Bump for a new page and demoted awesomeness.

Zach

Tonight's update, finished clearancing and balancing the big end of the rods. I needed to remove a little more material from the rod end caps to get my min .060" clearance from the opposing stuff. Then, I balanced the large ends to within 1g which is the limit of my gear. They were off a max of 6g so I am happier with where they are now

Next before assembly, I am waiting for my friend to snag me some pipettes from her lab so I can CC the heads. Once CCed, I will have the barrels turned to the correct depth for the CR that I calculate. I cant wait, it will be assembly time after this step! I will be cleaning the case really well, again, before the assembly.

If you can't find pipets, I'll bet you can snag some syringes which seem to work fairly well.

I got a plastic burette off eBay from some place in Houston for less than $20. Much easier than using pipettes. Of course, free is a good price...

Ha, I have 10ml and 60ml syringes and totally forgot about them. The pipettes are actually easy to use, but the syringes will work. Duh...

CVS sells syringes for dosing babies...they cost like 3-4 bucks.
100cc in one cc marks.

Use tranny fluid...it bubbles less and its easy to see.

Rich

this thread has it all...

trannys

pipes

syringes

whats next?

And Dr. Frankenvair.

Every time I have needed machine work 3 things have happened: 1) Things took waayyy longer than they were supposed to. 2) I made friends with the machinests. 3) I got a smoking deal onteh work

I just got back from the machine shop and they only charged me $1200 for all ofthe work He said it was morelike $1800, but he felt bad about the time. The places that do this conversion normally charge in the area of $2500 and that doesnt include the large amount of head work I had them do. It pays to be nice

Please take lots of pic's.

Now you can add paying for a lot of head work to the list...

Good news! I was working out the parameters to see what I needed to adjust for the CR and after I added in .040" copper head gaskets, I need nothing The deck height was remarkably right on. $40 for the gaskets and they are on their way This weekend should prove to be productive.

Spent an hour out there tonight balancing the pistons. Enough is enough, time to clean the case for the last time and start putting the parts in.

Windshield will be here Monday.

Looks sweet! Where did you find the windshield? Did you find one that was completely clear or does it have the tint across the top?

Glass shop we use occassionaly is getting it for me. I don't know if it is tinted or not. I honestly didn't even think about that

Cost? Might want to ask about the tint, I've heard complaints about it from taller bus drivers, apparently the tint comes down far enough that they are looking through it all the time when driving.

But I've also heard that it is tough to get anything else new.

175.00, I'll find out Monday about the tint I guess, hopefully Mike won't

What is the plan for the roof?

Rich

Roof will be done at a later date. For now it ( the bus ) will go back to the house until Mike is ready to put the engine in. That way he can drive it with the fixed roof so I can get the 914 done, make some $$$ and prepare myself for the roof " project " It really won't be that bad I just need to get some other things out of the way first, and he can enjoy the bus sooner.

Besides that, it clashes with all the little Italian red....
Cool job, get Mike to finish up that motor...we are having a spring thaw today...

Rich

NICE! That is great man! Did you put the glass in or did you get that guy to come and do it?

RE the engine: I got the lower end started tonight. The case halves are together with the crank and cam, and the bellhousing is installed. The crank moves free and all looks to be going well. I have it mounted on the stand. I cant wait until tomorrow to do some more Gonna CC the heads.


I want the bus to drive to Hershey

I did it. I couldn't remember who the hell it was. I went by the Old Volks home, because I thought for sure it was him, he said it wasn't. Aren helped with the back hatch and the jealouse windows. I got the two side rears by myself. It was a lot easier then it sounds. Fuch those jealouse windows though. Never again for this white boy

I guess it is too late to ask you to tint the windows for me?

Tonight I finished the piston balancing and started fooling with the heads. The pistons had a range of 4g and took some work to get within 1g of each other. I did it because I wanted to, not because it needed it. Its not like I am racing this bus. What was a PITA was that the pistons come with the rings already installed and I had to take them all off, but it was easy and I didnt break any...yet.

I started smoothing out the heads tonight as well. Since the heads have been opened up to accept the wider jugs I am left with a nice step with a sharp edge to possibly cause preignition. I took a dremel and sanding wheel and gently smoothed these surfaces finishing up with some sand paper. It is looking good I was smart and had the top of one of my spare cylinders that was damaged in shipping cut off so I could use it to protect the seating surface while I sand. One head done and one to go. I need to pick up some small files so I can deflash the head fins. I though I had a set, but I cant find them and they are $3 at Harbor Freight. It is possible that this will be mostly together by the end of the week

CRAP! So, I was cleaning up my cylinders and pistons to put them on the engine and get a final read on the deck height when I noticed that the cylinder that I previously dropped was damaged more than I originally thought I thought I just chipped the skirt, but on closer inspection the whole base had a crack that was hard to see. Looks like I will need a new cylinder....and to have it worked Just another set back, at least it is a minor one and I found it in time.

Got the rod bearing in today and installed. Still waiting on the replacement cylinder so I can get it machined, then it is time to assemble. I have been working the heads today; deflashing the fins and passages, smoothing sharp edges in the chambers, and CCing the heads. Almost done with the heads.

I need to start adding pics so people wont be so board with this thread

punster

All sounds pretty cool Doc! A rebuild on the "other" air cooled -6....

You might give a quick email to Steve at Rear Engine Specialists to see what "licks" he'd recommend on doing a home port-job on the heads (and any other recommendations he might give overall). Steve's a super nice guy and been into those engines for a long... long.... time.
http://www.rearenginespecialists.com/

Now show us some pics!! Are you staying with the Rochesters? or going 4bbl? Headers?

FWIW, Steve put this beauty together:



...for fellow buggy nut Chuck R.

Cheers,
Jeff

Hey Jeff,
I am going 4bbl with electrically adjustable jets. I am also running headers. I am not juicing this thing as much as possible, I am actually keeping the CR to 7.2-7.4:1 so I can run low octane and still get enough oomph out of the engine. I also am using some worked over old style 80hp heads that have extra intake ports added (came that way) and stainless valves. I'll get some pics in a few days....I am going to be at Zachs for most of the weekend working on his 914.

Looking at the pics again and the roof looks really bad compared to the rest of it

OK my hungering masses, some engine pics as promised

Enjoy the no maintenance hydraulic lifters.

6cyl air cooled /flat fan = cool

Send him another check...
Get r done.

Rich

I am in lust for a case design like that...
WOW...never saw an open one before...

Rich

That is the first time I have seen the Corvair intake manifold. Two runners into the manifold then three intake ports. Doesn't look very efficient. One question: Why did they do that?

I think I've heard that people cut off the manifold to fit triple throat Webers. From Jeffs phot it looks like you could fit a dual throat Weber if you had a suitable manifold.

And that engine case sure looks different form a VW/Porsche case. Very square looking. Interesting.

Hi Guys,

I thought I would throw in some Corvair pictures I took back in March 2005 just before they sent all this stuff to the dumpster. It's gone!!

Tom

I had a bored 140 with 3bbl 40ida weber carbs custom headers, roller rockers all the OTTO stuff bla bla . It took 2 years to finally sell it to someone back east. If you look at corvair heads funny the seats will fall out.
Gone but not forgotten, fun cheap cars in the late 70's.

Corvair motors with auto transmissions find their way into strange places.

Dr. Evil, Really enjoying this forum.

tom

140 heads have seat problems, similar to our 2.0 heads and for the same reason, not much metal between the valve seats. There are many fixes, mainly you just need to install the seats correctly with .030 crush for one. I chose the 110 heads because I wanted low end, off the line, and less worry about dropping seats. I actually am using 80hp heads, but the valves are the same and I have done some chamber tweaking. I have not spent too much on this and can do upgrades later if I want.

My first engine I was doing like this for a 914 got to kit stage with all the parts, it sold easily and I made money.

The heads are the week link without a doubt, but they can be worked pretty easily. They cant be too bad, they are coveted and used in home built planes often.

Reworked heads
Click to view attachment

In a teener
Click to view attachment

With tripple webbers
Click to view attachment

He isnt doing the top because we are going to cut it off and put the camper top on

Hey that top picture is from starr cook, off road racer .
Wallin Piper was making some individaul heads for the vairs and starr has like the only finished set.
Dont get me wrong DR. I have had plenty of success with em just noting the weak link, When you could buy a whole 64 turbo spyder car for 150.00 dollars those head mods were out of the question.
Back in the day.

Ya, those heads are off of Starr's old web site. He still makes stuff and sells it on ebay. He has skills, but is kind of an arrogant SOB

Here is where I will likely end up with mine, 6 runners with one 4bbl

Click to view attachment

Hey Doc - according to what I've read - and this may be similar to the T4 engine, it's way too easy to get extra fuel into the 'Vair, even without doing much headwork. The key to making power is cleaning up the exhaust flow out of the heads. This requires angle-cut ports and special outlet tubes. Without that, it's basically bottle-necked. That's one reason I bagged putting the 'Vair into my buggy - way too easy to get into a couple grand into just headwork to get into the 200+hp club.
Your engine should make tons of torque though, should be perfect for the Bus!

Jeff

Jeff,
do you recognize that case? It was yours once. The heads can be done for not too much if you have friends I have Root to do my head welding and working and my contacts at Feaser's machine shop in Hbg.


Paul, no. Neat, but no.

ANOTHER check who the hell got the first one??

Back to work!

that's looks like a trip to the hairdresser that went wrong. I think Bo Derek used to have hair like that . . .

excellent job on this so far

m.

[quote name='Dr Evil' date='Feb 9 2009, 04:48 PM' post='1132115']
--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(scotty b @ Feb 9 2009, 07:38 PM) </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
[quote name='r_towle' post='1131820' date='Feb 8 2009, 08:18 PM']
[quote name='Dr Evil' post='1131513' date='Feb 8 2009, 12:33 AM']
Looking at the pics again and the roof looks really bad compared to the rest of it
[/quote]
Send him another check...
Get r done.

Rich
[/quote]

ANOTHER check who the hell got the first one??






[/quote]


Back to work!
[/quote]

Just got home from it Glass guys can't find a PPG SO they said judging from what they saw, AND what they know of PPG glass they think this one is a little large and took it back today to grind the edges down. They will be coming back in a day or 2 to re-try it. He also said the buses originally had a " toothed " piece that clamped onto the frame lip, inside the rubber and that helped to keep it put when installing and afterwards, but usually people tossed it the first time they changed the glass. I never saw any such creature on your original glass, nor have I seen any such creature on a bug I just want this damned thing in already I'm bringing the 914 over next weekend whether the bus is there or not. I need to get started on it. Maybe I'll just shove the bus out back for the bums to sleep in