How do you add a oil system to a 1974 beetle?

Answer 1

I can think of three "oil systems" you might want to put in a Classic Beetle: full-flow oiling, a high-capacity oil sump, and an external oil cooler. In order from least to most desirable: The only reason you MIGHT want an external oil cooler on a VW engine is if you're a desert racer. SCORE Class I cars and SCCA Formula Vee cars all have coolers, but those coolers are extremely expensive. Don't put one on a street car. If your street engine's overheating, there are a few things it could be: tin not on right, improper carb jetting, flaps and thermostat not installed, and the big one: TIMING!!! I've seen LOTS of overheating VW engines and almost all of them had the timing set wrong. Full-flow oiling is a mixed bag. There's a way to do it right, and it involves tearing the engine apart and having the main oil gallery tapped for the return line, with the return port on the oil pump plugged and a special pump cover installed. There's also a way to do it wrong, and that's to install a "filter pump." Those do two bad things--overheat the oil (they're very close to the muffler) and reduce oil pressure. Now for the oil sump: So long as you use a good sump, like a Berg (the only connection I have with them is a lot of my money is in their bank account), this is a very good thing to do to your car. Stock VWs hold 2.5 liters of oil, which isn't enough. The smallest sump on the market will increase this to 4 quarts, and they're finned for extra heat dissipation. Plus, they just bolt on so anyone can install one.