is it possible to fit a Kombi 2.0L and 5sp gearbox into a '72 beetle? (hey, I like struts, ok? :P ) how much effort is involved in modifying the front gearbox mount?

cheers...

well a 5 speed from a pulsar will be tricky, a 5 speed from a motorbike probably wouldn't work but the sequential gears are tempting,

In other words, what 5 speed gearbox are you talking about?

well, I have the opportunity to grab a 2.0L EFI motor (last of the air cooled motors?) and gearbox from a caravelle. im told the 85 caravelle has a 5sp gearbox.

even if it is only a 4sp, can it be adapted to fit into the beetle without cutting too much of the tunnel?

I have never looked under a Caravelle, but I am guessing if it has the air cooled vw motor it probably had the 6-rib 2lt type 2 trans (4-spd) with the side-shifter nose cone.

If it does you would have to convert it back to a normal shifter (with the nose cone etc from a normal 6-rib box). Then you would need a type 2 trans into type 1 car gearbox adaptor kit. See here for more info,
http://www.customoffroad.com.au/kombibox/Kombi%20Box.htm
or check out my rebuild diary on my website.

The adaptor kits are available from either Custom Offroad (previous link) or Mike Sharp.
www.sharpbuilt.com.au

I personally prefer the Mike Sharp kit and how it fits into my car and lift kit, but it may not be right for you.

If it doesn't have a 6-rib gearbox then I don't know what it has or how hard it is to put in.

[Edited on 20-9-2002 by Baja Wes]

the 5 speed wont work.

a kombi 4 speed will work, with a berg intermediate housing adapter, but when you price it (as well as having box rebuilt) I think you will find an L bug box very attractive.

yep the 5speed is a t25 (ithink...Guy from Hardings will tell you for sure though) I was considering it a while ago butdecided agains it due to the price and complexity. If you must have a 5 speed why not get a Porsche 901 there pretty cheap as there reasonably weak (1 gear) but I doubt a kombi donk would damage it.

Thanks guys.

Turns out I was mis-informed on the phone. It IS a 5sp, but it's watercooled. However I'm getting it for pittance so i'll grab it all and run around it with the tape measure anyway.

I dont care if a kit isn't available, I've never had access to a kit for any of the previous mods I've done on cars over the years and probably wouldnt know what to do with one if I had one!

I'll keep you all posted to how it ends up. My (vague) plan is to use a cable shift mechanism instead of the linkage setup, so a box with a side linkage is ideal anyway.

sounds good...I'll post some pics when I get time of my cable shift mechanism

awesome! that would be incredibly useful to see how you have gone about it!

I managed to get a complete 2.0L water cooled engine, 5sp transaxle, ECU, all wiring and pretty much everything out of the caravelle with the exception of the radiator (which is simply too big anyway). I even got the fuel pump and filter setup, and all wiring intact! bargain!

no big deal but the water cooled engines are 1.9 or 2.1 litre.

hmmm ok, i'll have to figure out what I have. do you know what year they went from one to the other?

I stripped out the loom, and determined what wire is for what. Turns out there is only 6 interfacing wires for the EFI, and one is temp, another is oil sender, one is for the starter. So that leaves positive, negative and one I havent figured out yet LOL piece of cake.

the EFI is VERY rudimentary so I'll just use it to set up, then change to an aftermarket EFI later on once I know all the mechanical side of it all is in there and working.

Anyone know how strong these kombi boxes are? What fails first and what power will they cope with before they go pop?