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...

[evanwebb]

totally cool! please keep us updated with pics!

[Steve35]

How's the car coming? Any updates?

thanks,

Steve

[Macbaine]

Slowly... Mostly just disecting and figuring at the moment. Replacing the front panel has become a challenge. The drivers side front suspension is completed and just working on knocking the passenger side undercoating down a bit. Attached the sway bar and passenger side control arm to make me feel like I did sooomething on it. Gonna be making a phone call to Proseatz and seeing if they can come up with some seats. Waiting on pay day to get the fuel cell ordered, need to get it down on all fours so I can tow it over and have some holes patched in the pan.

Looking at converting a used Uhaul into a toy hauler instead of buying a tow rig and trailer.

Will have to look and see if I have any new pics. But, mostly just getting youngun onto a bicycle and ready to begin school...
That's gonna be an extra four hours a day to get movin.

The floor pans are just rusty because of moisture, no real holes.


And my favorite picture to date.


A bug lover in training and daddy's little wrencher.

Also looking into rims from Bildon Motorsports. I got ahold of one of my customers at work that is going over the cage requirements to see if he'll be able to build it for me.

Main goal for my weekend though is to get her back on all fours, pull it out and pull the rest of the windows so I can finish gutting the interior. Another friend from work is helping me out since I don't have a welder and is welding up the deck lid, hood, and fenders of trim holes that won't be used. Then I can start working on the rear end of the beast.

One thing I was wondering is one way to combat camber issues is to swap the swing arms and the shock mounts from one side on the other. I'm guessing you can't do that in IT though. I've been digging more into the cage and body restrictions and requirements and haven't begun the suspension wording yet.

Anywho that's about it.

[Greg Amy]

Got Facebook? Coincidentally, I "re-met" the guy that raced that Beetle "back then" through Facebook, and he uploaded a photo (let me know if this link doens't work):

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1623476189

Toss him a note, he might have useful info. - GA

[Macbaine]

ya it says can't be displayed right now. Facebook is great, I've found people I haven't talked to in almost ten years.

[loopracing]

we ran the fuel cell in the stock location. Just remove the stock tank and get a 8 gallon rectangular cell (bigger if it will fit) trim the hole to fit and steel straps (welded tubes is better) to hold it in. That seems to be the safest location. The tire well is lower, but that well was designed for crushability in a crash. You'll have better fuel feed with the cell just about higher than the carbs too.