My Veewrx

[jakriz]

Hi guys, I havn't been here for over a year, thought I would give u an update on what I've been up to.
I ended up giving up on the old air cooled 2275cc engine & instead installed a 94 model Subaru WRX engine. I finished it in 5 weeks & I have put over 6000 miles on the conversion since 24th of December last year. I've only raced it twice this year as I've been busy with work.
It out out 195hp @ the wheels on only 8 pounds boost (it should be running 14 pounds) & is really quiet due to the small 2.5 inch exhaust. This is my daily driver so reliablity is the first priority.
The only thing that has got past me is a twin turbo 996 Porsche.
I'ts a weapon.
It's not everyones cup of tea but it's been my daily driver for the last 14 years & it's now perfect!
regards
Jak Rizzo
Australia
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[Troy_Audio]

Hey man.. sweet ride..
I love the center exhoast & that looks killer in the bay..
5weeks.. man your fast
Peace Troy

[starmember]

it realy looks great and that is really a awsome engine. :agree:

[oicdn]

Holy Hell......you've gotta tell me how you did that.

Although, I'm trying to completely sever myself from the ricey Import scene, nonethe less, I still have some connections....that motor would be very nice to have in my bug....

Like you, my Beetle is my Daily....

[Phat73VW]

Hey Jak long time no see. i was wondering why you had not been posting. I can see that you were pretty busy with your upgrades. must say i love it!!!! looks clean and probably sounds mean too any chance of you posting some videos with the new engine in action? Your car has always been a favorite of mine. :agree:

[Rob]

Very nice Jak !
I was wondering how you were getting along with the conversion, thanks for the update.

What did you use for a rad and wat did you use for coolant tubes ? I assume they run under the pan ?

Do you have any pics of the inside of the car ? Did you make a new firewall to cover the hole ?

Rob.

[zen]

good to hear from you Jak. now you didn't think you were going to post that without a bevy of questions did you? might as well get it all out on that conversion. i am considering a similar swap for my Vanagon. just have to find the time and smarts. :agree:

[vujade]

Jak, good to see you again...

so how does your car handle whipping up on those Porsches now?

[Steve C]

Welcome back Jak, I have seen and heard this car run, its sweet.

[jakriz]

Actually Zen I thought I might get away with no replies at all LOL

Here goes.

The main priorities were Reliability, had to be quiet (years of twin carbies have impared my hearing), looking that the car no-one was to be the wiser & it had to be done to a budget.

The motor & gearbox was simply moved forward almost 2 inches by flipping the rear gearbox cradle around & using a Berg style front mount, this took care of getting the cam covers inside the gearbox (just) The gearbox is simply a standard second hand L-Bug (1303) box with the my standard axles & CV's that have been on the car since 1971...........only God knows how they are lasting but so far so good. I don't do drag racing & when I do have a standing start run with someone I roll it off the line (never dump it) get it on boost & then chirp the rear tyres every gear change.
The fuel system consists of a small electrci pump filling a 1.5 litre surge pot which then runs into a Holden Turbo Commodore fuel pump. I have new steel lines running through the tunnel as well.
The radiator is a simple Holden Camira (4 cylinder) laying on an angle in the spare wheel well with 2 davies Craig fans top & bottom. Air comes in over the radiator & has no where to go but through it. I had 3 radiator experts tell me that I would never keep a WRX engine cool in the rear of a beetle, I have just had to tape up the front air inlet as it's winter over here & I've had trouble getting it warm. One peice mild stainless 1.5 inch lines run under the heater channels with flexible piping from engine to steel pipes. I'ts 2 layer pipe with a spring steel running through it rated to 160'000psi.
The intercooler is from a an RS Liberty which is an air to water setup. I have one small radiator beside the gearbox & then the water travels via 20mm alloy lines to the front where I have another radiator iin front of the main radiator , this then goes back to the rear to a small Davies Craig water pump & into the intercooler. Even after high speed runs the intercooler feels cold so inlet temps should be OK, but I'll get a sender for it soon.
The engine is all stock except for the pod filter, exhaust & ECU. The exhaust is a small 2.5 inch system which is probably holding back the HP but is really quiet. Much much quieter than the WRX's getting around with their 3 inch systems, on the incar footage on the track u can't hear the engine & spectators have complained that they can't hear my car either! The ecu is a locally made computer from Microtech. It controls pretty much everything, it has a boost limitor, 2 rev limitors (hard & soft) & can be fully manipulated with a laptop on the dyno or the street. I had my own personal electrical engineer Pauly wire up the computer for me as I did the rest of the car. It started first time & hasn't let me down since! Incidently Pauly's L-Bug will be finished soon as well. I'll keep u guys posted.
The driving experience is simply awesome, it would definantly be the nicest vw I've ever been in, I know that sounds a bit biased & big headed, but it soooo smooth, it's so quiet, the fuel economy is excellent & the power.........If one day I can afford a nice gearbox, & if one day I get used to the power Iwill turn up the boost & see what it puts out. As a comparison for u, it puts out more power @ the wheels than a Standard WRX Sti , simply because I'm not running 4wd, power steering or air con. The vw drivetrain just hardly hold back any power & my car is 400kg lighter than a WRX.
I'll keep u updated with pics.
regards
Jak :agree:

[Rob]

Thanks Jak.

I'm very interested in how you moved the motor and tranny forward.
Do you have any pics of that ?
I assume you also had to shorten the shift-rod ?

Rob.

[zen]

and here come all of the follow-up questions.

any idea of the weight difference in the conversion? not so much concerned about the added weight since the power more than adjusts for that, but the placement of any additional weight that far back. what kind of shift in oversteering have you noticed?

[jakriz]

Rob, it's noted above how i moved the gearbox forward & yes I just shortened the shiftrod to suit. I tried to get out of moving the box forward but in the end it was one of the simplest tasks I had to undertake.

The weight difference Zen is up from 920kg (2024lb) to 1000kg (2200lb) I would be pretty estatic if it runs a 13 second 1/4 mile but most that have been in it are putting money on a mid to low 12! I'd prefer to be a little conservative.
The oversteer hasn't been an issue at all, which is quite surprizing (or I'm not trying hard enough), the only thing that I have done to the suspension is add 26mm torsion bars in the rear. On my first track outing I took 3 seconds off my lap time & I was on the brakes much much earlier than ever before. I also hit 6500rpm in top gear down the straight & still braked 100m earlier than before into the first turn. I'm sure that with a little more practice I'll get used to the feeling of boost coming on through the corners. I did this on 2 & half year old street tyres which had already done about 12 track days so they are tired. I've now got some yokohama ES100 tyres, which are still a street tyre but are a far site better.
regards
Jak

[Kafer_Mike]

Jak...The car looks better than ever. And the engine. Glad to see you back on the forum.