Various Kadron-Powered Engine Dyno Results

Being as dedicated as we are to building Kadron carburetors for air-cooled VW engines, it took many years and various different engine builds to develop the technology that we've acquired. I thought it would be fun to revisit a few of those different builds and post some of the dyno sheets and engine photos of the builds.

Let's start small and work our way up.

We began this as a build for a Porsche Speedster replica.  We set out originally to build an engine with a stock sized (non-bored & stroked) case and make 100 horsepower with Kadrons. We set the bar kind of high, but we thought we could do it. Using a Norris 336S camshaft, our Stage 2 ported heads, 9:1 compression, 1-1/2" exhaust, and of course our special Kadron combo, we accomplished this goal.  It was a fun build. The owner wanted kind of a "vintage performance" look that would match his speedster. The oil filter mounted to the fan shroud isn't actually plumbed in, but they're only for show. The real full flow filter is hidden away next to the Porsche logo'd valve cover. The 019 distributor has a Pertronix electronic ignition installed. We did actually hit 101hp on the dyno using velocity stacks, but we felt 99 was respectable with a full set of air cleaners. This engine is still being driven to our best knowledge, all these years later.

We absolutely love this combo for various reasons.  We built several of them in a row, and this is not the most powerful one of the bunch, but it's a good representation of what this combo can do. This one was built for a street driven '67 owned by a police officer, who we know would never exceed the speed limit. Originally we set out with this combo so Miguel could beat the Weber guys at the strip with a smaller motor than 2.0 liters and Kadrons. He put hundreds of passes on his motor, thousands of miles daily driving, and a lot of trophies on the wall.

 

This is one of the simplest performance builds you can do. It is super reliable and makes great power.  The engine case is bored to use 90.5/92mm cylinders and no stroker clearancing is required. Use 92mm thick-wall pistons and cylinders which are super-thick... thicker than 90.5's even. The heads are machined for 94mm pistons. We used our Stage 2 heads on this one, a Norris 336S camshaft, and 1.4:1 rockers. It had 9:1 compression ratio, whereas Miguel's was 9.9:1 and had a Norris 355S cam in it. The 74mm crankshaft simply drops into a stock case, requiring no machining.  The carbs on both engines were equipped with velocity stacks and our special micro-mesh filters, as well as our special magic, of course.

The 2180cc engine is a build that's been a staple of VW performance for decades.  Using 92mm (thick-wall) pistons and cylinders, and 82mm stroker crankshaft, it is also super reliable. It's our favorite combo for Buses.  Like the old saying goes, "There is no replacement for displacement".  We used a Norris 407S camshaft in this build, coupled with 1.25:1 ratio rockers, which kept the power band lower in the RPM range, and helped to push a '68 bus around town.  We've built several of these for Buses and totally love them.  The Pertronix Ignitor 3 ignition set up is a great match.  The 44mm Kadrons are equipped with our hand-machined 34mm venturis, Old School air cleaners with Hi-Flo™ kits, and our stainless steel fuel line kit.  We originally installed a stainless steel Sidewinder exhaust, but later changed it to a Vintage Speed exhaust to clear the mustache bar in the late bus.  These drive like a Lexus.

This is the 2332cc that was built for the blue Kaddie Shack race car.  There was a lot of experimentation in this motor.  We tried a lot of different things. The goal was to build a motor that would last a good long time, could be driven hard on the streets, would purr like a kitten around town, yet roar like a lion when it needed to. It lasted about 8 years until the crankshaft finally broke in half on the freeway.  We put hundreds of passes on it at the track.  Best times: 12.95 @ 101 mph in the 1/4 mile, 8.24 @ 81 mph i the 1/8th.  We put thousands of miles on this engine, driving it around town, on the freeway, and wherever it needed to be.  We never once towed the car to the track, and never once towed it home (until the engine blew!).  It only needed two valve adjustments in that entire time period, and would still be alive today if we hadn't beaten on it so hard for so may years. 10:1 compression, Jeff-ported 42 x 37.5 heads, 1-3/4" exhaust, 44mm Kadrons, 35.5mm venturis (we ran it for years with no venturis also, opting to carve a 40mm venturi directly into the carb body itself!), Norris 407S cam, 1.25:1 rockers.  Stock 1975 Bug.

 

In conclusion:  There are so many things we tested during the course of these builds, as well as many, many others.  Our buddy Mikey has the Kaddie Shack horsepower record currently running 172 in his Super Beetle, also equipped with Kadrons.  Whatever your goals, whether it may be to get up the hill a little faster, go a little further between breakdowns, climb those hills in your sandrail, or go down the freeway and keep up with traffic, we can help with your engine build and/or your Kadrons.

 

It can be done.

 

Don't let the naysayers tell you otherwise.