OUR CANVAS - This is the basic vehicle, now mechanically sound and in need of a good paint job and a fantastic vinyl wrap. But that is not all. A custom vehicle like this needs a performance engine to increase reliability and to cope with towing over long distances.  Copyright photograph, 26 April 2017, all rights reserved. You may use these pictures for education and private study without permission.

Production of the air cooled VW T2 kombi van, or camper, ceased in Germany after 1980 and finally came to a halt in Brazil some thirty years later. Marion's van was one of the last to roll off the production lines in Europe and is unusual in that it has twin sliding doors, a feature that could be very handy for all the events that are planned. She is well over forty years old making her an antique, if she had been a piece of furniture. As she is a vehicle, she is a classic. But older vehicles do not have the performance of modern transport.

Fortunately, camper vans are extremely popular because they are practical and also because they are nice to look at and fun to drive. This is a shape that millions of people around the world adore and recognize. For that reason there are some very useful accessories to help get more from the air cooled boxer engine.

BLUE ENAMEL - The old rusty fan housing was replaced with a new unit that has no heater take of ducts to improve the engine cooling. First the steel was primed with a rust inhibitor, then a heat resistant enamel was applied. The only colour that would do for this engine is ocean blue of course. When installed you don't get to see the conch like sculpture at the rear. What a pity! Copyright photograph 10 May 2017, all rights reserved.

OCEAN BLUE - Other parts of the tin fan housing were also painted along with various aluminium engine parts such as the alternator mounting, that is also the oil filler tube. Other engine tin ware will be chrome plated. Copyright photograph 10 May 2017, all rights reserved. 

Many performance parts for Volkswagens such as the Camper van and Beetle cars revolve around cooling either the cylinder heads or the engine oil, and for good reason. The more the cooling the longer the engine will last and the greater the potential performance without harming the pistons or cylinder bores.

We are fitting a sump booster that adds another 1.5 liters of oil capacity. That gives us more oil to cool. We are also adding finned alloy rocker covers, and that also helps to cool the engine oil. It all helps to give us a vehicle that will stand up to long distance touring when we are traveling to event.

Correct ignition timing is dependent upon the rest of the ignition system being set up properly. Accurate timing cannot be achieved unless you have sufficient compression, the valve clearances are correct, the ignition contacts (points) gap is correct, the spark plug gaps have been set correctly and the fuel system is supplying petrol to the carburetor.

The rotor arm must be pointing to number one cylinder at the top of the compression stroke of that piston, with the corresponding leads to each cylinder in the rotation of the distributor shaft - in the order of firing: 1,4,3,2.

There are quite a few variations of the air cooled boxer engine and the service manuals that cater for Type 1 and 2 vehicles, where the distributor can be 180 degrees out on the spigot (offset) drive from the camshaft. Especially with the Karman Ghia lump.

ELECTRONIC - This is a replacement to the trusty Bosch 009 distributor. It is claimed that this unit will get rid of the flat spot in acceleration and improve fuel economy. Another selling points is the elimination of the contact points that wear with each spark (despite a condenser) and need constant adjustment to maintain peak performance. The translucent blue cap is a nice touch that will complement the other engine performance accessories. Copyright photograph, 11 May 2017, all rights reserved.

This internal combustion engine is a four stroke (Induction, Compression, Ignition, Exhaust), with two valves per cylinder. That means that each piston must travel travel up and down the bore four times to complete one cycle of the firing sequence. The flywheel stores enough energy in between the firing of each cylinder to smooth out the four controlled explosions, with more to spare for powering the vehicle.

The engine runs on petroleum, but will not handle the new C10 biofuel mix in the UK, that will most likely damage your oil seals, and those of thousands of cherished vehicles. But then petrol and diesel vehicles are to be phased out by 2030 in Europe - and that is a good thing - where global warming is concerned. Although, historic vehicles are evidence of the development of mankind, and so very important reminders of our achievements.

Working from scratch and without any knowledge of who set up the engine, where it came from, or who messed around with the spark plug leads, it is sometimes better to go back to basics.

We must then confirm that number one cylinder is on the firing stroke. To achieve this or check for correct positioning of the distributor, take out the spark plug of number one cylinder. Fit a compression gauge and rotate the engine counterclockwise, then clockwise and watch the compression gauge as the rotor reaches where it would normally send a spark via the coil. You should note a rise in pressure at Top Dead Centre (TDC) if the distributor position is correct. The notch on the crankshaft pulley will correspond with the crankcase split/line/marking as the pressure reaches its maximum.

The engine should be at normal operating temperature when setting the ignition timing with a strobe light. An experienced mechanic can sometimes tune the engine by the ear, turning the distributor until the correct sound is achieved. The rest of us mere mortals rely on a strobe.

Where there are so many variations as to gap sizes and boxer engine configurations, we started by selecting a cylinder and calling it number one. Most workshop manuals say number one cylinder is on the drivers side (right in the UK) closest to the bulkhead. Naturally, the most difficult spark plug to get to.

Unclip the distributor cap and remove the rotor arm and dust cover. You can now see the contacts. Loosen the clamp nut and undo the retaining bolt to the engine casing. You can then pry up the distributor carefully with a blunt screwdriver, such as not to damage either part. it is easier to fit new contacts in a vice with soft jaws.

SPARK PLUGS - Set the spark plug gaps to 0.6 - 0.7mm (check for the clearance for your engine).

CONTACTS - Install new contacts and set at 0.4mm. You'll need to remove the distributor cap and rotor arm.

Having installed and gapped the new contacts, refit the distributor, making sure the spigot dogs are aligned with the drive in the engine. It will not fit if 180 degrees out. Once fitted, turn the engine using the crankshaft pulley nut until the rotor button is aligned with the groove in the distributor rim and the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley is aligned with the crankcase seam - on the compression stroke of number one cylinder.

If your pulley has two timing marks the one on the right is 10 degrees BTC (before top dead center) and the one on the left is for 7.5 degrees BTC.

You do not need an expensive timing light to adjust your ignition timing. For air cooled Volkswagen engines a simple test light consisting of a 12 volt lamp and two leads with alligator clamps is economical and recommended. An alternative is a test meter using the continuity setting and sounder as the audio signal to confirm contact (closing of the points). The points or contacts operate like a high speed switch.

Remove the vacuum hose from the distributor advance unit if it has one.

Connect one lead of your test light to terminal 1 on the distributor and the other to a solid ground.

Turn the distributor body clockwise until the contacts of the ignition points are closed. Turn on the ignition switch but do not start the engine. Turn the distributor counterclockwise until the test light comes on (just as the contact points are opening) and tighten down the clamp.

The steps for using a volt (test) meter to set your ignition timing are the same as those for using a test lamp. Instead of watching for the test light to come on you will be watching for a voltage reading on the meter, or listening for the buzzer. When the contact points are closed the meter should show 0. When the points begin to open voltage will be indicated on the meter.

After this fire her up, and check the timing using a strobe. Finally, tighten the distributor clamps and securing nuts, before driving off into the sunset with your surf board and wet suit.

PREPARATION - Kyla lent a hand with the painting of the pulley wheel, learning how to remove old paint and rust to give a firm foundation for a coat of primer. Copyright photograph 11 May 2017, all rights reserved.

PRIMER - We used a rust inhibiting all in one paint to go from bare steel to grey in preparation for a top coat of ocean blue. Copyright photograph 11 May 2017, all rights reserved.

SPRAY PAINT - Tough heat resisting enamels are available in small cans from Halfords and other good car accessory shops. Finally, the top coat is applied. Twenty four hours later the enamel will be fully cured. Copyright photograph 11 May 2017, all rights reserved.

TINWARE - This is how the new pressings are delivered, in a sheradised finish that tends to prevent rusting, but not for long periods. We want to protect the tinware for longer and match the other engine components. Copyright photograph 12 May 2017, all rights reserved. 

Sherardizing is a process of galvanization of ferrous metal surfaces, also called vapour galvanising and dry galvanizing. The process is named after the British metallurgist Sherard Osborn Cowper-Coles (son of naval inventor Cowper Phipps Coles) who invented and patented the method. This process involves heating the steel parts up to ca. 500°C in a closed rotating drum that also contains metallic zinc dust and possibly an inert filler, such as sand. At temperatures above 300°C, zinc evaporates and diffuses into the steel substrate forming diffusion bonded Zn-Fe-phases.

Sherardising is ideal for small parts and parts that require coating of inner surfaces, such as batches of small items. Part size is only limited by the drum size. It is reported that pipes up to 6 m in length for the oil industry are sherardised. If the metal surface is free of scale or oxides, no pretreatment is needed. The process is hydrogen free, therefore a hydrogen embrittlement is excluded.

RUST INHIBITOR - Having keyed up the sheradised surface, we applied a coat of a rust inhibiting primer in a gray colour. Once this coat is tack dry, we immediately apply the topcoat enamel in the chosen colour. Copyright photograph 12 May 2017, all rights reserved.

BLUE ENAMEL - The finished product is then placed in an oven to speed up the curing process so that we can assemble the engine 24 hours later. Copyright photograph 12 May 2017, all rights reserved.

WHO INVENTED THE IC ENGINE

Germany is where the internal combustion engine was invented by a hub of engineers all competing to produce automotive units. In 1879 Nikolaus Otto, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, patented the compressed charge, four-stroke cycle engine. In 1892, Rudolf Diesel developed the first compression ignition engine, also a four stroke (US patent # 608845 filed 1895 - granted 1898, by which time Diesel had become a millionaire. Ironically, Otto was less keen to work on automotive engines.

SHAPING UP - Sanding the body filler smooth before priming is an experience for our newest volunteer. Kyla has not painted a vehicle before, but is keen to learn new skills. Copyright photograph 11 May 2017, all rights reserved. 

Jimmy Watson dreamed of having an intelligent robot friend from a very young age. What a great Christmas animation (Anime) this would make. Or, maybe, a graphic novel, or Manga adaptation. What do you think?

ARCHES - ENGINES - BODYWORK - BRAKES - KOMBI T2 - PAINTING - TINWARE - VINYL - WELDING

ANTICS - ARMOUR - ARTWORK - BLACK BOX -  ELECTRONICS - ENERGY - FRAME - HEAD - JAWS - KITS - LEGS -  MECHANICS

MOTORS -  R/C DRONE - SENTRY - SOFTWARE - SOUND PROOFING - SPEED - SUSPENSION - TAIL - WARGAMING - WEAPONS