1979 VW Bus 2.0L Help
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2026 10:17 am
Hello!
I wanted to see if anyone could give me some suggestions on trying to rebuild my mostly stock engine to make it a little beefier. I currently have a full MS2 EFI setup from The Dub Shop, an external oil cooler, remote oil filter, and an upgraded oil pump. My engine was rebuilt 10 years ago or so to stock spec.
I want to add a small turbo as I have some of the needed supporting bits. I want to keep my stock heads and maybe get them ported/machined for larger valves. I'm looking to increase the displacement a little with maybe 96mm bore (I'm worried 98mm would be too thin and create cooling issues or blow a head gasket). I'd like to keep stock stroke and my stock crank. Higher compression like 7.6:1. I have no idea what cam would be a good choice or if my stock hydraulic lifters will suffice. I'm sure push rods would benefit from an upgrade.
I'm just looking for general advice on what would be a good direction to go maybe a build thread from someone doing something similar. Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,
Cole
I wanted to see if anyone could give me some suggestions on trying to rebuild my mostly stock engine to make it a little beefier. I currently have a full MS2 EFI setup from The Dub Shop, an external oil cooler, remote oil filter, and an upgraded oil pump. My engine was rebuilt 10 years ago or so to stock spec.
I want to add a small turbo as I have some of the needed supporting bits. I want to keep my stock heads and maybe get them ported/machined for larger valves. I'm looking to increase the displacement a little with maybe 96mm bore (I'm worried 98mm would be too thin and create cooling issues or blow a head gasket). I'd like to keep stock stroke and my stock crank. Higher compression like 7.6:1. I have no idea what cam would be a good choice or if my stock hydraulic lifters will suffice. I'm sure push rods would benefit from an upgrade.
I'm just looking for general advice on what would be a good direction to go maybe a build thread from someone doing something similar. Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,
Cole