Is 1200 enough?
zuk808
02-19-2006, 05:36 PM
I'm looking at a late 60's manx that has a 1200 in it. The car is in great shape but I'm concerned the motor won't be enough. Will it be possible to mate a larger one to that transaxle? If so what is the most performing and reliable motor?
BoatCop
02-20-2006, 10:12 AM
I'm looking at a late 60's manx that has a 1200 in it. The car is in great shape but I'm concerned the motor won't be enough. Will it be possible to mate a larger one to that transaxle? If so what is the most performing and reliable motor?
If all you want is a car to putt around in, the 1200 is satisfactory.
If you want more ponies, any VW engine will bolt up. The 1600cc dual port is probably the most dependable engine out there, and has respectable power, especially when pushing a fiberglass buggy with half the weight of a full bodied Bug.
If a little more power than a 1600 is desired, the 1776 is also pretty dependable, and has more that enough juice to rocket your Buggy.
As in anything else, the quality of the build is the most important thing in dependability. Anybody can bolt parts together and make a 200 HP VW engine. How long it will run is another story.
Make sure the car is 12 volt, though, before you go swapping engines. Even though it's listed as a "late 60s", that may be when the car was modified into a Buggy, and not the actual year of the chassis/drivetrain.
If all you want is a car to putt around in, the 1200 is satisfactory.
If you want more ponies, any VW engine will bolt up. The 1600cc dual port is probably the most dependable engine out there, and has respectable power, especially when pushing a fiberglass buggy with half the weight of a full bodied Bug.
If a little more power than a 1600 is desired, the 1776 is also pretty dependable, and has more that enough juice to rocket your Buggy.
As in anything else, the quality of the build is the most important thing in dependability. Anybody can bolt parts together and make a 200 HP VW engine. How long it will run is another story.
Make sure the car is 12 volt, though, before you go swapping engines. Even though it's listed as a "late 60s", that may be when the car was modified into a Buggy, and not the actual year of the chassis/drivetrain.
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