Jeans Beetle Circuit Racer
It's a little while since I've been on here, but I thought it might be of interest to show my current project. But first, a little history...
Some may recall my injected WBX GT Beetle which has been my main toy for the last 10 years, slowly evolving from a "Street Sleeper" to something less subtle... http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...4.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...E.jpg~original Well, there's been another toy tucked away slowly waiting its time - my Jeans Beetle. Purchased by me in 1986 when I was an eager young 16year old (To save you the mental arithmetic, I'm 43...). I am the second owner. It's first rebuild was done in 1992, and by '94 it was running a 1679cc unit with Engle120, 9.5 compression, and K-jet injection. http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...D.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...7.jpg~original I took it off the road in '95 for "a few small jobs", and by '98 it was looking like this: http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...5.jpg~original So, 3 house moves, a wife, 2 children, the WBX Bug, and 16 years later, i was beginning to wonder whether to scrap it. But it's my first car - the one that got me in to all this! So I just couldn't... Then I had a go in this round Castle Coombe... http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...C.jpg~original And then began THE PLAN... So here goes with the build thread :-) |
So, having owned the car for 27 years, and being the right age for a mid-life crisis, I decided it was time to thrash it round the track. I've never been turned on by straight-line stuff - corners are far more interesting to me. I have some previous history with track racing having been involved as crew in the UK's "Beetle Cup" in '93 & '94. The Beetle Cup died some time in the late '90s I think, and there's been nothing similar since then. However in the last few years the "Beetle Challenge" has been trying to resurrect the spirit of the series, with slightly relaxed rules. It was Simon Sergides's Orange Bug I had a go in around Castle Coombe - 2165cc, IRS, Quaife - it got me hooked. Sadly the recession bit and the Beetle Challenge is struggling to get decent numbers on the grids, but the regs are there. So I have decided to build to the regs, and enter in maybe the MSV Trackday Trophy and mix it up with Golf Gti's & Porsche 944's.
So, first step was to haul the car out of long-term storage and tear it down completely. http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...D.jpg~original Once it was a bare shell it was sent off to the bodyshop: http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...0.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...A.jpg~original A promising start, but sadly it was not to continue... Basically i was not happy with the work being done, and after a few months hauled it out of there :-( Cue 8 months of depression before I found someone else to pick up on it. There's obviously a big gap between above and below, but this is how the shell is today: http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...C.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...8.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...3.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...0.jpg~original http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...A.jpg~original Last few mods to the shell to do, and then next week should be in paint! |
nice. im liking where this is going already! just a question.....why dont you just use your other beetle as a track car? just asking is all. i love the WBX in your other car as thats what i have in my car as well. i love the WBX motors. keep the updates coming.
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Great story! Hmmmmmm wonder what those holes in the firewall are for? Turbo and intercooler?.....
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1) I needed to do something with this car otherwise it would end up being scrapped, and after 27years i have too much attachment to it to do that (sad i know...) 2) Build regulations for a race series - The Beetle Challenge regs are for T1 aircooled, Carburettor/distributor, all Steel body. With fuel injection & mapped ignition of the WBX engine, plus Fibreglass wings it falls well outside those regs. Looking around at other series such as the MSV Trackday Trophy, Engine mods are allowed but engine swaps seem excluded. Also again many series preclude fibreglass panels. 3) The WBX Bug has evolved its own pathway as a road car, and i like driving it on the road. To change it into a race car would compromise the ability to use it on the road - things like an approved roll cage would require my very nice interior to bite the dust, while changing shocks, tyres etc would all make it even harsher on the road. I also have a part-built Turbo WBX and Porsche 915 gearbox which i want to use, which would also add further complication to finding a race series that will allow it. I can still use it on informal track-days without a cage. Quote:
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Looking smart, thanks for letting us follow the build!
Jason |
Very cool car and story! I'l definately be keeping an eye on this one! :D
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Glad to see another track car coming together, lots of detail too. I'd be wincing in my helmet every time I heard a rock hit the front of the bug while on track after all that body work! :eek: My paint was more or less ruined after a couple of events but it's still pretty from 20 feet.
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...I will be closely watching this build. Already stoked on it.
-Dave |
Ta for the good vibes guys. Dave - if mine turns out half as good as yours I'll be pleased - I've been following your build thread with interest. My cousin is a Paramedic in Vancouver - next time I pay her a visit i'm blanking out a day to come and see your car for real :-)
So, the build... All this body prep is no good without some motorvation, so the plan & rationale behind the engine is to start from a new-ish Mag case to keep the weight down out back. That means in reality best to keep it 90.5 bore to keep as much strength in the case as possible. A used CB 78mm crank makes it 2007cc. In order to get the max out of it then we need it to rev to 8500rpm (yikes!) so Mahle Forged pistons & CB 5.4" H-beam rods needed to link them. I think the cam settled on was an FK87, but can't be sure at the mo. Case and crank may be used, but i did score a good deal on some new CB CNC 044's which are great as a starting point but are being worked on further, particularly to up the CR to 10.5. http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...D.jpg~original Having built a few circuit engines before, and also watching some other circuit racers have oil pressure issues, I set my heart on a decent Dry Sump system. I had a friend badger Rick at Bugpack for ages to get one of their pumps, but it never showed - something about them only being made in batches and then some bloke in Vancouver wanted one for a rally bug... Anyway I gave up on that idea, then out of the blue this popped up on The Samba: http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...C.jpg~original A used but excellent condition ARPM 2-stage pump and for a few hundred bucks is was flying its way across the Atlantic :-) Then a Pace Products tank came up on eBay for less than £100... The tank fits perfectly in the spare wheel well, slid down next to the battery. That way I have as much weight up front as possible. Carbs is currently my next target - at present I have a set of 44IDF's I bought about 10 years back and have never used. Ideally I'd like some 48 DRLA's, but until they come up on eBay for peanuts then I'll have to stick with the 44's. Gearbox-wise a friend is building me an IRS box as a Christmas present. He's 68 and has been building VW & Porsche boxes for 40 years, so I trust his skills. He also donated the (again used) welded 1.04 4th gear. With a 4.375 R&P it will make good use of the 8000rpm of the engine. http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...9.jpg~original So, hopefully with that little lot i'll have some "oomph" out back :-) |
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Looking good though. |
Cool build! Love the green GT bug a lot too!
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Awesome so far, even if I did steal your oil-pump ;). You may want to consider an Accusump with the oil tank mounted so far forward. Mine is mounted low enough that oil-pressure takes 2-3 full seconds to build after the engine has started. With the Accusump, I can pressurize the system before starting and there is no oil light.
Would love to meet you in Vancouver, can also provide you with some activity options if you wanted to head to Whistler. -Dave |
Subscribed. Looking forward to this build thread :)
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Am getting excited now at the prospect of the shell finally being in paint. In all my 27 years of Bug ownership I have never paid anyone to work on my car - on the GT the only time anyone else touched it was when I needed a lift with the shell. I did everything from paint to engine mapping and interior trim and wiring. Now though I have less time due to two small daughters, which is why I decided to outsource the shell prep - you would be right in assuming that I am a nervous and demanding customer, and all credit to Sam at VWorks for his patience with me and my text messages at odd hours pointing out another miniscule bracket I've seen that offends me and needs removing, or another hole that needs welding or a rivnut fitting before paint. He has great patience! So, before I sign off for tonight, i had a rummage in the garage to see what brake options i could find... http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...6.jpg~original Now I just have to work out how to fit them inside a set of these... http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...7.jpg~original Regs state a maximum of a 6x15" wheel, so will be fun getting big calipers & discs inside them :confused: |
Alright - I couldn't leave it for the evening, but since it's cold in the garage, and I dislocated my thumb at the weekend (don't ask...!) so can't wield a spanner, what better way to spend the evening than in the kitchen with some Carbon Wrap...
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...A.jpg~original |
looks good. hey, even with a non-working thumb your getting something done still. may not be a lot, but progress IS progress.
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Nice build, keep up the good work! Just an idea: if you sell half of those brakes, you can easily buy a 6 pot tarox caliper that is plug and play for beetle spindles and fits under 15" as uses 278mm vented or solid rotors, your choice. In extra it works with the stock m/c, a caliper weights less than 1,5 kg (less unsprung weight) and huge variety of brake pads can be used. I haven't driven mines yet, but there are track guys here who are happy with them. |
Nice collection of calipers! From what I've seen, the very early Boxster 2.5ltr rear calipers use 20mm thick and 282(?)mm diameter disks with the monoblock calipers and those have been used in 15" Fuchs (as the only solution for that size/shape wheel).
Maybe the Teledial is a little wider inside? |
Very nice, reminds me of the interior on my old E46 ZHP package 330..
Very cool :) Alex |
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On this car the rear arms & discs are early 944 and since I've got this nice collection of Porsche calipers it would be a shame not to at least try them. Having done a quick mock up I think I can get the 996 / BoxsterS calipers in there - they clear the 6x16" Boxster rims I had them planned for originally before I decided to go racing with it. |
Beautifull cars. I always wanted to own, build a Jeans Bug in semi street racer look. But coudnt find a good one. İnstead I found a 72 bug ex. semiauto. And since 5 years I'm toying around with it. Here my 72 next to my Squareback http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/369370.jpg
But when I saw yours I know I still want a Jeans. İn my opinion Jeans are already half way there to the GL look theme. Germanlook from the factory Emden. ;) I see you ve been running on K-jet injection for a while. I always wondered how the golf gti Kjet unit would perform on an 1.7 to 1.8 L aircooled engine. Would you mind sharing details of your K-jet setup. Keep up the good work with the Jeans. Cheers |
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I've done few setups under 15" wheels: Front: Boxster black fronts calipers with 944 hubs and 911 carrera rotor Rear: Boxster blacks rear calipers with 944 rear rotors with radial adapters The problem with the Boxster S is that there isn't a small enough rotor in diameter that matches the caliper (intended for 28mm rotor) that will fit 15s Lanner |
I'm a little confused about the rear calipers. The red ones (a pair) i know to be off a 996 (same as a BoxsterS?), while the Grey one (i have just one) is a 2.5 Boxster. They are exactly the same casting, just with the pad pins in different positions to accomodate either a 20mm disc or the fatter 24mm disc. I had heard from elsewhere about the early Boxster calipers being a much smaller caliper, so assumed my grey one was a late one and so bought another set from a '97 Boxster, only to find they were exactly as the grey one i have here. (Thankfully the Porsche breakers were very nice and took them back :)) So I have been unable to identify an early Boxster caliper.
I had originally made up a mounting block for them as fitted to the stock 944 20mm rear disc, but then purchased some BoxsterS 24mm discs - these moved the caliper inboard about 3mm and also they are a larger diameter so a spacer there was needed as well. Even though the diameter is larger (282 -->299), moving them inboard slightly means they look like they will fit better inside the wheel due to the inner profile of the wheel. We shall see. I need to mock it up with the A-arm and wheel/tyre on the chassis with a wing on the body to see if i can run any spacers. I will of course be using Lanner's "Swan" cable adapters and tubes that i purchased last year all very efficiently - Emailed from UK in the morning, paid for by lunchtime, received from across the Atlantic in 2 days - Top service :D |
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Good luck with this project. |
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Engine was 1679cc (thick wall), stock sized valves but a gentle porting job, 9.5:1 compression, Engle 120, counterweighted crank, 9-pound flywheel. The injection system worked brilliantly from day1. Loads of power, but good fuel consumption on the daily trek to work. I never measured the power but I took it to the GTi festival at Avon Park Raceway in '94 and whooped the standard GTi's on the 1/4mile. It would top out at an easy 110mph on the 4.375 gearbox. There were only a couple of problems: The standard Beetle injection manifold ends flowed well to a point then hit a wall, so the power was good until it maxed out on the flow and then just wouldn't go any further; Also the Engle 120 had perhaps too much overlap so the pulses back up the inlet tract upset the K-jet flap at idle making the idle a little bit rough. I managed to play a bit with some damping in the plenum and improved it a bit, but then decided that actually the idle wasn't that bad really. I put it together in late '93, installed it New-years eve, and took it out for its first test drive in the Snow. I immediatly got pulled by the Police wondering why i was out going fast and sideways in the snow on new-years eve, so they assumed i had been drinking. I was let off when i showed them the engine and promised to slow down. I ran it for a while in the Jeans before it moved onto another engine, then I sold it in 2001, and it turned up last October on a 1776 with Engle120 on eBay. The guy selling it had been running it for 4 years having purchased the whole engine from the guy I sold it to. It was still working well exactly as I built it. |
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Lanner |
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Not to worry really - I had a play last night - I got the 996/BoxsterS caliper on an S disc fitted inside the 6x15 Teledial with just a 5mm wheel spacer. It's tight but it's in there and the tyre/wing clearance with the 5mm spacer should hopefully be fine. |
K-jet is one of the easiest systems to convert with. It just adapts to airflow, you set the mixture on the control meter (by turning it with an allen wrench) and idle adjustment on the throttle body--that's it. I used it on a T-4 engine and on a 1600 dual-port, both with early Golf systems ('75-79, not even a computer used--just pressure based) using Weber progressive manifolds (the throttle body base and bolt pattern are identical to late Mk1/Mk2 VWs). Smooth, easy to work with, set it once and forget about it.
http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=114309 |
Hi moog, glad to see you getting on with things, the easiest way to set up front to rear balance is with bias pedals, or at least, the more forgiving way, otherwise, for a serious circuit car at least, its probably best to overbrake the rear, then you can add i bias valve to tune the set up for dry running with a setting around the mid point of the valves range, that then leaves you scope for optimum wet/rain bias with more to the rear, some like a rotary valve, i prefer a lever type for quicker more positive selection on the fly, down side is they can be knocked out of desired position unnoticed, put the valve where it can be seen, not behind the seat,,, dont ask,,,. its also important not to overbrake a track car because brake temperature controls Tyre temperature, bugs need all the help they can get with that aspect, especially with the front, its a big problem on long tracks, tho' not many are left thanks to nanny state ways,:angry: thank heaven for thruxton..:) good luck with it, Johnny.
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Good to here from you Johnny, and good to get tips from a seasoned pro. I was thinking of a Rotary bias valve in one of the centre dash holes, or would you suggest down on the centre tunnel near the gearstick / handbrake? Dash would be easier to reach but mounting & plumbing would be simpler on the tunnel. I take your point about a lever type being easier to select and adjust and also easier to reset repeatedly to the same settings, in which case on the tunnel is probably best.
Question for you: When i looked over your car at Apex last year i saw you were running 944 spring plates. Do you use the 944 torsion bars as well? And what torsion bushes do you use? I think you had trimmed down 944 end caps as well to retain everything - yes? I have a set of 944 plates/bars/caps i could use but at the moment I have my own adjustable spring-plates in place that take the short torsion bars and (at the moment) 24mm bars. Any reccomendations? |
bias valves and Wallace and grommet..
Hi Moog, Good to have another build for the circuits, as to bias valves, a rotary has more range and is more secure i spose, but then i like the quick 'repeatable' settings the lever type offers, mines just ahead of the shifter base plate, i fitted it so pull back is for more rear, forward for more front, fitting it there is good for visual reference and is easy to plumb too, remember kiss mate,,,,
your 24 mm 944 bars are fine with the Porsche s/plates, the grommets are red urethane T1, i just had some existing oversize bug smooth type outer grommets turned down to go in the housing with a collar left on the outer face to space the s/plate out a fraction to stop travel interference on the shock tower frame, the inners are just bug knobby ones . ive run what you suggested, short 1200 type 22mm bars with T1 adjustable s/plates? worked really well, felt just a bit stiffer than the long 24mm ones as regards balance, understeer being anathema to me. one slight thing was inside rear lift, i went to drop spindles with stock length front shocks and a stiffer rear bar and its mostly cured, but it will spin up (free diff) if i get clumsy on the gas pedal, it need limslip i spose in reality, i cant just boot it, and it has scary throttle response even with just the little DJ wasser 2.1 up it... :)good man, hope this helps you get some ideas for it all, get to it now... regards Johnny.:) Just re read, you meant short 24mm bars, i tried 26mm short bars, and it was like a drift car, but im a late and trail braker, so not my style, i would try them moog, it wont understeer, which is good, and they may suit your style, for me they were to stiff... J. |
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Looking good :) now the fun begins!!
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So, today was THE DAY to go and collect the shell from the paintshop - boy was I excited. So dropped the kids off at school and shot into town to pick up the trailer. Off up the motorway in the Passat with a very rumbly wheel bearing (must fix that...) and I pulled in to the yard - there it was, resplendent in its new shiny yellow paint! Outside, inside, and underneath!
. . . The WRONG Yellow... . . . Remember, i am the second owner, having bought it in completely unadulterated condition in 1986. I gave it a exterior respray in original colour myself in 1993 - i consider I am pretty hot on knowing L16M at a glance, and this was wrong. In the boot of the Passat I had one of the original bonnet hinges that had never been re-painted, and it's quite a different colour to what is now on the shell. . . . Bugger... I can see how it happened - since the regulations changed about paint formulation a few years ago, not all the old colours have been re-formulated into the new mixing systems, especially those that were limited usage, and a one-year-only special edition colour falls squarely in the rare camp. Plugging L16M Tunis Yellow into the paint systems draws a blank on both ICI and Sikkens. It seems the paint supplier cross-referenced it against another mix to get the fourmula, and somehow it went wrong - too Yellow, not Mustardy enough. So that was an expensive day - trailer hire & 150 miles of fuel, and a day off work, all for nothing. He is totally mortified and embarrassed & unhesitatingly said he will sort it out. We just need to sort the mix. I tried another paint supplier on the way home and they found it on their system but no formula listed - looks like we will end up getting it matched to the inside of the glove-box lid which is original paint and not sun-bleached. I think some places can scan the paint, while another says they have a "Resident Genius of Colour" - time to pay him a visit I think... Oh well, these things happen... |
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What a let down, I feel sorry for you. Hopefully it can be sorted. Is it painted in the new water based paint or the old nasty two pack? Steve |
Nasty 2-pack... We have at least found another supplier (Autopaints in Brighton) who use multiple manufacturers systems & checked on different ones - they found it in a MIPA 2-pack formula, mixed up a sample, and it's apparently a dead match for the original glovebox. So hopefully it's all hands on deck next week to give it another blow over - at least the base is all smooth and just needs a good keying back :-)
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that is totally a big let down. im a painter and i just checked my paint system and yep...no code. sucks to have the wrong color. like you said tho, a quick scuff of the new paint and she will be all ready for another respray in the "right" color. my green bug is viper green, and when i bought the car, it was also the wrong color. now its the correct color for my car. best of luck man!
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That really sucks! My colour wasnt on the paint shops system but they phoned up ICI directly who faxed through the formula... just a thought?
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We have the formula now in MIPA paint, so he is cracking on with it and it shouldn't take to long to blow it over again, but going to be a few weeks before I get it back. So it's 8pm on a Saturday night, Mrs Moog is swotting up for a job interview & doesn't want to be disturbed, & so I have the evening in the garage... With no car... Time to work on those brakes maybe?
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