i have a stock standard 1965 Australian built beetle with the original engine (1200), and gearbox. Using an Australia (stamped) SOLEX 28 PICT carb and 6volt electrical system.

Not sure if the engine has ever been rebuilt. The speedo has just under 88,000 miles on the clock.

I love driving my beauty at every opportunity but the old dude (my son calls him Herb) seems to struggle on a long (decent) incline which is expected for the size of the motor and its age. On the flat stuff Herb will hold 40-50mile/hr with no issues. I like the fact that the engiine is original with all the Aussie made bits still there.

Just wondering what options are out there to get a little more power as I would love to start driving the car to some interstate shows (Sydney, Melbourne, Berry, Valla etc) but I'm not sure the current motor set up would handle the trips.

I have seen a YouTube clip (that Chris dude in the states) saying to change the dizzy and exhaust systems and that will give you a little more horsepower, but I thought I would ask for suggestions and/or options from the Aussie veedub community.

Rebuild? Twin carbs? Or replace?

I'm in Canberra so if a rebuild was in order who does an exceptional job here. Happy to travel interstate if there is no ACT old dub engine builders.

Happy to spend the dollars where needed as I don't like wasting money on shortcuts or work a rounds.

Cheers Clem

Your stock set up should do way better than that. Something is wrong with the engine, tune or a combination of things. Although Herb is getting on, when new, his owners manual stated..."maximum AND cruising speed 75mph"
By your description he sounds like a nice original car, keep it that way, but get things working right. Start with a good service, oil change, adjust valve clearances, new plugs and points. While your there, jack up the front and grease the front end, it's ment to be done EVERY 3000 miles.
Then, with all those fresh bits in the engine you need to tune the engine and check the distributor is working properly and set the ignition timing....easy

Along with everything Matt said I'd also get a compression test done on the engine to see what condition it's in as a lack of servicing will lead to rings and guide wear and both will lead to poor compression and hence a lack of power.

Hi there,

Mat, I recently did all the above (new parts from Vintage VeeDub). I'm going to give it a compression test this weekend and I have a new Carb kit to install as well.

Is there a type of Oil that the VW community recommend for a standard motor like this? I read on a thread here that its best to use an air-cooled specific oil, and plenty of owners have their own favorites.

Any recommendation?

penrite hpr30

A 20W50 is fine too but make sure you add a zinc rich additive like Xado or Nulon or buy an oil that is high in zinc content.

Got to be careful. Oil discussions often turn into wars. You asked for recommendations so I say 15w/40.

Yep, do a compression test, then I'd be looking very closely at the ignition system/timing