-moly head studs
-Scat 1.4 forged rockers
-Tapered Alu push rods
-Jaycee spring loaded push rod tubes
-Berg 3.5 qt deep sump w/ welded alu bung for turbo oil return
-CB performance 1 5/8” hideaway turbo header, relocated wastegate location to main collector, welded flanges
-Shag Leone T3/T4 hybrid turbo. .48 exhaust housing, etc
-3AN SS braided feed line, -10AN SS braided oil return line w/ heat sheath
-Exhaust dump with 02 bung, v-clamp for easy removal
-Kooks Headers Polished SS 2.5” muffler w/ v-clamp for easy removal
-Turbosmart Ultragate 38 wastegate
-Turbosmart compact BOV
-All powder-coated OG tin including working thermostat, flaps, under cylinder tins, sled tins, etc
-OG Doghouse shroud, Berg T-4 oil cooler conversion, welded up heat outlets
-Setrab oil cooler w/ Fan, all -8AN SS braided oil lines & fittings
-New alternator
-Berg welded and balanced fan
Fuel and Spark Management:
-SDS EFI EM-4E, fuel and spark control
-MSD 4al ignition box
-Bosch 009, gutted and advance content removed. Solid shaft
-MSD plug wires
-42 lb/hr injectors
-CB fuel rails
-All AN -6 fittings and fabric braided hose in engine bay and at fuel tank
-Walbro 255 pump, Russell pre filter, Fuel lab 10 micron post pump filter, 3/8” steel hard line throughout
Intake, etc:
-CB injection manifolds, Shag welded 1 ¾” ends for more volume, match ported to heads
-1 ¾” intake w/ bungs
-Jenvey 50mm throttle body
-2” intake tubing, silver powder-coated
And here's how it all came together....
At the heart of the motor is a DPR 82mm crank. I opted for VW rod journals for strength (no clearancing needed due to the CB case). CB H-beam stock length 5.4 rods. I know many opt for a longer rod here, but I wanted to keep the motor narrow to fit in the car without issue. I also liked the "snappy-ness" of a short rod motor.
The Cam (a big decision!)
One of the hardest parts, I think, was choosing the camshaft. I spent hours, made charts, researched and learned what many were running. I didnt want a cam that ran out on the top end, but I also did not want a cam that I had to rev to get to the powerband. I first bought a Web 86a on 115 LC, but then sold it due to the fact that I did not want to use the Scat lifters that Web recommended I use with it. Then I almost bought a DRD chilled iron cam, but I did not like the aggressive ramps nor did I want to sell my Scat 1.4 rockers in exchange for 1.25's. I wanted the 1.4's to do most of the lifting work (personal preference). I finally decided to give Engle's new lifters a chance with an Engle V-26 ground on 112 lobe centers. No problems so far! I will say, the motor putts around like a stocker but has some great top end. I am VERY happy with this cam and combination.
Cam research chart - a side by side turbo cam comparison:
V-26 Cam card:
The Lifters (another big decision!)
Since my last motor the cam went flat on (Engle FK-8) and lifters pitted (old NOS German lifters), I almost paid $400 for the tool steel lifters but could not justify it. So I bought CB's 28mm 2 pc lifters and Engle's new lifters (supposedly made by the same company that makes John Deere's lifters).
Below is a shot of the differences in the lifters - a side by side comparison - and some interesting info:
CB's lifters on the left and Engle's on the right.
Engle Specs:
-Weight: 100g
-Lifter face diamter: 1.122"
-Total lifter face runout: .002"-.0022"
CB Specs:
-Weight: 71g
-Lifter face diameter: 1.102"
-Total lifter face runout: .001"-.002"
Mind you that the Engle cam lobe width was 0.575" so either lifter face width would have been just fine.
Face finish of the CB lifter:
Face finish of the Engle lifter:
Pre-assembly
Once I had chosen the cam, I was able to then get going on trial fitting the bottom end and check general deck height. I first used Silverline crank, cam and rod bearings. But then decided to go with Silverline only for the cam. Instead I used a NOS set of Kolbenshmidt main bearings and Clevite rod bearings. During pre assembly, I was having a slight bit of drag on one part of the rotating assembly. I measured clearances with my dial bore gauge and decided that I did not have the tooling nor expertise to get an extra .001-.0015" of oil clearance that I needed for the main bearings. So I took the bottom end to Steve Hollingsworth at VW Performance and had him work his magic.
Pre-assembling bottom end:
Final assembly, all buttoned up:
Top End
I then bought a used set of forged AA pistons and cylinders, but started having second thoughts after reading numerous posts about some of the early batches of AA's not having enough PTW clearance. I probably would have been just fine since they had been honed for the correct PTW clearance, but being OCD, I didnt want to chance it. So I ended up buying a NOS set of Mahle/Cima P's & C's. Once I received them, I measured the PTW clearance to make sure I had the recommended .0025"-.0035" clearance. Thankfully, everything came out perfectly.
After another laborious decision making process, I decided to bite the bullet and a set of hand ported Shag 40x37 heads. They turned out to be beautiful!
I spent a lot of time setting up deck height. I began with a deck height of approx. .060". I then removed approx .030" off top of the cylinders so that I could add a .060" copper head gasket to get me approx 8.2:1 compression (62cc chambers). Exactly where I wanted to be.
The long block was assembled and I soon started setting up rocker arm geo.
I also began fitting all the header, turbo, oil lines and tin. It took quite a bit of grinding to make the fan shroud fit the top of the alu case, but once all the fitting was done, the tin went off to the powdercoaters:
The Chassis, Computer & Fuel
In the meantime, I began preparing the car itself for the new motor transplant. The car had a stock 1600 DP in it, so there was a lot to be done. One of my main objectives was to not drill or cut any unecessary holes in the car. I did not want to mount anything to the firewall or cut up stuff.
I had purchased a Mendeola Stiffy that was in need of installing, so that came first:
Here is what I came up with to supplement me not drilling into any part of the car to install the fuel pump or filters. I ended up bending a piece of aluminum and mounting it via the drain holes at the front of the car, under the tank. Worked out perfectly and no abnormal noise/rattling.
For the new EFI, I ran Summit SS hardline from the front to the back of the car as well as a return, using -6an fittings throughout. Fuel tank fittings (feed & return):
Brackets were created that ran the hardline under the car right over the pan bolts. I purchased longer bolts which mounted perpendicular to the fuel line coming through the bracket. This was quite tight and Im sure theres a better way to do it, but, it ended up working out well for this scenario.
After wiring up the SDS EFI, I mounted it to an alu panel. The whole setup resides under the backseat on the drivers side. The wiring loom is then routed through the heater channel "pipe" to the motor.
With most of the other components installed, and the tin back from the powder coaters, I was ready to install the motor!
New Engine install & startup
Attempting to keep from removing the rear apron, I installed the engine with the fan shroud, etc removed. It is so much easier to install and remove a motor with the apron removed but I could not bring myself to cut up this apron. My last car had a removable apron and it was so nice! Guess thats the price you pay for beauty!
A bumper hole mounted bracket was created to mount the external oil filter out of the way. I used simple sheet aluminum, making a template out of cardboard first. I think it turned out pretty nice:
Finally, with everything installed and ready to go, I turned it over and it came to life!!!! After breaking in the cam, I took it for a spin and was pleasantly surprised by how smooth it ran and how quickly it would move out - even on an untuned engine. It ran better untuned than any carb-ed VW Id owned in the past did!
The final product:
Once the car started running, I found that it was leaking oil from numerous places. Im still sorting it out, even a year later (the car isnt a daily driver). Im hoping some more breathing and a better catch can will reduce the small oil leaks it develops at higher rpms. Still in the process of tuning the car as well. Hoping to make a run to the track soon to see what she will do. Stay tuned!
t03 running 48lb. Injectors, Intercooler, Water/Meth injection at 15psi.
