ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Anybody on this forum use this kit? Looking for feedback on 1800-3800 RPM torque characteristics. I don't want to have to wind it out to pull hills. I plan on also changing R/P.

$10K is steep! Realistically, how much use will you get out of the Bus? Any bigger cc engine will make it easier to pull a grade, and for a third of that price. Do a 96x78 with a small cam and some mild work around the seats.

Seems to me that buying a 'Jake' kit to build a motor is a good way for someone without a lot of experience to end up with a great motor.

That said,
if i were a more wealthy man I'd buy one of those same kits for my own bus.
And I've built more than a few of these motors now..

If you aren't put off already by the price,
And want a really nice lump for your bus,
That kit would be a great way to go.

Thanks for the response. Cal 67 yes I get the 96x78 angle. I was looking for feedback from somebody that has one of those kits up and running. The price for the kit is another topic lol.

I'll offer that your level of experience could have a large impact on how 'worth it' the bigger price tag of a complete kit will be.
If you have a lot of experience building motors like 'Cal67' here, it would be a no-brainer to do your own combo.
Otherwise, the learning curve on building a hot bus motor can be steep. BTDT.

Jake was far and above all others in the R&D he put into designing and, most important developing and testing, a higher-power bus motor.

Because i had done a couple less-successful attempts at adding power to my bus, not having good longevity,
I followed Jake's advice, and used his recipe on my own build, and had success beyond any other by far.
If fact, a motor i built, using his heads and cam has been running in my bus for over 15 years now.

The 'Mountain Climber', with Len heads and LN Nickies.. Along with the cam and balanced parts,
Really,
The chances you would be able to do anything better are nil.
How many will do more R&D than Jake?
It would take a lifetime...

I say, if you can actually get one, get one.
Few ever will.
Pretty soon the option will be no longer.
Have some bearings and whatnot on back order from the type 4 store for over a month now.
The day when a kit isn't available anymore will come sooner than later.


As for if the 'Mountain Climber' is a good kit or not;
There's no question.
It's the best. By Far.
The only competition might be the other kits from the type 4 store.
Nothing else is even close.

Clamchowder wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 9:25 am Anybody on this forum use this kit? Looking for feedback on 1800-3800 RPM torque characteristics. I don't want to have to wind it out to pull hills. I plan on also changing R/P.

Most anyone who gears their bus up do so by changing out the early 002 trans to the later 091.

The 091 has a 4.57 R&P.
The next highest is the 4.12.
No aircooled motor will be happy pulling that much gear on the highway.

I put short tires on my bus, and re-geared accordingly.
did the math to make the ratios all the same as stock, except put an .077 4th instead of the .082 in.
The bus wouldn't pull it, not because it didn't have the power,
but because the fan wasn't turning fast enough to dump the heat.

Build the motor to rev more.
Rev smoother.. Better balance.
Make more power in the higher rev range.
Rev more elegantly.
That way, you can dump the heat,
not just by the fan pushing more air, but also my more cooling oil flow -through- the bearings.
So what happens is you attack the hills at a higher speed and use the power with the revs to avoid gearing down.'

Gearing it higher constitutes 'cruel and unusual'.
Leaning on the throttle with a tall gear just fries any aircooled motor in a Bus.
It's just a total sickly heat death happening right before your eyes.
Doesn't matter how the motor is built or if you have a big oil cooler.
Oil coolers don't cool heads.
A motor pulling a certain amount of load will need to shed a certain amount of heat.
if you make the fan turn slower, you upset this balance.

A motor built right has no problem pulling revs cleanly and smoothly,
And can therefore attack and pull hills.