Where does the engine sit in relation to the original VW engine?

A20: The bellhousing is 121 mm thick, compared to 125 mm thick for the original VW one, so the engine fits 4 mm further forward compared to a VW engine. An adaptor plate / welded flywheel conversion would put the engine approximately 12mm further back in the VW compared to a VW engine. Some off road users consider any move of the engine forward (even just a few millimetres, like this) to be an advantage, as it reduces the rear weight distribution balance in a rear engined vehicle. However, in reality it is very unlikely that such a small move would produce a noticeable or measurable performance increase.  more