[Katshot]

It's all power to weight ratio.
Anybody remember V-8 Vega's?
I was building hot-rod VW Beetles myself. Anything from hopped-up VW engines, to Porsche engines, to 426 Hemi's
Yeah, I said HEMI in a VW
And how about a small block Chevy on a motorcycle? Been there, done that.
The easiest way to go fast is to dump a lot of power into something small. Also the most dangerous way, but what the hell, like KC said, "ya gotta die from something".
Hell, I would've bet that I would've been scrapped up off a road or wall, or tree by now. Who would've known that the one time I did go splat/crunch, they would be able to put me back together. ya gotta love medical science

 

[kcnewell]

I Had a '71 Vega wagon with a 283 and a turbo 350 back in '73/'74. Looked totally stock except wheels and tires. If you looked close you might have seen two exhaust pipes stickin' out from under...I painted 'em black to make it hard to spot!

Little screamer!

 

[Mad'lac]

I heard of someguy putting a Cad 500 in a VW bug over at MTS Boards

 

[Katshot]

I still got it beat w/the Hemi
The Caddy engine is a piece of cake since it already gets along with the transaxle. Basically, it ends up making it a "bolt-in" assembly (engine/trans). On the other hand, the Hemi was a little bit harder. We DID use a Tornado engine/trans setup originally, and it DID work better than the Hemi but we wanted to see if we could do the Hemi.
In the end, the Hemi had too much power and we couldn't keep the car together. The Tornado drivetrain was easier to do and was a "cleaner" install for sure.

 

[jeff___H]

I'm looking for a turbo for my VW project.. May be getting one from a Turbo GTA.. Fiberglas EMPI body on a '64 Beetle pan. 1914cc.

 

[Katshot]

A turbo from a GTA? Pontiac?
You actually have a '64 pan that's not half eaten up with rust?
Who built the motor?
Ok, so I have an inquiring mind

 

[elwesso]

How would you fit a 500cid in a beetle. Do you just rip out the back seat???

 

[Dead Sled]

http://500cid.com/mts/Rides/joe/stepone.html

there it is.


fell free to break this off into a seperate discussion

away from the ricer bashing in this thread

 

[elwesso]

I have a feeling that it would go nowhere, but ill spilt it if we fell the need to keep going on VW with caddy 500s

 

[Dead Sled]

ok coo,l I just didn't want it to get burried 5 pages down in some other subject

 

[elwesso]

right, the only reason i didnt split it is because there would prolly be 3 posts about it and then we'd get sick of it.

 

[Dead Sled]

some one might find it interesting if you stick it in the general caddilac area. I might inspire some one to take on a wild project like that

 

[jeff___H]

A turbo from a GTA? Pontiac?
You actually have a '64 pan that's not half eaten up with rust?
Who built the motor?
Ok, so I have an inquiring mind

Long story short(er): Yes, a turbo from a Pontiac. A friend did a complete swap into an '89 GTA, and now is putting a bigger turbo on; I'm hoping to score the old one (I'm 2nd in line..) I may just end up with a junkyard turbo. Plumbing on a buggy is fairly easy - lots of space to work with!

The pan is not rust-free, but is VERY solid. It has been garage-kept for many years. I have had the car for 6 or 7 years. I purchased it at a swap meet for $500. with no engine. The guy had let some kids practice painting on it - i spent a LOT of time stripping single-stage yellow enamel from it. The paint was so thick in spots that it still had not cured over a year later!

The first 1914 motor that was in it was built by me. The machinework on the crank & case were done by Volks-Tech, over in Burlington NJ. I ran it in a street-driven '70 Beetle for a while.Unfortunately, that case is history, as the engine oil reacted with the magnesium of the case (it may have been tampered with) and the case is destroyed. It will not hold oil. SO, I picked up a new bottom end from a guy out in Western PA. Stock stroke, counterweighted crank, new rods, case savers, Engle cam, lightened flywheel, high-volume oil pump with external filter, balanced rotating assembly, etc. I will be putting my top end on to this case - 94mm Cima pistons & barrels, massaged 041 heads and dual Dellortos.

This project has been collecting dust for quite a while!

 

[jeff___H]

That Eldo/Beetle RAWKS!! I'd LOVE to have something like that. BUT - i have too many projects..

 

[elwesso]

Wow, i didnt think that this would even be considerable. Whats next, putting a big block in a honda CRX? If that happened, i would feel sorry for the engine, as it has more dignity than the car.

 

[jeff___H]

.... Whats next, putting a big block in a honda CRX? ....

funny you should mention that!

This picture has been floating around the internet for a few years!

 

[Katshot]

Jeff,
Is Don still in business? Damn, he did a lot of my work years ago. Matter of fact, he did the floor pan in my '67 convertible. Small world man
As for the engine, the big pain for me was always getting a clutch that would work right with all the power. Plus, holding the trans/engine in place properly was always a chore. Tight enough to eliminate chatter, free enough to keep from breaking shit, etc, etc.
The 500 engine in the beetle brings back a lot of memories but to be honest, I think that guy did a better job than we did. We just built ours in my buddy's barn and did very little street runs. mostly ran it in the field and down the lane. The few street runs we made usually resulted in broken components.

 

[kcnewell]

Broken components! Why, I've never broken anything in my life! Everything I do is perfect! What's the matter with YOU PEOPLE?

Yeah Right! LOL!

 

[jeff___H]

Yep - Don is still there! His business has morphed a few times, but it seems like he is happiest just working on the old air-cooled stuff. The bottom-end he did for me was going back a few years now.. A clutch will be a little easier in the buggy since the vehicle weight is much less than a steel-bodied car.

 

[Katshot]

Going back a few years? I'll tell you about going back a few years.
I met Don back in the late 70's. GOD that makes me feel old
I'll try to dig up some old pictures and post them. I'm telling you now, if it had to do with VW's , I did it. I used to LOVE them things.