adaptacja3

Top, 6 and 12V VW danan intarchanga on tha bellhousing, but tha 12V has a smaller baar-ing surtac*. Cantar, to uu tha 12V ftartar in tha 6V casa, simply install an accessory "thick wali" buthing in płaca of tha stock ona. Bottom, tha rast of tha system (clutch disc, pressure piata and throwout bearing) it nil standard Volkswagan.

Iran$axle to a 12V starter (rclatively simple). Fitting the slightly larger I2V flywheel onto the early bellhousing rc-quircs slight grinding abovc the lowcr bolt bosscs for clearance; and sińce Ihe I2V starter will bolt dircctly to the early bellhousing. you need only to install a thick-wali bushing in the case for the starter's snialler diametcr bearing snout (thcsc bushings arc availablc al most VW specialty parts shops). That’s all there is to it.

You might be asking yoursclf why in the world someone would want to pul one of these cngincs in a VW. Chances arc you havcn’t hcard much good about them. But, chances are that whal y«»u havc heard centcrs on their complicatcd fuel injection system. Even the best VW mechanics refuse to work on them and certain replacement parts, like the pump, can cost as much as S600. It’s true, not much good can be said about the injection. But, the cnginc itsclf has been gaining a reputation for surprising mechanica! reliability. It's got larger crank joumals than tlie VW and it contes with 2000cc worth of power in stock form. All you need to do to make it an excellent engine is to get rid of the injection, and that’s not too difflcult.

Volkswagen modifiers have been fitting all sorts of carburetion systems to their engines for years. Il would take only a little manifold engineering to mount a pair of Webers or cven a single carb like a Bug Spray on the 914. Ed adapted a pair of SU side-drafts on his first 914 and found that they worked very well. On his latcst engine he has used two 175-CD Strombcrgs front sonie sort of British car (picked them out of a pile at a junkyard). He simpty fabricated a mounting flangc for the carbs, welded Steel tubing sections to it, and then attached them with the stock fabric couplers to existing port sections of the injection manifold. Ed also pointed out that the smali equali/.cr tubę between the carbs is vcry necessary (‘Tm not surę exactly what it does.hut you gotta have it.")

So, if you would like an inexpensive, powerful. rcliable, and smooth running 2000cc powerplant for your early VW, look around for one of these “no good" 914 mid-engines. Find a Porsche owner who has just been told he must replacc his injector pump and maybe he’ll swap you straight across for your stock 1200. It’11 bolt riglit into his Porsche too! •

DUNE BUGCIES & HOT VWi

!

f

\

50