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i know i',m going to have to change it to be able to run on unleaded fuel I just need steps in the right direction to be able to do it

Step one go to gas station. step two remove gas cap. step three fill with unleaded. step four replace gas cap. all done.



Congratulations you',ve now transformed it to unleaded.

as mentioned you may be able to put an additive in the fuel tank with every fill up, Redex is a good make to use, but there are many out there to decide from, most of them are made in the same factory, they just have different labels on them.



the costly way is to attempt and and get a "unleaded cylinder head" for the engine,it will include all the valves it's the valves which need the lead to stop them from burning out this may be quite costly, based on how long you plan to keep and run the car for, it may work out cheaper to do it this way than keep purchasing the additive I mentioned above.



for example



250 for cylinder head

10 for each bottle of fuel additive



that means after 25 bottles, its really costing you more money to purchase more bottles of additive, than it could have done to get the cylinder head replaced.

I just take off the gas cap and add fuel. It makes no difference to the engine lead or unlead. it'll still run. Really. No extra additives needed. They put the lead in to increase the octane some octanes. you'll still be a gutless wonder. Just like you were with leaded. purchase higher octane fuel like premium. There was millions of cars on the road when they switched over to unleaded. they didn',t have to tell you and you could not noticed

Here is the link to an article about that. reluctantmechanic.com/qa/vol The timing issue and knowing if you have the steel valves are the two important things.



If you have a ping or knock:

Timing is a simple thing to do on a VW. Start the engine, loosen the distributor bracket and turn the distributor to change the timing. Retard the spark some degrees, then tighten and test drive. Repeat till it runs smooth without knocking. aircooledtech.com/timing/stat explains how to static time your engine and aircooledtech.com/timing/stro explains how to "strobe" set it with the engine running. The second also explains how to retard the spark if predetonation knocking happens.



If you have doubts about the valves, I haven',t found any substitute valves that weren',t at least as good as stock when rebuilding you may invest in a complete valve job. I typically use the after market stainless steel ones intended for high performance bug engines. racing, dune buggy, etc. They aren',t costly, but the labor may be if you don',t know how to do it yourself. Here is a listing for complete heads if you find the old ones need broad work after removing them from the engine. This is what I recommend as they outlast stock by a bunch. jcwhitney.com/STREETPROPERF Note the prices are EACH and you',ll need 2. J.C. Whitney the company I linked to here, has a complete part of their online catalog devoted to the old air cooled VW',s. A Google search will find many more suppliers, but I',ve had good luck here for quality and price.



I',d recommend purchasing a Chilton or Haynes fix manual for your VW and follow the step by step w/pictures information. Pay special attention to the elimination sequence for the head bolts as taking them out in wrong order can warp and ruin the heads. Same goes for putting them back on. Read the list of tools needed before starting the job as few home mechanics have tools like valve spring compressors. Nice to have and not costly if you're planning to maintain your VW. A big "C" clamp may be used in a pinch, but the real tool makes things much easier. Note that there are some nice to use substitute parts carried by Whitney like spring loaded push rod tubes. They make it easier to work on the push rods and make reassembly much easier. The common problem with replacing the heads is to get all of the push rod tubes to seat properly and NOT leak oil all over the engine.



Be told that it's quite probable that your engine isn't the original one that came with the car. It should be a 53 hp, single port 1500cc, with a serial # starting with an "H" but that isn',t saying it's. I',d recommend finding the engine serial number located on the rear engine flange under the generator mount. lightnerthe/ybdb/serno.html will tell you the year of your engine and bugsandbuggies.com/QuickRef.a gives the size/hp ranking. Note that anything before the 1971 engine sedle port. Dual port heads may be used, but require a different intake manifold.

Firstly you may be able to get an addative to put in your tank of unleaded or its only the timing I think that needs adjusting not big work.

I should already be able to run on unleaded gas.

1966vwbug.webs.com

buy high octane

buy octane booster

make your octane booster



nothing more easy my old car runs good on it