hey guys
i have a 74' bug sitting over at my dads its pretty much stock. besides a bigger engine not sure what size its twin carbie. I cant get to it right now so i cant provide much detail on it. pretty much the engine has a fair bit of poke but the gear box seems way to short. cant go much past 90kph without wringing it neck. so i was wondering what would be the best remedy for this. also it hasnt got much rubber on the ground. I'm not sure about what the front and rear end set up is ill find out when i can have a look at it in a couple of days.

So basically im new to modded a bug and just wanted some advice on some first up mods. i mostly would like it to handle really well and then work on it from there

Before spending $ on mods sort out the problems first. It should do almost double 90kph straight stock. I don't think it has anything to do with the gear box. Clean the carb, replace points ,plugs and leads, set the valves and carb and time it correctly. For twin carbs you will have to sync them up. Then see how it runs. Check for vacuum leaks. Replace fuel and brake lines, brake pads and shoes. Inspect exhaust for leaks. Check all engine tins are in place and sealed. Leaking oil? .
That list should put a dent in your bank account already. Let us know how you go.

74 L Beetles have strut front end and IRS rear.

thanks heaps for the help
the engines only gone in recently and runs well, but im not all that savvy so ill start sorting through that list
cheers again

so are all 74 bug's L?
sorry for the noobish question

no there are standards as well which were 1500 swing axles with beam front end.

i think that might be what i have.
the turning circle is fine when you turn left and then turning right runs a whole lot wider.
So im guessing its poverty pack
maybe not worth doing much to

how big a job is it to change it to strut front end and IRS.
I think the carbies may be Kadrons just judging by what they look like and I'm guessing there is no easy way to find out how big the engine is.

haha dont worry i wont ditch it. It's near completely rust free.
i have a 73' L bug at home to but its a basher, so i dont no how good the front end is in it (it has been jumped...and jumped into dams).
im not to worried about how low i can get it. I'd really love it to just handle like a go-kart.

also i have two brothers one with a BMW E30 323i and the other with an E21 118i. and i just wanna be able to keep up with them (and of course look cooler) although the E30 is nice. hahaha

i agree, every beetle IS worth saving. I don't believe in poverty packs. there is nothing wrong with swing axle beetles. You can perform mods to make it handle better if the rear isn't to your liking (ie, camber compensator and engine brace)
There is nothing wrong with beam front ends. Some people find these 1500 beetles more desirable than L or S bugs. one noteable thing is the front. Does it have a pointy nose? does it have a flat or curved screen. Maybe people find the pointier nose beetles more appealing.

You should be able to go above 90km's easily. Alien8's list is a good starting point. another is, what size tyres/wheels are on there.... if they are different to standard your speedo may be reading very wrong, or.... not being harsh or anything, but are you sure its a KMH gauge?

flat windscreen ill have to check the nose when i go to my dads.
It's cool you can be harsh. I honestly cant remember what gauge it is. but the 90kph was driving in traffic so everyone was doing legal limit (90) or mostly likely a bit more and the beetle was not liking it
Oh and the wheels and tires are standard everything is except a shitty toyota radio thats broken and the engine

Sounds like a '74 1300 ,but even then it should go reasonably well,a tune will most likely fix it. The beam axle is in my opinion preferable to the strut unit.

yeah well it was a 1300 until that engine blew and now its got a new engine a mate gave us with dual carbs and a whole lot more power. the thing is its not the engine struggling to reach higher speeds it me not pushing it any further so it doesnt blow up

Yeah man 90kph should be no worries. My stocker with extractors will cruise quite nicely at 100 and on the weekend it was sitting on 130-140 with no worries for a good 5-10 minutes. Easiest way to tell if it is strut or beam is to pop the bonnet and take a look. If it has strut mounts on the left and right then it is strut and if it doesnt, it isnt. I have mine handling really nice at the moment with thinner front golf struts and a porsche 944 rear end dropped pretty low. It corners flat. My dad did some build details on it here http://clubvw.org.au/david_carter1.htm  . Doesn't have anything on the suspension but i will see if he put anything up build wise on here

cool cheers dave yeah im certain that it isnt a strut bug which is a bummer but ohwell I might hunt around for another car. flat cornering is my goal id love to get a setup like yours even with a stock engine and once it handles like a go-kart beef up the engine a little. by the way dave your bug is amazing im in love with the german look

i have a 73L bug thats a basher might be able to save it or would i be better off just buying another L beetle

Well if your planning on replacing the suspension anyway then bent stuff isnt really an issue on the basher. As long as the strut mounts aren't rooted and the body is straight. Yeah im a big fan of the german look and what you said is basically my plan. I have a 1776 in the garage waiting to be assembled that will probs go in in the next couple of weeks. But yeah once you get the suspension right in bugs, my preference being strut, they feel exactly like a go cart. I love mine

the late 1300 swingers were geared pretty badly

my yellow one with a 1600 fitted seemed to cruise at 110 ok, i wasnt game to go any faster for fear of falling through the floor but joshs 74 1300 bug with WRX engine he brought to sawtell was doing 4500rpm at 110....go figure

Yeh you tend to go insane sitting at 110 for a while from the noise

hahaha yeah noise can be bad also the car vibrates sitting at 60 sort of pulses hahaha
the body of the basher strut bug is rooted it be jumped hammer repairs for pointy bit and has been swimming once or twice its actually a 2nd basher and still runs

Quote:

Originally posted by trickysimon Yeh you tend to go insane sitting at 110 for a while from the noise

is that part of the reason behind the big sound system joel?

My stock 71, 1.6 does 90kmh fine, its a bit noisy but i dont have very much sound deadening in my parcel shelf. My top speed is 140 down a prretty steep hill but ive hit 120 on sorta flat uphill road.

But it also feels like i need a fifth gear. It just seems like there is more potential for the engine.

so what should i be doing to remedy this next time i get in the beetle ill give a decent kick but ive done that before an i see the car exploded before it does much faster than 95ish