How to Rebuild VW Air-Cooled: 1961-2003

by Prescott Phillips

Overview

Rebuild your Volkswagen’s air-cooled engine with confidence and get your beloved boxer back on the road.

How to Rebuild VW Air-Cooled Engines: 1961-2003 offers beautiful color photos with insightful step-by-step captions for expertly rebuilding Volkswagen air-cooled engines and provides in-depth, hands-on information for disassembly, inspection, machining, parts selection, preassembly, final assembly, installation, and tuning.

Not only are the procedures for rebuilding covered in depth but engine model types, identification codes, specifications, and details are also covered in a manner that allows the user to source a good later-model candidate for rebuilding and helps retrofit the modern engine designs into earlier chassis.

This resource focuses on the VW Type 1, 2, and 3 engines beginning in the year 1961, when a significant redesign improved the reliability, durability, and horsepower of the basic initial design. For more than 70 years, automotive enthusiasts and the public in general has embraced the VW air-cooled engine for its simplicity, its capacity to be modified, and its bulletproof reliability.

One of the most widely used and versatile internal combustion engines in the world, this engine has powered VW Beetles, Buses, Porsche 914s, off-road buggies and rails, formula race cars, and many other machines both on and off-road. From 1938 until 2003, more than 21 million Beetles equipped with an air-cooled rear-mounted engine were produced.

If you have any interest in reviving your old VW, or perhaps are researching the purchase of one, this handy guide will cover all the bases in bringing that old air-cooled powerplant back to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613254332
Publisher:	CarTech
Publication date:	08/07/2019
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	626,954
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Prescott Phillips has been building stock and high-performance Volkswagen engines and transmissions since 1981. A semiretired Journeyman Tool and Die Maker, he always strives for perfection and has the reputation for building strong, reliable powerplants. His love for drag racing and Volkswagens led him to build some of the fastest Beetles in the Midwest.

Table of Contents

About the Author

Acknowledgments

What Is a Workbench Book?

Chapter 1: Before You Begin

A Brief History of the VW Flat 4 Engines

Engine Identification

Is This Engine Worth Rebuilding?

Planning

Work Area

Tools

Our Engine

Chapter 2: Engine Disassembly

Spotting a Rebuilt Engine

Be Patient

Get Organized

Engine Disassembly

Parts to Keep and Parts to Replace

Chapter 3: Parts Cleaning and Inspection

Cylinder Heads

Rocker Assemblies

Pushrods

Lifters

Camshaft

Connecting Rods

Crankshaft

Flywheel

Flywheel Gland Nut

Oil Pump

Oil Cooler

Engine Case

Chapter 4: Machine Shop

Choosing a Machine Shop

Engine Case Machining Procedures

Head Rebuilding Procedures

Post-Machine Shop Procedures

Chapter 5: Component Preparation

Engine Case

Head Studs

Internal Components

Long-Block Cooling Tin

Chapter 6: Preassembly

Preset the Flywheel Endplay

Scribe the Main Bearings

Gap the Piston Rings

Install the Rings on the Pistons

Chapter 7: Final Assembly

Crankshaft

Engine Case Preparation

Join the Two Halves

Flywheel

Piston

Barrel

Cylinder Heads

Oil Pressure Relief Valves

Full-Flow Filter Oil Pump Upgrade

Sump Plate

Valvetrain

Adjusting the Valves

Chapter 8: Accessory Installation

Important Questions to Ask Yourself

Carburetor: Rebuild or Replace?

Installing Accessories

Exhaust System

Chapter 9: Startup, Break-In, and Adjustments

Building a Test Stand

Installing an Engine on a Test Stand

Installing a 12V Starter in a 6V Transmission

Installing a 12V Engine in a 6V Transmission

Installing the Clutch and Pressure Plate

Vehicle Installation

Start the Engine

Appendix

Source Guide

Editorial Reviews

"From disassembly, to inspection, and on to the machining processes, Prescott tames the process like no other book available on the market. Engine books can be a little overwhelming at times, but all bases are covered in a simple and matter-of-fact way that's very appealing. DIYers will feel empowered to test themselves in the garage."

VolksAmerica