73 Super Beetle

[stu]

As some of you may or may not know, I have had this kinda cool, but also kinda crappy 73 Super Beetle. Well, today I decided that I want to soup it up. I can buy a brand new engine case for $400. Rebuilt long blocks with a 12 month, 12,000 mile limited warranty for $750 with a $180 core charge. This stuff is literally DIRT CHEAP.

I know you can put anything from a Porsche motor to a Chevy 350 in a Beetle. I would like to stick with the original motor though (on account of not wanting to learn about Porsche motors). I was thinking that I could build my own engine from a bare engine case (case = block for non-Beetle enthusiasts) and then turbocharge it.

I wouldn't have thought of souping this car up, except for two things.

1.) It launches like nothing I have ever driven before. I think it has what is equivalent to PosiTrac. Engine over rear wheels + rear wheel drive + 1900lbs = fun, fun, fun. (Can't do doghnuts though ).

2.) I have an issue Hot VW's where this guy (Geoff Hart) has a 59 Beetle that runs a best ET of 10.60 @ 124 mph with only......260RWHP!!!!!!! His car is not even gutted, it weighs 1900lbs, and it is naturally aspirated.

[stu]

Let's break this up shall we. Anyway, I have no idea how to run safe fuel with a turbo and a carburated engine (I guess I could just buy a fuel injected engine and build that up).

Also, since it is air cooled, am I going to run into more cooling issues than I usually would.

Give me some of your guys' feedback and suggestions on this issue please. TIA.

~Stu

[stu]

Oh yeah, where the hell would I put an intercooler? maybe I could just bolt it to the roof and put a cowl over it. hehe.

[stu]

So no one has anything to say at all?

[02GTI1.8t]

ive always wanted to have an air-cooled project car. I dont know alot about them but they are cool. your right they do hook up like nothing ive seen. they can be made very light...around 1500 easy. sorry i can help you more though

[b18cya-T]

the mid-engine porsche turbo's usually have a small intercooler behind or in front of the rear wheels. yuo could do somethin like that

[stu]

http://denni.freeservers.com/vw.htm

what do yo guys think of this?

[HONDA GHANDI]

I had a Bug in HS. most fun I ever had in a car I think. Mine was bored and stroked to a 1976cc. It had dual twins on it (dual carbs with two barrels each for those not air cooled savvy) and a IRS bus trans. I only ran it once at bandimere and it ran a 13.80.
I have no clue how much it weighed but it was a whole lot of fun and work. Most turbo applications are not intercooled unless using a air to water. Usually the turbo sits inside teh rear trunk well (behind the back seat) along with the carb. You can make so much power with that motor without a turbo its realy not neccesary.

[stu]

hmmmmmm.

[1998cc]

I once saw a bug (not sure which year) that had a mazda rx-7 engine in it. I thought it was pretty sick.

[Weston]

I had a '73 Beetle in High School. I ended up putting intake, headers, exhaust, electronic ignition, short shifter, rims, and a blue pearl paint job on it. It was the fastest and nicest looking Bug at my school. :) Too bad things were breaking left and right. I actually had a spark plug shoot out of the engine three times. Gotta love that #3 cylinder.

I also restored the interior and kept it up pretty well, but I only got $1800 out of it when I sold it. :(

[exciv2000]

Those bugs were awesome, but I'd definetely put in porsche engine personally... I've seen them things move. 2002JettaVR6 used to have one when I was in High School, and that thing was pretty awesome even tho I think it was stock. I didn't know that you could put headers or short shifter in a bug tho. I remember my parents had two or three of those in their whole lifetime. Sure wish they would have kept one around just to play with. My dad had a hitch on his and he would tow a small trailer with it full of wood and concrete mix when he was building the deck at their house. Pretty versatile cars, whether for a small family or to go fast.

[stu]

I've been playin' Monster Garage with this thing for the past few days, if there is a meet sometime I might swing by and show everybody.

P.S. My version of Monster Garage is nothing like the TV version. It's more like taking off unneccesary shit and adding stereo systems.

[b18cya-T]

Originally posted by stu
I've been playin' Monster Garage with this thing for the past few days, if there is a meet sometime I might swing by and show everybody.

P.S. My version of Monster Garage is nothing like the TV version. It's more like taking off unneccesary shit and adding stereo systems.

:rofl:


pics man, pics!

[2002jettavr6]

Originally posted by stu
http://denni.freeservers.com/vw.htm

what do yo guys think of this?



what the fuck is all I can say to that




:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[stu]

I can take pictures, but dumb photoisland won't let me, wait, I have an Idea. Come back to this thread in a couple of hours.

[stu]

Here you go. Don't expect anything cool. I also threw in some pictures of some turbos I got from Flyin' Miata, my snake, and Jess.

Hello friend,

Please come see my new photos on PhotoIsland.com!

To get there, simply click the address below and enter your guest password: wreck

http://www.photoisland.com/servlet/GuestLogin?USERNAME=beefstu

If that doesn't work, go to www.photoisland.com, and log in to my albums with the following information:

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[Weston]

Hey, if you want to put speakers up front, one of the VW catalogs sells kick panels that looked good and worked really well for me. I think it was either Rocky Mountain Motorworks or the Real Source.

Just thought I'd mention that, since people seem to think mounting front speakers are more trouble than they're worth in a Bug.

[stu]

Thanks for the tip Weston, it might be nice to have some sound up front. The original owner had some speaker boxes drilled into kick panels; but they got in the way and took up prescious foot area.

[stu]

Tobi: I was looking at a JC Whitney catalouge and saw some big bore piston kits that increase the displacement from 1600 to 1679 or something. Is this a worthy power increase for under $300? I also noticed that it said that the kit wasn't made for stroked engines (stroking increases displacement too right?). I don't want to do what I did when I first got into imports and waste my money on small power-adders like intakes and stuff. do you think you could give me a couple of ideas that would be get me performance upgrades similar to boosting my Teg?

[lucaq]

Order a rocky mountain motorworks catalogue too. They are in colorado springs (woodland park). They have a show every year in august the day before the bug-in and they have some pretty good scratch and dent sales there.

www.motorworks.com

They have seperate BMW, air cooled VW and water cooled VW catalogues. i remember when it used to be that air cooled VWs would totally dominate the import drags every year...that was so cool(as in funny cool)! Now hondas and such hold their own.

I say make that bug fast as shit! Randy Stuff and smokin' small car parts are some local places to get parts.

[1998cc]

I have a whole book on VW bug kits, interiors and engine swap neccesities. I'll try to scan some of it.

[Weston]

Yeah, motorworks is good stuff. :)

[stu]

I heard that Motorworks is going out of business, and that they had high prices. So, far I have been getting my stuff from Cool Stuff on Old Wads.

[HONDA GHANDI]

Randy's still has a shit load of stuff here in Arvada but yes a big bore kit is a good start. it is fairly major job however. Do you have dual port heads now? if so, a dual carb kit and big bore kit will wake that little Bugger up.

here: carbs kits (http://www.empiking.com/w/webercarbkits.html)

[HONDA GHANDI]

I had the 44 on my car and mine was punched and stroked to 1941 cc. it was a mean bitch.

[HONDA GHANDI]

This isnt mine but its exactly like mine except mine was flat black and scary looking with tint.

[HONDA GHANDI]

Here is a picture of the exact same setup I had too. Looks and sounds mean.

[stu]

Nice, I want to do dual carbs, but I want to do the steering and suspension first. How does a Beetle do in the snow. I imagine that you want to weigh the front end down so you can turn?

[HONDA GHANDI]

No, you need the weight over the drive wheels so you can go. They do awesome in the snow. mine was a tank until I lowered it about 4 inches.