Date:         Wed, 13 Mar 1996 15:54:28 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dlytle@as.arizona.edu (Dyer Lytle)
Subject:      Mark Stephens engine for '66 bus



Hi all,

Well, I've just ordered a long block from Mark Stephens High Performance.
I thought I'd post a note here about what I learned from "Bill" the sales
guy.

What did I order:

 Phase I stock 1600 dual-port engine
  * new engine case  (this is AS41, apparently AS21 cases are out of production)
  * machined and fittings for full-flow oil filter
  * "complete race balance" (Bill says this is both volumetric and dynamic)
  * new heads with "unshrouded combustion chambers"
  * new camshaft and cam followers
  * reground German crank
  * new pistons/cylinders

What did I pay:

  $1295 + $100 core + $97 shipping

Bill said they have tried various hydraulic lifter setups and they
haven't found any that they consider satisfactory so they don't sell
them.

He highly recommended using electronic ignition.
They recommend a $200 system from Crane. (??)

This engine will have a compression ratio of 8 to 1 (!?).  Bill says that
with their "unshrouded combustion chambers" they can run their street
engines at compression ratios of 9:1 on 87 octane gasoline without detonation
or over-heating problems BUT, since this was going in a bus, and because
I wanted 6.9:1 compression, they would build it to *only* 8:1 compression.
(I can see that this will be a bit of an experiment!)

Bill says that the "unshrouded combustion chambers" are much better than
"semi-hemi" cut combustion chambers.  He explained why but I don't think
I understood the explanation well enough to repeat it.

As reported in a previous post, they also test run your engine after it is
built, video tape that test, and send a video of *you're* engine running along
with instructions for the care an feeding of your new engine.  (I like this)

We talked about oil a bit.  Bill said that they run Castrol 20-50 oil
but also recommend Castrol Syntec (after 2000 miles) and said the new
synthetics have no problem with heat dissipation as did their predecessors.

Bill recommends that I replace my stock 1966 microbus carburator with
a 34-pict from a '71 bus, I guess that makes sense since this new engine
will be approximately equal to a '71 bus engine.

Other modifications I am making:

 * doghouse oil cooler
 * 12 volt
 * sand seal + breather box kit

I'm expect this engine to last a while.

 -Dyer


P.S.  I got a number of replies to my posting about the air-conditioner
      I took off this bus.  I am still sorting it out.  There were a
      few people interested in the entire unit, I am talking to them now.