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Update on the Puma. I have now have 400 miles on the new motor and am 99% there on getting the carb jetting right. The 2276 engine runs really strong, actually feels every bit a strong as the 180hp Subaru engine in my Speedster which would make sense with how the 2276 is built. The engine should be putting out in the 180 HP neighborhood. It just doesn't have as wide a torque curve or is it as smooth, but it isn't comparing apples to apples is it? I still have a little hesitation in the transition zone between the low speed and high speed circuits to work out.  

 I installed a new 10.5" Vintage Speed shifter last night that I had been waiting to receive from Taiwan. I have one in my Speedster and love the tight crisp shifting these high quality shifters give. It was a 30 min install and it works great compared to the worn out stock VW shifter that was on the Puma. If you are not using one of these shifters you are missing out. I think they are well worth the $253.00 plus $35.00 shipping I paid. I believe these are the only shifters that Carey uses on their Beck speedsters. I am not sure about the Spyder's  since they are mid engine setups. 

I have been having a ball driving the Puma to work and back every day. The engine has been running cool without the addition of an auxiliary oil cooler however the engine does have a large deep sump oil pan giving the engine a 5.5 quart oil capacity including the remote oil filter and lines. There isn't much room to squeeze an oil cooler in anyway, I am glad it doesn't need one. I have also completely sealed the top of the  engine from getting heated air from below. The only air the gets into the engine compartment is fresh cool air from the vents in the lid. I have gone to great lengths to seal the engine tin covering any holes and making sure the plug holes in the fan shroud are filled. I think I have the cooling system working as designed by VW. If anything I am afraid the engine is running too cool at times. My oil temps average 180-190. The dip stick is only warm to the touch after long hard drives. It proves to me how important it is to get the air flow correct and keeping the top of the engine isolated from the bottom. 

 The car has a very nice ride quality to it. It is smooth and fairly quiet, and best of all zero oil leaks! I have had to chase a couple of small leaks down but have been able to rectify them. I hate a leaky or dirty engine. To me the pic. below is fine art. 

Puma 2110 to 2276 oil pan and header 1

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  • Puma 2110 to 2276 oil pan and header 1

Outstanding, Jimmy. On the jetting, do you have an O2 bung in that exhaust? I really like tuning with the wideband gauge on the dash temporarily.

I'm thinking you may have to play with the accelerator pump adjustment(s) or possibly float level. A tiny adjustment on float level up or down can slightly richen or lean the transition, and get to the (almost) perfection you're looking for.

I have a feeling you are correct. I have not been using an AFR meter. I have been putting off pulling the carbs apart to install a different accelerator pump jet and re-adjust the float levels, you seem to be on the same page. My last step is an hour on a local chassis dyno and using their AFR meter in the tail pipe. to get the jetting that gives the most power and best AFR. To have it close before I go saves on the dyno time. They charge $100.00/hr.

My Spanish Webers came with "50" accel jets. That means 50% bypass back to the float bowl. I've not seen them available anywhere, but they seem to work well. I found a reference to accel pump adjustment somewhere, maybe the Weber CB Performance book, maybe on the samba, but can't remember exactly where I read it. Anyway, the reference said that VW engines REALLY like the 50% bypass jets.

EDIT:

Found them, labeled 0.55. So maybe a .55mm hole, or 55% bypass, IDK. See that hole drilled in the side? That hole is what bypasses some fuel back to the bowl.

https://www.mooreparts.com/emp...CEAQYBSABEgIF3_D_BwE

And here, with explanation:

https://www.pegasusautoracing....on.asp?Product=79701

The good news is you can tune the amount of bypass. It works backwards though:

000 is 100% accel shot(zero bypass) to 1.00(minimal bypass). Then fine tune with the threaded rod/pump stroke.

The portable/temporary wideband gauge has turned out to be one of the best tools I've purchased. If only I could get my customers to weld in a fitting on their exhausts.....

Last edited by DannyP

I have all the Redline tuning kits available for the 44 IDF's. One has main jets sizes and air correction jets, one comes with different idle jet sizes and it comes with different accel. pump what I call squirter sizes and different size bypass valves to let 50% bypass or zero bypass that gives you 100% of the pump squirt going down the carb throat. The carbs come with the 50% bypass installed. You can also adjust the amount of accel. pump volume by turning the small nut on the pump arm in or out to fine tune more or less accel. pump action. The Weber IDF carbs are very tunable and most of the tuning can be done without carb removal. I have gotten to the point I will need to remove the carbs to get them perfect. Mind you it is so close now that many if not most would not know but I know and I want it perfect. Now if this engine winds up in a different elevation it will need some fine tuning to run well. Makes a good argument for fuel injection. I have spent over $400.00 on jet kits to tune the carbs. That and the $900.00 for the new carbs get's me maybe a third of the way to a CB Performance FI setup. An old school VW buddy went Fuel injection about 5 years ago and swears by it and will not run a type 1 any other way. 

As you may know I have the jetting dialed in on the 2276 and it is amazing. I can't stop driving it but have too because the engine is now listed for sale. I have several people circling the engine so I am confident it will sell in the next few days.

 While I was driving the Puma this past weekend I was in the parking lot of our local Kroger store and in the isle waiting to pull out when a driver of a Chrysler 300 started to back up out of their spot and was moving quickly to what would have turned out to be a T bone situation with the Puma getting it's passenger side crushed in. It was like time slowed down as my brain was taking this in and knowing the driver of the 300 didn't see me at all because of the Puma being so small and low. The previous owner of the Puma installed power door locks and an alarm system on the Puma along with a large two trumpet air horn setup. The horns sound like a super loud obnoxious diesel tractor truck. As I was processing that the driver had no clue I was in his car's path I laid into the horn button and scared the hell out of the 300's driver who abruptly slammed his brakes on. Whew! what a close call, his bumper stopped inches from my passenger side door. I now have an idea why the PO installed the excessively loud air horn set up. The Puma is a little car that needs to have a big sound at times. I was glad it did, without the horn the car would have probably been ruined and totaled by the insurance co. I just took a pic to post and while taking the pic of the horns I found the car has 2 air trumpets, 2 large electric disc horns and a siren. I would say that should have it covered. Can you pick out all of the listed noise makers in the pic below?

Puma horns and sirens

 

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  • Puma horns and sirens
Last edited by Jimmy V.

I said the same thing after I saw the coil over shocks on the front but the car drives and handles great! The Puma's previous owner installed coil overs on all 4 corners. The car has a super smooth ride and it is firm in the corners. So for now I am not going to mess with something that works very well. I have no idea of why someone decided to install them unless in the front the torsion bars are weak same for the rear? The Puma has drop spindles in the front to lower the car to a nice low stance, not sure if that play into it or not. So for now I am driving the car and enjoying the heck out of it. My wife actually likes the Puma and that is saying something. Her car tastes do not align with mine usually. 

I've installed air horns in my Spyder and my 4 Runner, and I'm not afraid to use them. They've saved my bacon many times. In the Spyder they replace the meep meep but in my 4 runner, it's a separate button. Here is a link to what I and a few others did in our toy cars.

 https://www.speedsterowners.com/topic/loud-air-horns

I went with a Ferrari sounding horn set in the Spyder. It's a unique and piercing sound.

A true "train horn" will require an air tank and will sterilize you if your next to it when it goes off. It's also illegal in most states to have on an automobile.

There are many other choices that are attention getting, and some do not use a compressor. I feel it's a must with all the asshats out there, even if you have it on a separate button.

 

@TRP posted:

I went with horns out of a 60-70s Cadillac. 4 horns tuned to different notes. Makes for a loud distinct sound. Like a gas guzzler land yacht.

I swear my BMW K75RT had horns that sounded like a 57 Buick. Used to scare the crap out of people regularly. I would have installed a pair in the Spyder had I not already have a pair of hella horns that I'd bought for my Ducati. Not as "authoritative" as the BMW horns, but effective.

Last edited by dlearl476

I ordered the Magnaspark II wires from CB Performance that I mentioned earlier in the thread.

I discovered that they are intended to be used with a Magnaspark distributor which has spark plug type connections on the top of the distributor cap.

I had to snip off all the distributor ends of the wires and replace them with socket type terminations.

I got Taylor socket type terminals and boots along with a crimping tool from Amazon.

It works well to put the boot on the wire before crimping on the terminal.

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