I just picked up this 74 vw superbug, the guy i bought it off has owned it since 1979, it's got a smooth running 1600 which has been converted to run on unleaded. it's an original car complete with completely rusted out floor pan and all it's original log books.
My plan for it, although at the moment very hazy is to turn it in to a street baja, sounds weird i know but i am thinking of using some baja styling but keeping it low and fast. The plan will inlclude rear disc converion and an ej20 or ej20 turbo converion.
I would like some help on which way to go with suspension and some help sourcing interior trimming and floor panels and baja kit locally.
Also if anyone is interested in any of the original parts (fenders, hub caps, complete engine aseembly, running board chrome trims, bonnet, deck lid, bumpers etc please let me know.
A baja kit for an L Bug will need to be a custom jobbie of a stangard kit.
Are you wanting to lower the car??
lowered cups on your struts is the easiest answer and if you are going for baja guards you wont need to worry about offsets
i'm on the sunshine coast in qld, i have started tearing her down originally because of the smell of the rotten interior, and now well it's to repair the floor lol, next step will be rwc then after than the modification will begin.
i was wondering if there was differences in the baja kits, what sort of mods where you refering to ??
it's quite a solid little car other than the floor. everything thing is there and the body (other than floor) is rust free.
welcome to here
lowering it is so passé
everyone one has one of those
Baja'ing is the new black, as the beach is in our back yard 😉
do whatever you like and enjoy your new vw
'converterted to run on ULP' best to run it on 98 ron, the motor will be happy up here in the heat
look forward to seeing it about on the road soon
where on the sunny coast are you at?
cheers pauly
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
more looking around i do the more confused i get, the plan was a "street baja" i'm trying to find a good example on the net somwhere, i don't want to use it offroad i just want it to look tough
it's name has come from a few things, i wanted to use the sb from super bug, and then i got an sti ej20 turbo, and then one night it stunk the house out leaking stale fuel, so STInk Bug lol 🙂
Luckily my dad is currently researching making an adapter plate and flywheel etc, I'm not too keen on the off the shelf prices. Trying to do something awesome on a budget lol 🙂 he works in the manufacturing industry.
have you got any suggestions ?
looking in to brakes at the moment as well.. thinking the ea rears and a similar setup to the one on here that uses falcon 5 stud on the front.
spamwell wrote:Luckily my dad is currently researching making an adapter plate and flywheel etc, I'm not too keen on the off the shelf prices.
Not trying to kill your dream but if you're worried about the cost of an adapter plate it will shock you how much all the little things you need for the whole conversion add up.
And you will need to budget minimum 1k for gearbox upgrades if you staying with VW.
A stock one will last 2 secs with that engine unless you never hit boost.
As Ian says just get an adapter kit from SHerman, you can't beat them for quality.
I'm not new to conversions so i understand the effort and extra costs which go in to them. I'm definitely up with beer economy lol 🙂 I'm just saying if i was to go and buy the bits of pieces all straight from the shelf it would cost a fortune. My budget is not tiny, things will be done right i am just going to nut out my options and save where i can.
Also Joel would you mind elaborating on gearbox upgrades ? in more specifics and what the weak points are ?
Well if you want to do your gearbox correctly, then consider putting in the Subaru 5 speed that was designed to go with your engine.
This will take the power of your motor and allow it to operate in the correct rev range where you make maximum power and torque.
Plus it's got 5 speeds so that you can cruise around comfortably. More expensive than an adaptor plate but also has many benefits.
also ive been doing some reading of different forums and even considering quotes from joel and subaru gears on other forums i think the standard box will do the job for me, if i love the car and the build goes the way i want, maybe one day in the future my gearbox will explode and i will consider other options then, seeing as i am making up the adapter plate and flywheel with dad which probly isn't going to cost anything i really have nothing to loose. If the setup doesn't work i can upgrade 🙂
anyways, the last few nights i have spent getting the motor up to scratch so i can set it aside knowing it's ready to drop in. New timing belt kit has been installed, oil pump removed, cleaned, tightened and re installed. I have re sealed the rocker cover gaskets and replaced the oil filter. Test fitting of all the original parts such as intercooler etc etc.
We have started cutting out the floor pan for repair and are starting to draw up plans for the body modifications and also i'm plotting my suspension and brake setup 🙂
Can anyone lead me in the right direction is australia to get all the replacement parts like running boards and interior parts, window rubbers etc ??
my stock vw tran is ok, mines done about 20000Ks
just remember to check the gearbox oil level , you would be surprised how many people fix up their rides and never check the gearbox oil 🤪 doesn't hurt to even change the oil 😊.
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
