Good evening,

my 1973 westfalia camper has major engine problems. Cylinder 3 has 0% compression and 4 has 10%. in the past i had little problems, but had to replace the left cylinder heat 2 since the bushings came loose.

I will get the detailed damage report tomorrow and can fill in some more specific lingo.

Looks like i would have to

option 1:
 find somebody, who could rebuilt the 18oo cc engine and get a couple of new cylinders.

option 2: get a used or new engine and have it put in.

Would option 1 really be cheaper in the long run and where can i get a professional "engine rebuilder" or a new engine?

any help, suggestions, websides etc. greatly appreciated.

gp

Hey, You can rebuild if you can find parts. They are getting harder and harder to find parts for and you just about need a Federal Grant if you do find them. I don't believe there is such a thing as a re-build "Kit".
    As far as getting anybody around here to do the job is next to impossible. Most of the old time VW savy Mech. around here will run and hide when you mention Type-4 engines.
     Used engine verse New engine ??  If you go with a used engine you had better get some accurate history and maybe some kind of warranty .  New engine ? Good luck . There are some people out there selling "so called" rebuilt engine mostly out west. They are expensive and you pay the shipping. Some of these company's have a warranty but you have to ship it back to them at your expense if something goes wrong. They then determine if the problem was their fault or yours. I think you know where I'm headed with that one.
     I know you didn't want to hear all of this but after 45+ years in the trenches with VW's I did learn a thing or two.   Where you located ?

Or you can always do like what I did for my 74 bus.
I bought a rebuilt engine from GEX.... some people don't like them, but I've put about 3000 miles on mine and had no problems so far. Total cost was 2400 shipped, and you get some back if you send back your old block. Since the price was the same, I upgraded to a 2.0 instead of a 1.8, and they even switched over the drive plate for me instead of a flywheel since mines an automatic. Only thing I had to do was use an electric fuel pump since the 2.0 block doesn't have a place for a manual fuel pump..... just my 2 cents....