I want a VW Beetle. There I said it... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

KarTek · #1 09-23-2009, 05:49 AM

You can buy all sorts of performance parts for them - big bore kits, scat cams, del orto carbs, slick shift kits... The list goes on and on. You can build yourself about 200HP pretty easily when you punch it out to 2 litres.

A jug kit with extra cooling fins and an oversized oil cooler will help with the heat.

BobK · #2 09-23-2009, 07:47 AM

Get a 1969. Make sure the heat works if you live somewhere that needs it. Change the oil and adjust the valves every 3000 miles. Set the valves a touch loose on #3. Lube the throttle and clutch and heater cables in the tubes. Watch for rust on suspension parts. Make sure the floor pan is solid and keep it that way. Keep the plastic cover over the positive battery terminal. Keep the fuel line away from the throttle linkage at the engine. After that, it's just normal maintenance. I don't care HOW rare they are, avoid the auto-stick shift transmission models. Some parts are nearly impossible to find for them.

cmac2012 · #3 09-23-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobK

Get a 1969. Make sure the heat works if you live somewhere that needs it. Change the oil and adjust the valves every 3000 miles. Set the valves a touch loose on #3. Lube the throttle and clutch and heater cables in the tubes. Watch for rust on suspension parts. Make sure the floor pan is solid and keep it that way. Keep the plastic cover over the positive battery terminal. Keep the fuel line away from the throttle linkage at the engine. After that, it's just normal maintenance. I don't care HOW rare they are, avoid the auto-stick shift transmission models. Some parts are nearly impossible to find for them.

I've read about aftermraket VW heaters that use crankcase oil as the conductive medium. Better install that damn thing pretty well though, or it's HOLY ****!! Why is hot oil spraying on my feet!?!?!?!

alamostation · #4 09-23-2009, 08:11 AM

Go whole hog! Get a real beetle, like a pre-62. 40 HP. Heater system with knobs instead of levers. Fill up the gas tank in the trunk. Flip the floor switch when you run out of gas because there is no gas gauge. FM only radio, which was a real problem on my father's '58, because the only local FM station was in Cortland, NY.

On the positve side of owning one in Ithaca, NY when I was a kid, it was the hip car for Cornell professors and students. With the rear engine, it was one of the few cars that could handle the hills in winter. 35 MPG. Ithaca had more VW's per capita than any place in the world, except maybe Wolfsburg. Later Ithaca had more Volvos in the '90's than most places in Sweden, but for different reasons.

E150GT · #5 09-23-2009, 08:24 AM

They say they are so well balanced that you could remove one wheel and it would still sit normally, and that they float in water. Anyone ever confirm this?

alamostation · #6 09-23-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

They say they are so well balanced that you could remove one wheel and it would still sit normally, and that they float in water. Anyone ever confirm this?

True as to the balance. When I was learning to drive, my father griped me out all day beacuse the tires squealed whenever I took a corner. "You're going too fast!" Finally, I had him drive it. The tires squealed. The front right tire had no air because of a huge gash, but it didn't look flat because of the balance.

Mark DiSilvestro · #7 09-23-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

They say they are so well balanced that you could remove one wheel and it would still sit normally, and that they float in water. Anyone ever confirm this?

I read that this was tested in the '60s by gently lowereing a stock Beetle into a pool with a crane.
It took around 25 minutes to sink.

Around that time, someone else sealed up the door-gaskets and other openings in their Beetle, added snorkels and a belt-driven prop to the engine, and went cruising on a local river, with the front wheels acting as rudders.

Happy Motoring, Mark

pj67coll · #8 09-23-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

and that they float in water. Anyone ever confirm this?

That would be a schwimmwagen

- Peter.

JordaanDMC-12 · #9 09-23-2009, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

They say they are so well balanced that you could remove one wheel and it would still sit normally, and that they float in water. Anyone ever confirm this?

Not sure about the wheel balancing but here is a video confirming the float!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qB0lb401ZU

catmandoo62 · #10 09-23-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alamostation

Go whole hog! Get a real beetle, like a pre-62. 40 HP. Heater system with knobs instead of levers. Fill up the gas tank in the trunk. Flip the floor switch when you run out of gas because there is no gas gauge. FM only radio, which was a real problem on my father's '58, because the only local FM station was in Cortland, NY.

buddy of mine had a 66.the thing i thought was and wasn't cool was the windshield washers got motivation from the spare tire.but if you used it alot the time you need the spare it was out of air.pretty much had to check it at ever fuel fill.

teezer · #11 09-23-2009, 08:49 AM

i'd look for a 1971-74 bug, non super beetle, which had the offset oil cooler, 1600cc, dual port heads, and more refined.

i campaigned a 69 bug in the early 70's running I/G in modified eliminator, got it down to 12.92 at 103 mph

couldn't keep the transaxle together so put it on the street, pi$$ed off alot of camaros, mustangs, and other muscle cars

matthias08 · #12 09-24-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teezer

i'd look for a 1971-74 bug, non super beetle, which had the offset oil cooler, 1600cc, dual port heads, and more refined.

i campaigned a 69 bug in the early 70's running I/G in modified eliminator, got it down to 12.92 at 103 mph

couldn't keep the transaxle together so put it on the street, pi$$ed off alot of camaros, mustangs, and other muscle cars

we've got a '72 for sale...

100% rust free.
needs some paint.
brand new interior

yellow over black.

JordaanDMC-12 · #13 09-24-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthias08

we've got a '72 for sale...

100% rust free.
needs some paint.
brand new interior

yellow over black.

Do you have any pics?

and how much?

Mark DiSilvestro · #14 09-23-2009, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alamostation

Go whole hog! Get a real beetle, like a pre-62. 40 HP. Heater system with knobs instead of levers. Fill up the gas tank in the trunk. Flip the floor switch when you run out of gas because there is no gas gauge. FM only radio, which was a real problem on my father's '58, because the only local FM station was in Cortland, NY.

On the positve side of owning one in Ithaca, NY when I was a kid, it was the hip car for Cornell professors and students. With the rear engine, it was one of the few cars that could handle the hills in winter. 35 MPG. Ithaca had more VW's per capita than any place in the world, except maybe Wolfsburg. Later Ithaca had more Volvos in the '90's than most places in Sweden, but for different reasons.

Actually, back in '58 it would've been 'AM only' radio.

Happy Motoring, Mark

alamostation · #15 09-24-2009, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark DiSilvestro

Actually, back in '58 it would've been 'AM only' radio.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Wrong. VW's were European, where FM was the norm. If it had been AM, we could have received a dozen stations.

Look up radio history. FM was the rage in the early '50's in the US and many early '50's radios were AM/FM but it died out in the late '50's because FM had a limited transmission distance. A few FM stations stuck around to provide stereo to a sister station with one side on AM the other on FM. Our 1959 Fisher console used that technology.

FM came back in the late 1960's when it became possible to broadcast both side of a stereo channel on one wavelength.