VW Beetle

[tom winter]

Ben - I used to be a big fan of air cooled VW's. I owned two camper vans.
The reality of air cooled VWs, though (and this is only my opinion) is that
they pretty much suck. if you want something fun to tool around in the
summer, then a bug could be cool. But the construction is tinny at best and
if you need heat, forgettaboudit. The usual upgrade is to find an old air
cooled Porsche engine and install that (I never did this, but my
understanding is that some just bolt right in). But once you do this, you'll
need to consider upgrades to the suspension and brakes because the bug
wasn't built for that kind of power. I'd avoid getting in deep with a MC
turbo install or small block V8. While I'm not sure, I think it would be a
total PIA and the car will probably be worth more in the end if you style it
out back to its original condition.

Still, I must admit that the second campervan I had ('78 w/ the 2.0 fi
air-cooled engine) was wonderful on trips to the Utah desert. And the
simplicity of these cars means that they're exceptionally easy to work on.
In fact, I owe a big thank you to both of my VWs as far as teaching me to
not be afraid of tearing apart cars and trying to fix them. I learned a lot
working on those suckers!

A  great source of info on parts, modifications, etc is the magazine Hot
VWs. I've seen it at many grocery stores. Check it out and you'll get a good
feel for what enthusiasts are doing to the old air cooled 'dubs.

All the best,

Tom