Step 2, bits and pieces :

The main issue when you start rebuilding a 36hp, is obviously the availability of parts...
Well, I must admit that the situation did evolve in a good way those past few years, you can finally get few parts directly from your usual dealer. But that's only reproduction, with only one reference available (i.e. you can't choose between Berg/CB/CSP/Scat/etc as you would on a type 1 engine), and I have doubts about the actual quality of these parts.

Anyway, it's been a long and bumpy road, but I finally found everything I needed to rebuilt my engine! One definitely needs to be patient with a 36hp... in the workshop as well as on the road!

What's next :

No old-speed preparation on this engine : parts prices are just way out of my league, for limited performances, and as soon as you modify anything on this block you must make other modifications to get a coherent, somehow reliable engine.
I hesitated a while about investing into a Wolfsburg West Okrasa Kit, but as long as they keep this ugly heads casting issue, I'll stick to the original heads. One day, maybe...
So, the only "perf" part will be the camshaft, the "Okrasa" camshaft from Joe Ruiz, even if I know Okrasa never produced camshafts for VW. It's actually a re-grinded shaft using the same admission diagrams as the early 356 (I've read somewhere Webcam takes care of the grinding). This will just help my engine make a better use of nowadays fuel evolution.
Then, I'll do my best to optimise the engine to make sure I don't loose any of the original 36hp :

• Crankshaft, flywheel and clutch mechanism balanced.
• Connecting rods and pistons weights balanced.
• Cylinder heads : combustion chambers and exhaust duct polished, intake duct smoothed (probably overkill on a small 36p, but I can mabe grab a couple of free hp here and there), valve guide checked, valves lapped.

Got parts?

So here's the result of years (literally!) of parts hunting!
Well, actually, only part of it, I'll keep adding the rest along the way...

On the left, a used crankshaft, not NOS but double checked and within tolerances ; coming with it, a set of push rods used as well, but checked and fine. On the right, the Joe Ruiz Okrasa camshaft. My flywheel was in a pretty bad shape, so I had to find a replacement : here it is, a bit rusty, it'll will need to be grinded. But the dowels holes are perfect. After a quick cleaning with steel wood, it looks better all of the sudden. I re-tap the clutch assembly threads : it was impossible to put in the screws because of the rust and threadlocker paste... VW NOS connecting rods, NOS crank main bearings, NOS pistons shafts. Any real vintage enthusiast will have a boner looking at these pictures!
Yeah, this cost me a kidney, but at least I can reassemble the engine knowing that these parts are perfect... and come on, I had 2 kidneys anyway. Pair of cylinder heads I found at the Valence 2012 swap-meet : 60€ for the pair, that was a bargain worth the 7 hours round trip driving by -14°C at 6AM! These are used, but in great shape, no crack between spark holes and valves ports, all the threads and studs are OK, they'll be just perfect once prepared. There's only one of the combustion chambers that has a naughty hit, but nothing my Dremel can't fix. It's getting tricky to find a set of 111.101.371A heads in good shape! I had found one NOS in Germany a few years back, but I never found a second NOS one, so I finally decided to sell the NOS head to get funds for the rest of the engine (contact me if interested!)...

Spring cleaning :

In order to work on a proper base, I've started with the inside-out cleaning of the carter.
Tray, brush, toothbrush, Scotch Brite pad, WD40 to begin, then liquid degreaser (the one from our local Home Depot equivalent used to be great, but the new formula is crap!), kerosene, hot water pressure washer (local car cleaning booth), and finally some brake cleaning spray to dry out the metal. All oil galleries are flushed with brake cleaning fluid, then blown with compressed air, several times to make sure they're clean. A few bad news uncovered by the process : the carter is badly corroded on the underside. That will not affect the oil tightness, so it will remain this way. The last camshaft's bearing (which is the carter itself, there's no actual, separate camshaft bearings on 36hp engines) on the flywheel side has some corrosion spots. Nothing too serious, and the previous camshaft didn't have any marks, so I'll leave it as is. Outside finish : I first wanted to bead blast the whole thing, but I've read numerous times this wasn't a good idea since the glass bead are then very difficult to remove from oil galleries and all the little corners inside the carter. And if these beads start wandering around in the oil circuit, it's a recipe for disaster, so I won't take the chance...
On the other hand, I've tried using a drill-mounted nylon rotating brush (blue ones from Home Depot, for soft polishing of wood), and I'm quite happy with the result! It sure ill tarnish a bit, but it's good enough to me. Last news before I close this article... My crankshat/flywheel/clutch assembly just came back from balancing at Slide Performance. I recommend their service, great work, they've been very helpful and very nice contact on the phone. I've wok again with them in the future!
The flywheel has been resurfaced at the same time ; just compare the the previous "before" pictures, they're as different as chalk and cheese.
So! Finally I see the re-assembly time coming! Stay tuned!

Here's a project that was on hold for a long time... Way too long.
And, finally, it's gonna progress!

Some background explanations : the original little 36hp engine of my '59 beetle "Elvira", was totally breathless, barely any compression left. So, a dozen years ago (ouch! It hurts when you start counting years!) I replace the original engine with another one I bought from someone who told me it had been "rebuilt". I obviously preciously kept the original engine on the side, and started riding this new engine, which actually worked pretty well... for a few years.
But then, it started having troubles : oil pressure dropping down, a deep, loud noise at idle revs (sounded like "klong klong"), which disappeared as soon as I touched the throttle pedal... Well, it was difficult to trust that engine any longer.
So, I've decided to rebuild it, myself this time, in order to know exactly what's going on inside.

Step 1 : Opening the case.

All of this dates back to... 2008!! Four years!!
It's already been four years that I opened the engine, saw the damage, four years that the engine is waiting for some TLC, and Elvira is gathering dust! In the meantime, I moved, had no workshop, troubles to find 36hp parts, etc... Everything kept me from progressing on that project. But, finally, stars aligned, and Elvira should be back on the road soon! Woohoo!

So here we go, February 2008, with the help of my friend Laurent "Dangerous" (thank you for your help and advices buddy!), I opened and checked the lil' 1192cc... Conclusions :
This block had been indeed "rebuilt"... But most definitely not the way it should have been :

• Regarding the noise I could hear when idling, it looks like it came from the flywheel : the dowells didn't have the correct size, and the whole thing started to move. Consequently, the bored holes in the flywheel are now slightly oval : direct to the bin!
• A quick measurement of the crankshaft runout shows it is of limits. Barely, but still : to the bin.
• The cylinder heads are totaled : cracks between spark plug holes and valves seats, broken fins, more helicoils than proper threads : with its buddies, to the bin.
• The oil pressure regulator piston doesn't look great, it doesn't slide smoothly in its housing, but it is probably still salvageable. Not going to the bin, but needs TLC.
• The dowells of the cranckshaft's bearings do not have the correct size, thus allegedly allowing the bearing to move... To be honnest, they look like they were poorly handmade with a hacksaw and a file, not even properly debured...

On the bright side : the engine case bearings housings roundness is OK ; a bit of corrosion underneath and around the oil sump, but nothing to be concerned about. The pistons and cylinders look like new, they definitely had been replaced - that, and the ugly fixes on the heads, is probably what the seller of this engine called "rebuilt"...

Anyway, it means I need to find a crankshaft, a flywheel, main bearings, a pair of heads... And all of the above for a 36hp, means one needs to be patient...

The Panamericana.
A mythical road, which, sorry to tell, personally makes me dream way more than the Route 66.

I'm talking about the Big Panamericana, from Prudhoe Bay, in Alaska, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, (the most northern place of the American continent, accessible by car), to the famous Ushuaïa, in Tierra del Fuego, at the extreme south tip of Argentina. As the crow flies, it's around a 15.000 kilometers trip ; by car, about 25.000, and do not expect an highway all along the journey... Quite a cruising, uh?.

Anyway : two German guys took up the challenge, driving a... Split Beetle 1952.

And this, commands respect. Take your jaw back if you dropped it as I did.
Well, OK, the old Beetle doesn't have any more it original 25 HP engine... The motor unit is a much more recent 1956' one, a monster of 30HP. Apart from than and some minor security modifications (switch to 12V electrical system, security belts, Sekurit windshield, windshield washers, headlights...), and some comfort-related equipments, the vintage German car is strictly genuine original, no off-road preparation (as we can see too many recently, but those only go from a VW meeting to the next one...)

Arrived in Seattle by plane, their Beetle joined them in a container. They already drove up to Prudhoe Bay (hey, that's already a 12.000 kilometers loop!), and they're now back in Fairbanks (California), after a pit stop in Seattle again, to prepare the rest of their long journey. Aiming to the South...

Their web site is available in German only for now, but even if you're not familiar with Goethe's language, go check the pictures there... : http://www.panamericana-im-alten-vw.de

Dirk , Torsten, I have a lot of respect for such an adventure, be sure I'll follow each of your steps closely...