Bugged Build Thread
 

Hello online Beetle community!!

My name is Zach, I live in Tempe, AZ and I purchased my 1974 Super Beetle in July of 2009. This is my first car project undertaking and I wanted something affordable and simple enough for me to learn on. I hear many novice car enthusiasts asking whether or not they can undertake this or that, and hopefully my build will show them the reality of building a beetle, affordable techniques, and the complications they will likely face. I had a lot of ideas in the beginning and it is funny how they have transformed from dream to reality. At first reading every page you can find on a given topic seems comprehensive, but you quickly learn there is more to do then a "how-to" usually suggests. A big part of starting a build is realizing the cost. It is hard to see sometimes where the money will go, and it is easy to think you can get by with a certain budget; be prepared to spend more than you originally expect; if you want to do it right. You think you just need to replace this or that, but in general everything usually costs more than you think and takes twice as long! :rolleyes:


Here is my 1303 when I first got her:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1364/...b399b0bcf8.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1155/...eff3d267c0.jpg

I knew I wanted to put a lot of power into this guy, so I started with building up a platform for it. If I can't turn and stop, then I probably shouldn't go really really really fast... really.:p Also, I figured starting with these components had a lower learning curve then engine building, so I started by replacing the suspension and steering components thanks to the help of topline parts. With intentions of taking it to autocross events and track days, I want it fun but elegant.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1368/...cc809f1bc8.jpg

Replacing the suspension and steering was not too difficult, and a simple set of tools can get you far.
Here are the results of my work! I think it looks pretty sweet.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1319/...d13f964637.jpg

I have more pictures somewhere of the steering rack and other bushings and assorted steering stuff I replaced... I'll have to find them.

After all that was finished, the next step was to order the wheels. I was torn between Cal and Germanlook at the time, and I ordered a set of Centerline wheels in a Chevy bolt pattern and had my rotors accordingly drilled. Tracking down a machinist and many problems from Centerline caused 2-3 months to idle by with no wheels.
Here are my Centerline wheels:
15x8 in back and 15x7 up front, these guys have a nice stepped lip. They remind me a bit of phone dials, but are also very different. Anyway, with 225's in back, the meaty tire looks deliciously fast. Not to mention that the wheels weigh about 14lbs a piece, they should be pretty nice on the track.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1202/...a2f772e023.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1113/...87a84d9a50.jpg
Ok, well I'm much further ahead, but I will update soon... posting pictures is not as much fun as sawing out your floors!
I'll leave you with this though.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/...56106e034d.jpg

I hope you like what I've started, and am looking forward to the help you guys will give me. Can't wait to fit the 2366 and the 901!!!

:oOh man... I put this in the wrong spot... can i get a moderator over here...:o

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1113/...87a84d9a50.jpg

Hi, your project looks very nice. Will the 8 inch tires fit within the rear fenders? Creative Car Craft sell three inch fiber glass fenders, that would set your rear centerline off real nice

On my project, which I just can't seem to do anything with. I am using 10 cookies cutters with the three inch fiber glass fenders. It also give it a cool look. Those tires will throw debree on your fender and do damage to your paint job.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...1.jpg~original

Yeah, I will get wider fenders for the back... probably the creative car craft ones. In the front I may get some fender work done. Just to stretch em out a lil bit. I have some odd offsets going on the wheels, and have added considerable track in the rear and the front. I know there are adverse effects of doing this but no turning back now. It should be really stable accelerating. But I see plenty of bugs with a lot of track added, especially the ones sporting the flared kafer cup fenders.

Ok! Time for a short procrastination break from my programming homework and a small update. I have both pans cut out of the car and the new right pan is ready to go in, and the left is not far behind. I went to Harbor Freight and picked up their $15 air hammer with assorted chisels, for the removal of the spot welds on the frame. It worked like a charm! I found it easiest to start mid way, like on the rear corner, get under the flap and hammer it upwards. This way, you have a clear shot at the spot welds, whereas sometimes if just trying to run along the lip, you end up shearing off the metal and have to grind it off. Sharpening the chisel also helps tremendously when slipping into those tight, tricky spots. Hopefully I can get these pans welded in this weekend. :D
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/...df49b4e778.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/...dd4f147d52.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1338/...87be6db0b1.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1405/...71903a77fd.jpg

Anyone have any cleaning suggestions? I spent some time cleaning off the torsion tubes/frame horn area with some concoction my roommate mixed up... I can't wheel the frame out to pressure wash it because my body is in the way and an engineless Camaro behind that.

Also, I need to take my transmission out soon so I can start fitting the 901. I'm a bit worried about getting this bad boy in, but I'll ask about that when I can get some reference pictures up. Where do you guys get your 12 point bits to remove the cv's?

I've had good luck with Oil Eater from Costco, but it's not always available so call ahead if you want to get some. I spray, wait, spray, scrub, spray, scrub, then rinse and see what I have. Depends a lot weather the gunk is buildup of dirt/oil or you have a rusty surface.

Jason

Drilled 1/4 inch holes spaced about every inch in the pans today. Didn't think I was going to start welding, but I got anxious. Everything started off pretty well, until I heard the welds popping off as they cooled... The frame ledge is twice as thick as the pan itself, so when I thought the pan was welding in, I was basically just filling in the holes and taking my chances with it making a deep weld. I ended up just putting a bunch of stitch welds also, which worked much more easily... I think on the left side of the pan, I'm going to skip the drilling and just stitch weld the thing in... Might just try to do the entire side.

Nice looking project. You should be able to find the "triple square" bit to remove the CV bolts at any VW parts house or in a small set at an auto parts house. Lots of info on fitting the 901 can be found here if you do a search.

Hey, another question here for the future. when mating the transmission mounts and the 911 trans, can I grind out a groove in the transmission mounts so the bolt bumps on the bell housing have clearance? Or do I have to grind down the bumps themselves... Sorry if the description is vague.

Basically can you grind on a transmission mount? How about a urethane one?

Bugged,

Cheap plug, but here is one approach.. http://www.germanlook.net/forums/sho...6894#post76894

The thread does have some good info to help you plan your approach..
VR
Alex

Alex,

I have been through that thread several times now. I actually already have your rear mount, although according to that thread it appears I have the 914 style mount whilst I have a 71 901/911 transmission.

Slide 40 Bug@5-Speed Rear Gearbox Support (Cont)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j1...0.jpg~original
The last order of business is to attach everything to the bell housing with the manufactured supplied bolts/nuts or grade-8 or better hardware[/QUOTE]


here it looks like you may have grinded down the trans mounts...?:confused:
Or is this before you grinded down the bellhousing?

You really need to move this to the build thread up top!

Jason

Go into the Project Builds section and start a new thread called Bugged Build and then cut and paste the pictures you've started here onto there. Unless somehow you are locked out?

Jason

Awesome! Thanks Jason!

I finally looked up the VIN to my 911 transmission... turns out i have a 1969-1970 911 transmission from a porsche 911E.

R&P ---- 7:31 (4.429)
1st ----- 11:34 (3.091)
2nd----- 18:32 (1.778)
3rd ----- 23:28 (1.217)
4rd ----- 27:25 (0.9259)
5th ----- 29:22 (0.7586)

What do I have going here? I don't really know what to make of these gear ratios. Could someone help me out?


Also, I drained the gear oil from it a few days ago and checked out the magnetic drain plug, it had a good amount of gunky black oil stuff, but only one or two little metal flakes. The transmission had been stored for probably 20 years in a garage. Can anyone give me an estimate of what condition you think it may be in?

Also, the transmission has the eyelet for the clutch cable, and Alex from Bug@5speed says that I need to cut the eyelet off and then plug it with an automotive plug. Is this what everyone is doing? Man, I really don't want to cut a hole in the side of this transmission.:(

The back half from intermediate plate to bell housing are the same for 914 family and the late 901 box,
Except for material mag bs alu. Depending on Year

The bellhousing has two flat spot where the trans mount gets bolted on.

No need to grind flat just drill four holes for your mounts and attach this to the metal traverse

If I don't make sense email me and we can set up phone con

VR
Alex

Speedo gear is out, reverse shaft transferred, andshort nose cone is basically on... set the tranny on the frame horns... Am I going to have to take a contoured cut out of the frame horns for the cv flanges to fit? I see some people just trimming the horns and others making considerable modification to the horns. Also, the bowden cable eyelet is definately interfering with the frame horns as well. this will need to be cut off... It needs to be plugged afterwards or can I just trim it off?

What is the best way to remove the factory tar board?

and.....

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/...b01cc2a609.jpg
Got some work done on the pan... I originally wasn't going to POR15 the panhead and center tunnel, but some stripper found its way over there anyway.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/...55287bec45.jpg
I used the POR15 products, marine clean and metal ready.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/...f0e8a80484.jpg
Metal ready is supposed to neutralize the rust and I can just POR15 over it.

Would it be better to grind the rust off?

With POR, the coarser the surface the better, too smooth and it peels off. As long as the rust is not flaking and is just surface then I'd leave it as that gives the best key.

The tar board material comes off easy with a heat gun and scraper. ;)

Thanks... Tar board is now removed.

I'm starting prepping the trans for install and have a few questions.

1) How are you dealing with the bowden tube eyelet on the differential side plate? I have the bug@5speed adapter plate, but it requires cutting the eyelet off and plugging the resulting hole off. Any ways around cutting the eyelet off?
2) I don't see why cutting the eyelet off will result in a hole? Isn't it solid metal beneath the eyelet?

I'm going to start getting the trans ready for installation now, but I have some concerns:

1) Side plate bowden eyelet
-I have the bug@5speed adapter plate, but it apparently requires removal of the eyelet which results in a hole in your side plate. I don't see why cutting the eyelet off yields a hole through the plate, is the eyelet not solid aluminum? Any other good bowden cable/bracket routing methods out there?

Bugged,

Drop me a line to my email, seems we have some confusion..

Also email me some pics so I know exactly what we will be discussing

Missed this tread, during my wife's hospitol visit..

VR
Alex

I'm thinking about buying these, but want to make sure they are the right size.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...Q5fAccessories

I have the bug@5speed flanges and will locate some 944 stub axles. Anything wrong with this set up? any suggestions? Do these look like they are in good condition? I was also going to go check out this big recyclery to find my 944 parts.

I'm trying to find that page that describes all the differences between cv's, stub axles, and flanges again. I seemingly lost it, can someone help me?

http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Ho...es_and_cvs.htm

on the left side of screen has CV joints, axles, ans stub axles. Click on the one you want to view. ;)

merci beaucoup! I bought my axles from a local porsche recyclery. Got both stub axles, inner and outer cv's, and half shafts today, in great condition for $200. I thought it was a pretty decent deal, and they come with a 4 month warranty. Yay progress!! Now to finish that damn pan!

Any suggestions on which trans mounts to use? I have heard the OEM are stronger, but the urethane ones have the cutout which would require much less grinding. I feel a bit uncomfortable grinding off the extra material around the engine bolt holes.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/...c9e5ca6214.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/...9f77156164.jpg

Also, has anyone dealt with a trans with this tab on it? What was it originally used for? Suggestions on removal?

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/...f9956d89a7.jpg

Thanks!:rockon:

Ok... wow it has been almost a year since the last time i posted on here... crap. I think I'd rather post pics, and you can just ask me about them if you want to.

I am getting ready to disassemble all everything in order to have the chassis blasted and powdercoated. I imagine I need to get some cork plugs to plug all the holes I don't want filled with powdercoat. I am going to remove the torsion bars and the torsion beam face plate. How should I go about sealing the inside of the torsion beam? Any tips would be awesome.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6...4208d3c40c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6...f05159ab36.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6...5ff5c4d9e7.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6...2aa978fe4e.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6...6625c57caf.jpg

My Daily :cool:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6...456666dde4.jpg

My Doggy :p

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6...427fd1c917.jpg

Hopefully once the chassis is powder coated, I will begin assembling the car. I am moving in 4 months and I need to at least have the vast majority of the car bolted together so I can move it onto a tow truck. Let me know what you think.

The company doing the blasting doing the coating too?

Yes, I was quoted about 350 bucks to blast and powder coat it. Why?

They should have the propper masking materials to protect what you do not want filled with blast media or powder coating material. Mark the areas to be protected. The best way is to be there when they get ready to blast and coat to show them what you want. Main area is the torsion housing of course.

So I am hopefully going to drop off the chassis, trailing arms, outer torsion plate, and some random bits at the powdercoaters tomorrow or Saturday. What color should I go with?!! Silver? Black? Something dope?? GOLD?!

After that I'm going to get ready to put the body back on. Any things I should remember to do before I put the body on? The body to pan seal obviously. Run the brake lines in the rear? I shouldn't have any clearance problems with the transmission.

I want to put on a Kafer cup brace. Where should I source this in America? Should I install before the body is on?

Thx

Lanner at vdubengineering has the best Kafer cup brace kit I have used. It is a pain but I lie to put them in after the body, engine/trans are installed so you can work around ant clearance issues.

Interesting, I don't see it on the website.

what color is the body going to be any akcents ?

Ya Call Lanner his Kafer Bars ROCK..

Chris.

I think the body is going to be red for a while at least. Maybe going to paint it one day to a silver, gunmetal, or black color.

it would Look Good in Gunmetal even with the red on top... and then when you do paint it it will Still match.

here's his # it's best
http://vdubengineering.com/contact/

Chris.

OK now some progress
 

The chassis is at the powdercoaters, and I should get it back late this week. In the meantime I have been taking apart the body even more. I stripped out the wiring harness as I'm going to be replacing it anyway. Too many random wires going who knows where.

Still contemplating how I am going to seal this off. May grind a bit off and weld/JBweld a circular ring to fit a boot of some sort.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6...b30f806ab2.jpg

Made this nice little bracket to seal up the holes I cut to move the bowden tube and accelerator tube.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6...9c0043bb61.jpg

I noticed this crack under the gas tank, I am pretty sure it is just the old sealant that is cracked... I don't think it is structurally compromised. What do you think?
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6...1b935a3029.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6...b04a8ef9a1.jpg

Making car noises.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6...fb6022981d.jpg

I made a cart to roll the body around on while im getting it ready to put back on the chassis. I can adjust the height with pins.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6...2ce4e2d595.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6...c5693cf76f.jpg