Sean Simpson

I have a 1973 VW Thing which I purchased in 1992 and successfully drove cross-country three times. Upon close inspection of my engine, I found that I had a replacement case and displacement was probably smaller than original. Ultimately, I wanted a heart-transplant to get a reliable engine with more juice over my original (replacement). I heard about Jake Raby through the VW community on the web and then checked out this website. I quickly decided that a 2270cc Type 4 conversion engine was the engine for me.

After a nice refund from the kind people at the IRS, my purchase process got into motion. I called Jake and discussed my options. Jake was very energetic and very helpful. He said that the 2270 would really wake up my Thing and would be a great mix of reliability and power. After discussing all aspects of the motor I wanted, a wire transfer of funds got my engine "started."

Delivery of the engine came in a very sturdy crate and the engine looked beautiful. After initially trusting someone I shouldn't have to put the engine in (it's a long story), I took my car to a full-time VW garage. They installed the engine properly and had it running smoothly in no time.

I immediately set out on a road-trip from NYC to Pittsburgh to attend a co-workers wedding. The engine ran very well and has lots of power. People are surprised when a Thing passes them going 70 uphill. After a few interations of the throttle pedal / throttle cable / carb return-springs combination, the engine is immediately responsive and begs me to ask for more. I'm planning on purchasing a transmission from Jake to better harness the power of the Type 4 conversion power plant. My car is now limited by the transmission and I think the engine would spin it into the ground if given a chance.

A testimony to this engine has been given by 3 different VW shops that have seen it. The comments were all to the effect that it is a hell of an engine, solidly put together, with more than enough power. All the shops reminded me that it's a good time for me to convert to disk brakes.

Overall, I'm very satisfied and thank Jake and his RAT crew for pumping up my Thing, as it were.

Things to be aware of:

1. The conversion engine does not have a stock exhaust setup. As of the time I bought my engine, there were two ways to go and neither were cheap. I went with the setup Jake recommended and it has done very well.
2. This engine requires an external oil cooler, fuel pump and crankcase breather box, which are not included in the purchase price.
3. Shipping is not included in the purchase price...at least it wasn't for me ;)

Sean Simpson

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