Late model Beetles that were fuel injected had that cylinder head temperature sensor for the ECU (I believe it was '76 through '79 in the U.S., but continued in Mexico production).
you can also do a 3 angle cut to the valves. I dont think they come that way. VW darrin thinks that they will get better performance than porting. But I am not sure about that.
That deflector is very important. It makes sure the air coming though the center opening in the head is diverted towards the exhaust ports. Since the exhaust port side of the head is much hotter than the intakes on the inner part of the head, it's important to get more air to that side of the head. You leave those off, your heads temps will climb.
I wished I had done that match porting too. I’m not complaining because it’s still going well. At least this way I’ve become very familiar with how it goes without the porting, so if I do match the intake and exhaust in the future I’ll be able to honestly tell how much of a difference it made. Best of luck with yours. Also, if that’s your Bug in the ID pic, I love that blue 🤙🏼
@@bomberobus honestly, unless your running a really nasty cam on a big stroker the stock ports are fine . Yeah that's my bug. The guy I bought it from painted it with blue house exterior paint. Looks like shit in person. Been stripping the blue off one panel at a time. Original color was tan. I have a short clip of it cruising ocean Blvd. On my channel. I like your channel, keep posting.
It's not just the smoothness of the combustion chamber, but the shape is quite a bit different. Their combustion chamber actually gives a larger quench area on the outsides of the chamber, which helps to prevent detonation.
If I ever get the L3 heads that I ordered for the 1800 build, then I’ll check out those chambers too. The AA heads have been good so far, just want to try L3’s for experimentation sake.
@@bomberobus I'm not sure what I think of their castings. The alloy they are using are an aluminum/magnesium combination, which is probably why they feel lighter than original castings. I don't think that is a great combination for strong cylinder heads, and certainly makes the aluminum less efficient at conducting heat.
@@andrigtmiller they are well priced, and my “experiments” tend to always seek best bang for buck products. I can think of way better options if budget allowed. I’m not a racer, but I won’t go easy on them either. After awhile of running them, we’ll take a peek and see how they do.
I love opinions, and for the most part, I agree. His reason was that he will be building a bigger engine ASAP and doesn’t want to buy heads again. But it is agreed that he probably won’t see any benefits from the bigger valves now.
Temp sensor is for the factory fuel injection cars. late model. spark plug is the best most commonly used on and what most temps posted on the samba are from. They do have different readings.
Hey Mike, I’ll be building an 1800 (88x74) with 110 cam. Gonna try to make dual EPC 34’s work with it because that’s what I have. Think I should roll with stock size valves? It’s for the Bus.
@@bomberobus it will have better bottom end with the stock valve but Better freeway air flow with big valves. may run a bit cooler with larger valves because of the air flow. Just stay 1.5 on the exhaust dont go 1.625. or it will fall on its face. my bus likes the freeway with the big valves but a little bottom end shy on the streets. But its a 2007 with a much larger cam. Which I think is the biggest problem the cam size. 1800 should be fine with stock rockers and big valve. I would go for it.
also keep the deck between 50 and 60 if you can and put 8.5 compression minimum on it. I run one of my busses at 9 with premium fuel it does not ping. Except on a mountain road (barely) when I floor it in 4th. I just let off. More compression will compensate for the bottom end loss.
@@Mikefngarage well I’m ready to order the cam but ACN is experiencing some difficulty, so I’m looking to CB. Have you ever used the Eagle 2241 cam? It seems to be closest I can find to the Engle 110.
I am interested on this little air cooled boxer engine, wonder why these engine has low compresion ratio, any problem to get a CR of 10 to 1? Thanks in advance
You can definitely build them for higher compression, and I’ve seen 10:1. Some people go high CR and high performance while some people like average CR for daily street driving with good gas mileage and use with lower octane fuel. That’s one of the beauties of these engines is it easy to Taylor your build to your needs. I love ALL well built engines though.
I bought a pair of these big valve heads from AA. they do NOT port the intake/exhaust to match the increased flow demand of bigger valves. if not done the motor will suck through a straw, run hot and performance inhibited. the high rev springs do NOT have enough force set for a high performance cam (Engle 110), will need to shim them. inspect the combustion chambers, I found burrs on machined edges that would reduce flow. If chamber size is special ordered, I recommend to verify them. I ordered 54/55 and got 53. Overall good value but you get what you pay for!
Man I like to hear about these informative things, even though sometimes the information isn’t the best of news. I’d have to agree with you, and include that the valve guides might not be the best either. So far they are running good for the cost. So far, I like the EMPI GTV 2’s on the 1800cc I just built, for a little more 💰
@@bomberobus I sent my AA heads to Tuttle's Parts Exchange for porting rework/correction for big valves and spring shimming. Also, AA heads only come with 12mm spark plug holes. This limits the available heat range for that size plug. Tuttle's machines them out to 14mm so the entire available heat range is available using NGK BR6ES.
@@jamescandelaria4840 wow! This is quite revealing about the AA heads. I don’t have machine work like that available here, so I don’t know the cost of all that. I’d guess that added cost of machine work makes the cheaper price of the heads not so much a bargain. In any case, you made strong work of getting around the AA weakness. I hope they run like champs for you, and thanks again for this info.
@@bomberobus I sent my AA heads to Tuttle's Parts Exchange (very near AA Performance) for porting rework/correction for big valves and spring shimming. Also, AA heads only come with 12mm spark plug holes. This limits the available heat range for that size plug. Tuttle's machines them out to 14mm so the entire heat range is available using NGK BR6ES. Greg does excellent work!
UPDATE. The 12mm spark plug holes in the AA heads are located too close to the valves and cannot be drilled out to re-tap for 14mm spark plugs. Their location is not centered which would require to be welded and re-located, not cost effective. So, I'm stuck with 12mm spark plugs.
You missed a very serious difference. The flashing from molds is horrible. You will have to take an angle cutter to open the cooling fins or the bottom of the heads will not get any cooling air. Also, you will need to drill out the airflow space between the combustion chambers or you will not be able to insert the rod between your thermostat and cooling flaps. I spent about an hour on each head removing the flash from the molds. Same issue with their cylinders.
Yes the casting is TERRIBLE. The head are on my brother’s 1679cc, but temps are good. I did catch it on the cylinders of the 1800 I built and made a video about how terrible it was, and how I clearanced the cooling fins. Great point about running the rod for a thermostat.
@@bomberobus I hope they work well for you. I get them directly from the factory where AA makes them (or gets their supply from) in China. They call it 043 cast with 12mm 0.75in reach plug
@@bomberobus I'm just curious, (noob here) I'm pretty sure even 87 octane wont cause engine knock at such a low compression. However Im not an air-cooled specialist or classic VW specialist. I feel like these old-school engines could be reinvigorated with some modern tech
@@JoeHeine that’s cool because we also wonder the same. That was the first 110 cam we’ve installed so we went by its recommended CR. But the car did then stumble a bit at lower RPM with no torque, until we put dual 40 carbs on it, which could be over carbureted for a 1679cc, but it helped the problem. I wonder now if a higher CR could’ve helped from the beginning. We too are always learning and appreciate the discussions!
what i did is hemi cut the heads for better burn and long reach cold plug type with this crappy petrol you need to run 91 octane or lower you compression and not be a slave with octane booster etc
That is an interesting solution you did with the hemi cut. I know someone who has Gene Berg semi-hemi cut heads for sale and I was considering them for a future build. I have some reservations only because I’ve never used them. I’m interested to though!
@@bomberobus bev the pistons and cratex polish the exhaust so carbon build up doesn't stick to the exhaust as well but if running E85 no worries we also polished the chamber for giggles had 253K miles rebuilt again in 2004 just new guides cut the seats and SS valves on a 2276CC lowered the compression so i can run on 87 poop petrol but when 91 is in the tank watch out !!! quick revs always with the 12lbs flywheel since 1984 turned once or twice on lathe ...prices have gone up alot since 1984....still have my 4340 moly crank way back then cant afford $ 800.00 from scat thats crazy AA perf parts been ordering for years tho.....happy trails >^.^
You lost this modernised thing it is Not surface smootnes it sguish area increase. Combustion chamber is like eight number not oval. Please study hemi versus squish band thing.
leave that deflector out at yer own risk ive missed installing it and scorched a cylinder.... good walkaround video curious if double AA has a website? mabbee leave a link in video discription? i personally woulda checked it out of there was a link
It’s amazing how tough these “simple” engines can be, but you’re right, one little mistake like that you get an expensive lesson. That’s why I love the VW community sharing! Thanks for checking it out
Late model Beetles that were fuel injected had that cylinder head temperature sensor for the ECU (I believe it was '76 through '79 in the U.S., but continued in Mexico production).
Cool good to see how it turns out
Well the camshaft seems to have broken in ok. Just got done with that 😅
you can also do a 3 angle cut to the valves. I dont think they come that way. VW darrin thinks that they will get better performance than porting. But I am not sure about that.
That deflector is very important. It makes sure the air coming though the center opening in the head is diverted towards the exhaust ports. Since the exhaust port side of the head is much hotter than the intakes on the inner part of the head, it's important to get more air to that side of the head. You leave those off, your heads temps will climb.
I always make sure they’re on. However, I remember when I learned the hard way that they go on BEFORE the push rod tubes LOL
@@bomberobus Been there and done that!
I'm running some AA 501 heads. Nice castings. I just lapped the valves and matched the intake and exhaust ports.
So far, so good.
I wished I had done that match porting too. I’m not complaining because it’s still going well. At least this way I’ve become very familiar with how it goes without the porting, so if I do match the intake and exhaust in the future I’ll be able to honestly tell how much of a difference it made. Best of luck with yours.
Also, if that’s your Bug in the ID pic, I love that blue 🤙🏼
@@bomberobus honestly, unless your running a really nasty cam on a big stroker the stock ports are fine .
Yeah that's my bug. The guy I bought it from painted it with blue house exterior paint.
Looks like shit in person. Been stripping the blue off one panel at a time. Original color was tan. I have a short clip of it cruising ocean Blvd. On my channel. I like your channel, keep posting.
Awesome video, I can’t wait to order mine.
Well maybe you want to let me run these awhile first🤔
@@bomberobus
Let us know, how it runs. You can make a video series of it.
It's not just the smoothness of the combustion chamber, but the shape is quite a bit different. Their combustion chamber actually gives a larger quench area on the outsides of the chamber, which helps to prevent detonation.
If I ever get the L3 heads that I ordered for the 1800 build, then I’ll check out those chambers too. The AA heads have been good so far, just want to try L3’s for experimentation sake.
@@bomberobus I'm not sure what I think of their castings. The alloy they are using are an aluminum/magnesium combination, which is probably why they feel lighter than original castings. I don't think that is a great combination for strong cylinder heads, and certainly makes the aluminum less efficient at conducting heat.
@@andrigtmiller they are well priced, and my “experiments” tend to always seek best bang for buck products. I can think of way better options if budget allowed. I’m not a racer, but I won’t go easy on them either. After awhile of running them, we’ll take a peek and see how they do.
I would have stayed with the stock size valves heads for that engine setup. Just my opinion. ✌
I love opinions, and for the most part, I agree. His reason was that he will be building a bigger engine ASAP and doesn’t want to buy heads again. But it is agreed that he probably won’t see any benefits from the bigger valves now.
@@bomberobus
The engine will probably run nice at high rpm, not so much around town. Either way let us know.
Temp sensor is for the factory fuel injection cars. late model. spark plug is the best most commonly used on and what most temps posted on the samba are from. They do have different readings.
Hey Mike, I’ll be building an 1800 (88x74) with 110 cam. Gonna try to make dual EPC 34’s work with it because that’s what I have. Think I should roll with stock size valves? It’s for the Bus.
@@bomberobus it will have better bottom end with the stock valve but Better freeway air flow with big valves. may run a bit cooler with larger valves because of the air flow. Just stay 1.5 on the exhaust dont go 1.625. or it will fall on its face. my bus likes the freeway with the big valves but a little bottom end shy on the streets. But its a 2007 with a much larger cam. Which I think is the biggest problem the cam size. 1800 should be fine with stock rockers and big valve. I would go for it.
also keep the deck between 50 and 60 if you can and put 8.5 compression minimum on it. I run one of my busses at 9 with premium fuel it does not ping. Except on a mountain road (barely) when I floor it in 4th. I just let off. More compression will compensate for the bottom end loss.
@@Mikefngarage well I’m ready to order the cam but ACN is experiencing some difficulty, so I’m looking to CB. Have you ever used the Eagle 2241 cam? It seems to be closest I can find to the Engle 110.
@@bomberobus FK8 cam 👍
weight difference.
germans had , raw aluminum
chinese had. Bud light beer cans.
Yup! I didn’t weigh them but the difference could easily be felt in hand. Bud Light? 😂
I am interested on this little air cooled boxer engine, wonder why these engine has low compresion ratio, any problem to get a CR of 10 to 1? Thanks in advance
You can definitely build them for higher compression, and I’ve seen 10:1. Some people go high CR and high performance while some people like average CR for daily street driving with good gas mileage and use with lower octane fuel. That’s one of the beauties of these engines is it easy to Taylor your build to your needs. I love ALL well built engines though.
I bought a pair of these big valve heads from AA. they do NOT port the intake/exhaust to match the increased flow demand of bigger valves. if not done the motor will suck through a straw, run hot and performance inhibited. the high rev springs do NOT have enough force set for a high performance cam (Engle 110), will need to shim them. inspect the combustion chambers, I found burrs on machined edges that would reduce flow. If chamber size is special ordered, I recommend to verify them. I ordered 54/55 and got 53. Overall good value but you get what you pay for!
Man I like to hear about these informative things, even though sometimes the information isn’t the best of news. I’d have to agree with you, and include that the valve guides might not be the best either. So far they are running good for the cost. So far, I like the EMPI GTV 2’s on the 1800cc I just built, for a little more 💰
@@bomberobus I sent my AA heads to Tuttle's Parts Exchange for porting rework/correction for big valves and spring shimming. Also, AA heads only come with 12mm spark plug holes. This limits the available heat range for that size plug. Tuttle's machines them out to 14mm so the entire available heat range is available using NGK BR6ES.
@@jamescandelaria4840 wow! This is quite revealing about the AA heads. I don’t have machine work like that available here, so I don’t know the cost of all that. I’d guess that added cost of machine work makes the cheaper price of the heads not so much a bargain. In any case, you made strong work of getting around the AA weakness. I hope they run like champs for you, and thanks again for this info.
@@bomberobus I sent my AA heads to Tuttle's Parts Exchange (very near AA Performance) for porting rework/correction for big valves and spring shimming. Also, AA heads only come with 12mm spark plug holes. This limits the available heat range for that size plug. Tuttle's machines them out to 14mm so the entire heat range is available using NGK BR6ES. Greg does excellent work!
UPDATE. The 12mm spark plug holes in the AA heads are located too close to the valves and cannot be drilled out to re-tap for 14mm spark plugs. Their location is not centered which would require to be welded and re-located, not cost effective. So, I'm stuck with 12mm spark plugs.
You missed a very serious difference. The flashing from molds is horrible. You will have to take an angle cutter to open the cooling fins or the bottom of the heads will not get any cooling air. Also, you will need to drill out the airflow space between the combustion chambers or you will not be able to insert the rod between your thermostat and cooling flaps. I spent about an hour on each head removing the flash from the molds. Same issue with their cylinders.
Yes the casting is TERRIBLE. The head are on my brother’s 1679cc, but temps are good. I did catch it on the cylinders of the 1800 I built and made a video about how terrible it was, and how I clearanced the cooling fins. Great point about running the rod for a thermostat.
Thats the lower end AA head, get the ones with mat gray grey and the casting is perfect.
Because we should have to pay more for a better cast
@@bomberobus I hope they work well for you. I get them directly from the factory where AA makes them (or gets their supply from) in China. They call it 043 cast with 12mm 0.75in reach plug
8.25 / 1 compression? Can we get these numbers up? Respectfully.
Of course we can, but should we? Maybe it’s time for me to check up on him and see how he feels about that. Def something to consider.
@@bomberobus I'm just curious, (noob here) I'm pretty sure even 87 octane wont cause engine knock at such a low compression. However Im not an air-cooled specialist or classic VW specialist. I feel like these old-school engines could be reinvigorated with some modern tech
@@JoeHeine that’s cool because we also wonder the same. That was the first 110 cam we’ve installed so we went by its recommended CR. But the car did then stumble a bit at lower RPM with no torque, until we put dual 40 carbs on it, which could be over carbureted for a 1679cc, but it helped the problem. I wonder now if a higher CR could’ve helped from the beginning. We too are always learning and appreciate the discussions!
Yup would love too see 11 to 1 compression good cam
what i did is hemi cut the heads for better burn and long reach cold plug type with this crappy petrol you need to run 91 octane or lower you compression and not be a slave with octane booster etc
That is an interesting solution you did with the hemi cut. I know someone who has Gene Berg semi-hemi cut heads for sale and I was considering them for a future build. I have some reservations only because I’ve never used them. I’m interested to though!
@@bomberobus bev the pistons and cratex polish the exhaust so carbon build up doesn't stick to the exhaust as well but if running E85 no worries we also polished the chamber for giggles had 253K miles rebuilt again in 2004 just new guides cut the seats and SS valves on a 2276CC lowered the compression so i can run on 87 poop petrol but when 91 is in the tank watch out !!! quick revs always with the 12lbs flywheel since 1984 turned once or twice on lathe ...prices have gone up alot since 1984....still have my 4340 moly crank way back then cant afford $ 800.00 from scat thats crazy AA perf parts been ordering for years tho.....happy trails >^.^
>>... crappy petrol you need to run 91 octane...
You lost this modernised thing it is Not surface smootnes it sguish area increase. Combustion chamber is like eight number not oval. Please study hemi versus squish band thing.
AA heads made from recycled coke cans. But they tried.
Eventually we’ll get to look and see how they held up. We haven’t been easy on them.
leave that deflector out at yer own risk ive missed installing it and scorched a cylinder.... good walkaround video curious if double AA has a website? mabbee leave a link in video discription? i personally woulda checked it out of there was a link
It’s amazing how tough these “simple” engines can be, but you’re right, one little mistake like that you get an expensive lesson. That’s why I love the VW community sharing! Thanks for checking it out
@gradyturner6777 Google is easy to use
It’s true