Ron,
	Mechanic #1 is wrong, NONE of the tin for an air-cooled is 'a dust 
barrier'. The VW is designed for nice fresh cool air to flow in through
the scoops or louvers, get sucked into the fan and blown out across
the cylinders and heads, exhausting at the bottom. That's why the
later-models have their cooling air intakes up at the top- far, far
away from the hot air coming out the bottom.

	From the factory, the aircooled VW engine compartment is pretty 
completely sealed, including a big soft rubber strip that seals the 
engine/body joint. Your aluminum might want some self-adhesive weather-
stripping for a complete seal.

	Leave the tin off and you've now got the poor engine cooking
in its own heat- the hot air at the bottom of the engine will just rise
straight up around the sides and ends and get sucked back into the fan.
The engine gets hotter, and that makes the air hotter... melt-down.
Just curious, which piston burned through? 

	Don't Baja Bugs have problems then? Not the same- your poor bus
engine was in a box EXCEPT for the bottom, where all the hot air came in 
from! A Baja or 'hotrod' bug without an engine cover is getting  plenty 
of fresh air. A bus or type III or IV really suffers without the cooling 
tin. Disaster will inevitably follow.

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				|######\     _==_     /######|	
	cheers!			|#######\   = \/ =   /#######|
	Bill Abbott		|########\  =\/\/=  /########|
	'70 single cab		|#########\  -__-  /#########|
	'93 Corrado		|##########\      /##########|
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				|  N E T S U R F N U G E N   |
				| vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu  |
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