VW bus engine

Maintenance/Repairs
1

A reconditioned 1973 VW bus/camper conversion is advertised

with a 2200cc engine. Is this engine likely to be a newer engine

or a 1600cc engine with larger pistons/cylinders and the original

1600 crank. Also states it has hydraulic valve lifters.

2

Stick a Porsche 911S engine in it for real fun.

3

It’s probably a stroked 1600 with bigger pistons and jugs. It would have a different crank. I like twotone’s recommendation. I saw a old style VW bug many years ago with a high powered Porsche engine. It was blowing everything away at the dragstrip. Chevelle and Mustang drivers were walking around in a daze.

4

I think there was an engine close to 2200 cc. In '73 I think they used a different motor from a standard Beetle motor. It likely is a motor similar to a 914 Porsche. The good is more power. The bad is less parts and you can’t swap out the motor for an old Beetle motor as easily.

I’m not buying hydraulic lifters. If it has them, then it isn’t a stock motor IMO.

5

Standard for 1973 was the Type IV engine (much,much improved over the bug engine). The thing that bothers me is the displacement was 1700,1800 and ended up at 2000 cc’s. A “bug” engine with a stroker crank and big jugs (82mm stroke 92 mm bore) gave us the classic 2180 (standard stroke crank but the bigs jugs gave us an 1835). There is no reason to believe someone stuck a bug engine in a bus in 1973, I rather feel the seller is talking about a Type IV engine with some big jugs. The part that bothers me is the hydraulic lifters as this clearly did not happen in 1973 (more like real late 70’s)If done right this could be a great package (done right means the person doing it knew what they were doing more than anything else). Best conversion I saw was used the V-6 from a Nissan Maxima from the late 70’s early 80’s. The camper bodies do warrant this type of investement (or at least in my eyes they do).The 2L Type IV engine in the 914 was the prefered engine. Do a Wiki search and see what the max displacement on a Type 4 (air cooled was and when they got hydraulic lifters)There has been some swapping going on here but I bet it was with bus not bug parts.A 2180 is a racing engine not a long haul camper bus engine. 140HP from a 2180(bug motor based) was not so hard to get.