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Thread: 1968 Volkswagen Beetle 2.3L

  1. #21
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    Update: replaced the old Weber IDA velocity stacks with a newer design from JPM. These are their Raptor stacks that create a smoother entry for the air flow, and also add a few cfm.

    The Raptor stacks must have helped as the Beetle ran 0.16 seconds quicker and 3 MPH faster at Castrol on Friday. This was my first 12.6-second ET at Castrol, as I've only ever achieved that once before at Mission Raceway (sea level):

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  2. #22
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    Default Drag racing

    Made the trip to Mission Raceway, as part of the 24th Annual Great Canadian VW Show weekend. Managed to get four races on the drag strip, including a couple of 12.5-second ET's...best ever for the Beetle.

    Experimented with the jetting on the Weber IDA's, but the dew came early and the track had to shut down.

    Will ponder some changes for next season...different camshaft (probably closer to a race cam). Also, need to work on the suspension and lighten the car a bit, to improve the slow 60-foot times.
    Last edited by Neil68; 09-28-2015 at 10:41 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  3. #23
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    Default 2016 Update

    After leaving the engine together for a couple years, I decided to remove the cylinder heads and check the valve train for wear and geometry. So far, everything looks pretty good. I wll probably replace the dual valve springs just to be sure, as it's cheap insurance.

    The ten-year old Scat 1.4 forged rockers are still in top shape:


    The OEM magnesium crankcase is holding up well, with no cracks or leaks visible despite the high RPM racing:



    The Weber IDA carbs might have been running a bit rich.

    The valve notches have worked well on the Mahle pistons. No witness marks are visible:
    Last edited by Neil68; 02-21-2016 at 05:36 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  4. #24
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    Default Weber IDA

    Did some more research on jetting for the Weber IDA carbs, to improve 1/4-mile performance but still remain streetable. Next step is to change the emulsion tubes from F2 to F4. You can see the extra transition holes:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  5. #25
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    Default Shortblock

    Pulled off the pistons & cylinders to check the rods, lifters, camshaft, etc. Everything looked good with no excessive clearances anywhere.

    Inexpensive Mahle 94 mm aluminum pistons made in Brazil:



    Piston is installed into the cylinder on the bench. Install the inside circlip prior. I needed 3.0 mm cylinder spacers to get the deck height sorted out as I'm using 140 mm rods instead of stock 137 mm (some blue sealant is used to prevent oil leaking past the cylinder to block joint):



    Lined up the wrist pin with the rod and tapped it in. This is simple to do on an aircooled flat 4, whereas on a Subaru you would insert the wrist pin through a hole in the shortblock:



    The stock wire clip is replaced with a more reliable circlip. Rods are H-beam chromoly from CB Performance with ARP bolts:



    Piston shows 93.93 mm diameter with 0.035 mm clearance all around (to prevent seizing on cold start-ups). Arrows on piston tops must point towards flywheel to minimize piston slap. Cylinders are inexpensive Mahle cast iron:



    Deck height is 0.5 mm prior to installing head gaskets:



    1.0 mm copper head gasket creates 1.5 mm (0.060") total Deck Height and 10:1 CR with valve notches. Head studs are Scat 8 mm chromoly and have worked well for 10 years. Heads are torqued to only 18 ft lb, since the engine will grow during operation and torque will rise:

    Last edited by Neil68; 03-23-2016 at 11:20 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  6. #26
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    The stock Beetle engine only use 2.5 litres of oil, which is sufficient for it's intended low rpm economy heritage. For high rpm racing, an aftermarket deep sump is required, and I'm using the Gene Berg aluminum sump which holds 3 litres more (the oil pickup tube had to be extended). I run the oil level a bit lower than the stock dipstick mark with 5 litres. This might reduce the amount of oil splashing around inside the engine, but still providing enough to the rods, camshaft and under the pistons:



    Using a lightened 12.5 lb chromoly flywheel which is torqued to 405 ft lb via a 36 mm chromoly Berg gland nut (torque multiplier tool helps):



    Disc is a Centerforce dual friction model which grips well at the drag strip (but is easy on the gearbox), and is still smooth in city driving:



    Clutch is a Kennedy Stage 2. The cooling fan is stock but with welded vanes by Berg (otherwise it could turn into shrapnel at high rpms). The venturi ring improves cooling air intake into the shroud, which then blows over the cylinders, heads and oil cooler:

    Last edited by Neil68; 03-21-2016 at 10:42 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  7. #27
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    Here's the JPM Raptor camshaft with 10.8 mm lobe lift (0.425") which combines with the Scat 1.4 ratio rockers to produce 15.1 mm valve lift (0.599"). The cam lobes clear the lifters just enough to account for engine expansion (minimum 1 mm gap recommended):



    The cam lobes barely clear the 84 mm crankshaft counterweights:



    The camshaft was turned down, so the rod caps would clear. In the flat 4 VW engine, each lobe acts on two lifters...one on each cylinder bank. The two centre lifters control the intake valves, and the two outer lifters are exhausts:

    Last edited by Neil68; 03-22-2016 at 09:31 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  8. #28
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    Oil pickup tube extension was made by brazing pipe, to reach down into the bottom of the bolt-on deep sump:



    The #3/4 cylinder bank has the oil galleries feeding the cam bearings, lifter bores and main bearings. Oil pump has 26 mm gears. Centre main has a split bearing while the other three bearings are full-circle and slide onto the crankshaft:



    Lifters are JPM and are tapered to match the cam lobe taper. Cam bearings are plain style:



    Here's the #1/2 cylinder bank before the oil pickup was extended. Main bearings are plain style with groove on the back side for oil flow:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  9. #29
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    Here's a photo with the previous camshaft, which shows the straight-cut cam gears. The oil pump (top left) is driven directly off a slot in the end of the camshaft. The distributor is driven off the brass gear (top right) on the crankshaft. The OEM stock fuel pump rod runs on a small cam on the distributor drive.

    Everything is direct drive, as there are no timing belts or chains. Once the engine is assembled, then the timing never changes...except for the distributor ignition timing (adjusted with a standard timing light).

    Little disc on the (top) end of the crankshaft is an oil slinger which keeps oil from seeping out the end of the crankshaft...pretty bare bones design:

    Last edited by Neil68; 03-23-2016 at 11:11 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  10. #30
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    I measured and cut the Logmech dual-tapered aluminum pushrods and re-installed the Scat rocker arms. Lash caps are used to protect the valve tips:



    Spring-loaded pushrod tubes are used, as they will expand and contract with the engine temperatures. VW flat-4 engines use pushrod tubes to allow cooling air to circulate around the cylinders and heads:



    While digging out the adjustable measuring pushrod, I found an old Manton chromoly pushrod that bent while drag racing a couple years ago. It was the 0.035" wall thickness, which while being light, was not strong enough. I switched to their 0.058" wall thickness, and that worked well. However, they're too noisy at operating temperature, and the aluminum pushrods should "grow" with the engine width much better:



    I began using the silicone valve cover gaskets a few years ago and this has worked well. Just glue them in, and they stay put without leaking. Aircooled VW valves require regular adjustments, so the valve covers are removed regularly:



    Valve covers are retained by thick spring wire bails, which keep the cover tight during all temperatures:

    Last edited by Neil68; 03-24-2016 at 10:54 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  11. #31
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    Installed the stainless steel Wasp stepped header. Here's #1 cylinder exhaust pipe starting out at 41 mm, then stepping up to 44 mm and then 48 mm:



    #3 header pipe:



    Here are the #1 & 2 cylinders with the head studs passing through the fins. The cylinder cover tin is in place and the fanshroud will sit over top:



    #3/4 cylinder bank & you can see how air passes between each pair of cylinders and also between the two head chambers to cool evenly:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  12. #32
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    The aluminum oil cooler has six rows of tubing inside with fins that direct the cooling air to pull heat out of the oil. This is the new later doghouse aluminum oil cooler that was required once emissions standards changed in the early 1970's:



    When I installed the fanshroud, I noticed that three of the four tabs holding the air intake ring were broken...40 years of engine vibration had taken it's toll. Decided to braise the tabs, and then gave them a quick shot of spare rustoleum paint. This velocity (venturi) ring was added when VW introduced fuel injection to the original 1600 cc engine:



    VW also increased the width of the fan blades to 38 mm and added larger air scoops to the shroud (the bulges that you can see around the air intake). The term "doghouse" refers to the rectangular housing that you can see attached to the shroud. Previously the oil cooler sat inside the flat shroud, which was less effective:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  13. #33
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    Default Castrol Raceway

    Went up to Castrol Raceway for the Street Legals last night. On the very first race, a lash cap broke while shifting into 4th. I didn't have any spares with me, as this has never happened before. These are Scat brand and they've worked well for several years:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  14. #34
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    Default Herrod Helper

    On windy days, I was finding that the Beetle was getting a bit wobbly on the drag strip at around 100 mph. Did some investigating and it seems the California drag racers and Bonnyville Salt Flats competitors have been using something called the Herrod Helper.

    It's a very basic wing (spoiler) that helps reduce drag and pressure as the air drops down over the back window at high speeds. Since the Beetle is shaped like a wing, the back end can lift, thus reducing traction (rear-wheel drive). The Herrod Helper, named for the California inventor in the 1970's, was sold by JC Whitney back in the day and is now being reproduced by a Las Vegas company. In addition to stabilizing the car, it also increases fuel economy and reduces noise in the cabin:

    Last edited by Neil68; 11-05-2016 at 06:24 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  15. #35
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    Picked up a fibreglass reproduction of the Kamei front air dam/spoiler that was sold for Beetles back in the 70's. This should help reduce lift at the front and improve stability at higher speeds and on windy days:

    Last edited by Neil68; 11-26-2016 at 07:48 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  16. #36
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    Got the spoiler installed tonight without too much difficulty. Had to drill four 5 mm holes into the bottom of the bumper. That 60's German steel sure is solid...I dulled one drill bit before finally getting the holes finished:



    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  17. #37
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    CSP parts has finally produced a tuned pipe and muffler to match their Stage 2 stepped header. Since my old Magnaflow muffler has seen better days, I decided to order the matching pipe from California Import Parts out of Vancouver.

    The trick was how to fit a 1000 mm pipe after the collector and before the muffler, and still fit underneath the back end of a small Beetle flat 4 engine:



    Last edited by Neil68; 12-19-2016 at 10:04 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  18. #38
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    Just received a new pair of M&H street-strip tires. These fit nicely on my 6" CMS wheels and have excellent grip at the track. They test as being very similar to slicks, but they are street legal DOT approved. They ship via USPS to Canada, so it's a simple on-line ordering process:

    Last edited by Neil68; 12-28-2016 at 12:11 PM.
    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  19. #39
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    Default CSP Wasp Exhaust

    Got the CSP Wasp exhaust finished. It took a bit of experimenting to adjust and fit the muffler behind the brake caliper, between the valve cover and traction bar mounts and also clear the 6"-wide wheel and 215/65 tire:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

  20. #40
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    I decided to change the rear discs to studs, instead of carrying multiple types of lug bolts. Stock VW's use a radius/ball lug bolt, while my CMS aluminum race wheels use cone bolts. It's a pain switching the bolts and trying to hold the wheels in place while threading in the bolts. Now I can mount the wheel quickly, and spin on the lug nuts and torque them at the track. The studs are 10.9 grade Audi/VW upgrades manufactured by White Knight (from Concept 1). Stock thread pitch is retained M14 x 1.5:

    Neil
    '68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
    12.5-second 1/4 mile

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