[T3] T-4>T-3...

[Adam Douglass]

I think I will answer this a couple of ways.

One would be price; I was able to source a newly rebuilt engine at a great price. I was also able to source a great set of Italian Dellorto 40's for a great price. As of right now I am less than $1300 total investment in this conversion, and I feel that some of the will be returned when I sell the type 3 engine I have. Even if I were to only get $600 for my current engine, I am then $700 invested. I will be the first to say that my expenses are FAR from final, but the bulk of the expense is going to be in carburetors and engine. And I suspect that I will be under $1000 total at completion.

Sourcing parts at a great price, in great condition, is the key to any cost-effective conversion. Getting input from other who have done this conversion more than once is also a good way to avoid costly pitfalls along the way. That is why I post on this mailing list and call people across the country to get input BEFORE I embark on my journey.

Then you factor in the fact that the type 4 engine was designed for the heavier Type 2 and performance oriented 914. They are more robust, come stock at 2.0 and cool far better, by design, than the type 1 engine. They were the next step in VW engine engineering. They also have power at the lower RPM range that the type 1 engine simply does not have without stroking it and decreasing longevity. I am not saying that stroking a motor cannot be done without a decrease in life, but I would venture to say that most people that stroke an engine do it for performance and not longevity. 

I also think that a lot of people fail to realize that these engines came in the Type 4 411 and 412 that shared a LOT of parts with the type 3. This is NOT a labor intensive swap. It is not a bolt in, but it is very close. The modifications are a minimum of the effort. As long as you have the skills (or in my case, access to those with the skills) you can cut cost tremendously. 

Along those lines, I would venture to say that a 2110, being bigger by nature, would take just as much modification to make fit in the stock type 3 tins and engine bay as I am going to have to do to get a type 4 in. I have no experience with this, but I do know that a stroked engine is a bigger engine. It would take modification of stock parts just like I am having to modify stock parts. 

Just because something is different or not understood doesn't make it wrong. Any of you that are close enough to me are more than welcome for a ride when I get it going. Remember, I haven't even ridden in a type 4 converted type 3, but I am willing to take the chance because it is fun, it is custom and I think it will pay off in the end. We will see.

Adam



On Tuesday, February 4, 2014 10:18 AM, Mike Fisher <fisherfarms at gmail.com> wrote:
 
I agree!  Any 1776-2110cc Type 3 engine would solve any lack of power
problem easier.  Not to mention the apparent lack of Type 4 bearings etc!


On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 9:10 AM, FE Meek <ftalker at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi there
> Other than the challenges of adaptive engineering, I really have never
> understood the "T4 into a T3" conversion.  This, I suppose, is the VW
> example of fitting a 911 six into a 356 body....it can be done, but why?
>  Each of these Porsches and VW's was engineered fairly well for their
> purposes, and the aftermarket community has contributed much to the
> enhancement of the stock formulas.  I am not at all criticizing the efforts
> of those intrepid, (and more wealthy), individuals who have taken these
> leaps.  I just don't get it.
> I have owned VW's and Porsches for years, and I have always found ways to
> "improve" a bit on the original, (now fifty and sixty year old designs),
> for a more modern edge on reliable, established engineering.  For instance,
> full flow filtration on the early VW and Porsche engines makes sense for
> many reasons, even though many of us who've been there in the "day," know
> of not a few of these cars without the full flow advantage going 100K with
> good and timely service and regular oil changes.  But, I have full-flowed
> all of my VW's from my first one.  Also, when I thought that speed,
> acceleration were limited for my taste, I built bigger engines, still
> maintaining the ideas of reliability and longevity.  I currently have a
> split-window T2, the engine for which I rebuilt in 1977.  Its full flow,
> externally cooled power plant has motored along to nearly 80K, (with
> reduction boxes), and is still strong.  My T3 Square, which attended the
> first invasion in Parma, has a 2110cc motor, w
>  hich is both full flow and electric fan cooled with Webers that pull this
> wagon along at any speed that I believe this design allows.  On one lonely,
> straight stretch of open, dry Western highway, it reached well over the
> capacity of the speedometer to accurately calculate.  And, I live in NW
> Colorado, where mountain passes are a standard landscape feature and, if I
> so desire, can accelerate past most vehicles safely and quickly.  When I
> drive more sanely, I can achieve thirty plus MPG at maximum road speeds.
> So, I look at these motor swaps with some curiosity, amusement and
> interest.
> Best regards,
> FE Meek
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
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-- 
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