Re: WildcatOne's 1970 VW Beetle
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 4:14 pm
Hmmm...the plot thickens...I was just looking at a Scat Engine catalog and they sell offset kits that install between the deck lid and the hinges on the body that it bolts to. The deal didn't say anything about providing clearance for a dual-carb engine but rather that it provides space for heat to escape from the engine compartment, allowing the engine to run cooler...I agree with a cooler-running air-cooled engine, but I also believe that an adequately ventillated engine compartment (bigger and more powerful fan, heck, maybe even more than one fan and shroud, with cooling ducts) would do just as well if not better. I also like the idea of running a deeper oil pan (wet sump) and having an external oil cooler with a super-pump...I discussed that with my cousin Bert while I had George up there last month but he didn't like the notion of adding something to the engine that wasn't already there in the first place. He said it's just something else that can break. I argued that more oil, cooler oil at that, would prolong engine life, but he said another machine hooked up to the main machine increases the chance of machine failure by 100%...I shouldn't argue with an expert...but I haven't stopped thinking about possible ways to improve Bugs. Thanks for the single air filter idea...looking at the Pauter site I saw one engine that had something like what you were talking about, but I couldn't tell if it was a turbo setup or 4 carbs into one filter (engine could have been for a sand drags car or a streeter?). They also have a feature on Don Pauter's '59 Ghia with a monster engine in it (3140cc killer motor) that fits under the stock hood and has a super-powerful fan blowing on it in there...so it does appear that the offset deck lid is an inexpensive option to sinking big dough into a VW project...Cheers, WC1
