Hi Forum members
How do I figure out the capacity of the engine in my beetle ?
The registration papers show that it is a 1300, but the police clearance indicates a 1200. It is a 65 so originally it was a 1200, but I think at some stage in its life the engine was overhauled or a recon was fitted. Any ideas ?
Thanks
Determining Engine Size
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- Fuel Injection
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Re: Determining Engine Size
Check the inlet manifold. 1200 is smaller diameter than the 1300.1200 is also fixed cast where it bolted onto the heads and fit horizontal on to the head. 1300 looks like a flange on the inlet pipe that bolt onto the head at a bit of an angle. then there is engine numbers that you can check aswell.
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Re: Determining Engine Size
Check codes under technical thread.
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Re: Determining Engine Size
Yes, your engine number will give you a clue. However, it's fairly straightforward to build 1300 P&Cs into a 1200 engine to get a 1300, even though engine number and all external parts would say 1200. The only sure way is to remove a head and measure bore and stroke.
And I would not take anything seriously that the cops say.
Years ago when I took my 63 Dormobile (factory colours: turquoise and blue-white) for clearance, the cop insisted that the colour of the bus was the top colour, and he said that was white (VW blue-white is quite visibly a very pale green, and turquoise is also greeny). When I took all the papers to the licencing office, the original papers said the bus was green, the RWC said it was green, and I said it was green in the change of ownership form. The woman behind the counter asked me what colour the bus was and I said green. She registered it as green, despite what the colour-blind cop wrote.

And I would not take anything seriously that the cops say.
Years ago when I took my 63 Dormobile (factory colours: turquoise and blue-white) for clearance, the cop insisted that the colour of the bus was the top colour, and he said that was white (VW blue-white is quite visibly a very pale green, and turquoise is also greeny). When I took all the papers to the licencing office, the original papers said the bus was green, the RWC said it was green, and I said it was green in the change of ownership form. The woman behind the counter asked me what colour the bus was and I said green. She registered it as green, despite what the colour-blind cop wrote.

fig
Kaapse Kombi Kult
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Kaapse Kombi Kult
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." -- Henry Ford