Itinerant Air-Cooled

sgkent wrote: People want something other than a stock cam so they ask for more and the engine builders, who don't have a lot of experience with heavy slow moving buses are using cams for lighter sportier cars that use the same engine.

Which, as you know, is sort of the correct way to go, given that the best cam most refer to is the one built for the Porsche 914 - a lighter sportier car that uses the same engine. =)

My bus has plenty of power, but it tends to run HOT and gives poor MPG at any mixture setting (so I run it crazy rich.) When it does finally kick the bucket, i'll be interested to know what they used in the last build. It's hydraulic but I have a feeling it isn't quite stock given the power it delivers above any bus that I have personally rode in.

This thread suddenly died 1-1/2 years ago, any "new" news?

Mike Boell wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:36 am

This thread suddenly died 1-1/2 years ago, any "new" news?

I cannot vouch for any improvements in Adrian's shop, but if there are others who can offer the latest in their own personal experience, it would certainly be welcome. As ever, I strongly recommend that you keep your pressure relief valve system original.
Colin

I visit Adrian every few weeks. He is still understaffed and including the ball valve modification on engines using old crank cases. I think he wants out of the engine building business and more into general repair and restoration.

Robbie

My HFM engine is still running perfectly since it’s install 3 years and 30k miles on it. I ordered another one for Bus 1 last summer and and I’ve yet to put 200 miles on it but no issues yet other than I need Colin to help me fine tune it.

The reason I ask is I will be building a type 4 engine soon and purchased 2.0 AMC heads.
Of the those I have asked, half tell me "I need" to have them rebuilt and the other half say run them out of the box with some simple flashing clean-up and inspection.

Last year a friend bought a bus with a fresh rebuild. Heads were SQUEAKY clean and branded AMC. He quickly found the #1 intake valve or seat receding a few hours every valve adjustment. (I do not recall if the valve pounded into a weak seat, or if the seat pounded into the head.) In a few months, there was no valve clearance available from any amount of adjustment, so he pulled the heads and installed a set of Adrian's reworked AMC heads. Now they cruise around Southern California at 70mph all day and don't look back.

One failure does not make a trend, but it makes me wonder about the quality of the valve and seat materials.
Robbie

"One failure does not make a trend" agreed.
One local builder says he installed out of the box AMC's on his wife's AC Vanagon, 60 miles a day M-F and two years in without a problem.

Mike Boell wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:27 am

"One failure does not make a trend" agreed.
One local builder says he installed out of the box AMC's on his wife's AC Vanagon, 60 miles a day M-F and two years in without a problem.

Mike, my intuition most-strongly recommends getting the very very very best quality valves, keepers, springs, guides, seats, available.

Even in VW's heyday, the engineers knew they were asking the metallurgy to work hard, and that was when quality actually meant something. The entire size and volume of the VW account made suppliers take pains to deliver exactly what was asked. Now we have aftermarket suppliers many of whom have likely never even owned or driven an air-cooled VW. NOBODY is yelling at them to keep the quality up. They are clueless to the fact that VW air-cooled heads run hotter than most any internal combustion engine extant. AMC slaps in parts that I seriously doubt have been tested in any serious way.
Colin

Colin, Thank you for chiming in. Asking about AMC's is like asking which brand and grade of oil to use.

Oh, and yes...my HFM 2.0 rebuild is running well, with only about 1000 miles on it. The prior one, with the leaking gallery plug, was a real heartbreaker, though. A lot of labor expended on my end. I do have a backup set of Adrian’s heads sitting on a shelf out in the barn, that I ordered at the same time. I don’t hear of problems with his head work, at all. Anyone have problems there?

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:06 pm

Oh, and yes...my HFM 2.0 rebuild is running well, with only about 1000 miles on it. I don’t hear of problems with his head work, at all. Anyone have problems there?

My HFM engine is running well with about 3k on it.

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:06 pm

I don’t hear of problems with his head work, at all. Anyone have problems there?

Nothing here. I have two sets on my shelf right now, one stock single port Type 1 and another set of "performance " Type 1 heads. He did point out to me, at his shop last month, that he builds his engines with his machine work. Shops that farm out work, or DON'T build engines with their machine work miss mistakes like tools out of calibration, dull cutting machinery, and worn out jigs. Adrian said he's had all those problems, but caught them right away because he constantly builds engines with his own machine work. It made sense to me…

Robbie

26,000 miles on my Headflow Masters T-4 re-worked AMC heads and running very strong. Bought them in early 2012 along with 96mm AA biral kit. Also installed Porsche swivel adjusters.

This engine was built by HFM in 2014. If you have any additional insight opinion about my recommendations, please let me know.
Colin

http://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/vie ... 90#p231188