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Hello,

I have a 1967 1600sp.I have overhauled the engine and done about 5000kms on it so far.Problem is that I find the tappets just a tad noisy.I have so far done everything to spec and it is always the same.Could anyone tell me if I am just paranoid or what could I do to quieten down my bug.

Thank you in advance.

Video uploaded.

Check the tips of your adjusting screws for uneven wear and proper radius. Old worn screws or soft aftermarket screws may have worn poorly and are interfering with your adjustment.

Did you tear down and inspect your rockerarm assemblies or just rinse them off and slap them back on? Since `65 when they went to the slotted rockershaft stands, two rockerarms on each side tend to develop a "bump" on the side corresponding with the range of travel that's within the slot. When the rockerarm geometry is changed by even a little bit, that bump starts whacking into the stand and forcing the rocker to shift sideways until it wears in at the new location - that can cause quite a click for a while. Replace rockers with that wear, or at least sand the bumps off.
What's the story on that unique engine lid?
Do I see `70/`71 wiper arms?

It will follow your advise and strip down the rocker assemblies inspecting them and set the tappets to 006.(my mechanic tells me he last set them to 0.11..that could also be the problem)

Yes the wiper assemblies are 70/71..spot on.In regard to the decklid,It is a 1967 original(or at least it was);-)..since i put in a 1600 motor replacing the original 1300 motor,i had some slight overheating issues.

I therefore looked for a late beetle decklid,cut out the vents and welded them on my 1967 decklid.It has worked wonders.Gives it a unique look and my engine definitely breathes much better.

.11" would be noisy all right

.011" isn't obscenely loose, but it's wrong - only the early 1200 heads with the long rocker studs anchored in the bottom of the head need to be anywhere near that loose. Personally I use .004" on the intakes and .006" on the exhausts for a stocker. After an engine has 20K or so on it, I usually find all still within the .004-.006" range even when maintenance is overdue.

I like the `70/`71 wiper setup due to the larger (and serviceable) pivots and bolt-on arms. `68/`69 are horrid because they deleted the "tail" on the crosslink that kept earlier linkages from overcentering when the pivots get sloppy; `67 still had the tail but uses the smaller bellcrank pins/bushings which are getting hard to find in good condition. Did you enlarge the cowl holes and make a support bracket for the round motor? I usually just slice the grommets with a razor blade and suspend the whole mechanism by the pivots (no motor bracket) which can transmit a little more noise but works just as well.

The 7-6-6-7 louvers must catch a few doubletakes from folks who know their `67s. A 1600SP is borderline without a louvered lid (anything over ~7.5:1 CR will run hot above ~45 MPH) and any dualport needs them to feed its larger fan. Yours looks good - now all you need is to find the Jan-Jul`67 rear bumper that gives more clearance for opening the lid.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/313308.jpg

I had to enlarge the holes.Works ok till now.

It is like you read my mind.I do have a lot of clearance issues at the back and the front!been wondering what to do about that.It always scrapes.As you said,67 parts are getting harder and harder to find especially in my part of the world!by the way,i don't see the difference between the bumper you posted and what i have!they look identical to me!

I have a 1600sp with the dog house fan shroud and it really appreciates the louvered setup.

I just realized my facom feeler gauge is the 804(not sure if it is a set of 26(usually in inches) or 19(usually metric)).Will check.If it is 19 then 0.11mm will be just about 0.004"!

I will check when i get back home and give feedback!

In Metric, I'd recommend .1mm intake and .15mm exhaust. Those would both be thin/flexible feeler gauges - .11" would be nearly an ⅛", not likely that any common feeler gauge set would contain that one.

The overriders adopted in Jan `67 are angled downward at the inboard end to provide more decklid clearance.
Your rear bumper's RH overrider bow looks a little bit bent over which disguises the issue, but if you'll look closely at your LH side compared to the pic I put up you should be able to discern the difference.

It's a case of wrong setting .used 0.006 and it sounds much better

[quote="monkslayer"]It will follow your advise and strip down the rocker assemblies inspecting them and set the tappets to 006.(my mechanic tells me he last set them to 0.11..that could also be the problem)

You might want to follow that mechanics advice and leave the valve adjustment at 0.11 .
I have a1973 Type I Beetle with a 1600cc. I have found that
the adjustments will tighten up as it breaks in. It would help break it in quicker if you could drive it up a steep hill or small mountain.
Check the valve adjustments often, once a week, until the valve lash stops tightening up.
Then go back to the usual .006 adjustment.

Again, 0.11" would be obscenely loose.

.11mm would be just over .004", OK for the intakes but I wouldn't recommend on the exhausts on fresh heads.

.011" would also be too loose, unless the heads are early 40HP with the ~7" long rocker studs (we're discussing a 1600SP).

The .006" monkslayer is using now will be just fine.

IMO, one shouldn't accept any advice from any "mechanic" who would advise anything outside of the .004-.006" range (tighter is acceptable with steel pushrods).

JimEd wrote:I have a1973 Type I Beetle with a 1600cc. I have found that the adjustments will tighten up as it breaks in. It would help break it in quicker if you could drive it up a steep hill or small mountain.
Check the valve adjustments often, once a week, until the valve lash stops tightening up.

How many cars do you think VW would've sold if it was necessary to make that many trips to the dealer in the first month of ownership? NO WAY should the lash be tightening up that quickly if the valve job and assembly were done properly. On a stock engine I recommend a valve adjustment and oil change at ~300mi; after that the normal 3000mi interval should be fine. I adjust the valves on my DD, which has many miles on it, to .004" intake and .006" exhaust and they don't even need attention more frequently than ~5000mi, at which time I rarely find an intake looser than .005" or an exhaust tighter than .004" - lucky for me, since it has F.I. heaterboxes in a "carb'ed" body and removing/installing the valvecovers is a major P.I.T.A.

FWIW, a common cause of behavior exactly opposite of what you claim to have experienced is the use of the incorrect seals under the rocker stands - if the "wedding-ring" seals intended for early 40HP heads are used on later heads (or for that matter, if the O-ring type are used on any of the really late heads which lack the "moat" for them around the studs) it will take some time before they squish out enough under heat & pressure for the valve lash to ever stabilize...assuming the rocker nuts are tightened down again & again, so the rockers don't just fall off the heads

I agree with Marc but,
In 1998 the best place in town, where I live, built me a stock T-1 1600cc DP for my 1973 Beetle.
The valve lash was set at .010” gap.
I was a little upset when I checked it and found that it had not been set to .006”.
I reset them to .006"
Once or sometimes twice a week I would check the valve adjustment.
It had tightened up and had to be reset.
I could see the viewpoint of the OKVEEDUB that built the engine in that by setting it at 0.10” the valves would not burn up and the engine would last through the one year warranty period.
They did not say that but, I am sure that is why they set them at .010".
It is also their practice to remove the cooling flaps and thermostat because they are concerned that it might become stuck in the closed position and ruin the engine.
At least that makes it easier for them to work on it in the future right?
One of the first things I did was to re-install the flaps & thermo.
I got tired of resetting the valve adjustment that often so, I reset it back to .010” gap.
A long time ago at another newsgroup, rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled, I think it was John C. of aircooled net that recommended that I go drive it up a steep hill close to where I live to break it in.
I did that and let it cool overnight and rechecked the valve lash clearance. I set it to .006” It has not tightened up since. Keep in mind that I do not drive this Beetle very much except, for usually once a week to the grocery and like that if I drive it that much. I like it to occasionally have something to fiddle with.
The only real problem that I have had with it since October 1998 was the fuel pump going out from the OKVEEDUB using too long of a push rod and another time when the fuel pump pivot pin worked its’ way out and left me stranded on the highway.
It never has overheated.
I still have it. It has only about two and a half years of driving on the engine and it runs fine.

The factory cooling flaps AID cooling, even if wired wide open.
The factory thermostat is fail safe, they fail OPEN.
(I get that you re-installed them, I'm just putting a point on it)

Running without a thermostat will cut your engine s life expectancy significantly in most locales.

ACVWs will put up with a lot of abuse...
but I'd advise not to let that shop even change your oil, as they are apparently idiots.