I have a restored 62 Beetkle with a stock 1300 in it. The motor got hot and I have burnt a valve with a resulting loss of the affected cylinder. The poor old thing is running around on 3 cylidners, sounds very sick with backfirer, farting and carryign on....

The dilema is, do I rebuild my 1300, TOP END with new parts where available or do I upgrade to a 1600 plus the disk brake kit or do I go larger and pu a performance motor in it?

I would like to hear all thoughts, issues and ideas of costs. Is going for a good second hand motor the best option?

Also how much does it devalue a restored old school Beele if it has a hot motor and disk brakes ?

I am leaning towards the used good quality motor a it is the cheapest option, although a hot motor would be a load of fun too.

It all depends on how much you want to spend. I think if you upgraded it to a 1600 you wouldn't be devaluing the car in any way... just the opposite!

If it was my car I would be on the lookout for a hot second hand motor, you can still keep the 1300 if you want to put it back in later on. Life's too short you may as well have some fun!

put another head on her for now then get all your stuff to have the 1300 rebuilt as a 1600 and away you go

Hey Freddie hows it hangin,i had the same prob as u,i say go the 1600.Buy 2 new 1600 heads a set of barrels and pistons and a few odds and ends and your laffin,up to u if u go twinport or keep it singleport,its a much better car to drive as a 1600 :blah

I'm with mark on the motor, get a 1600cc and put the 1300 aside till you sell. the other ideas are good as well it all up to you.
But as for the brakes.
I have just done a disc brake conversion on a 63' conv/bug.....
the customer was going to sell the car and buy a jeep cause she hated the brakes on the car that much. Now she loves the car again and is going to keep it..:thumb

The idea of a hot motor is nice but it is the extra cost of upgrading suspension etc to cope with the increased power. If I went this route what other upgrades besides brakes, IRS rear end would I be looking at?

The idea of a 1600 is nice, more power is always a good thing, the disk brakes make sense to me, increased stopping power, better pedal feel etc... Is a brake booster required?

Do I go the twin carbs, extractors and higher compression route? What are the pitfalls with the VW engine if I go this way?

Do I go reconditioned or good 2nd?
What is the likelihood of doing the bottom end if I just went for the Piston, Barrels and heads rebuild?

I do suffer from Alfa foot, ahve known to fang around at stupid speeds in a V6 Alfa where the suspension has been designed to keep the car on the road when really pushing the envelope.

Thanks for all your help so far. Just too many questions in the mean time as I have never hotted a VW up.

Decided on the 1600 full reco engine option, standard engine option rather than a hotty. I want reliability not out and out speed on this car.

Anyone tried the Sherman disk brake kits for the 5 stud early Beetles? What type of disks do they use?
Any other thoughts on disk brake versus drum brake front end? Thatis apart from the obvious improved stopping ability of the disks.

ive got a brake boaster on my 72 sbug and just that decreased the stopping distance greatly. id go a twin barrel progressive carb with a vacum secondary like the 32/36 webber. gives great economy while still having performance

Be aware that a reco motor properly done will still cost upwards of 2grand.

If you want your beetle mechanic to have as nice a house as your Alfa mechanic, go for a hot motor.

I have a near new 1600 sitting at SKH waiting to be picked up but it owes
me as much as a decent American tenor sax.....(not a hint)

I wouldnt worry too much about the brakes, discs work great but the car with a reco 1600 wont be that much faster than it is now. Realistically. Better off spending brakes money on all new hoses, cylinders, and linings. Stock but all new and tweaked is fine. Remember it's only a 800kg car with 50-60 hp.

Investigate a good used donk or even rebuilding yours.
The only concern which we had was the bearings had spun in the case and we were up for a new case. You may not have that problem and could get out if for less than we did.

As a guide, our bloke charges 1350 for a full rebuild head to head using your case. It climbs up from there:

Full balance and lightened flywheel.....add 350
New case.....add 600
Alternator....add 400

Plus any other parts that are stuffed but not included in the
short motor (carb, clutch, rubbers, etc etc)


[Edited on 24-2-2005 by sax]