Ron, backing up to the oil question. There will be oil trapped in the cooler and when you check the oil level it will read correctly whether the engine is cold or hot. The oil level might show just a little bit low if you check it just a few seconds after shutting it off cause the oil has not had time to drain back into the crank case so let it sit a minute or 5 before checking after running it.

As for the electronic ignition, I personally prefer the Compufire but I've also had Pertronix. The bottom line, I, for one am a firm believer in the electronic ignition no matter which brand. You install it, set your timing and forget about. I put it in my split window bus before I drove her to Florida the first time about 4 years ago. I checked the timing when I got back and it was exactly the same as when we left and everytime since that I've checked it, it is right on the money. You can't do that with standard points. As points wear, it does change the timing.


                                                                          :cool:

What octane rating you use depends on your compression, I use 89 octane in my bug, and even before the rebuild, there was no damage due to premature combustion.
    I have a '70 bug, also, so your project is kinda close to home, bro. Are you building from the ground up? If so, I may have some questions for you on our '70 Beetles, as I am planning on doing a ground-up resto on my bug, "Buggy" (Yeah, I know, the name isn't so original, but it's the one the original owner gave her.)    :p
Have you thought of a name for your bug yet?

Ron, I personally don't burn anything but 93 octane in any of my VWs. The 67 bus has a bone stock dual port and the others that are still projects will not have anything but high test put in them. One of the engines is a 1915 and the other is a 2 liter Type IV engine. There are some who disagree with my running the high test gas but that's what I prefer and every VW I've ran didn't mind the high grade of gas.


                                                                            :cool:

Everyone has to deside for themselves what octane gas they want to burn.  Different people chose different grades for different reasons.

Yes, you can safely run 87 octane in a stock 1600 engine . . . but yes, there are definite advanges to paying more and getting 93 octain.  The higher your engine's compression ratio, the higher octane you NEED.  Anything past stock compression and 87 isn't really an option.

Technically, 87, 89, and 93 octane all have the same potential energy.  One is not really "better" than the other as a fuel.  If you ask 100 people on the street, 99 of them will probably tell you 93 octane burns better than 87 octane.  It doesn't.  In fact, the 87 octain will ignite and burn quicker than 93.  That's why you need a higher octane as your compression ratio increases.  If it's too low, the fuel/air mixture will ignite from just the heat of compression . . . and this can happen way too early . . . you have a big ball of fire hitting the top of the piston while it's still moving up.  In an air-cooled VW engine, this is the equivilant of putting a cutting torch to the pistons.  It won't be long and you'll have a hole burnt through it.  I've seen the results of pre-ignition.  Believe me, it isn't pretty.

Stock compression won't pre-ignite 87 octane, but once the spark hits it, it will burn faster than 93.  So, you have to start the spark a little later than with 93.  That means a few milli-seconds less time for the total combustion process . . . all of which translates into a little more heat retained in the engine and a little less power to the wheels.  And, your engine is not going to last quite as long and will probalbly develope more problems along the way.

Is it enough to warrant paying the extra 20 cents per gallon?  Depends on your engine, driving habits, budget, and how important that extra dependability and longivity is to you.

When I'm not running on pure air (which I have been known to do  :: ) I run 87 octain.  Herb has never had to build an engine on the side of the road 150 miles from home . . . but he spends more for gas than I do.  It's your decision.  



Edited By Zen on 1083275767