Shoptalkforums.com

Aloha and Mahalo for the information on the polly and rocker arms.

I have two questions:

1) If money were no object, would I gain or loose anything from using a 1.25 rocker asembly?
2) If you had to build a T1, exactly what size motor would you build?
I would like to know the exact recipe and take the information and build exactly those specs. keep in mind, I want a torque motor and I never drive over 55mph.
This is what I'm starting with: a stock 1600, 40's kdogs, 1.5 kymco hideout. Pertronix ignition.

Bob, I took your advice about thinking cool and today I purchased a scat deep sump and a scat breather box.

Well this is the kind of question that certainly has no shortage of answers. But I can give an opinion.
My opinion would be to build an engine as close as possible to the one that Kubelmann had built. I do not know a lot of the details but I do know the builder and that he is an engineering school graduate and long time VW enthuiast.
He used the 1914 as a basis. This is stock stroke with 94mm P&Cs. There was a lot of head work involved and a lot of balancing. The exhaust is Kimco. Your Kadrons would be fine. AJ Sims can help you set them up to suit any engine displacement and configuration. The reason I like the 1914 is that it isa a lot of bang for the buck. Kubelmann reports that his engine has dynoed well over 100 HP. That in a Thing is well suited to the car.
Now on the other hand for myself I am partial to the t-4 engine. I would begin with a 2.0L and add a WebCam 71 or 86 cam, Use the 914 three stud heads and a pair of 40mm Dells ( or swap manifolds and use the Kads), and 411 exhaust with a bus header and muffler of your choice. All parts would be balanced. Thats it. You would just need an upright shroud to make a clean install into the Thing.
To me the important thing to remember when planning an engine is 1. Drivability and 2. Longevity. Its too easy to listen to people that get their ideas from drag racers. Sure there are ways to make great gains in power BUT are they going to produce a smooth and reliable engine that you will enjoy driving month in and month out? We`ll see what the others have to suggest but for now you have a couple of ways to think about.
I think you will also find a lot of useful information on the engine rebuild forum. I have seen this subject covered over there again and again. Good luck. Bob Ingman

1955cc 90.5 76mm will go on and on
stock rods . 40x35.5 heads . 90.5 B stroke p&p so no barrel shims needed but for lasting time 90.5 A p&p will need barrel shims.
engle 110!. 1.25.1 rockers and i can go on and on . if it was for me i would ad a turbo kit. I would no run 94mm or 92 mm p&p as a thing is heavy 94 and 92 will not like it.

Man, just find a stock TIV engine, and slide it right in with a MassIVe DTM...

Bob Ingman contacted me and asked me to provide details concerning my T-1 1915. While I agree that the T4 is a great deal. It does require some mods and pre thought for a clean install in a 181. I originally planned to build a 1904 using my stock original AM Thing case. After spending countless hours on the engine rebuild thread of this forum, I came up with a very affordable plan to create a very good 1915. The 1904 stroker was far out of my budget. We have a 2110 that we run on our prerunner in the Baja. But then we have almost $4K in that jewel. My 1915 was painstakingly built for big time low end torque, instant response, very high cooling and severe compensation to run at altitudes from 9,000 ft to 12,500 ft. I have listed most of the specs for this motor below as Bob asked me.

Herr-K 1915 specs

CASE--GERMAN AS-41 alloy, 8mm case inserts studs, Dual relief, sunk #3, NEW 20 over line bored, std thrust. Cut for 94mm spigots using a step cut method for more strength--My special baby. Decked for improved cylinder resting area. drilled and taped and cleared for full flow, A very good case.

Crank- stock GERMAN forged steel NON CW, ground 10 on mains and rods, 8 doweled spg pattern. Stock gland nut,stock timing gears, stock dowls-8, Stock GERMAN steel- stock weight Flywheel 200mm 12V. NEW silicon main seal. end play - 4thou, stock oil slinger.

Main Bearings- Federal Mogal-steel backed, rod bearings Metal Leve, cam
bearings Mahle, all NEW, runs with NEW oil- 20-50 Castrol, new oil filter.

New gaskets
NEW Engle 110 cam, NEW German lifters, NEW cam timing gear-AL, NEW cam bolts with NEW locking washers, used red locktight with them also.

NEW Schadek, 30mm oil pump, NEW AL FF cover, taped oil outlet, locktighted in plug. Longer studs instaled for best thread holding force.

OEM metal cam plug

OEM stock 1600 forged steel rods, 5.394 length, balanced close to end to end, within .05 gram. side clearance as follows
#1 15thou
#2 14thou
#3 14thou
#4 13thou

NEW Mahle Hyperutectic 94mm Piston and cylinder set, ring gaps set
at staged intervals. Balanced to within .05 gram. Snap ring piston pin
retainers. Cylinders cut down 40 thou to get desired deck for CR.

Heads, NEW Dual Ports, New valves, guides, seats everything,
Fly cut to a 45cc chamber, ported mildly appropriate. lapped in valves, lots of
Combustion chamber work, seats staked in, chambers reshaped for flow, Match ported manifolds. you need to notice I marked the manifolds P for passenger and D for drivers side, heads marked as well. valves adjusted to .006 thou, stock 1.1 rockers and shafts. stock AL German pushrods. stock tubes, silicon seals, aluminum finned valve covers, CB performance valved and sealed oil breather system T-4 oil cooler modification, external oil filters and
The heart and soul of this motor was hashed out on STF in the engine rebuild list and a few other sources. A few thoughts that have been brought up are gospel for the offroad 1915 they include.

Do not lighten the flywheel.. (that cuts out inertial force and kills low end torque)

Do not use a drag strip pulley and reduce cooling

Remember that I run this motor at 9,000 ft – 13,000 ft so the 9.1 compression give be sea level meat… This ratio with Pemex would kill yer motor. Compression ratio is 9.11 to 1 Dual Dell 45s with 009 dist with compufire electronic ignition and high volt coil.

VW Trends has run several article about the low cost building of a 1915. Then in the September 2003 issue they ran “What’s Inside Quality German’s 1914CC ... This motor is very similar to mine without some of the extreme machining, balancing and dial in. In the process of putting this motor together I contacted all of the were all very
Players , Jake, AJ etc. They were all very helpful. Given the $$ I would suggest you consider getting a Raby T-4 massIVe. If you run a Kad get with AJ. He is the master of that carb… Hopefully the above stuff is of some interest/use to some of those in the planning stages of a new motor. I remain willing to share what little stuff I have discovered.