The van came with a 1300 cc engine, which we found in the cargo bay. The original engine had been sold years ago; too bad for me! Once I had a good look at this piece of cr#p, I decided that it would be for the better to start looking for another engine, rather than wasting my time trying to get this engine running.
The panels from the 1300 cc engine were, although rusted, still in a reasonable condition; sandblasting and powder coating made them look brand new. Much sooner than I suspected, I stumbled across a VW bus engine block (H-type), which I had rebuild by BBT in Belgium.
Putting the bits and pieces together of the engine is not such a big deal, as long as you take the time to study a maintenance manual and ensure you have all the parts available. Maybe needless to say, but make sure you use new gaskets and sealant to prevent your new engine from leaking oil. They do not cost you a fortune and are guaranteed to save you from annoyance.
It is a perfectly justified decision to reuse an old engine’s oil cooler, provided that you did not take it of a jammed engine. Check the oil cooler for leakage by putting it upside-down in a bucket filled with water. Seal the outlet of the oil cooler and use a compressor to blow air into the inlet. If you see bubbles arising in the water, you will need another oil cooler.
There is not much you can do with the dynamo besides replacing the carbon-brushes, checking the coil contacts and dynamo bearings. Polish the dynamo housing to make it look nice and shiny ;-)
Although I usually prefer things to be original, I got carried away when I was working on the engine: I found some chrome gadgets that gave my engine just that little personal touch. I did not choose to install a power pulley because of weight reduction (which does not seem to make sense in the first place), but because of the convenience when adjusting the valves and ignition timing.
After installing new heat exchangers, the exhaust, panels, hoses, inlet manifold and the carburettor. The engine was ready for installation when our Splitty returns from the spray painter. Top up the engine with 20W50 oil to prevent moisture from corroding the inside of your engine while it is stored.
Two final remarks with regard to the clutch assembly and the installation of the clutch-plate:
A diaphragm type clutch assembly allows smoother changing of gears than a conventional three-leaver type assembly.
Use a pipe with the same diameter as the hole in the middle of the engine’s flywheel to centre the clutch-plate. When installing the clutch-plate, use the pipe to guide the clutch-plate in place, fit the clutch assembly and remove the pipe. This will simplify the installation of the engine on the gearbox, because the driving-shaft will smoothly fit in the centred clutch-assembly.
