My 71 Westy EFI MEga Squirt Bus Build Thread

[kuleinc]

I bought my bus for $500, it had a blown engine in the engine bay, and nearly a brand new one in the trunk, that needed assembly. The interior I gutted, it was all rotten and no good. I put the motor together and used some used single port heads I had around. My bus was running great, took it on a few trips to santa cruz even! However the number 2 cylinder started stretching its exhaust valve (this was probably a #3 cylinder on another engine with non doghouse, I have no idea how many miles these heads have on them.) SO, I bought new "stock" CB 044 heads, 1.5 inch heater boxes and a bugpack streetmax 1 5/8 merged header with non merged muffler (the merged header muffler hit my engine mount bar, the non merged version does not). I pulled the nearly new stock single port engine, swapped heads, exhaust, and intake. I got it running well enough to get it from my moms house (she lets me use her driveway for bus work) to my apartment, not a very far trip maybe a mile or two. On the way home I new I had some adjustments to make, as it idled well enough, and ran well enough, but if I put the pedal down past half way I could hear popping. SO I went to the buggy house and got some new main jets to try, since my new 34 pict 3 had a 127.5 main. I tried a 130, and that seemed to stop the popping, but the bus seems to struggle to get to 65 MPH where the single port engine, while taking a long time, did get there and cruise at 65 MPH just fine. The dual port engine will not. So I tried the next full step up jet, I forget what size, I think a 132? I think this jet is too rich, same problem but now with bogging if I'm not careful with the clutch. The engine does not seem to want to rev past 3200 RPM in any gear. I should also mention when I tried the new jets I also replaced the OLD single advance vacuum distributor with a new bosch SVDA distributor from buggy house. Perhaps this engine combo is just terrible? I don't know, but its very depressing and any help would be great, no one is chiming in on the Samba with any suggestions, and this board seems more high performance oriented (I know a bus isn't that kind of car). I don't know if my air correction jet is just too big, or my distributor needs adjusting internally, the engine is timed right, the valves are set to .006. The bus starts up really easy and idles great! It even seems to run great up to 40 MPH in third gear, and will sort of get to 50 MPH in 4th. Which is another question I have, should 40MPH in third be just below 3K rpm? Should you cruise at 40 MPH in third? I've only ever owned a beetle, this is my first bus, it is a 68 Baywindow, and I miss taking my family places in it. I have a new fridge and rock and roll bed to install, but need it to be running well first.

[kuleinc]

I'm pretty sure my problem lies in the fact that I timed my SVDA with the vacuum line attached to the carb, like my old stock distributor... I will take the vacuum line off tomorrow and plug it and reset the timing and then see how the new engine runs!

[ajdenette]

Glad to se another bis with a thread to share the trials and tribulations of these people moovers

[kuleinc]

Wish me luck!

[kuleinc]

Retimed my SVDA with vacuum advance plugged, all is well!

[ajdenette]

sounds good how much driving have you done? oh and pics or it didnt happen

[kuleinc]

I also got my vdo cht working. Around town it reads 300-350, if I cruise in 4th gear the temp is steady at 400, I tried doing 65 but the needle started to go over 400 so I backed off to 55 mph... I have a hole in my spare tire well and large cracks on both places where people put their batteries, other than that I don't know what else would cause those temps? Are those temps normal for a 68 bay window? I think my engine combo is listed above, pretty stockish...

[fusername]

Pretty normal, but you should try and knock 15 degrees off. Seal it up in the compartment, everything helps. I wager a heat reflector between the exhaust and the engine bay would help as well. Fresh air scoops should help. And there is the simple old fashioned make sure everything is in tune

[kuleinc]

Should I not be trying to drive the bus at 65MPH? It will do it, I used to do it before I got a CHT gauge, but the single port heads stretched a valve... This is all on flat freeways BTW... At what point on the gauge should I start backing off? I know its all relative, and I will likely switch to a Dakota Digital gauge in the future...

[babysnakes]

Hey, I'm running a stockish 1600dp in my '72 (Yeah, I know wrong engine for the bus). I am running the same tranny as you if you still have the 002. I also have the DD CHT gauge. I make 2 - 75 mile trips each weekend on flat Fla, highways. At 55-60 mph with 20/50wt oil I was pushing 370-380. I switched to 10/30 and dropped about 10 deg. The engine /trans combo for the early buses was not meant to go as fast as the later years. I rarely push 65mph. I aslo have a VDO tach. and try and keep it around 3000rpm. I scratched and saved to build the motor myself and wish for it to last. So 65mph and 400 CHTs seem a little high to me for longevity sakes.

[fusername]

top speed on a bay is 71 iirc, I wouldn't like to cruise near my top speed for longevity reasons.

[babysnakes]

Top speed in a T-1/002 bus is slower than the top speed in a T-4/091 bus.

[fusername]

my bad i forgot about that. so yes, the top speed of his bus is really 65 by VW spec

[kuleinc]

What do u guys cruise at on trips? 55 mph?

[babysnakes]

50-55 norm. 60 with a tail wind. When I got my '72 it had the 1700 in it. I had no gauges. I was cruising around 70 and the engine was over heating. Now with the new motor and gauges I see what's going on, and I'm taking it easy. My bus is my DD, but we also own another newer car for getting to places faster.