VW 1300 '72 GT3

[-Alex-]

I finally decided to introduce my  VW project.  I am so sorry to say that will not be a cal-look style car...actually i am not  

First years ( about 10 years ) it was mixture of...something.  It started as '72 1300 model, rusty, green, swingaxle and drums all around    First engine was of course hopped up 1600cc with drla carb, and then dual carbs. Later was 1835cc, and with all stock chrome + 16" porsche look a like wheels. Last engine was 2276cc with dual carbs and then for a while with fuel injection.  At that point car was, well, uh, unique, roll cage, wide fenders, no bumpers, same 16" wheels etc. Ugly as hell, but it got looks at our small town







Roughly about 4 years, destination has been clear.  I did decide to make it totally from ground up. So i sold most of the old parts.   The new look will be a GERMANLOOK with really fast and reliable tech.  

Something like this:



Body is now under rustrepairs , and it gets 3cm widened early style CSP fenders to front and back 6cm widened early style fenders, no elephant foot taillights  

Also ofcourse rollcage is added and black recaro seats  

Wheel+tire combo will be 18" Porsche oe alloys and 225/40 + 265/35 rubber.


Engine will be:


-2789cc engine

-TF1 case and Nickies + JE's

-SCAT 86 flanged crank

TP Billet heads + 48x38 valves etc.

-Megasquirt + CB 48 TB's

-JPM cam + Udo's lifters

-Drysump

-TP 911 fanshroud for his heads

-Front oilcooler

-Stainless exhaust..



Transaxle:


-Berg bus 5-speed

-All weddle gears: 3.44-1.93-1.3-1.00-0.77 + 4.13 r&p

-Peloquin torsen diff


Suspension and brakes

-Mendeola A-arm front suspension

-944 turbo rear aluarms

-Remmele uniball system

-QA1 coilovers

-18mm swaybar

-330x28 and 300x24 ap rotors with custom hats..

-996 front calipers at front and 986 front calipers at back

[-Alex-]

Some parts designed and some gathered around four years:

[modnrod]

Wow.
That list of parts sounds more expensive than my house! lol
(I have a very small little house, but still.........).

SSSHHHHH!!!! Don't tell them it's not Cal look..........

[Zach Gomulka]

Yeah but you can't race your house

He can always sleep in his car

[thehanz DVK]

Lot's off Nice things....don't mind it's not callook.   (Yet )

[-Alex-]

Yeah, i am guy who likes almost all kind of cars...except 99% of  bimmers and some not for purpose built cars

Here is some rustrepair done, and mendeola installation. Not exactly a rust free california car 

[Jeff68]

Wow!! What a awesome set of parts! I like where you're going with your car.  You will be able to "have it all" with a car built this way.

As much as I love Cal-look cars I also really like German look cars as well. Both styles / types can haul a$$ but the German Look type will probably stop and handle better.  Can't wait to see the progress! Best of luck with this Project!

[TexasTom]

X2!
 

[modnrod]

As much as I love Cal-look cars I also really like German look cars as well.

Me too.
Now that you mention it, I just like the "Volkswagen" look the best! 

Quick question though, genuine one coz I don't have any experience with the front end you're running, are there any benefits to this double-A-arm style (part from maybe adjustability I guess) compared to a well set up and mildly modded 1303 strut or aftermarket strut set up?

[-Alex-]

I have no personal experience about comparison between mendeola a-arm and superbeetle strut suspension.    But accordingly to mendeola, this should be better than superbeetle suspension         But i think if you can design properly double a-arm suspension and single arm strut suspension from scratch, double a-arm should be better. 

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f91/educate-me-macpherson-struts-vs-double-wishbone-86573/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_wishbone_suspension


Also think that 70's beetle looks better with early -67 fenders + 911 lights (that wine red beetle) than  1303 

[Eddie DVK]

Hi Alex.

I thought the Mendeola was a 'bolt on' but see you welded the bottom to the floorpan?

[-Alex-]

Yeah, mendeola is weld-on, but it aligns with bolts, as you can see.  Just ordered some lasercut parts for rollcage, i was thinking to connect the rollcage to mendeola bulkhead.

[-Alex-]

Bodywork continues....not exactly a MAT standard, but good enough for me.

Will be smoothed and  finished before paint, just like SePi's beetle interior.  

Got a really bad rap about the work on Finnish VW forum from "Pro's"  

As far as i did understand, there was no ready and small sheetmetal parts for this. It actually looks a lot better with naked eyes.

Maybe at spring time i will buy again some parts, doesnt matter what first, i'v been drooling Goodridge 811 hose connectors (i need many of them( and JPM valvestuff 

Just recently i got great idea, i want bumpers (carbonfiber ofcourse), but what about bumperbrackets? Maybe lasercut from 3mm aluminum, for sure light enough 

[modnrod]

Got a really bad rap about the work on Finnish VW forum from "Pro's"  

Some people DO get a bit precious at times about their own personal 50 year old cheap economy car, so that translates into how everybody else should do theirs I guess.

I'd rather see the thing driving for 10 years than sitting in a shed saving enough cash for the "Pro's" to do it.
Keep at it man, don't let them get you down.

[-Alex-]

Sheetmetal work done more, just now left some small welding and rollgage.  I got those inner panels from Avery's Aircooled, now the inside looks so clean.

[-Alex-]

Might try to fit  different drysump tank, which i'd like to fit near the transaxle outside of cabin.  Only problem is that there will be a 5 bar shock tower support, so i designed a slim one..

[-Alex-]

Few days ago i emailed to JPM, to order Raptor 282@ cam and Wasp header 

He must be at holiday now, not yet answered 

I am thinking Wasp stage 2 header, 220 to 290hp, should be okay? Waiting opinion from Johannes.

[Jeff68]

I would love to try that header! I think the only negative thing for me is that the pipes don't allow the use of the stock thermostat that controls the shutters in the fan shroud.

[-Alex-]

I am only relying to oilthermostat, since TP heads does not allow stock style fanshrouds, must use specially designed 911 style fanshroud for his heads.

[-Alex-]

Probably forgotten to show transaxle, here it is:

[-Alex-]

Sheetmetalworks almost done, we are now fitting the rollcage.  Door, seatbelt and baars to the mendeola and rear will be added.  Doorbaar will be littlebit lower than before, because car will be streetcar and trackdaycar.

[-Alex-]

Also ordered today Racers Edge adapter bolts for 944 aluarms to get QA1 coilovers to fit.

http://www.paragon-products.com/Racers-Edge-Rear-Shock-Mount-p/re_mc7000.htm

[Frallan]

That is a very nice build! Congratulations!

[-Alex-]

Thanks Frallan!    Sheetmetal work has been a little slow at start, but now were are doing fine, but as usual, i suspect that getting it painted may take 3-5 weeks. I do have only small garage, so its better to get done the sheetmetal work with ex-coworker who is professional autoboy painter. 

Few days ago we test fitted the seat, fits well and good position with prototype seat frame, i might get eventually a shorter one.  Otherwise Recaro seat is tight fit at beetle, sidebars need one bend at least. I insisted to put sidebar front end to low enough, because i am not building a full racecar. 

We did put some support from main hoop to rear torsionbar tubes. 


Would anybody recommend tube / brace from rollgage to mendeola suspension frame to get extra protection at side / front collision?

[cnfabo]

How do you adjust camber and castor on the front ends.I see it has no accentic adjuster under the top ball joint for camber so I'm curious as I no fak all about  a arm suspensions...

Thanks
Fabo

[-Alex-]

Mendeola suspension doesnt have adjustable Caster, but it has adjustable Camber at lower a-arm eccentric bolts:

[wph]

If the front suspension design is "sound", aka well thought out and tested there usuallly isn't a reason to
make caster adjustable. Caster angle mostly affects self centering and straight line stability of the steering.
Although in some rare cases you may want to add some caster to the "ditch" side of the road, to compensate
the radius of the road profile. Rain water has to flow towards the ditches.... This concers mostly cars with very
sensitive steering feedback, car pulls to the ditch side of the road even if the wheel alignment is correct. 

[Fiatdude]

Alex -- Great Build -- I would love to find a berg 5 speed bus trans somewhere -- I have a couple of suggestions before you get to far along --

First -- since I've had my Ghia on the ground for a while I found that I wished that I had done a 3" narrowing on each side of the torsion bar -- it would allow a lot more rear tire in there and it would make it easier to fit them too -- -- it basically gets the torsion arms out of the way, but you can still use the stock length axles with modified swing arms -- you can never have too much tire on the back when you have a big engine -- -- I'm at 2989 with a turbo

second -- I would run your back bars back into the luggage area so that you can tie into the frame horns (like you would see on a Lumus 6 point cage) -- once your start adding HP you will need this tied in to stiffen everything up ---- ---

I found this reference for building a cage so that it conforms to NASA rally (SCCA) specs -- good reference info

http://www.nasarallysport.com/rules-forms/2012-NASA-Rally-Sport-GRR-Appendix-B.pdf

Third -- I would recommend building an intake so that you can use a single throttle body -- I'm running a 70mm off a Mustang -- Multiple TB's look cool but are a total headache

I love the german look -- good luck with your project

[wph]

http://www.nasarallysport.com/rules-forms/2012-NASA-Rally-Sport-GRR-Appendix-B.pdf

It looks like these rules are almost the same as our national regarding rally/track cars, metric tubing sizes are exactly
the same. NHRA and our local sanctioning body seem to share the same rules but the NASA vs NHRA requirements
regarding the roll cage tube sizing differ a lot. I ran into this years back while I was thinking of going towards
combined track/drag car. No worky situation.....   

[-Alex-]

But i told, i am not racing in any class - when talking about rollcage.  Only  street, highway and occasional trackdays    Sidebar WILL be low enough at front for easy going in and out.

About framehorns - i do have 5-bar käfer cup brace, should help a lot.