Hello, I've bee, reading on this board for some time and this is my first post.
I have a '72 VW Bug (swing axle) and have bought an EJ20TT engine for it, complete with stronger VW clutch and starter.
The engine should be here at the end of this month and I've already put some work in the beatle ( radiator + fan up front, big brakes and front axle reinforement)
My biggest problem is that I haven't found a swing axle trans that can take the 280HP yet+ I don't know how to reposition the trans + engine forward.
If anybody has some good pics or instructions on how to do this that would be great.
these are the new front brakes, they're made of aluminium and have 6 pistons each. Haven't decided on rear brakes yet.
Also a complete roll cage will be installed and a reinforcement to keep the transmission from pulling the car's chassis apart.
(sorry for my bad writing but I live in Belgium and my native laguage is Dutch)
Is the motor you have bought twin turbo..you called it a ej20tt?? Aparently the twin turbo's take up too much room!
Anyway....all the guys on here will be glad to help you with your project. Look at rancho box from the states. There is no reason why the swing axel box with the right bits would not work. Lots of drag cars are swing axel and take more than 280hp.
With the gearbox moving forward...you remove the front mount and use a berg hard mount...I have it in an Ultra Vw mag at home. It also involves reversing the main bolt on cradle at the back of the forks. Mine is irs, as are the other guys I know who have done it, Im sure you could do it with a swing axel without any problems.
I was also looking into the Tarox 6 piston grooved/vented front disc system for the vw's.
How much did it set you back? and was there much trouble installing it all?
is that the whole tarox system or is that just the tarox 6piston caliper?
Sorry if this is too many questions but at an investment of about 2k landed in aus i want to know that they will fit up and wat they are like.
I was in contact with one of the people from tarox. and they are working on a rear disc system for the vw aswell. so if you get in contact with them im sure they will be able to tell u a more accurate date as to when the tarox rear disc setup will be available. could be worth waiting for.
you can't move the gearbox forward with the swingaxle, unless you want so much toe out that the car won't move or drive. Think about it and you'll understand that the swingaxle won't let you move the gearbox forward without putting the rear wheels on wild toe out angles. Similar to raising or lowering a swingaxle.
The only time a swingaxle should be used in high HP applications is drag racing where it doesn't have to deal with corners.
@ 71superbug, The price for the front calipers+ brake pads is 500 Euro over here, I also have stainless steel brake lines up front and am very pleased with the new braking power. Installation was very easy, did in less then an hour.
I'll definetely look into that Tarox rear brake system, sounds interesting.
@ Baja Wes, I don't know that much about all the technical stuff yet but I understand what you're talking about. If the gearbow shouldn't be moved forward I'll have less work when installing the engine so that's a plus.
I've been looking in several different type's of stronger bug gearboxes but the only way I found to have a 5 speed trans is to buy the Gene Berg 5 speed kit http://www.geneberg.com/5speedpg13.htm
No, I didn't even know Tarox had brake discs available (They weren't listed in the brochure I ordered them from. I checked some shops for vented or drilled barke discs but without succes.
Of course Wes, you are right about the swing axel....what was I thinking...or not!
The berg 5 speed is pretty much the only 5 speed box you can get thats actually vw. What is your intended use??? The 4 speeds work pretty well....you will not need close ratios with the power your motor will produce.
for around $3200 go with a 915 gearbox in very good condition if you want a 5spd. with the extra weight of the motor and the difference in the way the car will handle go irs for safety. 915 box is 17kg heavier and motor around 30kg some of the aircraft sites give weights on motors and gearboxes.
I tried emailing the people at rancho to get a shipping quote but there seems to be something wrong with their email. I get a failed delivery notification each time
do you plan on drag racing only, or going around corners too?
If you plan on cornering I would definitely change to IRS. Swingaxle is passable on low powered slower cars. But on a high powered car capable of getting to high speeds very quickly you'd definitely want IRS.
well by coincidence I found a person locally that says he can convert the car to IRS (has done it many times) but I don't know what it will cost yet.
I just want to be sure about this : if I convert to IRS and get a strong gear box , the gear box + engine can be moved forward an inch or 2 so that the entire engine can fit under the stock body.
Correct ??
give remmele a ring I rang him from oz and he couldn,t be more helpful as well he built a bug with a subi motor.aiso try germanlook.com and the links or put porcshe gearbox into bug on google.being in belgium your got access to cheap porsche parts.
If you get anything from berg...just call them up and they will have it on your door within 4 days. It will be the same price as anyshop gets it. I have done it heaps.
Rancho have a pretty good name, lots of big hp dubs you read about use rancho.
A mate of mine from Cal-look.com in the states put a porsche box in his Karmann Ghia...said it was quite tricky, not to say you might not be up for a challenge, as well as the motor of course.
My thoughts, are that if you could land a rancho for a good price, it is one less headache for you to worry about....easy to fit and you know its new.....you never actually know how good any used box is!
yes, if you convert to IRS then you can move the box an inch or two forward.
Try and move it as little as possible as it will increase the angle on the CV's. Smaller CV angles give the CV's longer life, make them run cooler, and is more efficient (less power loss). If you move it a long way forward you will need to go to bigger higher angle CV's. If I were you I'd go to type 2 or type 4 CV's just to handle the power better.
Yes, I know. I'be getting my cf fenders and maybe running boards from there but I don't think they have cf hoods (+ I really liked this old type model cf hood) I'm replacing as much as possible with cf parts and maybe paint the rest of the car mat black myself
Hopefullly will be able to finish up suspension, gears, clutch and gas cable + lots of other bits that need tidying op over the next week or so and then take it for a test drive
