True that engine builders don't warranty engines for racing. They don't know what kind of abuse a person mite put an engine through. However, builder error should be warrantied. Both the coil bind issue and the loose conecting rod cap. Deck hieght should have been checked be for head install and cylinders shimed. Which have to be equal or heads would be cauked and low compression. Valove spring issue, rocker ratio must have been 1.4to1 or 1.5to 1. May be in conjuntion with not having done any rocker geometry.
Did the heads have single or dual springs? Did they come with the heads?
Be fore you do anything more, take it to an other mechanic for an autopsy This situation sucks and makes my blood boil. We work hard to be able to afford our toys. We pay other people to do the work or some of it, if we can't, it's an investment. So for some one (probably half way through a gal. of shine, when he built it) to say, to fn bad. they deserve to have an other thing comin.

Your exactly right about builder error is not an excuse. When I build a motor I check and recheck tolerances. A VW motor has to be right or it will not last. Alot of times you can get away witha little in a stock motor but when you start putting huge amounts of lift on the valve springs and high copression on the crank and rods it better be right. By looking at the pics of this motor I think when the piston hit the head it cracked the piston around the wrist pin. Once this happened you got a loose rod beating all around in the case. I would definatly let a motor builder with good experience look at the problem.

Sorry Gasman, that sucks..

I had a similar issue last year with my engine. It was not a building issue but rather faulty lifters. However, I am glad to say the Tim (Southern Buggies) stud behind his engine and rebuilt my engine at his cost.

Not only did Tim rebuild the engine at his cost, he also removed my engine from my buggy, reinstalled my engine and delivered my buggy.

It is important to always use a reputable builder that you can trust.

Good Luck

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I had a motor come back two weeks ago for that same problem. On his second ride one of his lifters broke clean off. It sheared the head clean off. I fixed it for free, thats what im sating you never know what your getting when you buy it. I couldnt charge him for a rebuild on a defective part. I got it back together for him and now he is happy.

A lot of the parts now days are junk.

They sure are. Tim has been beaten up badly over refixin engines due to parts failures that are in no way his fault. Costs him more money than what he makes off the build usually. He takes a beating trying to save people money by using used or cheaper parts when they ask him to.
I would tell them "Hell no....everything new or at least factory reconditioned, and nothing cheap junk (AKA EMPI), OR its ALL YOURS as soon as it fires."

Pick you builder VERY carefully . There are many jacklegs out there that will claim to be good and jack your stuff all up. Ask around. Ask them who's they've built, and go talk to some of those people. even if it delays your build a few weeks, you will be better off. Stick to the guys who have been doing it for a looong time. Everyone needs to be kind to our established vw engine builders. At least to the ones that have successfully built many many known good engines. Throw 'em a little money even if they volunteer to redo your new build for free, if y'all both know it was parts failure. I dont know what everybody charges, but I would not clean up a motor and prep it for reassembly for what a lot of these guys charge to do the whole build. I wouldnt even think of asking them to redo one free due to parts failure (or my own ignorance) , especially if I knew they had done all they could to check them before/during assembly. Its not easy making a living peddling vw parts or building them. Cut them some slack or there will no one left willing to fool with it.

I agree Larry, that's the way everything is now, there is a lot of stuff being made in China, but there are some good and bad stuff being made there. I know my CB Performance rods are made in China, and the rest is made from USA and Germany, but they have quality control on how the stuff is being made, I bought a Stihl chainsaw last year and it is made in Germany then a few weeks later, I went and bought me a gas-powered hedge trimmer made by Stihl from the same dealer and it was made in China, I asked this man I bought the trimmer from why this is made in China and the chainsaw was not. He was being very honest and he told me that there is a big difference between having the Chinese making knockoff stuff that looks like this and that compared to Stihl having their OWN factory in China under the Stihl quality control and management on certain epuipment to stay in the competition because of the prices. I think he's got a good point there and I don't like the idea of anything being made in China either, but what choice do we have?? Unless I want to buy a set of Pauter rods that runs $850 a set, $1250 for a Moldex crank, $2500 for a set of Autocraft 910 heads, $1500 for a 3-piece billet alumium block, $1250 for a set of J&E jugs and pistons, $900 for a set of custom billet roller cam and roller lifters, all of these are high-quality made in USA parts, but who can afford this unless you're really into racing VW-powered midget cars or Drag racing on a daily basis?

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"Loud pipes saves lives"

Chad, you should buy TWO of each of those things you listed, then you'd have spares.
(If pipedope didnt gank 'em )

That money would be pocket change to a man of your means !!

Maybe but I would'nt want to spend that kind of money on an engine unless I drag race them

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"Loud pipes saves lives"

pay a token amount and go to small claims court, win or loose you will at least be heard and double talk won"t fly with a common sense judge. not many engine builders whould not follow up with a paying customer. my 2 cents

I just want to tell you guys a little about Tim(Southern buggies).I have known him for a long time and he has been a good friend ever since.I have went to him twice to buy everything i needed to build a motor and i didn't go there to build a 1641 either,so i was going to spend a lot of money with him.Now both times he done things that not even a family member probably would do,he turned me onto other deals out there that did not include him,just like the motor i got now,i got it from Willie and the other deal was similar.i know for a fact that even if i was just a guy that walked into his shop,he would have done the same.Tim is a buggy rider,not a shop owner even though he owns one.He knows how much and how hard it is to keep these outfits going.We all love it for that reason,but it hurts him in the long run,so if you need some parts or technical advise give him a call,you wont regret it.

I bought an 86mm Bugpack crank from tim when I built my current motor. When I put the crank in the case with the cam the counterweights and the rod jurnal casting of the crank was hitting on top of the lobes of my cam. I had a engle 110 cam and had this clearance issue. The only way to correct this was to shave on the counterweights and rod journals on the crank. I called tim and he told me to send the crank back and let him see it. He found the same problem I did. He sent the crank back to bugpack and they sent me another one. It did the same thing. We ended up getting the tech department at bugpack to try the crank with the same cam. They called back after about 1 day and said they had a casting problem with their cranks. Tim stuck in there and helped me with the problem until it was solved. Tim is a super nice guy and is devoted to what he does.