Aircooled VW South Africa

Hi all, I received a kombi motor with engine number SFCAR, anyone can tell me spec on it?

Your engine code is CA, which is a 1700 type 4 motor used in a bus from 72 - 73.

The SF and R after the engine codes stipulates it has been rebuild at some time in its life.

SF simply denotes that the engine was built in SA.

AFAIK, R means the case was replaced during a previous rebuild, not that the engine was rebuilt.

fig wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:29 pm SF simply denotes that the engine was built in SA.

AFAIK, R means the case was replaced during a previous rebuild, not that the engine was rebuilt.

What has often worried me about this, is that motors I come across that are stamped, SF R, have had previous numbers machined off and re stamped. This would surely not be the case if a new casing was used? Perhaps second hand casings were used then.

sean wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:35 pm

fig wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:29 pm SF simply denotes that the engine was built in SA.

AFAIK, R means the case was replaced during a previous rebuild, not that the engine was rebuilt.

What has often worried me about this, is that motors I come across that are stamped, SF R, have had previous numbers machined off and re stamped. This would surely not be the case if a new casing was used? Perhaps second hand casings were used then.

I don't think the R stamp and remachined engine numbers have anything to do with each other. VWSA and Remtec routinely ground off and restamped engine numbers on rebuilds since the 1990s at least. Why they did this I can't say, but probably to avoid liabilities resulting from customers giving them stolen engines on exchange. I have seen no evidence that VWSA (or later Remtec) ever replaced cases on engines for local rebuild (Remtec did sometimes use new cases for their export rebuilds). If the case was stamped R for replacement during a SA rebuild, it probably was done in the 1970s or early 1980s. I have several VWSA/Remtec rebuilt engines with restamped engine numbers that aren't stamped R.

Maybe you are correct that VWSA/Remtec made use of used cases when they needed to replace a case, and stamped the same number as had been on the originally supplied case for rebuild.

Have also heard that the R was stamped in between the original numbers to signify it was a rebuild.

This can be seen as it does not line up with the other letters and is normally skew.

This was done when an engine was replaced by VW, and it did not go back to the same customer due to their exchange plan

You could go to VW dealer, and go out with a rebuild engine exchange within an hour.

Had two done as a youngster.

Then when to Ferdi, as he lived one block away from me and still ran Superwagen.

When the case had to be replaced and you waited for your engine to be fixed, you could ask to have the same number stamped as long as they had the old case to destroy I would imagine. This would save you having to do engine number changes at license dept.


Herman

Thank you guy's

Hey Fig, we bought another single cab last year and busy rebuilding her, her name is Chemo due to my wife's battle with cancer it seemed like a good name, she will be coming along to the Campout, but this one's not for sale, lol, still sorry about that first one,









New Combi coming too, tis the one I need the side beadings for, lol

Both nice buses,

Great work

Herman

Bratjie wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:45 pm Hey Fig, we bought another single cab last year and busy rebuilding her, her name is Chemo due to my wife's battle with cancer it seemed like a good name, she will be coming along to the Campout, but this one's not for sale, lol, still sorry about that first one,

My 71 SC I bought from you is showing her age a bit now but, since I picked her up in November 2011, she's done more than 50,000km of duty as our donkey and still going strong. Still the best value for money car I have ever bought. I'm having the original engine built at the moment (stand-in engine keeping her working) and I'll refresh the bodywork as soon as I can afford it.