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Date:         Mon, 12 Apr 2004 01:14:27 +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: State of the Art in Engine Swaps is....long
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.BSF.4.58.0404081026390.55762@gull.us>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>On Thu, 8 Apr 2004, Andrew Grebneff wrote: > >> >The inline 4 cly. VW engine have a red line of IIRC 6500 RPM's >> >where as most other 4 cly. of its time, red line at 5000 RPM's >> >> My DIESEL Toyotas reline at 5000. > >I'm curious what gasoline 4-cyl engines had 5000 rpm redlines. My Volvo >B230, not exactly a sophisticated or sporty engine, is good to 6,500 rpm. > >> So anyone know what rpm an engine would be turning at 80mph when >> attached to a 57 van's stock trans? My old single-port 1600, in this >> panelvan, would readily do 80mph (premetric speedo). > >I suspect a very optomistic speedometer or a downhill slope. Everything >I've read suggests the top speed of a van of that vintage was about 60 >mph. My '75 bus would just about do 80, but it had a 2.0L.

That old 57, with the 36hp 1200, would pull an indicated 70 on the flat with a full load. The engine sounded like a turbine... I think the speedo wasn't too far out, as at an indicated 60 (my cruising speed after fitting the 1600) I would be passing most traffic... this being at a time when the national speed limit was 80kmh (50mph). Those engines loved to rev (even if it wasn't good for longevity, and those speeds i only did for short bursts), and the short split-case trans gearing made for excellent acceleration... the same 1600 fitted later into my 66 Kombi was just as fast, but acceleration was a lot slower.

My 75 bus (1.8) would reach 120kmh (75mph) really quickly (quicker than a 2.2 turbodiesel Estima (Previa)) and easily do 136kmh (85), and on a couple of occasions when overtaking it got to over 150kmh (~94mph) and still accelerating. This engine did have a 1916 kit, but was otherwise stock apart from a burning piston. It did go amazingly well, and always got comments, even from VW-haters. From what I have read the injected 2.0 was way down on power compared to the twin-carb 1.8, and was also more prone to big-end failure (smaller big-ends in order to clear the cases). -- Andrew Grebneff Dunedin New Zealand <andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz> Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut


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