@R Thorpe posted:I have Greg’s 2332 build with the A1 sidewinder I am generally happy plenty of power but having said that I would trade that power for a more 356 like smoothness. I believe these big engines have too long stroke, or is it the heads? I’m curious to know why they aren’t smoother. I think the ideal engine for these cars would be the Willhoit upgrade of the 356 engine but that’s 15k plus you Porsche 4banger. Another area to whine about is the tranny and final drive ratio. My car has a two speed, 1st is to get going 4th I never use so I’m always between 2nd and 3 rd they are not well matched for me. If I were to do it again I wood spend less on the engine and a lot more on the tranny. Please out there remember this whole experience is a learning curve and is enjoyable given the reasonable VW prices.Cheers. Next time let’s talk about the frame and suspension, Mendeola anyone?
Since I am already in the pixelated group I will comment. 
Mr Thorpe, I think that is the dilemna when you are at the larger engine size then you have to look at the tranny gearing not matching the engine power ban.
The 3:44 with a 2110cc 140ish hp often had me between 2nd and 3rd somewhat lost till you got to the cruising speed. So yes it worked but sometimes NOT..
When I decided to build a new one I chose full subie tranny and all and it has quite a nice ramp up between gears without dead spots as the 4sp had and also there is no requirement to keep the engine spinning at 3k with the broader power band/ torque band of the subie powertrain. But you never get it right, as I would like to try a lower 5th so the madness is the continual upgrade path can hit you.