Well it has happened another project car has been presented to me that my girl friend wants, in fact she is trying to figure out if she has the money for it.
The car in question is a 1963 VW with a 1300 motor and the guy also has a 1600 he will part with as well. Guy has built 6 or 7 bugs over the years and is passing this one on because of health issues. He wants $400 not including the 1600.
So...how would one go about building a Bug for autocross? 
Forget autocross.. get this one just to be cool! 
Volksrods.com
If it's not too far gone, I say restore it. A classic old Bug just has as certain appeal. You could stay with the 1300 (maybe an original Judson on it for fun) or drop in a 1600 without any issues.
Then load it up with the cool period accessories (roof rack, trunk rack, etc).
Like this: Turquoise
-Rob
narrowbeam, drop spindles, call it a day!
I have always liked the Volksrod look, though Cali look has some appeal as well. My uncle use to race a Baja bug back in the day.
I'm still waiting for pics from the guy though I may just run out there to see the condition first hand. Any places I should check that are major rust areas on a bug?
Anyone have any idea how much power can be squeezed out of a 1300?
Maybe something like this?
Almost anything below your knee could be rusted on a VW of that era, aside from the areas already mentioned, I'd look closely at the front yoke of the frame and also at the front axle beam uprights.
FWIW - The original engine in this car was a 1200 cc "40 horse". The 1300 is a one year only - '67 I think. You might want to check parts availability on the 1300, but it is likely not to be much of a problem.
My first car ever was a '63 Sunroof Sedan - last year for the rag-top.
I believe the general rule with the VW's is not to bother with the 1300 (a single port intake I believe) and just go with a 1600+. The big difference besides the cc's is the head as mentioned.
Quick hop-up traditionally are and exhaust (get rid of the "tweeters") and different carburetor(s). Going dual will definitely help, but a good single works also. Almost anything is available bolt on.
Another thing to consider is an oil filter conversion, yes, that is right, there is NO oil filter on stock VW's, just a screen, you know, so bolts and large rocks can't get to the bearings...
Go here (crate engines of a wide variety of sizes are commonly available):
aircooled wrote: I believe the general rule with the VW's is not to bother with the 1300 (a single port intake I believe) and just go with a WRX motor
fixed
They autocross pretty good in the right hands - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKAlLzmX_LM
Well, technically that's a motorkhana, but check out the neat J-turn at the end!
I second not autocrossing it. It's never going to fly. But a 63 in almost any condition is worth $400 bucks. Most folks, including me, prefer the looks of the pre-68 models. They're really fun cars, easy and cheap to work on. Driving one is really like stepping back in time--to the 30's! But they're still basically capable of being driven on modern roads on a regular basis. Top Gear drove one across Botswana.
I would jump on that car as long as the shell doesn't crumble as soon as you touch it. You can swap in pretty much any parts from other Bugs, including a complete pan. I had a 65 shell on a 74 pan. I'd LOVE to have that car back.
Get dune buggy body
Chop. Channel. Section. Rule the school:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMHZ5whjKd8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAfDU5d1s_I
The Bug in my avatar is a 60 Baja with a 1600 swapped in. It has a single weber, aircooled.net intake, and tri mil exhaust. It runs pretty decent for a little aircooled engine.
I like to keep my beetles aircooled for some reason. As far as swaps go....I've seen a few interesting swaps involving corvair engines.
Alright he sent me pics of the bug, it looks decent, paint has been stripped fenders taken off (said he had been getting it ready to paint). Has all the body parts that are off sitting in the shed along with a bunch of other extra parts that would go along with the bug (seats, fenders, trunk lids, 8 spoke wheels etc). The 1600 would be an additional $300 and would come with a dual port.
BTW, the 1300's are really sought after by the Formula Vee guys as that is what the SCCA has limited them to for many, many years and they've all but dried up the parts for them.
Now there's SuperVee where they can run 1600's I believe.
Either way, sell the 1300 off on RacingJunk or a SCCA classified site and put a 1600 in it and call it a day.
With MegaSquirt and a proper oil cooler, it will be very reliable and easy to drive. The rest is just focusing on getting the most tire on the ground and keeping it there.
Stiffen the heck out of it, lower it into the weeds, proper alignment, wide tires and don't lift!
pre 69s have an aweful swing axle rear suspension. Similar to what gave the Corvair a bad name and the Merc 300sl the reputation of being a widowmaker.
take your 63 body, drop it on a 69 or newer pan (they have semitrailing arms like the 944) and drop the 1600 into the rear with dual carbs and an exhaust.. paint to taste.. and call it a day
Take the above and add 944 brakes to get the car to stop right freaking now! Over and over and over again..... :)
63 was 6 volt,so you'll want to convert to 12, which is no big deal - put in the new 12 V battery, substitute 12 generator or alternator and voltage regulator, change all bulbs, don't spin the starter for more than a few seconds at a time, biggest PITA is wiper motor.
FVs are 1192 40 horse, more like 60 hp with full (expensive) race prep. Use a 1600 or larger dual port with a counterweighted crank. Get John Muir's Idiot book - anyone can build an aircooled VW with some care.
Swing axles not good for autocross - the IRS cars can be made to handle very well. You can adjust front camber and put disc brakes on the balljoint front ends.
Corvairs run backwards from VWs, so you have to flip the ring gear in a swingaxle box or rebuild the Vair with a reverse-rotation cam. I think you have to reverse rotate with the IRS Box.
This:
Chumpcar
campaign it in the baja 1000 and write a cool article about the experience for GRM.... is a 63 legal for the stock bug class?
Appleseed wrote: This:
Beautiful Baja, but I doubt its ever been dirty.
Race it. This guy was at Road America. SVRA.
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