1973 V8 Super Beetle Front Engine Conversion - 283 SBC

[volkdent]

Lookin good! Should be a serious tire shredder.

Jason

[V8SuperBeetle]

Originally Posted by volkdent

Lookin good! Should be a serious tire shredder.

Jason

Thanks, Jason. It definitely has no problem lighting the tires up at a 20 mile an hour roll when I stomp it. Lots of fun and kinda scary.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Been painting with MasterSeries rust sealer and sealing seams this week. I've finished the sealing the floor, the firewall, the rear wheel wells, and the radiator metal work in the back (which I forgot to take pictures of). I've applied a coat underneth the backside of the car and working my way to the front.

Used 3M sealer. Stuff reminds me of heavy duty Elmer's glue. Haha...






My wheels came in. I order Jeg's Weld knock-offs instead of Summit's cause Summit didn't offer the offset I needed. I'm sure they the EXACT same thing, just different center caps.

I forget how small 15" wheels are after having the 16, 17, and 18 wheels floating around this whole time. The size I got are...

15"x4" front w/ 1.75" back space
15"x10" back w/ 5.5" back space

Tires will be...

165/80/15 front
275/60/15 back

I'm going to Discount tonight to new get tires. Tires are going to be $300. Can you believe that? $50 each for the front's and $100 each for the backs. The wheels are pretty nice knock offs for the price. They'll make for great street wheels. Gotta bee even more budget minded that the kiddo is on it's way and the wife will be a stay at home Mom.

[volkdent]

I think you've definately strayed from the GL concept! I just can't put Weld wheels and GL in the same sentence(oh, I just did) but it's still going to be a lot of fun to see that thing finished.

Jason

[evilC]

The 275/60x15 are not recommended for rims in excess of 9 1/2J and the preferred rim width is 8J unless of course the european tyre data books differ from the US ones.

Clive

[V8SuperBeetle]

Originally Posted by volkdent

I think you've definately strayed from the GL concept! I just can't put Weld wheels and GL in the same sentence(oh, I just did) but it's still going to be a lot of fun to see that thing finished.

Jason

Haha, yeah, oh well though. I still really dig the GL look. Maybe I'll keep the black vette wheels as a separate set. I can hardly wait to finish this thing. It's getting there. I've set a personal deadline of Aug. Which is when the baby comes.

Originally Posted by evilC

The 275/60x15 are not recommended for rims in excess of 9 1/2J and the preferred rim width is 8J unless of course the european tyre data books differ from the US ones.

Clive

Thanks for the heads up! I can always go to a 295/50/15 size later, which is the plan.


Pics of the new wheels.










It was beautiful out today so I did a walk around video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWytmDrrGg


I got lots done. Doesn't feel like it cause I had to run back and forth and there's really not a lot to show for the time I put in.

Got the new wheels rockin', obviously, did a quick eye ball alignment cause it was more obvious it was our with the new wheels, sealed seams in engine bay, sealed seams under car, inside wheel wells, ground out and redid a couple weld on the cage just to be sure, bolted in the gas tank, got some deck lid stand off's to see how they'd fit and work, fabricated and sealed up the tank filler neck holder, and test drove the car.








I couldn't resist test driving the car some with the new wheels and having the stand-offs. Great day for that. I made a little video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0lERkAIRIM


Was still lots of fun, scary, and I got the chance to break the engine in a little and to try out the 2" carb spacer. Didn't seem to affect the torque a whole lot. Still lights em up easy peasy.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Finished welding the rear firewall, sealed it up, and put down a coat of Master Series. I just need to put down another coat of Master Series to make sure it's all nice and sealed.




Now I just need to button up little things and it'll be ready for body work and paint!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Al....most....there...

I got a couple milestone's accomplished. My time was cut short this Saturday when my Husky decided to dig his way out of the backyard. I drove all over the neighborhood looking for him just to come home to a muddy Husky right across from my house. I don't know where the mud was at. All the dirt around is dry. I guess that's what Huskies do best. Find mud...and escape.

Any who, I finally made up my mind and made an alternator bracket which I think came out really well. I basically took the low mount bracket I bought and cut it up and welded it to the frame. Easier said than done. The alternator does have full range of adjustment, so I'm happy. Now I just have to buy another belt.






I also bought a new more manageable size battery and relocated it to the back. I made an frame try for it. The plan was to bolt it in above the exhaust on the passenger side to help distribute weight, but that didn't happen. I wound up welding the tray in on the driver's side for ease of access.






I'm also having to rewire / reroute everything through the interior of the car. No biggie, but just another thing I have to add to my list of TTD before I can get to body work.

Just a couple more things to do before the next stage.

• Rewire engine
• Finish the hood

I'll post pics of the battery setup soon.

[johnnyvee]

what happens when the engine flexes

[V8SuperBeetle]

Originally Posted by johnnyvee

what happens when the engine flexes

No engine flex. The engine sits on the frame. I feel every small vibration. If it becomes a problem, which I'll find out with a little testing, I'll just spring load the alternator. Problem solved.

[evilC]

I must agree with Jonnyvee on this one. Irrespective of whether the engine is solidly mounted there will be differential movement between the inner wing and the engine such that you will strain the waterpump and alternator bearings. Even if it were spring mounted the spring tension required to maintain a fan belt tension would still strain the bearings. Apart from that I can't see that the sheet metal would last very long with all the vibration going through a directly welded mount - it'll rip itself apart with fatigue fractures.

Clive

[volkdent]

Found this and thought you might get a kick out of it.

Turbo V8 Bug

Jason

[V8SuperBeetle]

Got a few things done this weekend. Really just testing things out and tweaking (checking valve lash, snugged up the headers / collectors and played with the fan in push / pull mode) to make sure everything is is running right before I move onto paint. All seems well except the alternator.

I wired up my alternator and took the car for a test drive. After driving around the neighborhood for about an hour, I parked the car in the garage, turned it off, and attempted to start it back up. Well, it was very slow to turn over and it wouldn't fire back up. I did let the car sit and cool for about 15 minutes and it fired back up. ???

So I'm not sure if the battery was drained some and the alternator isn't wired correctly or if there's another reason the engine wouldn't turn over while at operating temp, which has never been a case. I did have my electric fan running the whole time and it draws some amps.

Could someone look over how I wired my alternator and tell me if it's correct or what to do so it is correct?

I have about a 4 gauge wire going from the battery post on the alternator to the battery post on the starter. I have a 2 gauge ground wire going to the frame. On the #2 post, the plug to the right, I have going to the battery post on the alternator, but I have a switch between it to turn it on and off. I have a 12v indicator light, which has yet to work, hooked up to the number 1 post and is ground to the body.

The dummy light has never worked and I'm not quite sure the alternator is charging. Any help would be appreciated.









I now have all the parts I need to finish the car, just about. There's a couple small things I'll have to get off a parts car.

Rebel Wiring Harness




Parts from Bap/Geon.




Here's a project that's been taking some time away from the bug, but one I've enjoyed doing. I've been working on finished up painting the nursery and installing chair railing. I just need to touch up the paint. Still got to put together the crib, hang curtains, and whatnot.

[Eatoniashoprat]

You sure the hot start issue isn't timing related? Too much advance when hot = no/slow turn over

[V8SuperBeetle]

Originally Posted by Eatoniashoprat

You sure the hot start issue isn't timing related? Too much advance when hot = no/slow turn over

I figured it out. It wasn't a timing issue. I wired the alternator wrong and the battery was somewhat drained. Now that it's wired correctly, it has no issues.