Vintage VW Parts - 5 Critical Inspections and Preparations Before Assembling A Vintage VW Engine
Assembly of our Vintage VW engine with our vintage VW parts begins with the 5 following critical, preparatory, evaluations: 1.
The case halves have been thoroughly cleaned, and inspected for damage, and cracks.
If you are reconditioning an engine that has had a valve head banging around inside the case, you will have some damage to the case.
The damage may not be fatal to the engine, but you must inspect it carefully.
2.
The main bearing anti-spin dowels have been inspected for tight fit and lateral play.
3.
The case bolts have been inspected for case thread failure.
If the threads are pulling out, the original threads need to be drilled out, new oversize threads tapped into place, and steel inserts installed.
One of the most frustrating events during re-assembly is discovering case bolts that will not achieve torque specifications because the case threads have failed.
The problem is usually discovered when the cylinder heads are being installed.
When that occurs, a large portion of the work completed in the assembly needs to be disassembled again.
Repair to the threads can be achieved without splitting the case a second time, but care must be given to minimize the amount of drilling debris that will enter the assembled case.
Some metal shavings will get into the case, and could cause possible damage to the engine if the shavings are picked up by moving engine parts, and distributed to bearing surfaces.
Multiple flushes are a good idea before the engine is started for the first time.
The best circumstance is to prevent all of this by; making sure the case threads are intact, or as a preventative install inserts to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
4.
The crankshaft has been properly cleaned, and prepared for installation.
Preparation should include making sure the main bearing surfaces are not damaged or out of stock specifications.
If the bearing surfaces are damaged, they should be milled to oversized specifications by a reputable machine shop.
5.
One of the most frightening items that must be assessed before assembly with vintage VW parts is the 4 connecting rods.
A connecting rod can be bent, and not look damaged.
Installing a bent connecting rod will result in a collapsed piston when the engine is started.
A very frustrating conclusion to a lot of work.
The rods should be checked by a machine shop to make sure they are not bent.
The surest way to avoid a potential problem is to just replace the old connecting rods with new.
If you are rebuilding an engine that has had a valve head sheer off into the cylinder, it is a good idea to just discard the connecting rod from that cylinder rather than take the chance.
Number 3 cylinder is the most likely to have the valve shear.
These are five critical inspections and preparations steps that should be considered before assembling a vintage VW engine.
As this is only the beginning of the process there are many more steps to be completed before the VW Engine is back together and in running form.
The case halves have been thoroughly cleaned, and inspected for damage, and cracks.
If you are reconditioning an engine that has had a valve head banging around inside the case, you will have some damage to the case.
The damage may not be fatal to the engine, but you must inspect it carefully.
2.
The main bearing anti-spin dowels have been inspected for tight fit and lateral play.
3.
The case bolts have been inspected for case thread failure.
If the threads are pulling out, the original threads need to be drilled out, new oversize threads tapped into place, and steel inserts installed.
One of the most frustrating events during re-assembly is discovering case bolts that will not achieve torque specifications because the case threads have failed.
The problem is usually discovered when the cylinder heads are being installed.
When that occurs, a large portion of the work completed in the assembly needs to be disassembled again.
Repair to the threads can be achieved without splitting the case a second time, but care must be given to minimize the amount of drilling debris that will enter the assembled case.
Some metal shavings will get into the case, and could cause possible damage to the engine if the shavings are picked up by moving engine parts, and distributed to bearing surfaces.
Multiple flushes are a good idea before the engine is started for the first time.
The best circumstance is to prevent all of this by; making sure the case threads are intact, or as a preventative install inserts to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
4.
The crankshaft has been properly cleaned, and prepared for installation.
Preparation should include making sure the main bearing surfaces are not damaged or out of stock specifications.
If the bearing surfaces are damaged, they should be milled to oversized specifications by a reputable machine shop.
5.
One of the most frightening items that must be assessed before assembly with vintage VW parts is the 4 connecting rods.
A connecting rod can be bent, and not look damaged.
Installing a bent connecting rod will result in a collapsed piston when the engine is started.
A very frustrating conclusion to a lot of work.
The rods should be checked by a machine shop to make sure they are not bent.
The surest way to avoid a potential problem is to just replace the old connecting rods with new.
If you are rebuilding an engine that has had a valve head sheer off into the cylinder, it is a good idea to just discard the connecting rod from that cylinder rather than take the chance.
Number 3 cylinder is the most likely to have the valve shear.
These are five critical inspections and preparations steps that should be considered before assembling a vintage VW engine.
As this is only the beginning of the process there are many more steps to be completed before the VW Engine is back together and in running form.
