Date:         Sat, 27 Apr 2002 20:04:33 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: I drove Boston Bob's big valve motor!  Report
In-Reply-To:  <OE153ASmy6tGplnrAkd00018fc5@hotmail.com>
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>Volks,
>On Monday Boston Bob was heading back home from Florida and stopped
>by for a visit in Charleston, SC.  We fiddled with some of my
>projects a little while, and then he offered for me to road test his
>"big valve" 2.1L engine.
>Let me say that there really is no comparison.  The big valve motor is a hoss!

I'm sure a VW wasserboxer can be built, no problems there. BUT it
won't solve the reliability problems inbuilt... corroding heads and
flexy crank (no, a counterbalanced crank will NOT completely stop
flexing in a 3-bearing shaft). So a BB 2.1 will still be prone
(though perhaps much less so, especially if you use a forged Bug
crank) to throwing rods as well as the dreaded leaky heads. If there
was some way to modify the heads & blocks to stop the corrosion... eg
build up the mating surfaces , machine them to match & use GASKETS...
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut