What do I have here??

David,

You have a dual carb 1776cc engine with some nicer aftermarket parts. Here is the formula to figure out engine displacement:

Bore(mm) X Bore (mm) X Stroke (mm) X .0031416

In your case this equals 1775.4cc

What you can do to improve isn't a simple matter. The easiest and most obvious is a bigger crank to turn it into a stroker... 78mm would turn it into a 2007 and 82mm would turn it into a 2110. Beyond that, you are looking at larger cylinder heads and pistons (go 94, the 92s are trash) and perhaps upgrading your Webers to 44s.

However, you want to talk to someone to make sure the other aspects of the engine (case, cooling, etc) as well as your transmission can handle the power you add. If you are in PA, I suggest contacting Kurt Mezger of Vintage Performance. He has a website at www.vintageperformance.net and built my 2176.

I just purchased a '96 IM Roadster with a engine built by BUGSTUFF in West Brownsville, PA.
BUGSTUFF was kind enough to send me the original invoice for the engine build.
The total cost for the engine came to $3,811.24; the items listed below are the main components listed on the invoice.

Is this a good set-up? What about the price he paid? Any recommendations to improve this engine???

engine block $599.99
counterweight 69mm crankshaft $599
remanufactured connecting rod $63.96
main bearings, .010 $29.99
rod bearings, .010 $16.91
double thrust cam bearings set $15.99
piston & cyl. kit 90.5 x 69 CIMA $230.37
flywheel, lightened & balanced $79.99
042 racing head 40 x 35.5 $399.98
Euromax exhaust w/ dual muffler $114.99
heat exchanger 63-74 $69.99
1700lb scat pressure plate $89.99
cushion grip clutch disc 200mm $60.98
12v alternator kit type 1 $185.99
dual 40 webers $699.99
melling HD oil pump 9mm to 70 $48.99
racing "quick cooler" kit $60.98
hi performance pushrods 13-1600 $33.98
spring loaded p/r tubes $67.98
teflon wrist pins $14.99
solid pulley , stock size $29.98
silicone ignition wire $13.98
12v Bosch blue coil $19.99

Thanks for you help -

Dave


(Message Edited 12/16/2002 9:39:10 PM)

David, your engine sounds very similar to the motor I had. I had stock head so I could run my stock heater boxes. If you want more power there are no quick/cheap fixes. I ended up having the engine torn down and upgraded to a 82 mm Scat crank, Scat rods and 044 heads (40x35). I would have loved to go with Street Elimintor heads and 48 IDFs or IDAs but you have to draw the line somwhere (actually, my wife drew the line for me). A 1996, tube frame IM is a very nice car. Enjoy the ride!

David,

As stated, you have a 1776 cc (90.5's x 69 Crank) that appears to be nicely built. It is almost a cliche to say the 1776 represents a nice balance of mid level performance vs, reliabilty. A nice touch is the set of 40 IDF Webers... as most 1776cc engines are built with Dual Kadrons or 34 ICTs.

Looking at your list I see an obvious improvement that really should be done to make that engine run like it should... Toss that European $120 exhust and get a 1 1/2 " set up with enlarged heater boxes. CB Perf can fix you up, so can Kimco with their "Thing" merged system. Or maybe first call John @ Air Cooled and get him to fix you up. The higher dollar fix is from CSP and is a great system, I now have one. This will instantly change the performance and sound of your engine.

Also, get a CompuFire set up for your distributor for better starts and easier tuning, plus no points. You could have your heads P&Pd to match....

Drive the 1776 for a while and do these mods, see what you think. A 2007 would be my personal step up.

Jim OKC

(Message Edited 12/16/2002 11:13:45 PM)

Dave:
Four items on your list make me think that it is possibly an incomplete list or that you may have failed to include one item(s).

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<<042 racing head 40 x 35.5 $399.98>>
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Each of the items is (at least loosely) cam related. Especially with the Webers and the double thrust cam bearings set I would assume that there is a performance cam in your engine. I would definitely double check 1) the type of cam; 2) The type of (hopefully matching kit) 3) the valve lash setting recommended for the cam you have installed.

Just my $.02 worth.

If you're looking for a bolt-on good for some added HP, a set of 1.25,1.4, or 1.54 ratio rockers might do the trick, just be careful not to add too much lift, especially if you already have a wild, high lift cam.

The pertronix or compu-fire are both good points replacements. You might want to go so far as to put on a CDI box or Jacobs, MSD, etc ignition box.

Are you thinking of pulling the engine apart or planning ahead for the next engine?

Charles Navarro
LN Engineering

DO NOT simply add higher ratio rocker arms unless you know which cam and valve springs your engine was built with. The "teflon wrist pins" are not pins, but rather buttons that replace the usual wrist pin keepers. If the crank was .010" under on rods and mains maybe it's a DeMello crankshaft, but the crank price seems a bit high; you can buy a new, std/std chrome-moly forged stroker crankshaft for less money.

Just an addition to George's post; high lift rockers are not going to give you much of a horsepower gain...probably 2 to 3 hp, which I doubt you'd feel. Size does matter.

Thanks to all who responded to my post.

I spoke to BUGSTUFF this morning, and he can't remember the type of cam installed in the engine, he's guessing it was either a 110 or a 120 Engle cam. He said the valve lash settings should be .006.

I copied the descriptions of the 110/120 Engle cam from the Engle website.

Any guesses as to which cam was installed would be appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

Engle 110
The most popular aftermarket cam for the aircooled VW engine - and deservedly so. Works great in mild stock stroke engines with improved carburetion. With stock valve 1600cc heads and a pair of 40mm twin choke carbs on a 1776cc engine, I get 100 plus bhp every time. Excellent torque and smooth driveability. Use with stock 1.1:1 ratio rockers, single HD springs and chromoly retainers - stock retainers can pull through. 284 duration. 0.385" lift at cam.

Engle 120
I use this to get 125 bhp from 1776cc with 40 x 35.5mm valves, 40mm twin chokes and 1.5 inch or 1.625 inches header. Peak power occurs later than with the Engle 110 but with a little headwork, still nice to drive at lower rpm. You'll need dual valve springs and chromoly retainers. 294 duration, 0.390 inches lift at cam.

Dave,

Without pulling it, I doubt that there is a way to know for sure what Cam you have. I will say that most built 1776ers have the Engle 110... but, that doesn't mean you have one. I run a 110, and there is just a barely detectable lope... in that there isn't an hard idle, just enough to vibrate the back window on the vert top at idle. If your car lopes more than that, my very unimformed guess is that it's a 120. based on this extremely un-scientific method, haha. I hope someone else can help you more than this!

How many miles are on the engine? Maybe you could pull it and take it to a local shop for some PM. Have your (hopefully sharp) VW specialist go through it and R&R as needed, plus get the word on that Cam.

Jim okc

(Message Edited 12/18/2002 5:27:32 PM)

Jim, my cam is somewhat "bigger" than an Engle 110 and the 2,110 idles smooth as silk even with dual 48 IDF Webers. I suspect you may have a carb tuning issue; perhaps linkage not synching properly or idle speed mixture slightly out of sync from side to side?.

Yeah, I suspect you are right George. It'as been a while since I set the idle on the carbs and one may have backed off or something. I'll take a look in the a.m., plus change plugs and do a little detail/PM work.

I horse traded some Kadrons I had sitting here unused with a few other parts, for a pair of 40IDFs, complete and new. They had been ordered by my shop for a customer that didn't come through with the change... so it was a sweet deal. Any input on installation is welcomed. I have the Weber Tuners book, and a pocket full of jets... from there it's all new territoty for me. The 34ICTs are a piece of cake, but just reading, well the 40s may be a little more work to get right. What type/brand Sync do you use? I need to get one. Also, linkage, who makes the best set up for 40 IDFs?

Jim okc

Jim, Weber IDFs are basically pretty simple - email me offline and we'll schedule a telephone session.