And cut valve pockets or use other pistons.So if I wanted to run an ALH head on a BEW shortblock, I need to change the timing belt crank gear and crank trigger wheel?
thanks! the BEW piston tops are flat, so you could if you cut valve reliefs as A5 stated or you could replace the BEW pistons with BRM unitsCool build, didn't see this before, thanks for sharing.
So if I wanted to run an ALH head on a BEW shortblock, I need to change the timing belt crank gear and crank trigger wheel?
Photobucket has literally f*cked every build thread in the world by stopping 3rd party linking unless you become a paying member. I wish I had the time to take all my photo's off their site but that would take months.jim, idk if it's your photo bucket or what, but the photos aren't working..
I tried that, thanks, pretty cool but yeah, he must have pulled them down due to that.There's an add on for Chrome that fixes all the photobucket links, but in this thread it says the user moved or deleted them
sweet! i'll be building another bhw/alh hybrid in the not to distant future and i'll amend this thread with new tdiclub hosted photosThanks for the write up Jimbote! No pics needed with the detail your wrote. My stock ALH bottom end is getting a little tired so I picked up a BHW short block and will be doing the same to my ALH at some point.
sweet! i'll be building another bhw/alh hybrid in the not to distant future and i'll amend this thread with new tdiclub hosted photos
sorry for the delay in posting.... Use the the BHW head gasket that is specified for your piston projection or simply replace it with the same hole count head gasket the BHW came with. ..... on another note this thread has been de-photophucked and pics added via the native serverJim how did you determine headgasket? Or did you just go 3 hole BHW and call it good?
sorry for the delay in posting.... Use the the BHW head gasket that is specified for your piston projection or simply replace it with the same hole count head gasket the BHW came with. ..... on another note this thread has been de-photophucked and pics added via the native server
Hi all,Hi Jim,
Thanks so much for reposting this with all the detailed photos.
Ross
Unfortunately common rail shortblock will not work with the VE configuration. Piston bowl is entirely in the wrong spot to work with the ALH injector spray angle. Plus the crank does not have a spot to bolt the ALH reluctor wheel to nor does the block have a spot to mount the crank sensor.Hi all,
I've been researching the option of building a cjaa/alh hybrid. They seem to be much more plentiful on carpart.com than bhw engines. From what I've found out so far they don't have the BSM and have the same connecting rods as the bhw so they should be as strong right? My biggest concern is whether the pistons will hit the ALH valves. They appear to use different pistons but I don't know what the differences are. I'm calling a local yard on Monday who has a core engine for sale and maybe I can build this over the winter with the alh I have. I'm retired and on a very tight budget so this might be my least expensive way to go since I couldn't find a local bhw short block. Anyone know about the pistons?
Ross
Hi Jim,Unfortunately common rail shortblock will not work with the VE configuration. Piston bowl is entirely in the wrong spot to work with the ALH injector spray angle. Plus the crank does not have a spot to bolt the ALH reluctor wheel to nor does the block have a spot to mount the crank sensor.
Wait a minute, I don't even need a reluctor or a crankshaft sensor since I'm going mtdi!Hi Jim,
Yes I found pictures of the cjaa pistons compared to what the bhw look like. I figured I could use a fly cutter to make valve to piston clearance if that was an issue. I understand the spray angle may be wrong but I wonder if it would still run decent even though I might lose power. I have a Land Rover pump so I'm going mtdi. I'm not so concerned about a little power loss but I like the idea of a really strong block because this is going to get put in my Ultra Van in place of the Corvair engine in the back. (See my avatar). I've done a lot of custom engine stuff and engine swaps over the years just like you I'm sure, so I'm wondering if we could still attach the reluctor wheel to the cjaa crank with modifications. Same goes for the crank sensor. I know it would take a lot of extra time but I'm retired and this might be a neat winter project.
Thanks for your help,
Ross
don't know the answer to the timing belt component question but my guess is you can use the ALH components and drill the block for the lower small idler. You'll definitely have to swap pistons. Rings are the same from what I recall.Hi,
Thanks for your reply, yes this is true I guess it comes down to if there's any difference between the cjaa and bhw in regards to the timing belt. I haven't seen any of these in person yet I'm working on this. Maybe Jim can weigh in on this. I may be able to buy a set of used bhw pistons from PA. I'm calling the yard monday.
Ross
Well that's encouraging, I'll look into it and get back to you guys.don't know the answer to the timing belt component question but my guess is you can use the ALH components and drill the block for the lower small idler. You'll definitely have to swap pistons. Rings are the same from what I recall.
a few things i'm seeing in the pic i posted above...first, there appears to be a freeze plug in the area where the large idle roller bolt would go... not goodWell that's encouraging, I'll look into it and get back to you guys.
Thanks,
Ross
Wow, thanks for all the observations, advice and the cjaa picture. I'm not discouraged yet, I welcome the challenge, sounds like fun ! I'll call yards Monday to get prices on the local cjaa core and used bhw pistons.a few things i'm seeing in the pic i posted above...first, there appears to be a freeze plug in the area where the large idle roller bolt would go... not good
second, it looks like the small idle roller might be in the wrong spot, i could be wrong here
third, the water pump bore might be different. I do know it's missing the chamfer that the ALH O-ring needs to slide into the bore ...The cjaa pump uses a face type oring
fourth, and i'm not positive about this but i believe the thermostat opening is different somehow