Any thoughts?

[emmaobrien]

I've been a longtime lurker here (I used to be active years back but lost all my login details, so I'm starting from scratch). I recently acquired a 1.7 CB (engine code) bus engine through a trade. It seems the long block was rebuilt, but due to sitting idle, one of the cylinders got rusted from moisture. My plan is to install it into my '68 Beetle, considering a Joe Cali cooling conversion, possibly adding dual Kadrons, modifying the heater boxes to retain heating in the car, and fitting a vintage speed muffler. I'm contemplating whether to keep it at 1.7 or to upgrade it with 96mm pistons and bump it up to a 1910. My aim isn't to drag race but to have a reliable driver that can effortlessly handle the steep hills in central VA and maintain highway speeds comfortably. My Bug is equipped with dropped spindles, disc brakes, a larger sway bar, Type 3 rear brakes, and a camber compensator. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

[Bruce.m]

Sounds like a good plan.

A 1.7 from a van may have had a hard life so unless you are really confident about the rebuild work I’d strip the crankcase for a clean & measure session. You could use domed high compression 1.7 pistons but those & near impossible to find now. So bumping up to 96mm with the original short crank isn’t a bad plan. The heads will needed machined to open up the cylinder bore since the 1.7 cylinders use a narrower OD at the head end, but that’s not a big deal. Also check the valve guides are in spec & valves/ valves seats are in good shape.

Obviously you can swap the crank & rods to the longer stroke version & get the matching B&Ps if you want 1970cc stock 2.0l spec or 2056cc with 96mm pistons (different to the version used with the 1.7mm crank)… but that is more work & cost so take your pick.

[raygreenwood]

Sounds like a good plan.

A 1.7 from a van may have had a hard life so unless you are really confident about the rebuild work I’d strip the crankcase for a clean & measure session. You could use domed high compression 1.7 pistons but those & near impossible to find now. So bumping up to 96mm with the original short crank isn’t a bad plan. The heads will needed machined to open up the cylinder bore since the 1.7 cylinders use a narrower OD at the head end, but that’s not a big deal. Also check the valve guides are in spec & valves/ valves seats are in good shape.

Obviously you can swap the crank & rods to the longer stroke version & get the matching B&Ps if you want 1970cc stock 2.0l spec or 2056cc with 96mm pistons (different to the version used with the 1.7mm crank)… but that is more work & cost so take your pick.

There is a guy on the Samba with 8 sets of complete 1.7L domes with cylinders. These are CIMA/Brazil. As far as ..."are they quality parts"....yes. I have a set that will eventually go into my build that I bought 15 years ago or so. Exact box/exact parts. These are early to mid 1990's CIMA/Brazil.
His price of $459 a set is actually excellent for these...these days.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds ... id=2029263

The question will be to ask the seller ...what kind of shape are they in and how have they been stored. The caption in the lower left hand corner says they are being sold by "west Coast Core". So...depending on what your experience has been back in the day with West Coat Core....that may be a good thing or bad thing.

What to expect....The set I bought back in about 2010 ...everything bagged just like stock and in the box. The rings had been installed on the pistons and cosmolined for maybe 15-20 years and I caught them just in time. The assembly/preservative lube was starting to break down. A few more years of wrapped up storage and there would have been corrosion.

It took soaking the pistons in MEK or something serious (acetone would do) for a day to break the rings loose so I could remove them and clean everything. The cylinders had some very faint rust specs. A quick run over with a non-abrasive scouring pad and solvent fixed that. Had a few rusty fins...easy to fix.

So, they are out there, I agree. If you put the 1.7L in with domes and work over your fueling and keep your rpms up....this will live fine in a bus even though most bus guys swear the compression is too high for the gearing and weight. Just run better gas and drop back your maximum advance about 3-5*.

Ray