Hey there Panhead Pete and Redneck Smooth... The 50th anniversary Guinness World Records sites the Fastest time to swap an VW engine to a team of 4 mechanics from Germany who took a motor from a VW bug, installed it in another VW bug and drove it 16ft. 5 in. (5m) in 1 minute 37 seconds Jan.17,1999 in Munich Germany. There were many contests for this task around the world. My best time in my VW Karmann Giha was 3 minutes 42 seconds (alone). That wasn't for the fun of it though. I had that thing out more times than I... well.. you get the idea when you have no money to buy new parts. FANTASTIC engine to learn on though! My buddies and I learned how to rebuild, hop-up and maintain engines because of those spilt-case wonders. I built my first one when I was 13 out of the parts of 12 engines. Connecting rods bearings? We don't need no stinking.. oh you really need them? Oh. Ok. I'll just take some from here and here and.. yup. Lotsa learnin'! I agree with rustynewyorker... here in Nova Scotia that would have been a restored car! Nice find and yah.. quite the torch. Hmmm. Maybe I should put an old Vdub mill in my 28 T roadster.. KIDDING!
I was a bit worried about the valve covers, but evidence to the contrary; these guys knew what they were doing. The engine came out in one piece, intact and with those valve covers uninjured. The car was a lot worse than the pictures show. The front of the frame was rotted off and the front suspension was flopping. Rust holes in both bumpers and the lower third of the body was mush. The grill was badly bent but probably savable. Bottom line I bought the motor, not the car, and the guy didnt want to mess with taking it apart or sorting out usable pieces. I even offered to hang around and take off the good stuff and put it up for sale cheap, but he dragged the carc*** off and that was it. I wasnt going to jeopardize getting the engine by making a big deal out of it. He has saved tons of good stuff some of it Im going to try and get my hands on! "Little Hemi?" This thing looks BIG sitting next to the Wayfarer! Check the **** end - fluid drive, soon to be gone. Think it'll fit in there? <O</O<O</O
I have that same shirt, but i dont wear it when i use a torch. speaking of which where the hell do you get a torch that big.
Stupid question of the post: If you had to replace one of those covers, what kind of dough would you be looking at?
Depends how lucky you are. I just saw a beat up, non-embossed set go for $200 on Ebay. Jack knew how much I wanted those covers - the whole operation looks a lot worse than it really was, banjo music or not. I don't think this engine was ever touched while it was in the car. Most junker engines I've seen are pretty dinged up. This one is dirty but straight. Having said that, it may be frozen solid. RT
Those dudes have probably done this a time or two before I've swapped a VW engine in about 30 minutes in a gas station parking lot. About an hour for a Honda motor at a dragstrip pit area. Both of those were with a couple guys helping My fastest complete V8 SOLO engine pull was 2 hours from driving the donor car into the garage to having the motor and trans on the ground all by myself with hand tools only, no air, no torches, just a sawzall to cut the exhaust pipe.
Those photos are FANTASTIC!! LOL! I s**** cars at home and have a forklift. However, I could NOT get away with doing that. I live on Main Street and the nosy neighbours put up with enough, that would push them over the edge! I do wear a similar outfit when its hot. That torch must weigh 25lbs. I feel sorry for the guys I see at the s****yard having to stand there and cut steel all day, any weather, using one of those. I've got to pick up a Dodge Caravan this morning, the owner REFUSED to take anything for the car. I'll be chuckling all day thinking of those pics. I would like to figure out how to pull motors quickly, though. If I pull the engine I don't need a ***le to s**** the car and the motor brings more $$ if separated. But its only worth it if I can do it quickly!
Check the crank......no dampeners on them dodges.....trust me..I have gone thru 3 already searching for a good one. He-man stuff fo sure!
My buddy got a motor & trans out quick. Hanging from a loader like a Marlin Blew the bolts off with the hot wrench & a shake The sub frame hit the ground & the Camero lost it's Heartbeat of America
In that case I'm glad I grabbed one out of the back of a '49 Olds last fall before they could crush it. Why there was just the one in there by itself, who knows.
That reminds me when I pulled a trans out of a 59 olds,the yard owner flipped the car on its side and we removed all the bolts by hand and then pulled the motor and trans. We had to bust the block to get at the convertor bolts and I wish we would of used one of those long torches,where can one of those torches be found as I want one. Jeff
I bought one....Allegedlly it was 283.A number check showed it to a 365/327..No intake,smashed dizzy,full of water etc .$350..in 1973
The Jalopy Journal
