SO I hear about turbo 2180cc or V6's , rotaries etc in beetles, but what is the most cc's you are legally able to put into a Beetle ??

Firstly a Standard 60's Beetle = ??
Secondly a standard 70's Beetle=??

and thirdly the all out modified 4 disc etc etc beetle = ??

Just wondering :jesus

Wes has all these details, at least for Qld anyway.

Depends on what the engine number on your case is!!!!

I would think probably 1300cc for a 60s Beetle..
and 1600cc for the 70s beetle...
without engineers certificates etc...
I know everyone puts 1600s in everything

I have heard where two speed wipers are needed with larger engines.. but that may be on an engineers certificate too...

How do they equate cc's to rotary engines ?

A 12a = 1.2lt and a 13b=1.3lt. You then have to multiply this by 1.7 (I think)

So a 12a= 2lt
13b=2.2lt

Then if it is a turbo rotary.......................................... :jesus

I think you then need to multiply it by 1.7 again ?????????

ok, the NSW rules are briefly described here (QLD rules are almost the same);

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/downloads/vsi06.pdf

So, without approval you can go 15% bigger than the maximum engine offered by the manufacturer for that model, which for a later 1600 beetle is 1840cc. So a 1915 requires a blue plate (qld) or papers in nsw. I had a blue plate for my old 1915.

To go bigger than the 15% rule, you will need various safety upgrades. These are;
a) Seat belts must be installed for all seating positions. Lap/sash seat belts are required for all front
and rear outboard seating positions. Lap/sash or lap belts shall be fitted to inboard seating
positions (this requirement does not apply to small buses. No upgrading of seat belts is required
for these vehicles);
b) Windscreen washers must be fitted;
c) Two speed windscreen wipers with a fast speed of at least 45 cycles per minute and a slow speed
of at least 20 cycles per minute must be fitted. (Single speed wipers are acceptable if the speed
is 45 cycles per minute or more);
d) A windscreen demister must be fitted;
e) There must be an external mirror on the drivers side (and on the passengers side if there is not an
effective internal rear view mirror);
f) If the replacement engine has a capacity more than 45% above that of the largest optional engine
for the vehicle and the vehicle is “pre ADR 10/--”, a collapsible steering column is to be fitted;
g) Flashing turn indicator lights to be fitted at the front and rear of the vehicle if not originally
provided on the vehicle;
h) Automotive safety glass (either marked accordingly or can be shown to be safety glass) shall be
fitted for the windscreen and other windows in the vehicle.

In addition to that table, the engineer may ask for upgraded brakes or basically anything he feels is required to make the vehicle safe. When I went to the V6 my engineer wanted to see rear disc brakes, and quite frankly so did I.

You will then be limited to engine capacity as per this table;


Now most later beetles are around the 840kg mark, the exact weight depend on which VW manual or handbook your looking at. The engineer will accept any weight that looks like it comes from a reliable source.

Now assuming 840kg, you are limited to;

1 - turbo/supercharged - 840kgx2.5 = 2100cc
2 - naturally aspirated - 840kgx3.0 = 2520cc.

Hence I went for a 2500cc V6 over a 2lt turbo suby.

Notice it says multiply the rotary capacity by 2, so a 13B is a 2.6lt, a 12A is a 2.4lt. Therefore there is absolutely no way a 13B turbo is legal in a beetle (or buggy).

Also note the table says;

Hi

I have a 1967 1300 glovebox owners manual. The weight quoted in it for a 1300 bug is 1638 pounds (avoirdupois) is equivalent to: 742.984 kilograms

742.984 x 3 = 2228.952 cc max NA
742.984 x 2.5 = 1857.46 cc forced induction.

My 1972 Superbug glovebox owners manual quotes 870 kgs
870 x 3 = 2610 cc NA
870 x 2.5 = 2175 cc forced induction.

Does anyone else have glovebox owners maunals so we can post the weights?

1302Steve

in NSW the RTA tell you to get your own weigh bridge ticket, so before you do a conversion, you could always get it weighed with a full tank of fuel and 4 bags of cement

well actually the pdf link I posted is from the RTA, and it says

it's only illigal if you get caught. My father use to have a type 4 2 litre in a 62 beetle never had any troubles from rta etc.

As I understand it. The maximum capacity is based on the standard capacity of the engine block.
Therefore, you can use any size engine providing the standard capacity of the engine is within the guidelines.
Accordingly, I am free to bore and stroke my engine out.
Sounds silly, but VW engines are the exception to most engineering limitations.
Where your average watercooled engine might only go out an extra 200-300cc maximum, VW engines will go out an extra 900cc.
Now when it comes to insurance, I am guessing that cars with engines of this callibure need specialist insurance anyway. To get this the company needs all the important specs of the car. Be honest and do it properly. Wes is absolutely right.

Let me give the bonehead who suggested illegal modifications a senario to think about.
Just imagine some idiot in a highly powerful, illegally modified Torana wiped out you prize Vw while your wife/girlfriend was driving it.
Firstly: His insurance company would refuse to cover the damages to your car leaving you without a car even though you weren't in the wrong.
Secondly: The insurance company might void his 3rd party personal insurance and refuse to cover your partners medical expenses, leaving you out of pocket again.
Thirdly: you can bet that a low life like that has no money you can sue out of him.

Please don't do illegal stuff. It endangers peoples lifes, livelyhood and gives petrolheads a bad name. Right!

Looks like another one for the WPP :P

After reading all the posts here and others about illegal hood jax etc... It looks like My Beetle will be stock standard.. apart from air horns!! I suppose they are illegal too??? the RTA is killing us.... next they will be measuring how far the hubcaps stand out from the wheels.... about the only thing left... or the height of Your number plate from the ground is a classic.... Who knows??? If My front number plate is on the front bumper, is it OK to have My rear number plate where it should be??? Lee?

I think you will find that what wes is saying is that the problem is not with the RTA but with the insurance companies.
This should be no surprise, but there is an alternative, no insurance.
Personally I think this is not the better option.
But i will repeat what I said before. If your car is of the calibre that you would spend the money that a 1915 costs, the least you can do is insure it properly. This involves telling the insurance company everything about the specs of the car and having it legal to begin with.

Wes, I certainly agree with you on that point.

However, the specifics of the engine specs vary greatly as to which engineer signs your certificate. Thats the way it works in NSW. Therefore, alot of people build something that complies as far as they can see, then they shop around until they find an engineer who will certify it. You will be pleased to know, that is not the way I have operated.
However, As long as it gets a certificate, it is legal as far as the insurance companies are concerned.

can someone please tell me how you get 1915cc's?:alien

69 stroke x 94 bore

pi r sq = 47mm x 47mm x 3.14 = 6939.778172mmsq.

6939.778172mmsq x 69 = 478844.6939mm cubed.

478844.6939mm cubed x 4 cyl = 1915378.775mm cubed = 1915.378775cc

Now I need an asprin


Stan's 1916s are just slightly bigger, that's why they're more powerful.

and slightly off-track but a similar legal-insurance company subject, tyre size.

In qld the rules say, and I quote

I think you took what I said out of context. I agree with the rules and agree that appropriate mods need to be done before you drive on the road. My car has been modified when I transfered the rego from nsw to qld was not required by qld tpt. to have mod plates fitted. After much discussion with the police when they pulled me up found out that needed mod plates and went and had it done. The mods that I have are 4 wheel disc brakes and bigger motor all of which was the same as when I had it regod so I went and had it done. A bloke I work with has a cortina with a 351 in it the cops and qld tpt dont even want to know about it. What I was trying to say is You speak to one guy who says yes you do and another says no that why so many people just do it and worry later on. I have seen this first hand after doing some tow truck work how many people have mods done have a smash take the car home and take the mods off put it to original and get away with it. eg. Towed a bloke who rolled his hilux surf. Bigger tyres and a lift kit illegal. Towed him home and he changed everything back to original got a call to pick it up and took it to an assessing centre who sent it to auction, they didn't even bat an eyelid at the car. Thats what I meant when I said its only illegal if you get caught. Sorry if this offended anyone it was not meant to be that way.
Graham