How to Set VW Beetle Engine Timing - ROTTEN OLD 1956 VW Beetle - 78

How to set VW Beetle engine static timing! This VW Beetle 1600 engine static timing method is the same as any other 009 distributor or SVDA vacuum advance distributor.
I am still trying to get this engine and exhaust assembled, but nothing wants to fit right! I had to order more parts!
So what engine is Eleanore the 1956 Chop Top VW Oval Beetle going to get? Well right now this VW Beetle will get a 1600 dual port stock VW Engine because I have one ready after removing the stock 1600 VW dual port engine that I found loose parts inside of.
I also have almost enough parts to build a 2165 VW engine with 94mm pistons and a 78mm crank with an Engle 110 cam, some dual Dellorto carburetors or Weber Carburetors, and a merged header exhaust should just about double the horsepower.
There will probably be even more after that, I guess we'll see!
My rotten old 1956 Chop Top VW Oval Beetle named Eleanore needs a suitable gas tank. The top of her original gas tank is still in usable/rebuild-able condition, but the bottom was completely rusted through. But because the front end of this car was replaced/rebuilt with that of a 1969 Beetle an original 1956 gas tank won't fit properly anymore. So I'm going to take a 1961-1967 gas tank and cut the top off of it and weld the 1956 top onto it to make a new hybrid tank and retain the electric fuel sender at the same time.
The best of both worlds! WINNING!
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[@DuckmanCycles]

If you came just for the timing portion, skip ahead to 5:43, thanks for watching! ⚫ FOLLOW MY SOCIAL MEDIA ⚫ INSTAGRAM ▶ instagram.com/VvTheDuckvV

[@Paulman50]

Your one step ahead of me. Got mine running yesterday and I'm going to check the timing today.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Sounds more like you're one step ahead of me, mine's not even running yet LOL

[@Thrakall]

Great shirt.. Thanks for all the info you share as well. Always been interested in air cooled VW but just never spent the time researching. You have gotten me more motivated with your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Gotta love the Abom! Thanks for commenting, glad you are watching, thanks so much!

[@upinarmsusa]

I actually understood what you said. Other websites make it sound so difficult thanks for your videos

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you very very much!

[@TOOR4073]

Nice informative video... Keep it up

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you! I love when these old videos come back to life!

[@irishmurf1799]

Awesome stuff

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you!

[@busman5429]

This one of the best videos I have seen on static timing , great step by step and camera work. Thanks you.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you! I rehearsed a lot and shot it a bunch of different ways until I thought it looked right! Tonight you'll get to see if the timing worked or not... lol!

[@johannsmit2001]

Thanks for your knowledge. I always thought that when u turn the distributor , to do the timing , the moment the light goes ON . That is tdc and ready to go . Reason why there is no go ... ty

[@DuckmanCycles]

Yeah, thats half of it, but you would need to have the crank in that position, too. Typically to do a static timing you would put the engine at 7.5 BTDC, then turn it until you get a light. But I would only do that on a new distributor that has been tested to work as VW intended... most of them run out of spec or are worn and should rather be set to max advance with a timing light. Hope that helps!

[@EmanDeluxeVLOGS]

Damn service call. Killin you... And us. Awsome video duck. Very helpful. My ears perked up to hear dwell... My dad just recently gave me a dwell light and i dont know squat about that. So looking forward. Cant wait for the cough/fart on the cold start!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Always busy around here, quiet day today! New video goes up at 12AM CST, its already up for Patrons!!!!

[@gilbertsanchez2568]

Cool stuff

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you!

[@VWLifeVW]

the higher the dwell the smaller the gap :) good how to video duckman

[@DuckmanCycles]

I appreciate it! LoLoLoL!

[@BritainsFinestBand]

Damn your job!! 😆 I was hoping to see that engine fire up on this video.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Me too! LoL! I need to drop that contract. KZbin isn't a full time gig yet! Maybe someday, need a 1000 patreon duckshit.net supporters first I think... lol! Might take me 50 years.... haha!

[@bugulater]

Modern engine oil dosen't have additives like zinc to protect the flat tappet cam in VW engines, these additives were removed because they were damaging catalytic converters...you can buy these additives separate,or buy oil for flat tappet cams.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Good suggestion! Thanks!

[@jdmeaux]

Shell Oil, the quintessential expert of , with Ford Motor Company, did testing of motor oils years back on 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines, and did find that a straight weigh oil was beneficial for these engines. The older designs performed better with single weight oils. Multi-grade oils are a benefit for most V-8's and V-6's because of the smaller oil passages. Just some stupid trivia I had to learn years ago working on engines. It is always best to follow the manufacturers recommendation. There are newer engines that the use of full synthetic oils is not recommended. Most oils today are semi-synthetic, a mixture of natural oil and synthetic. Moe

[@DuckmanCycles]

Yep, there are lots of reasons I'll keep 30 in there... I'd only divert from that if I needed to because of weather, or an old worn engine.

[@phonemaniatico]

Of course you are a mechanic / electrician who knows how to do everything. Many problems of the restorations come from the lack of information, here there are people who go crazy to get a dealer in a Seat 600, which is a small utility manufactured between the end of the 50s until the beginning of the 70s, according to the first version mounted an engine of approximately 630cc and about 20cv, over time they came to mount a 730cc engine with 35cv or so. Based on the Fiat 600, there were Abarth preparations that left them in 45hp that for a car of less than 700kg made it become a small beast.Returning to that of the distributor, the 600 has a pinion that is not offset and requires some knowledge to penetrate and tune that ignition. And sorry for the sheet, but all the old engines are something special.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Great info! Thank you for sharing!

[@sompodtanagornmaetar3187]

Hello, it may a bit late to comment on this. I just check your vid. It is very informative. I just curious that I have my bug with vacuum advance dist. Do i need to set timing at 7.5 btdc or set at tdc (no advance)? because just check many vid and they all explain in different ways. Thank.

[@DuckmanCycles]

We're still working on these cars, so its never too late! But it depends on which engine and distributor your have, but 7.5BTDC should get it in the ballpark. You should actually set it to 28-32 max advance, most distributors nowadays are worn and don't advance as much as they should. Once that is set let the idle timing fall to wherever it lands. Unless its doin'g something goofy it should be close to 7.5BTDC. Hope that helps!

[@johannsmit2001]

I replaced my carb with a single weber 34 downdraught carb. with a faced fuel pump. Any thoughts ?

[@DuckmanCycles]

I'm not sure what the question is, what's going on?

[@truckerpeterose]

Thank you for these videos 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thanks for watching and all of your comments!

[@jayinmi3706]

This reminded me of setting point gap with a business card. Someone had bought me the Idiot's guide when I had my first Bug. lol

[@DuckmanCycles]

Heh, that'll get ya home for sure! Used to use that method on lawnmower engines!

[@johnduncan1183]

That's what I do

[@donaldzackson1765]

Getting closer 🦆🚹

[@DuckmanCycles]

Tonight's video is a good one, goes up to the public soon!

[@6271raven]

The Likey has been licked :) Great Video keep em coming

[@DuckmanCycles]

Haha! I like your licky!

[@jimlester5003]

Oh so damn close. I can almost smell the fumes!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Today I tasted some! Video goes up soon! Patrons have it already!

[@jimlester5003]

I understand the patreon side of it. I just can't right now. All my extras are going into my engine. I just found out that I have to replace my valves. I cleaned them up and they looked like 40 year old boob implants. Too many stretch makes and lots of wear. They guides are still tight.

[@DuckmanCycles]

I didn't say that to necessarily push you rather to make others aware when they see our exchange.... I would be upset if you took money away from your engine and gave it to me anyway! It needs new boob implants lol

[@paulgarza8389]

if the wires are crossed and you hear a small noise on an electronic ignition distrib they say its fried and no good. Does the whole thing need to be replaced or can you buy a certain part and install it for it to work again ?

[@DuckmanCycles]

Unfortunately if you cross the wires you fry the important and expensive part, you cant buy it separately, but that it wouldn't matter much, anyway. It's the expensive part! Sorry dude!

[@paulgarza8389]

can i buy that little block w/ the two wires they sell on Ebay ? They start at $28 - they sell the block w/ the 2 leads, the magnet and the screw - would that work ? They call it the electronic ign module - is that the part i fried ? any comment would be helpful (and if its a yes, would i have to time the car ?)

[@tjlewis9690]

Awesome man, thank you!

[@DuckmanCycles]

And thank you for the comment!

[@pacificovw9522]

Thank you for posting this, Duckman. Will this timing method also work with the electronic ignition, like CompuFire, etc.? I know I am late to this post but I did not find that question in the comments below. Also, would the vacuum advance distributor work better for a 30/31 pic 3 carburetor? On the oil weight: with 30 or 10-30 my warning light would come on within 30 minutes of driving and when I switched to 10-40 the light doesn't come on, even after an 1:30 hour of driving, freeway and street. Thank you again for your posts, they help a lot as there are fewer and fewer classic VW mechanics.

[@DuckmanCycles]

No, electronic ignition works a little differently, and will also have a different advance curve. Recommend that you use a timing light in that case.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Vacuum advance distributor works better no matter what carb you have, so long as it has provisions for the vacuum port.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thats interesting on the oil situation, check the temperature of it just because. 10w40 is inherently thicker at higher temps. your engine may be a little worn and a thicker oil is a bandaid to keep you going. I just use straight 30w and be done with it. Keep doing what you're doing, it should be OK for a while!

[@austinwilson6484]

What if my light never turns off? 12v system

[@DuckmanCycles]

That question is rather ambiguous... please clarify.

[@haydenc2742]

Arrrrgh, yer killin' me...fire it up

[@DuckmanCycles]

Haha, update video tonight! Patrons already area watching it!

[@thomaspollock4274]

Is the coil bracket slightly loose ? Fingers crossed she fires and runs like a....well like a VW engine!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Its 50% loose... its only on one screw for now. 😊😁🤣

[@edmondcotter1014]

👍

[@DuckmanCycles]

Thank you!

[@robertwilliams3457]

Hmm? I've aways used 20-50.. Do think it would hurt the engine?

[@DuckmanCycles]

Well thats a bit thick... if you have problems with oil pressure that thicker oil will usually resolve it. I tried it in the type-3 and the engine gushed everywhere... I dunno if that was a fluke or not, but I did have some issues, went back to 30 been fine since.

[@geovanerocha6087]

Quero ver este motor funcionando mano kkk

[@DuckmanCycles]

esta noite!!!

[@skip2067]

Wow, what's with these 1 AM video, Midnight to you.

[@DuckmanCycles]

I've been doing them this way for 6 months, what should be with em? Fries and a Coke? LoL! I do other releases at noon on the other channel, 12 hour spacing between video releases.

[@jdmeaux]

@@DuckmanCycles Greasy cheeseburgers and a chocolate milk shake is 1 AM food..

[@DuckmanCycles]

@@jdmeaux Now you're talkin'!!!!!

[@thomaspollock4274]

So you are saying you have one screw loose? Figured. :o)

[@DuckmanCycles]

Only one screw? LOL

[@isaiahgamervw7306]

second!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Third!

[@area85restorations75]

Damn man! Your blueballing me bro!!! Haha jk, but cant wait to see her fire!

[@DuckmanCycles]

Haha, update video tonight! Patrons already area watching it!

[@ranchero302me]

Lmoa sounds like u said niga niga duck man

[@DuckmanCycles]

Haha nope...

[@brand-x7049]

HAYMAN DONT FERGIT TA PUT OYL IN YAR ENJINE LOLOLOLOL!!!111one! [/snrk] :)

[@DuckmanCycles]

Delmont peed in it instead!

[@brand-x7049]

@@DuckmanCycles Dude, you need to keep him on a leash. :)P

[@DuckmanCycles]

Haha yep! Skeeter sometimes keeps him in line.