Engine Options

[Accordion]

I have some questions regarding engine options... I am currently working on a 71 non-super beetle (convertible) and I was looking into buying a later model super. I have been reading a lot on this site, but never really posted before.

I deffinately want to go the GL route, and would like to look into some serious performance options that work with an everyday driver.

Can a convertible withstand the torque of a bigger engine or an engine conversion? I see very few convertible's with bigger engines on this site. Also, for a daily driver, would a suby engine swap be better than a t4? I want performance and more importantly, reliability. What type of transmission would be recommended for a suby swap? I was even considering building a rorty tube chassis, but I am unsure if the advantage outweighs the amount of time spent building one.

With a non-super beetle, what are my suspension options? Do stock suspensions handle a large engine well?

Thanks for any info!

[oasis]

Originally Posted by Accordion

I have some questions regarding engine options... I am currently working on a 71 non-super beetle (convertible) and I was looking into buying a later model super.

All Beetle convertibles starting with the 1971 model year are Super Beetles. They all have the MacPherson strut suspension up front. (The only possible exception would be if a previous owner literally chopped the top completely off of a standard Beetle to make a homemade convertible.)

I am going to assume this is not the case. It is common for people to think Super Beetles only came with a curved windshield. This is true beginning in the 1973 model year. However, 1971 and 1972 convertibles are Supers.

Originally Posted by Accordion

Can a convertible withstand the torque of a bigger engine or an engine conversion? I see very few convertible's with bigger engines on this site.

No reason it can't. Convertibles had a sort of extra layer to the pan section (poorly described ... sorry) to make up for some body stiffness lost to not having a top. All Supers benefit from strut tower braces, anti-sway bars and strut packages which are widely available.

As for the seldom scene, convertibles are rarer and command more money. Not everyone has the funds to get one to modify. Some that were previously modified either were driven into the ground, became victims of rust or were poorly converted -- all of which make their current numbers even fewer.

If that's what you want to do, don't let the scarcity deter you.

Originally Posted by Accordion

Also, for a daily driver, would a suby engine swap be better than a t4? I want performance and more importantly, reliability. What type of transmission would be recommended for a suby swap? I was even considering building a rorty tube chassis, but I am unsure if the advantage outweighs the amount of time spent building one.

Better? By what definition and by whom? This has been debated without any resolution.

The only thing I will say is there are good reasons to go in either direction. There is a lot of information on both conversions. There are those here at this site that have done one or the other. You will not be alone here. Study up and figure out which conversion is a better fit for you.

And please keep us posted.

[DORIGTT]

I do believe that the Standard Beetles were still produced to 1974 alongside the Super Beetles.

[Accordion]

I remember having problems figuring out the year.... Ill look up the vin sometime this week, but I originally thought it was a '70, then someone told me it was a '71. It is deffinately a standard beetle. My friends super beetle is sitting right next to it in the shop; and i am very very sure that my vert is not a super beetle.
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"No reason it can't. Convertibles had a sort of extra layer to the pan section (poorly described ... sorry) to make up for some body stiffness lost to not having a top. All Supers benefit from strut tower braces, anti-sway bars and strut packages which are widely available.

As for the seldom scene, convertibles are rarer and command more money. Not everyone has the funds to get one to modify. Some that were previously modified either were driven into the ground, became victims of rust or were poorly converted -- all of which make their current numbers even fewer."

-Ok. I have already taken the chassis and body appart, replaced the floor pans, heater channels (still need to do a little heater channel welding so passenger door closes well), and I have brand new convertible re-inforcement channels. My current everyday driver is a '64 vert, and its fairly rusty and not very strong (doors open by themselves when the top is down.... a bungy cord keeps them closed in warm weather). I just want to make sure that there won't be too much flex on the one I am redoing. I don't want to put in a rollcage for rigidity because it would look stupid with the top down.

The more I think about it, the less I want to do an engine conversion.
How would an under-the-lid turbo type one setup (1773 maybe?) work? I could keep the boost dialed low for everyday driving, then bump it up a bit when I feel I need the power.

Thanks for the responses, Ill take some pictures this week.

[oasis]

Originally Posted by DORIGTT

I do believe that the Standard Beetles were still produced to 1974 alongside the Super Beetles.

Standard Beetles were produced through 1978 in Germany, but all were sedans from 1971-78. All convertibles* were done by Karmann and all were Supers once the 1971 model year started (September 1970?).

Standard and Super sedans were built side-by-side so to speak.

Cabriolets (Rabbit-based or Golf-based depending on continental name) and Super Beetle convertibles were built side-by-side from September 1979 into January 1980. The former were genuine 1980 models while the latter were still technically 1979s (even though collectors lay claim to them being 1980 models).

Sedans and convertibles were not, however.

* - There were other coachbuilders doing convertibles in the 1950s and perhaps into the 1960s. I'm not too sure of the history going back that far.

[ricola]

I'm building a WRX RA powered 1303 cab, if torsional stiffness is a concern I will remake the chassis strengtheners in thicker steel. For a daily driver, the reliability and low maintenance of a well exectuted conversion will win hands down.

Rich