ITC Super Beetle

[Macbaine]

Hello all, I've started a project that I've had sitting beside my house for a while. It's a 1971 Super Beetle that I'm planning to build into an IT car. So far I've just been pulling everything off and getting it sorted out.

Plans are to freshen up the engine and transmission. Replace the suspension with some new components and pretty much run it at HPDE's next season until I get it sorted out. Then start running the NORCAL races the followin season.

Anywho just figured I'd pop in with a fresh VW face :026:

[Z3_GoCar]

I used to know a Walter Grundler who crewed for a SB racer in SFR. Be sure to replace the stock metal tank with a good fuel cell, remember this chassis predates composite fuel tanks and it's located in the perfect spot to cover the driver in fuel. Secondly, you may want to request the ITAC reexamine the weight. Somehow I think this was one of the cars that "fell" through the cracks in the last re-alignment.

[Macbaine]

Righto, the stock tank was pretty much toast when I got it so I've been eyeballing a new fuel cell pretty hard.

Will definately look into re-examining the weight if it did, and then I can build accordingly with as many road maps as I can get to keep it legal. Once it's back to rolling on all fours I plan on getting a stripped weight on it.

I'm just getting rolling at the moment but I can't wait to see it finally run through it's paces.

[Knestis]

Awesome. My first car was a '71 Super. If you can rustle up specs (e.g., a Road & Track road test) and send it to the ITAC with a request, we'll make sure it gets reviewed.

K

[JoshS]

According to this article, it looks like 60hp gross, 46 SAE Net. If all Super Beetles are spec'ed together, then 48 appears to be the peak.

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/Affor...ics/2004/June/

Something tells me it won't get down to its spec weight, no matter how we calculate it, so just make the car as light as legally possible!

[Greg Amy]

Sweet. At least you picked the strut-equipped, IRS version instead of the leaf-spring-torsion, swing-axle version!!!

LONG, long time ago, like in the late 80's, a guy in Texas tried to run ITA (!!!) with one of those. Damn thing needed new drums every day, 'cause he was WEARING THEM DOWN. Didn't the Supers have discs up front in the later years? If so, I suggest retro-fitting...

Looked kinda fun at the time, though...

P.S. Gotta admire the Harbor Freight jackstands....yup, I got a set, too...

[Knestis]

According to this article, it looks like 60hp gross, 46 SAE Net. If all Super Beetles are spec'ed together, then 48 appears to be the peak.

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/Affor...ics/2004/June/

Something tells me it won't get down to its spec weight, no matter how we calculate it, so just make the car as light as legally possible!

It blew up the official ITAC spreadsheet: The resulting spec weight is an imaginary number.

:026:

K

EDIT for my favorite "owning a Super Beetle" story. I was driving home from work on I-405 one evening, and heard a "thwak, TING, Ting, ting, tiiiing..." just a second before the car (his name was Waldo, after an obscure cartoon character from my childhood) took a big swerve. I gathered it up and pulled off the next exit. The left rear tire was tucked up almost touching the inside of the fender... Fast forward to being 16 and not having the faintest idea how to figure out what was wrong, so I take it to the local dealer. They put it up in the air, charge me $80 and proclaim that there's nothing wrong with it. (In hindsight, the suspension went into full droop and probably looked fine from underneath.) I'm young and dumb and walk out poorer and no smarter. After a lot of head scratching, we FINALLY figure out that the huge metric socket-head cap screw that holds the rear trailing arm has fallen out. We sourced one from the U-pick but could never get it torqued tight enough keep it from backing out, so securing it in there became one of the very first projects undertaken with the gas welding rig I got the next summer...

[Macbaine]

From looking at specs I've only seen discs on Euro spec Supers and regular Beetles. So I went with what I could find

The car was bought a year ago for my winter driver, life changes put it on the back burner and me looking at it longingly. I then went through winter riding all but about a week total and realized what the heck do I need a "winter vehicle" for? I had been trolling on Superbeetles only the whole time, reading about what people were doing and such. Took my bike (2007 Buell STT) to Sears Point Raceway last November and ended up ditching it on the back stretch. When I came home from the hospital (two broke ribs and a banged up shoulder smarter) the first thing I saw was the poor Super staring at me blankly with no headlights. I scratched my head, grinned and started reading up on racing and where the old bugger would fit.

I love the fact that just about everyone knows a Beetle of either flavor on sight and the stories I get at work when I tell people what I'm doing with it are why I think I'm loving it this much before it's even gotten the motor in. Dude, its a bug!

Anywho, I'm keeping the GCR close and in my dreams so It's no Herbie but.... he was a show off anyways.

[CRallo]

Love It!!!!

[lateapex911]

Wow...I have to hand it to you. You are choosing a most character filled car, yet one that will present you with perhaps the steepest of uphill battles for the class. Perhaps only a Renault would have been steeper!

Yea, I also ran the numbers on the weight. uggg. F1 cars are heavier, LOL. And the irony is that there's not much to legally strip off of a Super Beetle!

Good luck. Those Datsun 510s out there are pretty stout.

[bamfp]

There is a lot of HP potential in there. Most of it free. Aircooled cars are going to take cover IT.

Blake Meredith
ITB 914
Aircooled Technology
GoTronix.com

[Macbaine]

I'm sure with some fiddling it will breathe better, but I was looking at the economical side. Beetles of any flavor are just durn cheap to get a start in. I mean they are the original import tuners anyways parts literally are everywhere and just doing homework has saved me many mistakes.

I figure I'd just like people to be able to say hey I can do that. I mean screaming around a track in any car is still screaming around a track.

[Duc]

Sweet. I have had one of these. Loved it.

There is a LOT of tar on those. Do you have a friend that can get a hold of a blaster?

Too bad coil overs are out of the question, you could convert the rear to this:



It will be a fun project. Jealous on the cost of parts =)

D

[Macbaine]

Oye vaye the tar... I'm just been weedling it down as I go, one reason I started on the front. I've literally gotten only the section cleared in the picture. I keep telling myself it's for the best but geez I hate tar. The interior is losing weight just in the 1/4 of "sound deadedning material" that they used... EVERYWHERE :eek:

Ya I originally was going to run it the coil overs before I decided to go this route.. one more savings

It should do fairly well with some updated torsion bars and a rear sway bar though. Dialing in will take time but heck why not simplify everything.... less things to go boom woohoo

[Wreckerboy]

Deeeeply jealous - is the rest of the thing as rust free as those inner fenders are?

As for brakes - since even the curved window Stooopers didn't come with disks, look to see what the FV guys are doing for things like brake linings and the like.

v----- has owned way more ACVWs than he can count at this point. Real Volkswagens don't have radiators.

[quadzjr]

It blew up the official ITAC spreadsheet: The resulting spec weight is an imaginary number.

:026:

K

Haha!!!

Either way interesting build. I will be watching this thread. keep us posted.

[Macbaine]

So far the only holes I've found is one in the parcel tray. I'm going to have to talk to the local tech inpectors because if the exhaust is free... and all holes to between the engine compartment and the cabin need to be filled, does that mean I should block up the heater channels?



Enh a ways away though. At least I can still get a factory washer bottle

[Marcus Miller]

next SFR race, look up Tony Silva, now racing SM#79; he used to run a super beetle
ask anyh of the SM guys, they'll know him.

[RacerBill]

AAAAAHHHHHHHHH You bastids make me do it! Here is a preview of the finished car!!!!!!!

[Macbaine]

Heh gotta love the swing axle squat