Boo on the 009 distributor those things were junk even back when they were made properly. I would drop 1K in the guys hand in a heartbeat for that one if the pan is clean and minimal rust. Then end of the world mad max it.
Boo on the 009 distributor those things were junk even back when they were made properly. I would drop 1K in the guys hand in a heartbeat for that one if the pan is clean and minimal rust. Then end of the world mad max it.
ultraclyde wrote:OldGray320i wrote: I thought super beetles had a curved windshield, that one looks flat?my recent research indicates the curved windshield started in '73 or so.
73 was the first year for the curved windshield with the updated and more modern dashboard.
My '70 had four wheel drum brakes... Every morning, on my way to work, the first stop was terrifying and certainly turned heads. No heat. No defrost. Certainly made for primitive humans. Oh, and a top speed of 50mph. That's right, I couldn't even use it on the freeway.
The good folks at The Samba disagree with me, but a Pertronix SVDA distributor is a great way to get rid of breaker points. The Bosch 009 distributor was designed for industrial engines running at fixed RPM.
I think my fondest memories of my Beetle ('71 Super, first year!) was driving it in crazy deep snow just to test the whole "Beetles are good in snow" thing. It was unstoppable!
(This was VA snow, not snow in the uninhabitable parts of the world north of the 45th parallel.) 
nocones wrote: That seems super cheap. Assuming it's not full of bondo and the pan isn't shot why is it not in your driveway yet?
Bingo!
And yes, a Beetle is at home in snow, ridiculously so. Just make sure the J boxes aren't rotted (unless you like severe headaches and destroyed brain cells) and use an oil cooler based heater.
Cool looking color..
They're damn fun though. My '73 Super from a ways back:
[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_26.jpg.html]
[/URL]
Orange was always my favorite Super Beetle color.
I wish I could find the pics of my 74 Super. Beige, with a 914's 2.0 Type crammed into it's rear. Because this predates the 'glass 911 fan shrouds, I cut away the panel between the fenders and part of the rear decklid to clear the type 4 cooling shroud.
And that was the sum total of mods to the car.. all hopped up engine on 4 wheel drums and original suspension. It was a handful at best.. but would still do 80+ mph (That's when I chickened out)
I've never understood why people like beetles
In reply to mr2peak:
I never did either but they are growing on me.
I presume, much like the 911/928 situation, that the more modern and better Superbeetle would be worth much less, and be much less desireable than the older, less good version.
German car fans be weird.
I have a never used 009 distributor. Anybody want it.
I never installed it after I found a trick with the stock unit that really lights up the engine.
I used to rebuild AC engines on a daily basis as a Unit Repair man for a VW dealer. '70's were the worst.
Yes, all Super Beetles have struts and dual port 1600's.
Trackmouse wrote: My '70 had four wheel drum brakes... Every morning, on my way to work, the first stop was terrifying and certainly turned heads. No heat. No defrost. Certainly made for primitive humans. Oh, and a top speed of 50mph. That's right, I couldn't even use it on the freeway.
There ha to be something seriously wrong with your car.
A '70 would cruise at 70 mph easily. Do it too long on the interstate and it might drop a valve.
iceracer wrote: I have a never used 009 distributor. Anybody want it. I never installed it after I found a trick with the stock unit that really lights up the engine. I used to rebuild AC engines on a daily basis as a Unit Repair man for a VW dealer. '70's were the worst. Yes, all Super Beetles have struts and dual port 1600's.
What made the 1970 Beetles so bad?
iceracer wrote:Trackmouse wrote: My '70 had four wheel drum brakes... Every morning, on my way to work, the first stop was terrifying and certainly turned heads. No heat. No defrost. Certainly made for primitive humans. Oh, and a top speed of 50mph. That's right, I couldn't even use it on the freeway.There ha to be something seriously wrong with your car. A '70 would cruise at 70 mph easily. Do it too long on the interstate and it might drop a valve.
Even the original kdf wagon was designed to go 100 km/h.
In reply to bgkast:
I don't know if there was anything wrong with it, I just know the tach redded at like 4500 rpms, it was a four speed, and I was topped out, burning oil at 50mph. It went into the red at 55mph and would consume more oil than the Gulf of Mexico. Now, at first, I thought: "man, is farfagnugen must accelerate with a top speed of 50!" And then I drove it... Sloth. Easily the slowest vehicle I have ever drive. It even had a carb and headers into stinger exhaust. Just sloth.... I agonized leaving a stoplight. It's 1/4 mile ET must've been like 25seconds!
Trackmouse wrote: In reply to bgkast: I don't know if there was anything wrong with it, I just know the tach redded at like 4500 rpms, it was a four speed, and I was topped out, burning oil at 50mph. It went into the red at 55mph and would consume more oil than the Gulf of Mexico. Now, at first, I thought: "man, is farfagnugen must accelerate with a top speed of 50!" And then I drove it... Sloth. Easily the slowest vehicle I have ever drive. It even had a carb and headers into stinger exhaust. Just sloth.... I agonized leaving a stoplight. It's 1/4 mile ET must've been like 25seconds!
you had a tach on your's?
mr2peak wrote: I've never understood why people like beetles
Oh, I don't know... The simplicity? Rear engine? Manual (mostly)? The fact that it was revolutionary? Designed by Mr. Porsche? Could be made to be really quick and pull a wheelie pretty inexpensively? Engine can be rebuilt in your living room? Great off road, great in the snow? Tough as nails? Windshield washer powered by the air from the spare tire?
Yeah, me either!
Edit: top speed on a good-running stock beetle should be about 75mph and a tick under 19 sec 0-60
short of a model T ford.. the beetle in any of it's iterations is about the simplest thing you will find on the road. The engine is simplicity itself, 4 cylinders with 2 valves per driven by pushrods and cooled by air (with an oil cooler also) no belts other than the lone alternator/fan belt, and a simple centrifugal distributer.
Windsheild washer is air powered from the spare. Brakes are painfully manual. Early cars only had a speedo, later cars added a fuelgage. No power windows, no power mirrors, no power sunroof, 4 speed transmission with no drive shaft.
Very very simple
Woody wrote:iceracer wrote: What made the 1970 Beetles so bad?Around that time, VW increased the displacement from 1500 to 1600. Cylinder #3 has always had several things going against it. The bearings were farest away from the oil pump, and the fan blew hot air from the oil cooler right onto #3. With the increased displacement, #3 ran too hot. The super beetles had a "doghouse" fan shroud which offset the oil cooler out of the path of #3. Cylinder #3 has always been a issue. VW retarded the points cam lobe so #3 would live. Mark
iceracer wrote:Trackmouse wrote: My '70 had four wheel drum brakes... Every morning, on my way to work, the first stop was terrifying and certainly turned heads. No heat. No defrost. Certainly made for primitive humans. Oh, and a top speed of 50mph. That's right, I couldn't even use it on the freeway.There ha to be something seriously wrong with your car. A '70 would cruise at 70 mph easily. Do it too long on the interstate and it might drop a valve.
My AC VW powered Kelmark will do 70 easily with more to go, the issue I have is with the steering...Regular Beetle, not super. A local beetle expert took it for a drive and stated its one of the best steering beetles he has driven, scary, I hate to think what a bad one steers like.
Steve
I got the first 73 super beetle to hit Georgia.remember Schoenfeld VW. Tiny fat steering wheel 914 like seats Pirelli G800 tires on 51/2 in. rims bright yellow paint. stiff suspension. great car didn't like me turning on the A/C though.
well, it sold before I could get to it. As I was cleaning the detritus out of my shop last night I realized that's probably for the best. I already have two semi-project boats, an old camper to maintain, and a Mustang to prep for some HPDE in the spring.
You'll need to log in to post.
