Sweet build. Gives me ideas about my 70 Beetle...

 

Very nicely done so far.

I'll keep watching ...

Although I've turned to BMW E30's I've always dug the bug!

 

Amazing build! I have an 89 911 with an ls1 in the rear along with a rear radiator. Still trying to clear some bugs. Not sure if my build can offer any help but u can see it at:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...ersion-19.html

You can never have a big enough radiator and OR real tall gears.

 

I agree about the supercharger versus the turbo. I autocross a similar package, a tube frame chassis, a car that weighs 1760 lbs with me in it, and a Cobalt SS LNF turbo motor. I wish it had the supercharger. I had issues in anticipating when the boost was going to get cranking, especially in turns. We recently changed the gear from 4.11 to 4.63 which took care of most of the problem. But the supercharger would be my choice to fix it for good.
http://northgeorgiaweather.weebly.com/the-jeep.html
http://northgeorgiaweather.weebly.co...ross-blog.html

 

Hello Sean (I hope I have your name correct)

I came in for lunch today and when I checked my email there was one from LS1 Tech featuring your build. I subscribed to this site about 8 years ago when I was doing an LS build. I don’t look in much anymore but your project immediately caught my eye. The reason is that I’m building a ’65 Bug in almost the exact same fashion-FWD I-4 engine package in mid engine location. The main differences between my project and yours stem from slightly different design criteria’s. You are building a true performance car while mine will be strictly a drive around street car. I’m an old guy and I remember back when I was a kid before there were all sorts of parts and pieces for sale so we had to build or scrounge most of what we used. I wanted to approach this build the same way so almost all of the main parts and pieces have come from Craigs List and Pick and Pull. I’m using mostly 1988 Fiero front and rear suspension pieces and have retained most of the stock floor pan that I’ve attached front and rear sub frames to. Weight is not as much a concern for my build as it is for yours. I’m approaching the radiator placement and cooling problems a little differently. I’ve built an air duct in front of the front cross member and am ducting the air through the stock tunnel back to a huge aluminum 4 core radiator I had left over from a dirt late model race car. Another difference is that I’m using a 2011 Ford Fusion 2.5 mated to a 2011 Focus 5 speed trans ( this may get my post deleted from a Bow Tie forum ;D ). I’m leaving it stock for the time being. Once the car is done I think I will go with a low boost turbo. For my use 250 to 275 HP will be more than enough. Hell, the stock 180 HP should get the car around town pretty well anyway. BTW, maybe I missed it but what are you planning to use for an ECU? I’m driving the Ford guys crazy because I’ve adapted a MEFI 4B by using the coil packs off an Ecotec like yours.

I’m thrilled to see more people recognizing the hot rodding potential of these modern 4 cylinder engines. I’ll be looking in more often. Keep up the good work.

Mike

 

You have a seriously cool build going. Hope to see it rolling and rocking before years end. As for the radiator placement ideas offered by one of the other members, they are right. If you put the radiator up front, you can divert the heat down and place a fan on it and not take up a lot of room. As for the channeling to get it back to the engine, have you thought of just modifying the center cross braces using round tubing? Would still be just as strong and you can then brace or isolate the tubing from front to back using pieces of rubber hose from a slightly larger hose. Would eliminate any possible vibration noises, and the pipework being exposed for the length would allow airflow under the car to also cool the pipework making it work similar to a power steering cooler which is just a long bar in the air stream. A small radiator would be all that is needed, and you can implement a duct under the front to channel airflow to/through the radiator. Plus the electric fan would also help to draw the air in.

Guys in a small shop in Maryland used to make these bugs into V8 SBC screamers for $6300 all inclusive. Heck, for another $1200 they would paint the entire car whatever color you wanted since they took the whole thing apart anyways.

 

Dude, that's not a Jeep, that is one of those new HIGH POWERED GOPRO Skateboards!!

 

i seen a watercooled vw boxer bug made in germany a while back , the guy had cut de cooling slits that are stamped under the rearwindow out of another bug

and shortned / reworked them to fit intoo the valance under the front hood in between the front fenders , they looked like they belonged there , think you could get half of all the cooling needed from mounting a half height radiator there in the place of the spare tire just blowing straight trough under the stock gastank , should even be room behind it for the oilcooler or an air to air intercooler

at the rear i would mount the rear radiator leaning down towarth the back of the car and make a scoop under the floor about 2 inches high arcross the width of the radiator just a simple wedge type sheetmetal scoop , put some electric draw fans on the top of the radiator for when youre stationairy and use the below the rearwindow slits to get rid of the scooped up air , it might be that if you put a small airdeflector / nascar type perspex spoiler over the top of the slits it draws even more air through because of the low airpressure zone the spoiler creates under it

there was a bug here that done some oval racing , it had a formulla ford racecarframe under it with a lengthwize mounted ford midmotor and hewland gearbox , they replaced the front and rear fenders with full length sidepods wish made it look like a le mans car and cheated awesome vacuum under the car sticking it to the track

that thing was a terror on the track too fast to catch up

 

Subscribing. What a great build..my first build was a bug as well. Great to see 30 years later young guys are still building bugs. Mine was surely not this cool!!

 

Thank you all for the comments! I do hope to have it done by the end of the year! There is still a lot of work left to do but not too many things left to make. The next big thing is going to be the interior panels. My floor should be here this week. Been waiting like 2 month for it to get cut... After that, all the inside panels begin.

As for the radiator, it is going in the back. I really don't have room up front unless I do some cutting on the frame. I don't think I will have cooling issues out back as long as I can make a good air scoop. Shouldn't be a problem but I wont know until I can test it.

DaculaWeather - That is one sweet Jeep! And what makes it better is the powerplant! I considered going the LNF route because it would be a lot cheaper for the same power output but after riding in a few supercharged cars, I knew what I wanted.

M.mcc - I would love to see your Bug and the things you are doing. Not many people have done the whole mid engine setup. As for the computer, I am using a MEFI 4 and building my own harness. I was going to go the OE computer route, but for what I am going to do with the car, the MEFI seemed like a better choice. I know the tuning software pretty good too.

 

Not to jack a thread, but what trans is in the Jeep? Sounds like a straight-cut dog box...

 

Sean, Your bug is still 1 of the features on the main page. You have to let them cycle or select the small picture below the larger picture.

Took this screen shot a few minutes ago.

 

I got more painting done. Starting to look a lot more complete with fresh paint. Redoing the exhaust next. I decided one muffler is going to be too loud, so I am adding another. Should be done this weekend.

 

It was up there like 2 weeks ago and then disappeared a few hours later. Glad to see it has surfaced again! Thank you to who ever made that happen!

 

I am not sure how that part of it works but I believe its based on hits/views

 

It's a Doug Nash 2 speed quick change transmissions. Very hard to find now. you can pull a cover on the transmission and slide the two gears out, and swap a different set of gears back in.

When we run, we just start in high gear and never shift. It's good for 0-80 in about 5 seconds.

 

I saw it through an email from the board. I thought it would make a great EM car for our class.

 

I haven't taken pictures in awhile so it might be a few days before I can get you some that really show anything besides a REALLY messy garage but I'd be happy to take some and send them along. I'm about in the same stage of completion that you are. Should I post them here? I don't want to hijack your thread so if you'd prefer me to send them via email I can do that. let me know.

I must admit that I haven't yet read all seven pages of this thread so forgive me you've covered this already. Are you building this only for competition or will you drive it on the street too? As for the ECU, doesn't your engine have VCT? Mine does but I'm not using it. I don't think the MEFI 4 series supports VCT. I bought my harness from a man down your way by the name of Steve Humphrey but I suspect you guys are really good at that stuff. Hey, maybe when I get done I'll drag the car down and hire you to tune it. I've got the software and can make the engine run but haven't mastered it yet.

 

In for the results - excellent build!

Thanks,Matt

 

I'm glad your going to change up your exhaust....I think twin mufflers it will give it a better look. This is an awesome build! I'm very excited to see the finished project!

Keep up the great work...and thanks for the Auto **** :-)!!!