75 Beetle engine advice/parts for budget 1835cc or 1914cc build?

[mackfrank9395]

Hello! I am new to the Samba, Volkswagens, cl engines and especially air cooled engines. In a few days I will be the proud new owner of a 1975 Beetle. The car itself is rust free and very low miles. The engine.. Well a 40+ year old 1600 you know that story. I'd like to add a little "pep" back in this survivor. A little pep is an understatement actually. I am some what of a lead foot or speed demon if you will.. so I'd like something that is able to be comfortably driven and stable on the freeway cruising around 70mph and also agile and nimble enough for in town and twisty country back roads(lots in these parts). I'm not looking for a drag car or a red light mustang stomped so nothing too crazy is needed. I've been looking around and have come to the conclusion that a 1835 or 1914cc would be an appropriate fit for my vdub. Now the hard part. I have limited knowledge with engines and have never torn one apart. I don't know of anyone in my area that rebuilds these and my budget just simply doesn't allow for a professional build. I'd like to try it myself except for any machine work of course. What I need from you fine folks here at TheSamba is suggestions for parts and such with the information I've supplied above. Also I'd like some suggestions for the transmission as well. I'd like to achieve around 100-140hp to the wheels. I'd say my engine and transmission budget combined would be around $3500-$5000

Thanks in advance to any responses. Looking forward to your opinions.

All of this air cooled boxer madness is overwhelming to me!

[gt1953]

Don't forget to upgrade the brakes with that much power to the wheels you are gonna need to stop. On my one car I have 78hp to the ground out of a 1776cc. Works fine for me at 6500 feet elevation.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
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72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[Danwvw]

There is a good chance you could come up with 100 plus horsepower in your price range if your case is good. (Yes save some money for Disc Brakes!) Probably looking at used carbs to keep the price down though. A lot of people here on the Samba have been going with 82mm crankshaft and B offset wrist pin pistons and the 94mm cylinders. There are some nice choices out now for heads in the $500 to $600 range with the new Panchito heads that CB-Performance has just introduced. But even L5 heads from DRD would be nice. Probably looking at a set of dual carbs 40 DRLA or 44 IDF. The Dellortos would be nicer in a Daily Driver. Search for them here on the Samba or E-Bay.
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1960 Beetle And 1679cc DP W-100 & Dual Zeniths!

[Rome]

Lucky you to find a rust-free Beetle in the NorthEast. With the low miles, do you know if it still has its original factory-installed fuel injection? If it does and runs well, don't hesitate to run 75mph all day (speed limits permitting). Sustained top speed is actually 80mph per the sales brochure. Do nothing except to tune the engine to factory specs. I know, you need a good and reliable mechanic to entrust him with this engine and injection system.

[bugguy1967]

A 140 HP 1915 will cost approximately $1000 more than a 90 HP 1915. The heads, valvetrain parts, crank, etc will have to be a little more exotic than a basic low-RPM engine.

I recently built a low 5000 RPM 80-90 HP 1915, and the whole build was about $2600 alone. You could probably make it work if you bought 90% from the Samba whenever you see a ridiculous deal, but with normal retail prices. Not happening.

[mackfrank9395]

I purchased the vehicle in California. Just got back actually from.flying out there to see it. After several test drives (I spent almost 6 hours driving the thing around) I determined while it was a solid survivor it didn't have the power I was looking for. The original fuel injection was ditched years back after an engine rebuild, they went with a single carb.

If I was to buy a turn key what companies are trustworthy and proceed in my budget range? One of the first things I plan to do is convert it do disc all around. Followed by suspension, wheels and tires. Other than that I'd like to keep the car original looking. I'm thinking about changing out the tail lights for a set of 71's and that's pretty much it.

[vwracerdave]

I think you are a little bit soft on your budget estimates. Lets be real and honest. 120 HP engine, upgraded transaxle, along with wheels, brakes and suspension upgrades are gonna get into the $8000 range.

$3500 can get you a good quality 90 HP engine.
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[mackfrank9395]

The number I listed for a budget was engine and tranny only. I had planned on adding the disc brakes at least to the front first off. Stoping on drum all the way around isn't okay with me. Even with 50ish hp. Everything following is a separate budget and will be done piece by piece I'm sure. The wife is already cringing at the cost and she's knows I plan to drop another 5-6k in it real soon. I have big plans for this bug. With the body being straight and decent paint I just want to clean it really well and have it cleared a few times. After wheels and tires I'm going for the patina sleeper look. With new brakes and wheels accomplishing that may be hard however. I would really like to add 71 tail lights. Front and year bumpers may be changed. Suspension obviously. The list goes on.

If I was to go with a 1915 and use my case could I achieve the 140 and still come under $5000?

[stan_tichomirov]

It would be easier with an 82mm crankshaft IMO.

With a 1915 you can probably reuse your heads, maybe even the crank and pressure plate, and have a 90hp cruiser. For 140hp all you may be able to reuse is your case, flywheel, oil cooler.

Stan
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Aircooled.net
Jansen Enterprise
My 1835cc build
My budget 2276 build

[porkchop-rob]

If your going to spend 75% as much to build something that's "kind of" what you want...go ahead, spend the money and build a stroker.

Get your 150HP with ease and torque instead of having to rape the thing to make it go.

Just my .02, YMMV.
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1965 Beetle
1968 Beetle Baja (Son's First Car)
1976 Bus with Subaru (Wife's Riviera Camper)

[stan_tichomirov]

The other issue is this would be your first engine. For first engine it's somewhat easier IMO to start with a working stocker, reuse as much as you can and upgrade where you can -- like larger pistons, cam, lighten the flywheel. With your 140hp proposition you'd have to rely on all parts fitting and working together properly, which may be a little trickier for a first build.

Stan
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Aircooled.net
Jansen Enterprise
My 1835cc build
My budget 2276 build