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I've been moving forward on the beetle engine restoration. I have parts, and I need to get them ready to install.
I got a piston/cylinder set from veedub parts.
As you can see the new "jugs" come as raw cast iron. If you put them in the engine that way, they'll run, but they'll rust too, and that reduces their thermal efficiency. I'll paint the cylinders sometime.
Each cylinder comes with its own matching piston
which has been carefully matched in diameter, so you don't want to mix them.
I got a beam balance (I've always wanted one) to weigh the cylinders.
The set is pretty good; they're well within the maximum imbalance tolerance of 5 grams for new pistons. Before installing them, I'll probably balance them within half a gram or so just to maximize the balance of the engine.
The manufacturing of the cylinders seems prettygood, but I'm going to do some finishing. The top surface of the cylinder mates with the flat part of the head and forms a sealing surface (no gasket!). The sealing surface on both sides should be flat and smooth, like a mirror. I think I'll sand these down a bit so they're smoother. You can still see the machining marks in the top.
