Canadian '68 Street/Strip Beetle

[Sloppy wrench]

Hi Neil, was wondering, did you get a chance to weight that collector?
Stainless is heavier than steel, and tubing seems somewhat thick..Just curious about it.
 
Take care, Alex

[Shane Noone]

Hi Neil, ...your fan housing with venturi ring - is that a factory one ? If so, do you have any pics showing how close the ring sits into the fan opening...so real curious to see a VW Factory installed Venturi Ring and compare.

Yes, my venturi ring is an original German FI part, as I bought the complete fan shroud in the condition that it was, when removed from a late-70's Beetle (IIRC a '75 or '76 sedan).  Since the engine is in the Beetle currently, I can't easily measure, but it looks like Zach has already provided the correct dimension above.

Here's a photo:


Ok cool, thank you Zach and Neil 

[neil68]

Hi Neil, was wondering, did you get a chance to weight that collector?
Stainless is heavier than steel, and tubing seems somewhat thick..Just curious about it.
 
Take care, Alex

Yes, it's certainly heavier than my old ceramic Bugpack header.  The Wasp Stage Two header weighs 7.2 kg.

[neil68]

Got around to fitting the Wasp Stage 2 header to mock up how the muffler might be able to fit.  As is usually the case when using parts from different manufacturers, I encountered a few issues:

1.  Berg engine support will not fit, as pipe #3 is in the way.  I can probably build a larger donut to work.
2.  Berg full-flow fittings will not fit, as pipe #4 is a bit too close.  I can probably swap fittings to solve this problem.
3.  A1 tail pipe and Magnaflow muffler will not fit, as pipe #2 is in the way.  I can probably reverse the muffler to the left side, where there is more room.

Here are a few iPhone pictures:

[Jeff68]

Thanks for posting what you found (and pictures) when mounting your new Wasp header! the collector looks closer to the ground as well. I've been considering one of these headers for my car and wanted to know how it would fit. My car is a '68 as well. Thanks!

[neil68]

I took another look tonight and it turns out that I had the collector pointing down a bit too much.  When swiveled upward it is approximately 2.5 cm below the apron:



Here's the side view:

[neil68]

Got around to working on modifying the Berg engine support (traction bar) to fit with the Wasp header.

Since pipe #3 was now interferring with the Berg bar, I had to notch the bar for clearance.  The notch ended up being deeper than I anticipated resulting in the bar being very thin (7 mm).  I took a piece of bar stock and had it welded underneath (thanks, Ken), to add strength under the notch.  Yes, it's a very basic solution, but should do the trick.



The Berg oil lines are a bit too tight now, so I'll have to change the oil filter mount location, or install longer oil lines.

[neil68]

I got the oil lines sorted out by switching to an oil filter mount with "forward facing" ports.  Also, swapped out my vented valve covers for some plain OEM VW covers.  I found the valve cover vents weren't really doing much, as far as venting, and the breather hoses would leak from time to time (a "no no" on the drag strip).  I also drilled the fuel pump block-off plate for a vent and also have a Bugpack vented oil filler with hoses to the CSP breather box.

[neil68]

UPDATE:  installed some nice JPM Raptor stacks on top of the Weber IDA carbs.  Very nice fit, blending into the top lip of the IDA for a smooth transition to the throat.

In my first time back at the track, the Beetle ran 0.16 seconds faster ET and 4.6 km/h (2.9 MPH).

[neil68]

Update:  changed the jets a bit, and will go to the track on Friday to see if this improves the ET.  The latest combo is:

44 mm Raptor venturies
F2 emulsion tubes
220 air correctors (replacing the previous 210's)
185 main jets
65 idle jets with 120 airs
3.0 mm needle valves (replacing the 3.2 mm glass ball valves that didn't seat properly)

The F2's have large holes:


Finally sourced some genuine Italian 3.0 mm high-flow needle valves (the aftermarket 3.2 mm glass ball valve is shown on top...they might be great for racing, but seem to be finicky on the street):

[neil68]

Got some racing in on Friday.  A couple 12.7's and 12.8 in the mix:  View My Video

[neil68]

Update:  attended the GCVWS Weekend and had a chance to race with the DVKK guys at Mission Raceway.  The Beetle ran 12.5-second ET's twice...once with 220 airs (elevation tune) and again with 180 airs (JPM recommendation) at sea level.  Not enough time to test more, as dew on the track ended the evening after four races.

Lots of wheel spin, so I'll have to look at improving on the stock suspension:)

[hotstreetvw]

Awesome runs, keep at it and you will continue to improve.

What are your 60s with the MH 215s?  Completely stock suspension?  Any wheel hope?  What are you trans specs?

What  intakes are you running?  I've got a set of MS230 heads and need manifolds for IDAs.

[Zach Gomulka]

Coming down for the VW Nationals in a few weeks?

[neil68]

Awesome runs, keep at it and you will continue to improve.

What are your 60s with the MH 215s?  Completely stock suspension?  Any wheel hope?  What are you trans specs?

What  intakes are you running?  I've got a set of MS230 heads and need manifolds for IDAs.

60-ft best is 1.74 seconds, but usually 1.78-1.82 range. Yes, '68 Beetle suspension with stock 21 mm torsion bars, Z-bar & spring plates, although I've added 69 Bus rubber bump stops.

Rancho Pro Comp 3.875 with stock 1-2 and close ratio 3-4. Mohr intermediate trans mount & Berg engine support bar.

Manifolds are CB comp eliminators, but I have heard that Bugpack SF will flow better.

[neil68]

Coming down for the VW Nationals in a few weeks?

When & where?

[Zach Gomulka]

Coming down for the VW Nationals in a few weeks?

When & where?

http://vwnationals.com

[hotstreetvw]

I tried to get a set of bugpack super flow manifolds, no luck, apparently EMPI discontinued them :/

[BeetleBug]

Awesome runs, keep at it and you will continue to improve.

What are your 60s with the MH 215s?  Completely stock suspension?  Any wheel hope?  What are you trans specs?

What  intakes are you running?  I've got a set of MS230 heads and need manifolds for IDAs.

60-ft best is 1.74 seconds, but usually 1.78-1.82 range. Yes, '68 Beetle suspension with stock 21 mm torsion bars, Z-bar & spring plates, although I've added 69 Bus rubber bump stops.

Hi,

Get your 60ft down and your ET will improve BIG time. 1/100 second better 60ft equals 2/10 second better ET at the 1/4" mile. I believe that your absolute best investment this winter would be to work with your rear suspension. 28-30mm torsion bars, remove the bump stops, HD spring plates and a pair of dampers that is able to control the torsion bars. As an example I`m using the same tires on my close to stock weight 67 and my best 60ft is 1.448.

Best rgs
BB

[neil68]

When going through tech inspection at one of the NHRA tracks, the inspector pointed out that low back seats were not acceptable in combination with a roll bar (Ron Lummus Racing 5-point).  A head-rest is required.  So, I'm going to re-install the stock '68 high-back seats.

In order to use the 5-point race harness, I'll install some harness grommets to keep the belts at the correct shoulder height.  I picked these up from HMS Motorsports in the USA.  They're adjustable and should fit the stock seat well:


Canadian Beetles came with the high-back, here's my originals stamped:  4-April-1968:


"68" is molded right into the head-rest:



Original padding is in good shape after 47 years:



Installed the harness grommets:

[Jeff68]

You know, I always wondered about not having a headrest on cars that have a roll bar with low back seats. As much as I like the look of low back seats, it just didn't look safe to have no support for your head. I have a '68 beetle too so I'm learning a lot by seeing what you've done with your car. Thanks for posting this.

[neil68]

I didn't like the look of the black harness inserts installed in my beige TMI seat covers, so I picked up some Dupli-Colour vinyl & plastic paint and gave it a try:

[neil68]

Purchased some Weber IDA F4 emulsion tubes from CSP to experiment with.  It sounds like they might be a good option to try next.

[67_looker]

You should try the Raptor Power jet. It should give you way more adjustability of the main system, than just changing emulsion tubes.

[neil68]

Do you have any information on this Raptor power jet?

Does it simply bolt on to the IDA's?  How is the fuel line installed?  How much does it cost?  Does it only activate at high rpms?

[Jeff68]

Do you have any information on this Raptor power jet?

Does it simply bolt on to the IDA's?  How is the fuel line installed?  How much does it cost?  Does it only activate at high rpms?

I went to JPM's website and didn't see the Power Jet.....how does this work? Looks interesting!

[T11964]

 Was the news at DynoDay at JPM in oct. A spacer between stack and housing holds a interchangable jet that gets fuel at WOT from the hose you can see at bottom of  Carb. This makes it possible to adjust the emulsiontube for more low rpm use ( street use) . This is what I unstood .

[Zach Gomulka]

What is the preferred way to plumb that into the fuel system? How much pressure is needed?

[Taylor]

I'm pretty sure it draws fuel in from the float bowl with vacuum. the fuel line just screws into the float bowl drain.

[67_looker]

The price is 3995sek for the Raptor Power Jet Kit. Like t11964 said, the kit comes with different jet sizes, hoses and banjo to connect direct to the carburetor fuel bowl, just remove the standard fuel bowl plug and install the banjo. No extra fuel pressure I needed. The Power jet draws fuel from the bowl at very high air speeds at WOT, so it like an extra stage put on top of the standard main system. The standard main system now works more like a midrange system.

There is a little info on JPMs Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Johannes-Persson-Motorsport-AB-178561615658940/?fref=ts