How to Fit a Camshaft into an Aircooled VW case

Sometimes you can just install a cam shaft into a VW aircooled case but most of the time you have to check certain things for clearance.

[@RichardBarker-d1h]

Good information on cam bearings and how to fit double cam bearings ! ! I was installing double cam bearings before they were even available . I have about 4 boxes of brand new bearings with the thrust bearings missing 😂 . I have a friend who builds HIGH performance motorcycles he uses a whetstone for fitting parts like these . They are fairly cheap at Harbor Freight , there is a rough side and a polishing side , don't build your next engine without one ! ! KEEP BUILDING BROTHER 😎

[@VWJawbreaker]

Very good video. I’ve had to do the same thing with the cam bearings and the engine I just put together was the first one I didn’t need to clearance the oil pump for the cam bolts.

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@ddk56vw confused how I’m thinning the cam? I’ve always corrected the cam bearings the same way you do. This last engine I put together is the first one where I didn’t need to clearance the oil pump for the cam bolts…. I had plenty of room between them. The cam was never touched.

[@ddk56vw]

@@VWJawbreaker ooops, I must of replied to the wrong post, sorry for the confusion.

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@ddk56vw all good!

[@Slick56]

Good information. A definite must check for the cam thrust and I like the dump grove for the journal.

[@kevinhamling1963]

G'day, Great video. I haven't done this for some time so it's good to refresh the old memory. Thanks for sharing ✌️ Peace from Melbourne Australia.

[@ddk56vw]

Thanks for watching 😎🤠

[@vintage76vipergreenBeetle]

Nice video.👍

[@Gearheadpobre_91]

Could you make a video on how to frame the beetle cam shaft. Thanks!

[@ddk56vw]

May I ask what you mean by frame? Are you talking about indexing a cam? I do have a future build coming up where I might index the cam.

[@Gearheadpobre_91]

I apologize for expressing myself badly.

[@benkanobe7500]

Fantastic tip on fitting the trust bearings! I got lost on the tab/no tab - Does the double thrust bearing, bearing have both halves with thrust surface and can I just install both halves or do I need to make a modification to hold the no-tab half in place (or is only a 1/2 bearing double thrust??) ?

[@ddk56vw]

Double thrust bearing sets have the thrust on both halves. It depends on bearing brand on whether there is a tang on both halves. You can either file down one bearing tang or file a grove in the case to fit the tang.

[@muzelmuzel5786]

I got an old 1302, and i am suspecting previous owner have installed cam wrong (not on the dots). Because i have changed all electronics, and carbs, timed and adjusted. It got decent compression on all cylinders, but still cough and spit and run rough. Can i check if the camshaft are correctly mounted without splitting the engine

[@ddk56vw]

@@muzelmuzel5786 it's possible to pull the oil pump to see.

[@soggz4246]

Hi. Instead of filing the bearing, I find it better to Machine the surface of the back of the cam,otherwise you will find that thinning the bearing wall may make it break of and then you have a Cresent shaped piece of metal floating around in you engine will end up in your barrel. All the best.👍🏾🛠🇬🇧

[@ddk56vw]

Yep, that would work too but now you are thinning the cam lol. I'd probably do it that way if I owned a lathe. Something I do hope to own some day. Anyways, on my side of things; I have been doing it this way for over ten years and I haven't seen any broken cam bearings. Thanks for the advice and keep shifting those gears 😎🚗🚘🚗

[@geraldfahey8411]

Hi what's a tang ??? what your talking about is called a cleat.

[@ddk56vw]

Funny, I've been building these engines for over 25 years and never heard of a bearing cleat. I've always heard it called a tang. Do a search for a bearing cleat on the old Google and tell me what you come up with?

[@geraldfahey8411]

@@ddk56vw Hi again a tang is a smell you look it up 25 years who trained you .

[@ddk56vw]

@@geraldfahey8411 Okay , I'll do the work for you, this is straight from the enter web. Bearing tangs are only used to laterally locate the bearing shells within the connecting rod housing bore. Some connecting rods have distinct upper and lower bearing shells, that have different bearing tangs, so that they can only be put into the connecting rod or cap half.Jun 9, 2020