Thread: wbx to beetle ?
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Old September 24th 2006, 12:42
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Moog Moog is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Brighton, UK.
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Fitting a WBX in your Beetle is easy. You need a 215mm flywheel & clutch from a 1800 T4 Camper/Kombi/Transporter. Flywheel needs slight mod to have the needle bearing pressed in the centre. Then the engine bolts straight on to the box.

Inlet Manifolds - use standard waterboxer & carb, or get IDF/DRLA WBX manifolds from CSP in Germany. I used these on mine, but ended up cutting & welding them 180° as i used Weber throttle bodies & wanted the injectors on the inside not the outside. Standard IDF/DRLA T1 linkage works.

Exhaust - no off the shelf item, but mod an aftermarket T1 with J-Tubes - cut & weld 2 of the flanges as they are at different angles. If you use the early thermostat housing (ally type on Cyl.4) then you need to cut/weld the exhaust slightly to clear a bit, but all easy stuff.

Cooling - For parts on engine i used the early WBX system as it was easy, but others prefer the later system. Later parts are easy to get hold of new, early parts are used only. I use a VR6 thermostat as it is an 80°c item (Std Wbx is 87°c). Header tank is standard Golf Mk2. Used a T25/polo heater matrix under the rear seat blowing down the heater channels.

I junked the 2.1 WBX oil cooler & went for a front mounted CSP item. Changed the oil pump to 30mm gears type to counteract pressure loss in oil lines - Pressure is excellent and oil temp doesn't go over 90°c.

Radiator is then your call - million ways to do it.

Had no trouble sourcing parts or fitting anything - quite easy really.

I'll try and upload some photo's later.

Standard 2.1 WBX with Weber/EmeraldM3D injection makes 130bhp and is dead realiable, nice and smooth, good & quiet - I drive it every day to work and my Mk4 Golf GT Tdi hasn't turned a wheel in weeks!

Hope this helps.

Moog
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(o\ /o) '73 GT Beetle with 2.1 WBX (owned since 1990)
(o\ /o) '74 Jeans Beetle (owned since 1986)
(o\ /o) '67 Zenith Blue Beetle (needs lots of work..)
'02 Passat Sport Diseasel Estate ("Das Boot")
'05 Seat Leon FR, chipped (Mrs Moog's toy really...)
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