Where to start?

[Hatracks]

Greetings I am new to the forum and VWs. I have restored a couple of 60's fords that still live in the garage and have been hunting around for a new project. I have lurked on these forums for a while and for some reason have a desire to build a vintage speed sunny day driver/occasional autocross or 1/8th mile car (for my own amusement and the fun of driving a vintage speed car, not worried about actually winning).

Not being a VW guy I am looking for assistance on what era car to look for to find:

-something that runs/drives already
-fairly original
-can live outside in a 3 wall enclosed carport (garage full of fords)

So give me some input:
- 50's era...I love the oval windows but exactly how much scrounging will I need to do for vintage parts..and I imagine i would feel bad parking it outside.
-60's era - I imagine easier to find parts for, more of them out there, maybe this is my best bet?
- Super beetle- more familiar with this type of front end, I imagine parts are easier to find since so many were built but its from the 70s?

Little bit about me:
I can paint, weld decently, fabricate a bit, and have a full machine shop at my disposal. This is going to be about the journey/build and I like scrounging at swap meets.

So there you have it...where should I begin looking for a car!

[EverettB]

Based on what you posted I would say 1960s, maybe late 50s too.
"Big Window" cars from 58-66.

Lots of them out there, cheaper and easier to find than an Oval Window if you want to find something pretty original.
Easier to work on and find parts for than an Oval Window.

The 60s cars are all around more popular and "prettier" than a later car.

A later car might be better for Autocross though because of the suspension, someone else would need to respond to that part of your post.
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[Hatracks]

Thanks for the input, autocross will be a very small part of what this car will do. This is mostly going to be about building/tinkering using period correct parts and driving the heck out of it.

I saw a 62 today I really liked while wandering around a car show, it was a pretty neat car that looked fairly stock except for the turbo.

[txoval]

Everett pretty much covered it, but a little more detail

Anything 55 and earlier parts will be harder to find (55 was a ~6 month only production year).

56-57 Ovals share a lot of parts with the 58-64 cars, so if you want an Oval, 56-57 would be the way to go for easier to find parts.

65-67 are the last of the "early" cars, the side Windows increased in size. 65's are the last year for the link/kingpin front end. 66 was the beginning of the ball joint front end.

67 was the first 12V Beetle and is a unique year with several 1 year only parts.

So for beetles, anything 67 and down is generally more sought after/desired.

68 is the last year for the swing axle rear end, IRS rear suspension started in 69 and stayed that way until the end.

Super Beetles started in 71, 71&72's had a flat windshield like the regular beetle. 1973 was the beginning of the curved window for Super Beetles.

The Super Beetle front end definitely performs better, but the cars are less valuable/sought after.

I will say, the "German Look" Super Beetles are bad ass in my opinion.

Hope this helps...66 may be your best bet

[Hatracks]

[sled]

Yes, but you will be very disappointed if you plan to any spirited driving in a 66.

Get yourself a 66 and lower it mildly and throw in a 2276 with dual 45 DRLA carbs.

FUN!!
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[txoval]

Should be plenty of stock kits...

Scat

www.aircooled.net

www.cbperformance.com (smallest kit is 1776, good combo)

Plenty of places to buy individual parts

[EVfun]

[Hatracks]

Thanks for the replies, just looking at stuff for sale around Seattle/WA/OR it does look like most have 1600's in them. And it seems like every one for sale says rebuilt within the last 3000 miles....

So when you put the bigger engine in them is there anything you have to do for axles/transmission?

[EVfun]

The transaxles from 1961 on up will handle a stock 1600DP or even a mildly built up motor. You really don't have to worry much about the transaxle until you start pushing more than 80 horsepower. You may have to clearance the bell housing slightly for the later larger flywheel, but if a late motor is already installed and the car converted to 12 volts it has already been done.

The quality of rebuilds vary greatly and I would look for receipts from a reputable shop for a rebuilt engine. Crankshaft end play is one big thing to look for. It should be 4 to 6 thou. If it is over 12 thou it is likely the engine needs to be torn down and the block machined. Crank end play is set with shims between the flywheel and first main bearing. Another source of crank end play is movement of the first main bearing in the block. Any play there needs to be eliminated or the block will quickly be destroyed.

I'd look for a dual relief case and a doghouse cooling system if it is a dual port engine. Pictures of the differences between single port vs dual port, single relief vs dual relief, and doghouse vs inline oil cooler should be easy to find with a little searching here on thesamba.

This might be more appropriate in the regular engine and transaxle section above this one as it is mostly about later engines.
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[Hatracks]

That is fine you can move or delete the thread. I have built a concourse car before so thought it would be neat to do a project like that (period correct) but geared towards racing. Sounds like most people have already converted the cars though or build 1600+ with aftermarket so I will look into that.

Not to worried about the rebuild quality I have my own machine shop and have northwest connecting rod down the street.

[GTV]

You should come up to the Vintage Meet in Shoreline this weekend.
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[Hatracks]