79 vert: japanese style and look

[defcon]

i have a 79 convertible super beetle (black) and i plan to purchase 5 Zigen 18" rims. im a complete noob to the vw scene and all the details that goes along with owning a super beetle.

i currently have a 2001 honda prelude and i want to fix up the beetle very similar to my prelude with a japanese style flavor. i dont plan on putting a ricey body kit or outrageous stickers. im keeping it more clean and stock looking except for some minor details listed below. also more pics below for reference of the interior and rims


plans for the 79 convertible super beetle:
black pearl paint job
engine swap (still learning about the different types of engines)
tranny 5 gear swap
exhaust
adjustable coilover system
koni or kyb shocks
cross drilled brake system
black housing HID projectors
amber sidemarkers
black tinted taillights
black tinted turn signals
aftermarket steering wheel (black/red stitching)
gunmetal shift knob
shift boot (black/red stitching)
momo ebrake handle
reclinable racing seats (black/red stitching)
aftermarket mirrors w/ blue tint
rear lip spoiler
s2000 antenna
18" 5zigen rims (pic below)


These are the available sizes. I know for the 5 lugs I'd need a wheel spacer/adapter. What about the 4 lugs? Can these fit on the 79? Also recommended tire size for going 18? Recommended offset for a 79 vert? My prelude has 215/35/18

Size PCD ET
18x7.5 4x100 35
18x7.5 4x100 43
18x7.5 5x100 35
18x7.5 5x100 48
18x7.5 5x112 43
18x7.5 5x114.3 35
18x7.5 5x114.3 43
18x7.5 5x114.3 48








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[davetaylor]

most of that list will be fairly easy except the HID headlights, as they have to be custom made. i don't know about 18" tire sizes as i have 17" on my '79, but just to let you know that you can buy disc brakes with other lug patterns, mainly 4x100, 5x100 and 5x130 (porsche), so skip the adapters.

those 18" have to be very specifically sized to fit correctly, so make sure you get your numbers from someone who knows exactly what they're talking about.

[defcon]

Originally Posted by davetaylor

most of that list will be fairly easy except the HID headlights, as they have to be custom made. i don't know about 18" tire sizes as i have 17" on my '79, but just to let you know that you can buy disc brakes with other lug patterns, mainly 4x100, 5x100 and 5x130 (porsche), so skip the adapters.

those 18" have to be very specifically sized to fit correctly, so make sure you get your numbers from someone who knows exactly what they're talking about.

what's your disk brake setup? also whats your offset on your rims? tire profile?

im still learning more about offsets.

[davetaylor]

i'm running the porsche 944 setup, which means 11.5" rotors on all fours corners. they're cheaper because you can pull them from a junkyard, and you wind up with easily upgradeable parts. my wheels are porsche boxster s wheels, mostly because the porsche bolt pattern is an odd one and pretty much requires porsche wheels. you're going to find that you need some pretty big offsets, meaning upwards of 50mm to fit most wheels to your super. my 17x7" et55 205/40/17 fronts are what's recommended for the front, but my 17x8.5" et50 245/40/17 rears will require wider rear fenders. there aren't a ton of bugs with 18" wheels, mostly because it's a pain in the butt to fit them under stock fenders.

you should read lanner's site about the porsche conversion:
http://www.vdubengineering.com/techn...onversions.htm

some people say their main allure is being able to say they're porsche parts, but the main allure for me was that they're cheap, good quality, and i can buy parts for them just about anywhere. most aftermarket disc brake setups are just as good, but you can't just pull them off a junk car. there are other parts requirements, but my whole setup wound up being a couple of hundred dollars less than regular 4-wheel disc setups, and mine are all larger and vented.

there's a whole lot of cool crap out there to learn about like subaru swaps, porsche transmissions, bmw power window conversions, rear coilover conversions, etc. but you sometimes have to dig to find it.

[defcon]

do you have any pics of your car?
also are you using a coilover system for your rears or did you just adjust the tension rods?

i checked the site for the 5 Zigen rims i mentioned above and the highest offset they can go is +48.

im looking at topline maxx coilovers but still looking for other coilover brands that will allow the offsets between +35 and +48. also the width available is only 7.5 inches

im also looking at the 944 brake swap to fit 18's. do all 944's come in 5x100 PCD? at least this will narrow down which type of rim size i can get.

i dont plan on getting wider fenders. im sticking to stock. id want to focus on suspension, brake rotors, then rims

18x7.5 4x100 35
18x7.5 4x100 43
18x7.5 5x100 35
18x7.5 5x100 48
18x7.5 5x112 43
18x7.5 5x114.3 35
18x7.5 5x114.3 43
18x7.5 5x114.3 48

http://www.germanlook.com/Html/Tech/...dernWheels.htm

still reading, reading, reading.....

thanks for the link dave

[davetaylor]

lanner has an article on his page about wheel fitment too. here's a thread you should read for sure:
http://www.germanlook.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=8361

on my car i'm running the complete stock 944 setup, including the shocks. the rear of the 944 is similar enough that you could run pretty much anything built for the 944 on your rear, including koni adjustables and presumably coilover conversions. the front is a different story, but the rear is easy. i lowered my car by adjusting the spring plates, but i did it too much and it'll have to go back up until i can get fenders.

there are coilover conversions from blind chicken racing, plus other places.

and yeah, to my knowledge all porsches come with the 5x130 pcd, which does narrow the choices to factory wheels and high dollar custom ones.

i have pictures of my car, but they might not be helpful as it's being built slowly over time, and not with cool build-up pictures. my avatar is my car, but i can show you others if you're wanting to see them.

[davetaylor]

here's what i'm working with. i'm going slower than i'd like because i'm poor. by the way, i wanted a triple black but i couldn't find a good one. i just sent a triple black parts car to the crusher because it was too far gone.

[defcon]

here's the bug

[davetaylor]

those wheels look almost smaller than stock, but man there's nothing better than a triple black bug convertible. that will be sweet with the mods you're wanting to do.