Jeans Beetle Circuit Racer

[Moog]

Originally Posted by Bogara_ZO

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.

TarOx is an option. I have the TarOx 6-pots on vented discs on the front of the WBX GT and agree they stop well and bolt-on. On that I have mk3 Golf GTi calipers on the back on Porsche 914 discs. I used an Audi 90 master cylinder which I think was 20.64mm bore, so up from the standard 19.05mm.

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.

[1303C2/3]

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
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

[Moog]

Originally Posted by Bogara_ZO

That is a nice setup. Are you happy with the balance? I'm planning to go with 944 NA rotors + sliding calipers on the back, not sure if it will work ok. Will keep the discs (20mm thick) so if any upgrade is reuired I have limited possibilites.

The TarOx/GTi/914 setup works well - pulls it up sharp when old folks pull out from side turnings while I have i'm giving it a bootful...

Originally Posted by 1303C2/3

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.

The K-jet engine was my first foray into injection. If i recall correctly i bought a complete setup off a 1600 Mk1 GTi. Manifold was from a '78 injection Beetle. I machined the top off the plenum, welded on a plate, and fitted the throttle body off an 1800 GTi, so twin progressive and big rather than the stock Beetle small throttle body. I had to weld a new linkage on the other side of the throttle body, and mounted the cold start injector between the throttle body and the alternator. K-Jet injectors went in where the original electronic injectors went, clamped in place with some modified valve spring retainers. Metering head bolted to the fanhousing and some home-made ducting linked it to the throttle body. Cold start injector was controlled manually from a dash switch.

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.

[Bogara_ZO]

Originally Posted by Moog

TarOx is an option. I have the TarOx 6-pots on vented discs on the front of the WBX GT and agree they stop well and bolt-on. On that I have mk3 Golf GTi calipers on the back on Porsche 914 discs. I used an Audi 90 master cylinder which I think was 20.64mm bore, so up from the standard 19.05mm.

That is a nice setup. Are you happy with the balance? I'm planning to go with 944 NA rotors + sliding calipers on the back, not sure if it will work ok. Will keep the discs (20mm thick) so if any upgrade is reuired I have limited possibilites.

Good luck with this project.