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V8 1973 VW Beetle Project

825K views 836 replies 88 participants last post by  V8 Super Beetle 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all!

I'm in the process of building a V8 Bug out of my 1973 VW Super Beetle. I know this is possible because it's been done before. I'm on the v8bugs.com forum where you can find a handle full of example and different ways to accomplish this, but I still have questions. There's a lot more traffic here so hopefully I can get some help. I'm pretty much a beginner hot rodder that's a DYI kinda guy.

I'm looking into building a custom 2"x3" tube chassis for my build. I've took some measurements from my bug and designed a chassis in Illustrator to size. I'm trying to design the frame so it'll use the stock suspension up front.

I currently have a 283 SBC and th350 to put into the bug, but at the moment the motor is the block, with pistons and all, and heads. The motor is at my old mans (he works nights) so I don't have access to measure the motor off for mounting and what not.

Could anyone tell me, ballpark figure, about how much distance I'll need from each frame rail to fit the engine with mounts and shorty headers?

Here's my frame design, the distance between each frame rail is exactly 27.5". Also I intend on mounting the motor to the crossmembers that hold in the front control arms / suspension. Is this enough distance? Could I bring the distance between the two main frame rails closer? How should I mount the engine to the cross member with then motor mounts I have (see picture below)?



Here's some pics of my beetle and progress. I'm still working on cutting out the trunk!





 
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#677 ·
tommytone, check out Checkered Racing, they have some great prices on ladder bar and 4 link kits, subframes for each, and all the components to complete each one, like a complete back half kit for less than $800, adding a narrowed 9" housing brings the total to just over $1100. I'm ordering the 4 link kit for my Vega from them soon. :cool:
 
#678 ·
tommytone said:
Do you still have the same drivers position as stock? As for the head room, don't hit a bump. I may have to double the head room just as long as she rides smooth, fast and looks *****ing. I'd guess that having a manual rack and pinion will make things a lot smoother as far as turning and correcting on a hard launch. That's one of the big concerns for me. Launching straight. I've seen a wing on the back of another bug that kinda inspires me too. The height of the bug in general would have to be right for it though. What do you think?
I'm in the same drivers position. It's kinda cramped in there for a guy my height, 6' 1". My head room meets NHRA rules, but I wish I had more. :D The car rides really smooth and the suspension is cushy enough that I don't have to worry about that. The 5 point harness will also keep me in place. :thumbup:

Sounds good. A car with such a short wheelbase as a bug WILL get a little squirrelly once you get both tires spinning. It just depends on how it's setup really.

A wing will help keep the tail end of the car firmly planted on the ground. There are spoilers out there that are just as effect for a bug but MUCH smaller. Here's one. Notice the small spoiler towards the rear of the roof.




Although, those larger spoilers sure do look cool. :thumbup:
 
#680 ·
boatbob2 said:
Hi,since youve done some fabulous work on youre bug,why not just lower youre seat pans a few inches for additional head room????????
That's a great suggestion. Head room really isn't that big problem. I'm not sure where the hitting a bump to keep my head from hitting the roof came from. :rolleyes: ;) :D

I can always lower the pans to get more head room. An easier solution would be to remove the seat mounts and mount the seats on the floor. That would give me 2-3" more clearance. But again, it's not an issue. There's some many other things I need to concentrate on. :thumbup:
 
#681 ·
Checkered Racing

I've gone to the site and am impressed with it so far. Not a lot of pics though. I'll certainly keep them at the top of my list. Man, there are so many variables to consider. Good thing V8 Super has his running and testing going on. This is a great Bulletin board.
 
#684 ·
Hey Everyone. I hope your projects are going well.

My wife had our daughter, Madison Taylor, Thursday, July 29th. So I've been keeping busy taking care of Madison and my wife, which I really enjoy.

I'll still be working on the bug here and there, but at the moment I'm just spending time with Madison and my wife.

 
#690 ·
Congrats! I know what you mean. Once you get it driving it's hard to concentrate on other aspects of the build cause all you want to do is just drive it. :thumbup: I took mine for a spin last night. It's been sitting for a while now. It was nice to take her for a spin.

Have fun with it and be safe. Now drive the wheels off that thing.

BTW, how do you like how it rides? I'm loving mine. The Isuzu springs seem to be perfect. Not to stiff, not too soggy.
 
#692 ·
It's FINALLY in PRIMER! I swayed away from my original booth design. No explosions, no fumes in the house, minimal overspray and fumes AND I'm alive. ;D

I still need to do the hood and deck lid. I stayed up til 2 am Friday putting paper down on the floor, hanging plastic on the walls and prepping the car. I stayed up until 5 am this morning painting. I was exhausted and too TIRED to finish the hood.

So far it's looking really good. Doesn't look like it'll need too much sanding, but we'll see. I still need to put down a contrasting guide coat.

When I went to paint I just left the garage door wide open. I made a bug guard which also helped catch some over spray. The duct tap didn't stick to the screen material too well. So when I go to do final paint I'll need to figure a better way to hang the "screen door".

The 33 gallon compressor I'm using kept up pretty well with the gun set at 40 psi. ;D When I go to do final paint I'll do smaller sessions. Fenders, then hoods, and then the car body. All in all it would've sufficed spraying the whole car.













The engine compartment is coming out pretty slick.






I used some aluminum foil to mask off the radiator. That way I can start it up, move it out of the garage to sand without having to worry about plastic melting to the radiator.








As you can see, I hung plastic on all the walls, laid some paper on the floor, and hung a screen door.






Worked like a champ and there was plenty of ventilation. The garage NEVER filled up with over spray. The was just a light mist, but it never got to the point towards I couldn't see. I wonder how well my other plan would've worked?

I still need to do something about more lighting when it comes time to do final paint. More soon.

 
#695 ·
Not as much progress as I would've like to got done this past weekend. Here's a couple pics of the hood and deck lid primed. Next I need to dust coat it with black and I'll start block sanding with 180-220 wet.








Here's a quick video of me spraying the primer. My camera ran out of memory before I finished the hood. I normally wear latex gloves, but ran out. I figured I was okay only doing a couple panels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN6kBSLw4kA
 
#696 ·
I'm about finished sanding the first coat of high build primer. There's a hand full of scratches that I glazed that need sanding and I still need to finish sanding the rear fenders. About another 1 or 2 hours and it should be ready to go for it's second coat of high build primer.

It's coming along really well. The roof hardly needed any help. I guess it's all that time I spent doing it over and over.

I'll more than likely spray the second coat of primer this next weekend.











 
#697 ·
looks like your truckin along. I don't think I got the notification on your last post, that vid turned out nice. That over spray did not stick around too long :D
 
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