>On Thu, 8 Apr 2004, Andrew Grebneff wrote:
>
>>  >The inline 4 cly. VW engine have a red line of IIRC 6500 RPM's
>>  >where as most other 4 cly. of its time, red line at 5000 RPM's
>>
>>  My DIESEL Toyotas reline at 5000.
>
>I'm curious what gasoline 4-cyl engines had 5000 rpm redlines.  My Volvo
>B230, not exactly a sophisticated or sporty engine, is good to 6,500 rpm.
>
>>  So anyone know what rpm an engine would be turning at 80mph when
>>  attached to a 57 van's stock trans? My old single-port 1600, in this
>>  panelvan, would readily do 80mph (premetric speedo).
>
>I suspect a very optomistic speedometer or a downhill slope.  Everything
>I've read suggests the top speed of a van of that vintage was about 60
>mph.  My '75 bus would just about do 80, but it had a 2.0L.

That old 57, with the 36hp 1200, would pull an indicated 70 on the
flat with a full load. The engine sounded like a turbine... I think
the speedo wasn't too far out, as  at an indicated 60 (my cruising
speed after fitting the 1600) I would be passing most traffic... this
being at a time when the national speed limit was 80kmh (50mph).
Those engines loved to rev (even if it wasn't good for longevity, and
those speeds i only did for short bursts), and the short split-case
trans gearing made for excellent acceleration... the same 1600 fitted
later into my 66 Kombi was just as fast, but acceleration was a lot
slower.

My 75 bus (1.8) would reach 120kmh (75mph) really quickly (quicker
than a 2.2 turbodiesel Estima (Previa)) and easily do 136kmh (85),
and on a couple of occasions when overtaking it got to over 150kmh
(~94mph) and still accelerating. This engine did have a 1916 kit, but
was otherwise stock apart from a burning piston. It did go amazingly
well, and always got comments, even from VW-haters. From what I have
read the injected 2.0 was way down on power compared to the twin-carb
1.8, and was also more prone to big-end failure (smaller big-ends in
order to clear the cases).
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut