Unusual Small Block Chevy

1st_v-dub · August 7, 2007, 6:27am

I thought vw used either a magnesium head or block in some of the old beetles? I remember my high school chem teacher saying the local fire department rolled up on the scene of an accident and tried to douse it with water. Of course that only made it worse.

someinternetsource:

BUILDING BLOCKS.
One of the primary application areas for aluminum in vehicles is under the hood—as in blocks and heads. What about magnesium blocks? “There are magnesium blocks,” Showalter says. “On racing cars.” A problem with more conventional engine applications is that the coolant tends to react with the magnesium, causing corrosion. One of the all-time greatest uses of magnesium did occur under the hood—at least the hoods that were located where the trunk is ordinarily located. The VW Beetle and the VW Super Beetle both had magnesium engine blocks (AS21 and AS41, respectively). They were, it should be noted, air-cooled engines. (Audi, which is part of Volkswagen AG, continues to work with the light metal in powertrain-related applications. For example, the air intake module on its W12 engine is magnesium, as are various components, including the cylinder head covers, on its V8. The company’s multritronic CVT and five-speed manual transmission both have magnesium housings.)