My engine is a 2110cc type 1, built by Harry Harpics & It is amazing! It is however my 3rd engine, so I thought people may be able to learn from my experiences and potentially save themselves some time & cash. It is rare I make recommendations, but I can confidently recommend Paul Miller at Harry Harpics as I've now owned two of his engines. I would strongly suggest people keep away from ‘Off the shelf’ engines, based on my experience! For those that are still interested or considering a new engine, below are the lengthy details of my experiences with 3 engines! The detail: Engine number 3 - My current engine, which I love: Despite living ‘Up North’ I chose Paul Miller at Harry Harpics in Essex to build my current motor. I opted for Paul as he had built, my 1st engine, a 1776 that was in a bay window I bought 16 years ago. Plus I needed someone who knew what they were doing after my horrific ‘Off the shelf’ 2nd engine experience. I discussed my engine requirements and what I was trying to achieve from it. I took Paul an old 1776 long block, he inspected it & told me what bits could be re used and which bits needed replacing. We then discussed various options from 1776 to bigger engines with increased stroke. Paul didn’t want to sway my decision but gave me clear information about the different options. I decided to go down the increased stroke route and placed my order. The old case was re used, but all other parts were new. Once the 2110 was installed I knew instantly that it was a good engine, even during the running in period. Unfortunately on the run home I discovered an oil leak. It appeared to be coming from the oil cooler area. I spoke with Paul, he re assured me & it was clear he would get to the bottom of it and sort it. As Essex is so far from me we decided to combine sorting the oil leak with installing a new gearbox. Once the new gearbox had been built by Bears, I got the van back to Essex. Unfortunately the oil leak turned out to be from a crack in the case just below the oil cooler. So the case was the only item I had re used and was the cause of the problem! Paul had inspected the case prior to the build, but there was no way of seeing the crack. It was looking like more expense on a new case and machine work, but Paul had once before mended a similar leak without replacing the case. It was a one off attempt at mending it, it would work or I’d need a new case. Luckily for me the fix worked, so I no longer have a leak from the oil cooler area and can enjoy the van again. With the new gear box and the leak sorted my van has it’s mojo back. Spec: Cylinder heads Mofoco 40x35.5 valves, 90.5 barrels & pistons, camshaft WEB III, counterweight crank. All relevant bits balanced & set up correctly. This is what I can remember rather than full spec. So I can thoroughly recommend Paul Miller at Harry Harpics, he builds a great engine. Yes at first it had an oil leak, but Paul was keen to sort it out and keep me on the road without costing me a fortune. I’m sure other workshops would have seen the situation as an opportunity for additional work and income. Engine number 2: My previous engine was an ‘off the shelf’ 1776cc longblock from a large VW supplier – on paper the spec was great, in reality it was very poor. It cost a lot, it never felt right, it had better spec on paper than my previous 1776, but was far worse in terms of power & driving. When I spoke to the supplier about the problems they just kept saying: you need bigger carbs, you need an external cooler, you need a breather system – none of which ever made any difference. All that happened was I spend loads of money on an engine that just wasn’t ever going to be as good as my previous engine. Based on my experience with this engine, I would advise everyone to steer well clear of ‘off the shelf’ engines from large VW mail order type businesses. Spec: Brand new extra strong Aluminium crankcase, Cylinder Heads EMPI 044s, 40mm x 35.5mm valves. New barrels fitted with forged 90.5mm pistons, by MAHLE. Pistons balanced to 1 gram of each other prior to assembly. Camshaft: Engle 110. Valve duration 284 degrees lift with stock rockers 0.430". Crankshaft: Original German forging re manufactured. Drilled for 8 dowel holes and then dynamically balanced. Engine number 1: Roughly 16 years ago a bloke in Essex was advertising a bus (£2,000!) with a 1776cc engine built by Paul Miller at Harry Harpics. I knew very little about buses and engines, but it drove better than any other van I’d looked at & I bought it. I went on a few convoys to bugjam etc and everyone kept telling me how fast my van was – flying up hills on motorways etc. It leaked a tiny bit of oil, but always drove well. Spec: VW twin port cylinder heads, cut for 90.5mm with mild port and polish, stock valves. Oversized Barrels & pistons. Mild performance cam – 4061 Bugpack with 370 duration and 396" lift. Standard forged VW crankshaft. My big mistake, don’t make the same one. When I was in the market for a new engine (number 2), I considered getting one from Harry Harpics, but as they were in Essex and I was in the North I ended up going down the ‘Off the shelf’ route. I went with the off the shelf engine as the spec seemed good and it came with a warranty. It was the worst VW related decision I’ve ever made. When I first drove this 2nd 1776 engine I could tell straight away it didn’t seem as good as my previous 1776. I’m sure some people out there are happy with their off the shelf engines and I’m sure some people are disappointed with their ‘custom built’ engines. All I know is that both engines I’ve experienced that Paul Miller at Harry Harpics built felt right and drove well. The off the shelf 1776 engine I bought had all the right bits, bigger valves in the heads, engle 110 etc but for whatever reason it always felt under powered ! I hope my experiences help someone out there save time and money.
I'll let you know on the power front once it is set up on a rolling rd. It is plenty powerful enough, it goes much faster than I feel comfortable at in a bus! Ballpark cost was shed loads (I'll dig out my receipts and pm you if you like). In reality the 2110cc probably cost less £ than the 'off the shelf' 1776, no 2 engine.
I'd be interested to know rough costs mate if you look them out at some point. Sounds like a nice engine!
Nice post, I also have a Paul Miller built engine and I am always happy to recommend his work. I have rang him numerous times for advice on both my engine and non engine related matters. He is always happy to help.
I completely agree he is always happy to help. In fact his phone was ringing so much he told me had to stop answering it at points, as it was getting in the way of him working on customer vehicles. He obviously knows what he is doing in terms of engines and is a decent bloke interested in keeping people on the road. Def one of the good guys in the world of aircooled VW's
Paul's done work for me in the past including sorting me out a pukka set of new 40 Webber's for my 914 engine. Really is a nice bloke (although he keeps going on about type 1 engines)
Paul fitted my Stateside Tuning built lump. Jim Calvert suggested Paul and one other guy a bit further afield. Happy to recommend Harry Harpics.
