First question in answering your would be why. Seriously .. What do you really want to use it for. How many miles do you do. Is it all about something you can strip or something that's just a bit quicker. You can't do better than standard for cost and reliability but if you've already got a well sorted big bore type 1 I'm guessing that's not what your after.
I was thinking type 4 from scratch would be more expensive but Paul will prob tell me the upside. I think @Alex VW Heritage may be able to help me out on figures too? I agree on the 1/4 speed - that's what I based figures on and shaved a bit off.
The fun for me is partly mucking about with it for it's own sake. Top end speed is not the goal because the cooling will only take so much anyway. However, I can overtake a line of cars and be up from 40 to 70 in a few seconds in 3rd gear and trying to keep the speed down is the problem. £3k-ish I'd guess will build one like mine inc carbs/exhaust but not tins/dizzy/pump/alt from scratch, I'm pretty pleased with it, well into 3 figures HP I'd guess - I'll find out on 17th March.
There's no sensible answer as to why...the bus works fine and is a little more pokey than a 1600- I suppose why is because the beetle if been working on is ready for an MOT and I need the next project that's not working on bldy houses. I would want to do the 1/4 get a sticker from USB and still go camping - I don't do many miles in the van - 3k a year max.
I think most people would be happy enough with mine though it wouldn't quite keep up with a subaru. As for self-destructing, I don't intend to floor it all the time and cruising at whatever speed needs the same energy whatever the engine so can't see added stress there. Have to admit I want a sticker too.
I get it aswell Beware though its a very expensive sticker and once you have made a pass quick enough for the sticker you will want to go even quicker next time Im sure @holmsen will have plenty of advice
New ali autolinear case from gsf on offer = £350? Clearance case yourself OR get a super race case for double price and no case machining required. You can fit even bigger crank then too. 76mm Stroker 8 dowel Crank - £300? (not sure here as I had wasser crank - not recommended as it's pointless and ties up any future upgrades to more stroke) Rods £120 92mm Pistons/barrels £150 2x 40/35.5 AA complete heads ready for 90.5/92mm imported £415 all in 3 angle valve job approx £8/valve Cam kit - £150 Push rods and rocker gear std stuff nick from old motor. oil pump £30 (guessing) Whatever anyone says your clutch will be fine but may slip a bit when you do your 1/4 mile, otherwise fine. Flywheel - use old and have drilled for 8 dowel. Bearings and gasket set £100 push rod tubes - can't be a lot - £50? J-tubes and exhaust less than £500 second hand dell 40's £200 manifolds and filters £120 oil cooler £25 oil filter head £20 oil pipes £50 I think that comes in under £3k? It's not tippity top spec obviously, but once you get this far, more gains get expensive for what you get.
I also have a super race case and when I'm settled again have plans for a bigger one, not because of any other reason than just for the hell of it. It's satisfying to make a 50HP engine into one that goes like the clappers and even if it only lasted a few years it's be doing as well as a lot of off the shelf recon 1600's I think. Plus what's the worst that could happen? I'd just rebuild it again if something wore prematurely. I've already done that once after the original efforts by you know who weren't up to scratch, so I would certainly advise building it yourself with a little help from a trusted machine shop - even let them build up the bottom end if they are machining because they'd have done so a few times anyway to get the clearancing right.
To get into the Ultimate Street Bays it's sub 18 seconds for the quarter..if you do that its bronze, then sub 16 silver then sub 14 secs is gold or summat like that!!
Cheers steve for the spec of yours - be really interesting to see how you go on the rr. I have a vw Friendly machine shop nearby so may be a great idea to get them to build the bottom end as you say. I'll speak to them and see if they can help out.
Just watch? Or show us how to do it a bit quicker? Yours would win, no doubt about that. Subaru must also surely win if it blew up - just splash out a few hundred and you'd have a replacement. In the long term Subaru must be the cheaper route, just expensive to get the firat one fitted, but those costs also occur if you swap to any other engine type. I like the air-cooled just because. No reason really and that's just me, for the record I couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else does with their buses, it's all interesting. I would like to have an air-cooled that would out accelerate a subaru one day though. Then I'll stop.