All,

I spoke to Mary about our concerns. She appreciated the fact that someone was thinking about how Dan would feel before we went much farther. She called Dan this morning and told him again the "master" plan. He is VERY much okay with the program. He knows she does not have unlimited funds. He knows he doesn't know these cars well. He is also very much okay with a 914World invasion. Mary also has two alternative sites in Garden City where the build can take place if need be. The more she thinks about it the more she wants to consider another site as Dan does not have heat and the other places have radiant heat in the garage (actually one is a airplane shop/hangar - with a kitchen!).

She also called her engine guy and he was excited to talk to Ed about the rebuild. He has the engine apart and said the heads are okay but the cylinders are shot. We need to get Ed to talk to him soon and I will pass his contact information to Ed next. If he needs parts I am sure Ed can source them better than anyone.

My last action item: Mary is still struggling with the words to describe her brother in a paragrah or two. She is more than okay with our master plan of the fundraiser - the build crew recruitment and the final build. She said "I trust all you guys". I did tell her that Rob has offered to write the post for the fund raiser but nothing will be publicly published with out her nod of approval.

This is a lot to read - but the recap is we are more than ever on the right track. I think we pick the build date - and move forward.

Cheers!

1) hanger can serve a dual purpose if we can camp there I'm really going to try and come. but where ever it is we can do it with the right people on board.

2) a set of AA pistons and cylinders are about $300 shipped for 96mm, this will giver her a 1911, if that's the path they want. I just bought a set for my engine. I'm more worried about the cam and lifters. I don't see how that is in this engine guy's budget of 1000. hell, gaskets, bearings and rings almost get you to 1000 before labor or machine work.

3)I think if she could just sum up in a paragraph or 2 what the car, and cars in general meant to her brother, and what it means to her to see the project get off the ground, that would be an excellent start. when you start to write about something you care about you'd be surprised how fast the words add up.

Spoke with Dwayne the engine guy this afternoon. Like me he is an old VW dealer guy and says he went to school for the type 4 engine back in '72. He told me what Mike stated above and I got more info from him.

He says the heads look good but the valves haven't been removed yet. He plans to lap the valves. The 1.7 heads don't tend to crack but I will be surprised if the guides are not worn out. May be more to come here.

The cyls have enough wear that there is a significant lip. He feels the pistons are reusable with new rings. He has looked at piston/cyl kits on the internet. I mentioned that the quality can vary widely. He thinks he may have a set of usable cyls. I told him we could most likely find a set if he can't. I will call him mid week if I don't hear back. Might be good to start looking for cyls.

The case is split and everything looks good. I hear ya Wayne on the cam but I just did a '73 1.7 at the shop and at 130K the cam and lifters were still good and are back on the road. New bearings should do it.

With the bare essentials to freshen the engine and labor I think the $1K estimate may double by the time it's finished. He plans to sandblast and paint the tin. Also most of the hoses are dry rotted and need to be replaced.

Dwayne mentioned that for Porsche parts he has dealt with AA in the past and they are pricey. I told him about Pelican and that for this engine his usual VW suppliers should have what he needs.When we discuss the cyls I'll try to get some sort of a list. I tried to give him my email addy but he says he's better on the phone.

Ed,

Thanks so much for contacting Dwayne. I am grateful your are part of the team as engine building is not my strong suit - as a matter of fact - I'm not sure I know what my strong suit is...

Cheers!

btw, the "AA" I mentioned was http://aapistons.com/ not auto atlanta

auto atlanta does tend to be higher than everyone else.




parts and labor add up quick on a job done right. I do know a stock cam can still survive I was just hoping that was the case here.

I'm glad you talked to him, Ed! thank you! I feel better about the engine now. does he do all of his own machine/head work? or is he shipping them to someone?

As the heads are still assembled we didn't discuss head work beyond lapping the valves. Back in the day at the dealership we did the machine work in the shop. I still have the tools to press guides and cut seats. They quickly pay for themselves if you have a shop. I suspect that he rebuilds heads in the shop. I will ask further about this when I check up on the cyl situation next week.

One other thing he said that I forgot to mention. The throttle body is seized from corrosion and he may need a new one.

Sorry I missed the call. I was dead on my feet.

For parts, I use Eric Shea as he gets me what ever I want for whole sale prices. AA p/c is a good bet, there are sets on ebay for about $300. I would kick in for some or all of the cost on these.

I will be buying my plane ticket today I will need to stock up on parts for the gear box. I have a great used 1st slider that I have reserved for the gear box that will save me $350

Evil,

Question #1: How did the interview go?

Question #2: Is there anything Mary can do to help prepare the transaxle for you?

The interview went awesomely. I would do well at that program

Is the transmission out of the car? If so, that is all she could do.

I hope they recognize your talents - would be good for both parties.

It is over at the engine shop - engine/drivetrain went as one piece. The engine is now separated from the transaxle so she can easily get it to where we will be working. What basic stuff do you need that can't fly or is easily picked up locally - cleaners, parts trays, gloves...

Call me if you need me when making your reservation. I am home today (316-218-1765) or cell phone (817-832-4171). I leave for Hawaii tomorrow for 10 days but will have my laptop and cellphone with me. My wife is on vacation - I am just answering my phone from a different place (no such thing as a vacation when you own a small business)

yep, these are what I got for mine. same P/C set, from the same place, but basically got shipping for free. I'd pitch in as well if need be.

Nice work guys. I'll start on wordsmithing the fundraiser a bit later...


Thanks again, R

You all have been busy! Ed, great follow up with the engine guy!

Let us know if the P/C set is needed. I'm sure we can fix Dwayne up with a new set if he would rather go that way.

If you just need a set of cylinders and the pistons will re-ring, I know we can find one here and one there to get what Dwayne needs.

I have a type IV under the bench from a 411 that still has 2 cylinders on it. I used 2 of them for the 1.7 I built for my car before the conversion.

I will walk out and see if I have a TB on that engine.

EDIT: Oh, about what mike posted about Mary having a hard time coming up with how to put something together in words to discribe her brother. This is why I thought this topic needed to go off the general forum. We are messing with someones feelings here. This can go very well and be healing or it can go very badly and be scaring.

I think we are on track here. Mary has met our offer with approval and genuine appreciation. Rob, I'm sure you will find the words Mary would like to express.

I think I have a TB. I looked at it but I will need to remove it and post a photo for you guy this weekend. I don't know if it is the correct one because it's off a 411 square back.

Talked with Dwayne this afternoon

He found he has cylinders that are usable pending final measurements. I asked if he thought going with a p/c set might be better. He’s more comfortable with good used pistons and cylinders with a ring set he’s familiar with the seating characteristics. I can see his point on this.

The heads have not been disassembled yet. He said again they look good and if they need a few guides that’s “no big deal”

Throttle body is still soaking
He says the rubber boot from the air filter down to the throttle body is hard and cracked and needs replacement. Says this is most likely why the throttle body got water in it and seized
Also the gasket between the plenum and throttle body is brittle hard. These have long been NLA but maybe a good one will turn up with a throttle body.

Without my asking he made a timeline projection of starting engine assy late next week and getting it bolted to the tranny and in the car around Thanksgiving. I mentioned that someone may come and go thru the tranny. It is at his shop and we are welcome to work there. This is 4 hours from Wichita but he said something about a location 2 hours away though I didn’t get details on that.

Currently I’ll talk with him the end of next week on the engine but some communication may be needed on the tranny.

Didn't I read a post at one time where someone was going to have those TB gaskets made and was wanting a group buy on them or something like that?

I'll do a search and see what I can find....


BTW: Great work Ed. That's exactly why we need you involved. Non of us would have known if the engine guy was for real or just a back yard wrench.

Ed - Thanks so much for your help here!

I will have Mary contact Dwayne and get the tranny and bring it over to her body shop where the good Dr will perform surgery (with me assisting). It will be better with the tranny at the body shop so we can also assess the current state of Buttercup and maybe wrench on it a bit - time permitting. I think we will have about 10 hours in Garden City.

Cheers!

I recall talk about making 2.0 TB gaskets which is flat paper. The 1.7 uses a cone shaped rubber gasket that has ribs on both sides to help it seal. I would use some sealer on a marginal one but often they split. This gasket was supplied with factory rebuilt Vanagon engines but was not needed for the install. About 15 years ago I threw away dozens of brand new ones.

OK, That must have been the topic. Your right. I used the search function but didn't even find the 2.0 gasket topic.

Thinking ahead here.... Dwayne mentioned mating the engine and trans... couple of 914 specific things.

... Dr. Evil when you look at the trans could you check the cup bushing in the throw out bearing arm...these are usually toast... I would also shim the ball with a thin washer. Unless the flywheel was machined a thin shim should be good. Need to make sure there's an adjustable clutch before the eng trans gets hung in the car.

I have a new one of those little bushings, I think and a good arm if hers is bent. I shimmed my pivot recently, since the flywheel was lightened, and it made a huge difference in shifting... it shifts like a dream now

Ya, I think I have one of those bushings as well. I try to stock all that stuff. I know I have a bunch of arms.

Just FYI, if you put more than one spacer under the pivot ball you need to seal the threads of the ball as it will not seal and will slowly leak. Stock, they come with a singular shim under there. Split washers are a no-no as they will not seal.