VW Beetle

[Denis]

  Well,,,, why an MC ? porsche forum has everything for high power porsche engine that fit VW beetle. Its built and goes there.I tought too put an MC on a bug bus..... but i considered the porrsche engine too.
  See VW bus , engine swap..... in Africa they made adaptor for MC to VW tranny bus....

  Ðenis
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Keith Lawyer 
    To: quattro at audifans.com 
    Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2004 6:37 PM
    Subject: Re: VW Beetle


    I've got a friend in WI who is convinced that the Beetle is the only
    vehicle he could own and actually *make* money while driving it, ie
    they're allegedly appreciating (I can't say either way) and he claims
    when time comes to sell he'll get more than he paid for it.  He seems to
    love it for a daily driver.

    I think they're fun, practical, inexpensive vehicles.  The aftermarket
    is huge (obviously), but I have to agree with Tom's concerns on a big
    power motor swap.  Of course you're asking the wrong forum here (surely
    there a dozen + Beetle mailing lists or forums), but from what I've seen
    the Beetles are basically a floor pan with a body dropped on them....
    and I have to wonder how much bracing and stiffening the chassis might
    need to stand up to an MC turbo or more.

    Keith L

    >>> tom winter <tom at freeskier.com> 11/02/04 04:33AM >>>
    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
    _______________________________________________
    quattro mailing list
    quattro at audifans.com
    http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro