I am about to embark on a EJ20T Beetle Project. I have been on the lookout for a new project, since i sold my skyline, and the idea of something modern and powerful in a 70year old design appeals to me. That, and the excellent connections i have got and the parts i have already collected.

So far I Have bought:
944 S2 with wrecked engine, that has been extremely vandalised after having been left for a few years. - I got this for $200, it has no interior to speak of, and most of it is scrap, but i got it for the suspension and brakes.
Version 3 wrx Sti that was wrapped around a lightpole. engine is in great condtion, with only 68,000km on it.

I am off to work for the next 3 months, but when i get back I will have a tidy lump of cash to spend on a beetle and a month off to tackle the conversion. (I work 3 months on 1 month off)

I want to do the conversion into a superbeetle, as i really like the idea of having the better front suspension, and i am told that i can fit the alloy trailing arms from the 944 to it and put coilovers in the rear too.. (is this feasible?). I also like the look of the front of superbeetles a lot more.

I plan on fitting a rack and pinion steering to it, or is it better to just find one which already has this fitted? what years did superbeetles come out with this?

Living in NZ, we have no restrictions on power/weight ratios, only workmanship needs to be certified, so i plan on a few very light mods, link ecu, and possibly a newer better tech turbo.
what sort of gearbox would you recommend for this? I can possibly get a porsche g50 for a reasonable price, but is it worth the hassle? is it much harder to mount?

what other tips can anyone give me for this conversion? i am willing to spend what it takes to have it done right, i am just searching for the best beetle i can find rightnow. i dont want to spend months fixing rust before i get into the good stuff

thanks in advance.

There are a few very detailed build threads of very nice Subaru powered Beetles on here, I would recommend that you read all of them from start to finish.

If you have a whole WRX STi and the gearbox is in good condition then it can be modified to work in the Beetle. It requires a special reversed ring & pinion set which is made by one of the members on this forum I believe, plus a fair bit of work to make it fit in the body, but no more trouble or expense than fitting a Porsche box.

Forget the Vw build its going to take years and heaps of $

Get hold of a GC3 subaru and transfer the V3 sti into that , does your V3 have yellow injectors ?

All the reversed Subie gearbox information is here.
It's what your Subie motor came with and is matched to, so is a no brainer.

x2 on the subie gearbox and porsche arms.

G50 is a lot of surgery for no gain over the subaru box.

BTW, one of the forum members here has put a 944 front crossmember in a beetle. worth thinking about if you have all the gear. Good geometry, brakes and the like, but there is a bit of work involved.
http://aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=66140