new case questions

[floggerjay]

I am in the process of my first vw rebuild, A 1600 dp. the old case appears to be hammered so i don't want to put $$ new parts in a line bored case of questionable durability. I was thinking about one of the new aluminum cases(they may be more durable than magnesium???) but i've heard that they have some quality control issues. so where is a good source for a new magnesium case, cb performance?, aircooled.net? california imports?, etc., by the way do these also have the same quality issues?where do new cases come from? mexico?, brazil? which ones are the best?

[fredybear]

I wouldnt waste your money on a new case for a stock engine unless your gonna upgrade sooner or later...line boring aint that bad for stock...depends on what case u have...state the serial number and ull get more info from everyone...

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Fredy-
55 bug-
63 bug-

[floggerjay]

i forget the serial but i looked it up and it is a 71 dp dual oil relief as-41

[JK]

Last I heard was that John at aircooled.net offered the aluminum cases in both the guaranteed and non-guaranteed versions. I assume he has checked out all clearances etc. on them and done any necessary machining for the guaranteed ones. The place I trade at has done a few of the aluminum cases and says they are good, but a pain because of the QC problems that the builder has to work out. I'd say call John at AC net and ask if the guaranteed cases are all set to use and pay the extra $25 or $50 if they are. I'd like to try one of these some day. I think most cases are coming from Brazil nowdays.
John

[Pillow]

From my experiences a stock build is good for at least 2 cuts (20 and 40). If you start cutting 60 or 80 then I would get worried a little bit. Heck if you are really gentle on the motor, like a SP, I might try it.

I have been very lucky and only had to cut 40 once. Heck the engine I run now is '72 virgin case (about to be chopped up this winter for a 1955, still probably will not need a cut I hope)



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Adrian Pillow
'66 VW Westfalia - "Biscuit"
'67 VW Deluxe Westfakia - "Dino" - FS
'79 Porsche 911 SC - "Cochese" - FS

[danimal]

jay, i would not buy a new case based on price alone... get it from a vendor who knows how to properly inspect new cases for manufacturing defects.

i've had good luck with cases from gbe and rimco... never bought cases from any of the vendors you listed, give 'em a call and ask what their inspection procedures are like.

a new case is a good investment if you plan on keeping the motor for a long time... balance everything for the best case life.


dan
oceanstreetvideo.com

[Marc]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by floggerjay:
i forget the serial but i looked it up and it is a 71 dp dual oil relief as-41<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't have a scientific explanation for it (I've looked for years with no luck) but in my experience the early `71 AE cases (before they started casting the washboard ribs into the flat panel above the dipstick) seem to be of inferior metallurgy compared to the ribbed cases; they appear to be nothing more than leftover 1970 1600SP B6 cases with AE serial numbers as far as failure rate from pounding out/pulling headstuds/etc., even though they're all marked "AS41" and have the same oil passages & relief system.
It's possible that the difference has more to do with the reduction in CR that roughly coincided with the revised casting - I really don't know - but for what it's worth a ribbed case seems to have a better chance of being rebuildable than a non-ribbed, whatever the reason. Any case that's been in service for 30 years is likely to be pretty well used up, but if you find a ribbed case that's been sitting around for a decade or two it's gotta be worth checking out.