Hi guys,
very new here, my old man has always had beetles but cant really answer.
Anyway, just got my hands on a beetle 74 1600. I had a type 3 squarey before.
Question is, what are the common upgrades to these things, in terms of performance.
Obviously dual carbies, ports i suppose. Any particular setup you would recommend, and if so, whats the doing rate, and best place to get these?
better to wait for something to come up on the forums, or try buy recond or new???
the other thing i would be interested in hearing is where and how much a short shifter kit would be worth for the beetle?
would love someone to give me a bit of a word up about this kinda stuff...
cheers
Matt
Hi Matt
and welcome...
well, the short shifter is about the cheapest accessory You can buy... under $10...
check out VWA magazine...
just about everyone who advertises in that would sell them...
is Your 74 beetle a 1303 or L Super beetle with the wrap around windscreen or the flatish Non Super type??
Both were made in 1974...
the Non Super came with the 1300 engine...
The Supers all had 1600 engines..
I can recommend the SVDA or Single Vacuum Dual advance distributor over the 009 crappy distributor...
and electronic ignition and HEI [High Energy Ignition]
cheers
Lee
http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug
Hi Lee, thanks for your reply.
im in sydney, so ill check out Vintage VeeDub tomorrow.
as for the model, its actually a 73 year model.. does this narrow things down. the windscreen certainly seems to wrap around.
ill get a price for a SVDA too.
excuse my ignorance, but when you say electronic ignition, what do you mean?
appreciate your reply
matt
Hi Matt,
If it is a 70s beetle it will either be a standard, which has a flat windscreen and a beam front end, or one of the two types of Beetle with a strut
front suspension. Depending on which part of the world you're from, these can be called SuperBeetles, 1302 or 1303, S or L.
The best way to tell if yours is a SuperBeetle is to look at your spare tyre. If it lies flat, and you can see two strut towers, then it's a
SuperBeetle, if not then it's a standard. If it's a superbeetle, then if the windscreen is curved and you have a big plastic dash (as opposed to it
being padded), then it will be a 1303 or L model.
Perhaps the easiest way is for you to throw some pics up and people will be able to tell you pretty quickly.
Cheers
Craig
For common upgrades read here
http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/mods.htm
Is yours a 74L?? curved screen and struts??
Where abouts are you in Sydney
Handling is one of the best upgrades you can do
On a L bug putting lowered struts. new ball joints on the front, poly bushings all round and new shocks on the back make UNBELIEVABLE difference
V Force are at Mortlake and are right into Super beetles
Hi
The quick shift kit is good thing to do, but most times you also need to fit a new shift bush under the gear stick and new couplings at the gearbox
end.
You have to remove the shift rod from the car to do the shift bush under the gear stick, so while its out you can do a slight mod so that the bent
Type 3 gear shift can be fitted, a worthwhile mod as it brings the knob back closer to the drivers hand.
You just need to cut a slit in the front of the rod cup for the guidance pin in the Type 3 shifter.
Another cheap upgrade is a strut brace, very easily made, can be as basic or elaborate as you want.
Below are some pictures of the one I made for my sons car.
May the struts be with you, Steve
Hey Steve, thanks heaps for the pics, looks like a great little mod.
im in the Sydney CBD at the moment.
have had a good read of the aircooled.net website, great resource.
ill grab a camera over the weekend and get some photos up then, though im almost certain its a 1973 superbeetle L type, as it has the wrap around
windsheild.
Does anyone know the best place to get a set of wheels for these? i suppose stock size is 15", which i am happy with. Do mags come up very often
around the place? Also, is there a stud pattern i should be searching for on ebay??
appreciate all your help guys, this really seems like a great community.
cheers
Matt
Mags for super beetles is a pig
The offset kills them
The stock pattern is 4 x 130 PCD 4.5" 41ET
Most mags are 5.5" and 20ET
Makes the wheels stick out past the guards - which doesnt help when lowering
If you want to go wider than 5.5" lowered and under stock guards you need thin sring struts
At this stage you may as well go Porsche as it will be cheaper
I run 16" x 6" under the front with 205 tyres - all under stock guards
You are better off with stock wheels up front, 5.5" or 6" stock wheels on the back and lowered at the front
then work out what wheels you really want and build your car around that
Regards
Barry
here is a wheel offset calculator to play with
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp
Hi
Tell us what the 1st few digits are on the chassis number and that tell us the year.
A 73 had the same bumper bracket seals front & rear. the 74 & 75 had triangle bumper bracket on the front only.
Fitting mags on Super or L bug is a minefield, but as Barry said get some skinny struts as your 1st mod, that opens up many more wheel options and
also gives you variable height adjustment, lowering the front of a super is the one of the best mods you can do.
Steve
Hi again all,
so i have been having a ball reading on aircooled.net.
So getting a SVDA dizzy seems like the best way to go. Im slight confused as to this line in the doco.
"30 Series carbs can NOT use the distributor since the vacuum signal is not correct and won't pull the advance in on the small canned SVDA"
what is the common Carb on a 73 Suber beetle L type? would i have no worries using a SVDA on the stock setup? obviously this depends on what carb i
have, but if someone could explain the differences that would be ideal.
cheers all, and many thanks again, what a place this site is!!
Matt
Most common is the 34 Pict
another good reading site is here
http://www.vw-resource.com/
I have a quickshift kit on mine which is 12/74 model and feels good. Supplied to previous owner by Mick Motors
I am also having wheel problems but going back to stock 15" for registration