My other 1303 GL

[Clatter]

X3 on seeing some more pics.

Looking inside there at the back seat area, i can spy a G50 house..

Would love to see how this all got fabbed up!

[Steve C]

Hi

I've been putting in some late nights getting my bug finished.

I haven't taken any more progress shots but I will post some of the earlier information on the car.

I originally had a 1302, I bought it 2nd hand in 1973 when it was 6 months old. I evolved this car with a turbo 2.1 Wasserboxer, 944 rear end and with brakes I've now fitted to my new 1303.

John Polden the original owner of the my "new" 1303 and I worked together for some time at a Sydney performance VW shop called Powertune. We have remained friends over the last 30 odd years and when John decided to move to Queensland Gold Coast I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to obtain this car. The was sold to V Force and stripped of its goodies then Richard at V Force gave me the rolling shell.

I've kept a lot parts from my 1302, brakes, suspension, seats, cooling system parts etc. Rather than use the water-cooled Transporter engine again, I have purchased 2003 Subaru WRX STI engine which has only done 13,000 kilometres to fit to my new project. 195 kW+ from the factory should make for an interesting ride. In place of the modified Type 1 box I'm now using a G50.

John Polden the original owner of my 1303 competing at Amaroo and Silverdale Hillclimb in the early 1980s, it was a street car then, running a 2180 cc Type 1 motor with 48 IDAs, it gained many FTDs at various speed events and it used to do the 1/4 in mid 13s back in the early 1980s. John later fitted a Mazda 12a rotary motor that first saw duty in a Group C touring car, John then ran the car as a sports sedan. The Beetle was put in his shed in 1985, when John decided to move to Queensland he sold the car to V Force, then I acquired it from V Force.

Steve

Photos, yellow bug is my old 1302, blue bug is the one I'm rebuilding and is now orange

[Steve C]

Hi

More history, sorry if I'm boring anybody.

This car had not been driven since 1983 and was virtually rust free, I acquired this car in 2002 and then brought it home in September 2004 after it had been sitting in a friends shed, I had sold my yellow 1302 earlier in 2004, I always wanted a 1303.

The previous owner had fitted rack & pinion from a 75 bug. and cutout the spare wheel area to house a radiator.

Steve

[Steve C]

Hi

More old photos.

My STI motor had only travelled 13000 ks and my G50 came from a low mileage Jap import.

I moved the motor and transmission forward 100mm, had to cut the torsion housing and I ended up using 40 hp length 26 mm sway away torsion bars, I had a stroke of luck, the G50 shift rod turned out to be exactly the correct length.

Steve

[Steve C]

Hi

The G50 is very hard to keep stable on a jack, so I made this bracket to hold it on my jack.

I've used the stock G50 alloy mount, I welded some tabs onto the chassis for it bolt onto and I had move the mounting slightly using some aluminium blocks.

I cut the centre spline from 2 chassis and had an outer sleeve made

I welded the splines in with "rose bud" welds so that 40HP / 1500 Beetle length 26 mm torsion bars poked out the correct amount to mate up with 944 spring plates.

Steve

[Steve C]

Hi

I'm trying to keep this build thread chronologically correct.

I will get to the newer stuff soon.

This is how the reinforcing started off on the torsion bar housing.

Steve

[Steve C]

I widened the engine bay area around the bumper bracket, my motor has variable valve timing there is a huge lump on the left rear cam cover that I had to be careful to make room for.

These motors are real tight fit and are also a pain as they want to fall off the jack all the time, that's why I made motor dolly with wheels, even when the motor is sitting on the floor it wants to fall over onto the flywheel. You will notice that I have jack stands under the engine dolly, this is to prevent the weight of the motor tipping the car over backward, might not happen, just being careful, it actually did happen to me while fitting a motor to Notchback that no front-end in it.