help help help help >.<

[horrwan]

aright im frank an i have a 1971 karmann ghia that hates me...
i looking for help on a engine/tranny swap....
i want power but i also do want to worry about my car blowing up too ohhh an mpg.....
(i want a karmann ghia ls1 omg lol jk or am i)
im looking for plug an play work im new to this hand on car thing =)

[helowrench]

welcome Frank
First, you need to decide:
1 how much of the work you are going to do yourself
2 how much you aare willing to spend
3 what performance goals you have

Rob

[horrwan]

hi Rob
1. well i want to do all the work that a newb can do an have the pros do the rest (like timing an all that good stuff...)
2. money well really really not that high up there more like 2 -3g (im a poor college kid with time =) )
3. well i really i just wanna be able to drive it like 100 mph an not worry about blowing up lol or losing control......an have a kool set up engine with turbo an duel carbs an a wire tuck(but that not to later)
an 1 more question how do i identify type of engine i was told sum much it a 1600cc single port then it duel then it a 914 (i know it not that =P)

thx
Frank

[Marc]

From external appearances the engine is a `71, originally equipped with A/C (the extra pulley and rerouted
LH freshair hose outlet indicate such). Engine ID number should start with AE, it's a 1600 (1585cc) dual-port, or at least that's how it left the factory.
IMO it's sad that such a nice car has fallen into the hands of a newbie
Don't touch nuthin' until you've learned a LOT more...this car will only be devalued if hacked upon by a novice.

[horrwan]

it was my great aunts car but my cuzin f**k it up...
so i gave her 50 bucks an now im gonna have the fun of working on it >.<......
an thx for the help

[Stray Catalyst]

You should start by getting a few of the better books about how to care for and fix that car. "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" by John Muir is a great book for a newbie, and will tell you how to fix pretty much anything on it. The Bentley shop manual is more expensive, not quite as user friendly, but a lot more detailed.
VWs can eat an infinite amount of money, if you have to pay others to fix them. Those books will run you less than the cost of a couple hours of shop time, and you'll quickly learn a lot about the car. Good luck with it! I started with the Muir book 20 years ago, and have owned a fair number of VWs since.

Stray

[helowrench]

You should start by getting a few of the better books about how to care for and fix that car. "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" by John Muir is a great book for a newbie, and will tell you how to fix pretty much anything on it. The Bentley shop manual is more expensive, not quite as user friendly, but a lot more detailed.
VWs can eat an infinite amount of money, if you have to pay others to fix them. Those books will run you less than the cost of a couple hours of shop time, and you'll quickly learn a lot about the car. Good luck with it! I started with the Muir book 20 years ago, and have owned a fair number of VWs since.

Stray

Frank,
listen to the advice above.
The Muir book is commonly known as the "idiot's guide" and will easily teach you what you need to know for maintaining a Type 1 chassis and engine.
The Bentley goes into more detail, giving a deeper level of knowledge.
The Chilton's guide is really unneccesary if you have the first two.

get the idiot's guide, and read it cover to cover.
purchase the tools listed in the beginning.
then get your ghia up and running well.
learn to drive the car well, before you start deciding exactly what your end goal should be.

(my .02)

Rob

[noexit]

Looks like the engine is half way out already.

Hint on getting people to respond: Make your subject line relevant to to your topic. People are much more likely to open a post if it has a helpful title like "need engine swap advice".

[FJCamper]

Hi Horrwan,

You are a lucky guy to have that Ghia. Let's get you some help.

First, where in the country or world are you?

FJC