ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Well here's the dilemma. The car is set up for this potent 2332 maybe 175 hp I'm guessin...


But I recently acquired this Honda 3.0L that is a plug and play with 5 wire hook up
and adapter ect. Already been in a buggy.


I will have to redo the whole rear cage to use the Honda.
It is soo tempting to just put in the vw. This car will be used mainly in the sand.
I'm wondering if it will be more nimble in sand with the vw. ( the only advantage that I can think of)
Or if, considering the extra weight of the body, I'll want the power and reliability of the Honda enough to do the extra work. I'm sure leaning toward the Honda.

I put a lift in at the shop, so it would be easier to do it

I feel your pain...

You'll be about 200lbs heavier with the Honda all said and done. According to the guys I have been talking with.

Power about the same.... maybe a little less if it's' a strong VW? a lot bigger #'s out of the 3.2 and 3.5 or 3.7's

Car is built for VW....run it...my opinion.


Listen to me.... who do I think I am

My car is not built yet that is why I am asking the same question

Scabbyfab wrote:I'm wondering if it will be more nimble in sand with the vw. ( the only advantage that I can think of)
Or if, considering the extra weight of the body, I'll want the power and reliability of the Honda enough to do the extra work. I'm sure leaning toward the Honda.

I love my Thing but nimble it ain't. They're heavy, wide, and compared to a stripped-down Baja bug, clumsy. The prospect of very reliable power would swing me to the fuel-infected Honder. Plus you can balance the car a bit more by routing the radiator up front. Plus you can route a *real* heater in the car. Plus you can have fun all day long without ever thinking of fixing the engine when it breaks.

Will the heavier engine affect the car adversely? Yes, but then again a VW's weight distribution makes it a crappy handler anyway.

hotrodsurplus wrote:

Scabbyfab wrote:I'm wondering if it will be more nimble in sand with the vw. ( the only advantage that I can think of)
Or if, considering the extra weight of the body, I'll want the power and reliability of the Honda enough to do the extra work. I'm sure leaning toward the Honda.

I love my Thing but nimble it ain't. They're heavy, wide, and compared to a stripped-down Baja bug, clumsy. The prospect of very reliable power would swing me to the fuel-infected Honder. Plus you can balance the car a bit more by routing the radiator up front. Plus you can route a *real* heater in the car. Plus you can have fun all day long without ever thinking of fixing the engine when it breaks.

Will the heavier engine affect the car adversely? Yes, but then again a VW's weight distribution makes it a crappy handler anyway.

Oh my mistake, The car on the lift is not the car that I mean...sorry I'm speaking of the a arm car

Scabbyfab wrote:Oh my mistake, The car on the lift is not the car that I mean...sorry I'm speaking of the a arm car

Well that changes things. I vote air-cooled then. Now if you flipped the gearbox and ran the car as a mid-engine, I'd be all for the Honda power. It would be quite rad, actually.

Can you flip a 091 without turning it upside down.? Now you're talking about some real work

Scabbyfab wrote:Can you flip a 091 without turning it upside down.? Now you're talking about some real work

What would be the problem with just flipping one upside down? It's not as if it has to fit any existing brackets. You can't flip an IRS bus ring gear because it's a single-sideplate model ala late Typ I. It's actually incredibly simple to flip the whole transaxle as the bolt pattern is symmetrical. You could bolt the engine to it sideways if you had to. The rest is just making brackets to make the marriage possible. The other benefit is that it puts the engine just a little bit higher than the transaxle. That can make mounting that much easier if the chassis is in the way.

I don't get why more people don't just do that. It seems as if there's this imaginary wall that keeps people from doing it. I've been 130mph many times in cars with flipped VW gearboxes. They're called Formula Fords. They have Hewland gears but for strength reasons only (straight-cut, shift dogs, etc).

The only issue would be the gearbox drain but there are ways around that. And you'd have to come up with a way to fill it with just enough gear lube (the original fill hole would be in the wrong location). But these aren't insurmountable issues. You could always drill/tap the case for a small NPT plug and fill the gearbox from the old drain plug 'til it came oozing out of the new side hole. Easy stuff in the grand scheme of things.

Here's a Typ I in an old Formula Ford. You could do it with a bus trans because the principles are the same.

Hey that's food for thought alright.

hotrodsurplus wrote:

Took me awhile to figure out why the asphalt was in the sky... then I read all the words.

Scabbyfab wrote:Well here's the dilemma. The car is set up for this potent 2332 maybe 175 hp I'm guessin...


But I recently acquired this Honda 3.0L that is a plug and play with 5 wire hook up
and adapter ect. Already been in a buggy.

Nice motor i have the same one

How much rear weight are your shocks set up for in the back? With the Honda you will need to change out the springs at the least, possibly re-valve them as well. The fuel system requirements change between those two motors as well. I was a bit sticker shocked when I plumbed my fuel system after all the fittings and lines were said and done. Things like this will add up when you go the conversion route (a/c vs. H2O). But you have probably already thought of this stuff...

Can you post another picture of your steel storage rack mounted on the wall next to your lift? It looks like something I need to copy!
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Skidmark wrote:How much rear weight are your shocks set up for in the back? With the Honda you will need to change out the springs at the least, possibly re-valve them as well. The fuel system requirements change between those two motors as well. I was a bit sticker shocked when I plumbed my fuel system after all the fittings and lines were said and done. Things like this will add up when you go the conversion route (a/c vs. H2O). But you have probably already thought of this stuff...

Yep I've thought of this stuff but have not penciled it out yet. Good idea Skid

Bump!! Just a little something to give you some motivation Dave. Is this really 3 years old? Time to get back on it.