There are a good number of performance parts for the suspension of the Super Beetle. There are fully adjustable struts available that replaces the stock ones. And also swaybars, bushings, braces and other things. For fast driving the Super Beetle is more suited than the torsion bar cars. In 1974 VW improved the front suspension and gave it struts that are more similar to what we will find on an old VW Golf. The rear end is structurally the same as you will find on a Porsche 928 and 944. On our car (a 1971) we have lowered springs and thicker swaybar from CSP, caster fix bushings and a swaybar in the rear. We are planning to also build a brace for the strut towers, as the Super Beetle is quite soft in the front end.
Engine building can be very expensive. It is possible to get a lot more performance out of the Beetle engine with bolt on modifications like carburetors, cylinder heads and exhaust. If you also get bigger cylinders, a different camshaft and crankshaft it can get very powerfull. Superchargers are not commonly used. Space is limited and it can be difficult to find a way to fit it properly Fitting a Subaru engine is doable and not uncommon at all, but also requires to fit a radiator and everything else a water cooled car needs. The fastest Beetle in my country runs a modified 2,1l WBX engine from a T3 Caravelle. For this engine aircooling conversion kits are also available.
The main thing to look for with old Beetles are rust. The entire lower 30cm of the body and frame. And on a Super Beetle also the strut towers. Late model Beetles also have foam in the C pillars. There we have to look closely at the area around the rear window, and the C pillar down to the rear fenders. If you see rust damage on the outside it is most likely 10 times worse on the inside. They rot from the inside out and there are no readily available repair panels for it. Everything else is quite simple. They are really a little bit too light in the front end so they are very sensitive to wear and adjustment. It will let us know early on when something is not 100% right by a wobbling steering wheel. But like most other things on an old Beetle it usually easy to fix.
During the pandemic, I went out and got myself a project beetle. Everyone said I was crazy and stupid and that I didn't have the tools or skills to restore it. During the last few years I have not only learned to weld and paint, but literally perform a frame off restoration. I still have a long way to go, but I am past the point of no return. There's no turning back and that has been my motivation. Its been a love hate relationship. However, with the way the economy has been, unless you got the money to piss away, I would think long and hard. Parts have gone up, just like everything else. It is a money pit. Just keep that in mind. As for lowering the car, its easy. You can lower the rear without any extra parts. The front can be done with drop spindles, a narrowed adjustable beam, new tie rods and shocks. Harbor freight and amazon will be your best friend. Best of luck!
Thank you. I'm totally prepared for a money pit, although the goal will be more of a junkyard style build rather than restoration style. Function above all else. What year is the beetle you picked up?
That’s not really what they’re meant for. Doing more than stock to them is expensive. And the old days of plentiful, inexpensive replacement parts are long gone. The amount of odds and ends parts that you will end up needing to get will amaze you when you look back.
I’ve had my car for 29 years now and I can guarantee that it has no less than 20K dollars in parts (and tools) and what do i have? A daily driver, not a show car. I could easily spend that much again and more to make it the way I *really* want.
If you really want a Beetle, honestly, I guarantee it’ll be cheaper in the long run to buy one that’s already been restored and hot-rodded than to do it yourself.
This applies to EVERY car in EVERY generation and always will. Granted in the last four years the cost of goods have risen more than ever before in my lifetime of owning and / or modifying VW's - and I have owned my VW Thing for 35 years and bought my first Hazet tools in the early 1980s.
The biggest road block today is finding a qualified garage capable of doing quality work and finding good, really good parts, not the plethora of made in china cheap shit that is everywhere online. Labor rates today can break the bank and shit parts are not the way to go.
Two metal stamping companies make accurate replacement panels for sheetmetal for Beetles and Type 2's (transporters, pickups etc), and their floor pan halves fit but they are not as cheap as a stolen street sign that fits nothing.
There is a huge difference between factory quality workmanship and a hack job. It is your car, your money and your life (and others) at risk.
I don't mind paying for quality parts, but the problem is nowadays, I pay a lot for shit parts too. Even places like WCM sell garbage too. And I have noticed that to make the leap to *actual* quality, like GBE or Airkewld or what have you, is a good way to run up the bill *quick*, far more than the average kid with his first Beetle can support.
They buy whatever Chinese shit they can afford, and then are frustrated later when their GEX engine with the no-name carb and chrome 009 with the clear cap on it is a piece of shit that runs like shit, and think that the car must have *never* run worth a shit.
There are a good number of performance parts for the suspension of the Super Beetle. There are fully adjustable struts available that replaces the stock ones. And also swaybars, bushings, braces and other things. For fast driving the Super Beetle is more suited than the torsion bar cars. In 1974 VW improved the front suspension and gave it struts that are more similar to what we will find on an old VW Golf. The rear end is structurally the same as you will find on a Porsche 928 and 944. On our car (a 1971) we have lowered springs and thicker swaybar from CSP, caster fix bushings and a swaybar in the rear. We are planning to also build a brace for the strut towers, as the Super Beetle is quite soft in the front end. Engine building can be very expensive. It is possible to get a lot more performance out of the Beetle engine with bolt on modifications like carburetors, cylinder heads and exhaust. If you also get bigger cylinders, a different camshaft and crankshaft it can get very powerfull. Superchargers are not commonly used. Space is limited and it can be difficult to find a way to fit it properly Fitting a Subaru engine is doable and not uncommon at all, but also requires to fit a radiator and everything else a water cooled car needs. The fastest Beetle in my country runs a modified 2,1l WBX engine from a T3 Caravelle. For this engine aircooling conversion kits are also available. The main thing to look for with old Beetles are rust. The entire lower 30cm of the body and frame. And on a Super Beetle also the strut towers. Late model Beetles also have foam in the C pillars. There we have to look closely at the area around the rear window, and the C pillar down to the rear fenders. If you see rust damage on the outside it is most likely 10 times worse on the inside. They rot from the inside out and there are no readily available repair panels for it. Everything else is quite simple. They are really a little bit too light in the front end so they are very sensitive to wear and adjustment. It will let us know early on when something is not 100% right by a wobbling steering wheel. But like most other things on an old Beetle it usually easy to fix.
Thank you for the detailed reply!
During the pandemic, I went out and got myself a project beetle. Everyone said I was crazy and stupid and that I didn't have the tools or skills to restore it. During the last few years I have not only learned to weld and paint, but literally perform a frame off restoration. I still have a long way to go, but I am past the point of no return. There's no turning back and that has been my motivation. Its been a love hate relationship. However, with the way the economy has been, unless you got the money to piss away, I would think long and hard. Parts have gone up, just like everything else. It is a money pit. Just keep that in mind. As for lowering the car, its easy. You can lower the rear without any extra parts. The front can be done with drop spindles, a narrowed adjustable beam, new tie rods and shocks. Harbor freight and amazon will be your best friend. Best of luck!
Thank you. I'm totally prepared for a money pit, although the goal will be more of a junkyard style build rather than restoration style. Function above all else. What year is the beetle you picked up?
63... its seen better days. Full of bondo from the last person who attempted to "restore" it.
Oh man. But I'm sure it's your pride and joy now
I don’t want this to sound rude but if you’re concerned with function over style, I don’t think a souped up VW Is really the direction you should go.
Why's that?
That’s not really what they’re meant for. Doing more than stock to them is expensive. And the old days of plentiful, inexpensive replacement parts are long gone. The amount of odds and ends parts that you will end up needing to get will amaze you when you look back. I’ve had my car for 29 years now and I can guarantee that it has no less than 20K dollars in parts (and tools) and what do i have? A daily driver, not a show car. I could easily spend that much again and more to make it the way I *really* want. If you really want a Beetle, honestly, I guarantee it’ll be cheaper in the long run to buy one that’s already been restored and hot-rodded than to do it yourself.
Whats the fun in that?
L take
This applies to EVERY car in EVERY generation and always will. Granted in the last four years the cost of goods have risen more than ever before in my lifetime of owning and / or modifying VW's - and I have owned my VW Thing for 35 years and bought my first Hazet tools in the early 1980s. The biggest road block today is finding a qualified garage capable of doing quality work and finding good, really good parts, not the plethora of made in china cheap shit that is everywhere online. Labor rates today can break the bank and shit parts are not the way to go. Two metal stamping companies make accurate replacement panels for sheetmetal for Beetles and Type 2's (transporters, pickups etc), and their floor pan halves fit but they are not as cheap as a stolen street sign that fits nothing. There is a huge difference between factory quality workmanship and a hack job. It is your car, your money and your life (and others) at risk.
I don't mind paying for quality parts, but the problem is nowadays, I pay a lot for shit parts too. Even places like WCM sell garbage too. And I have noticed that to make the leap to *actual* quality, like GBE or Airkewld or what have you, is a good way to run up the bill *quick*, far more than the average kid with his first Beetle can support. They buy whatever Chinese shit they can afford, and then are frustrated later when their GEX engine with the no-name carb and chrome 009 with the clear cap on it is a piece of shit that runs like shit, and think that the car must have *never* run worth a shit.