TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Feb 20, 2016 7:38 pm

hello, i am new to this website and to Type 1's. i know most people prefer to just learn to drive manual cars instead of converting to automatics. i also hear that auto stick trans are hard to find and arent good. i've thought about putting a newer model VW automatic transmission in a beetle, or maybe using PG or TH350. another idea is a subaru powered VW with an automatic but i have no idea how to even start that.
so, whats the best way to convert a beetle to an automatic, but it must use the air cooled engine.

Sat Feb 20, 2016 7:41 pm

:popcorn:

Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:28 pm

You heard right.
Autosticks flat suck and are the bane of VW aircooled's existence. They are absolutely totally unreliable and parts are impossible to find.
Fully automatic Type 4 transmissions are the way to go, they allow you to keep the aircooled engine and not screw around with the steaming pile of crap that is the autostick. You could probably do the swap for around $100.

Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:30 pm

Good luck.

Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:57 pm

c.arlitos_ wrote: hello, i am new to this website and to Type 1's. i know most people prefer to just learn to drive manual cars instead of converting to automatics. i also hear that auto stick trans are hard to find and arent good. i've thought about putting a newer model VW automatic transmission in a beetle, or maybe using PG or TH350. another idea is a subaru powered VW with an automatic but i have no idea how to even start that.
so, whats the best way to convert a beetle to an automatic, but it must use the air cooled engine.

This is not meant to sound rude, but you might be better off learning more about the car before you start having ideas on how to change it. Find local owners or a local show, and find a manual, and you'll learn a lot about the car.

The beetle uses a longitudinally mounted transaxle (that is the gearbox and final drive live within the same case, and this is all mounted inline with the frame), so modern VW transmissions won't work because they're transverse, and a powerglide, etc. won't work because they're not even a transaxle.

Most people prefer to learn how to drive manual because it's not actually hard to do, and two it's really the best way to drive these cars as well as the most enjoyable. The autostick is cool for the novelty factor, but the 4 speed manual is better.

Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:48 am

The VW full automatic is not a direct bolt-in to a Beetle. The automatic is wider than the standard and the autostick and won't fit without modifying the car. Someone did a conversion a few years ago, and the modification was fairly involved with a good bit of cutting and welding.

Why not look for a complete and driving autostick? They pop up in the classifieds all the time.

Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:59 am

It can be done using a full auto from a type 3 as user flyboat did, but it's not an easy job and it involves modification of structural parts of the frame so it has to be carried out by someone knowing what he's doing, otherwise you may end up with a car that is unsafe to drive.

see here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=458452

with just 4 speed isn't really so hard to drive a manual.

Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:44 am

Mos6502 wrote: c.arlitos_ wrote: hello, i am new to this website and to Type 1's. i know most people prefer to just learn to drive manual cars instead of converting to automatics. i also hear that auto stick trans are hard to find and arent good. i've thought about putting a newer model VW automatic transmission in a beetle, or maybe using PG or TH350. another idea is a subaru powered VW with an automatic but i have no idea how to even start that.
so, whats the best way to convert a beetle to an automatic, but it must use the air cooled engine.

This is not meant to sound rude, but you might be better off learning more about the car before you start having ideas on how to change it. Find local owners or a local show, and find a manual, and you'll learn a lot about the car....

x2, and check this out:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1845825

Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:13 am

vamram wrote: and check this out:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1845825 At first glance that thing looks pretty sweet. Just needs a few details attended to. Might be just what the OP needs. 8)

Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:51 am

ok thank you everyone, i think ill just get a manual bug. i'll learn to drive it and enjoy it. But the last thing i wanted to ask was. a corvair transaxle wouldn't work? that has a PG. i have a corvair powered dune buggy.

Sun Feb 21, 2016 5:14 pm

Give this thread a read. It is about a buggy with a complete Corvair engine/transmission mounted to the rear of a buggy pan.
[img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5318978[/img]

Just from looking at the pics, the trans is not mounted in the normal way to the frame horns. It looks like the entire rear suspension and frame have been redone. Even if you used a VW T1 engine in place of the Corvair aircooled engine, the frame would need a great deal of work to fit the 2-speed automatic Powerglide trans. And the article indicates the transaxial versions are rather rare.

One other option to look into... replace the engine with an electric motor. My understanding is when using an electric motor, the manual transmission is left in 3rd gear for all forward motion. I wonder is you couldn't use an autostick transmission connected to an electric motor to get an automatic Beetle? You would only place in 3rd for going forward and Rev when backing up? No gear changes needed, but you might still need to shift into Neutral when coming to a stop.

Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:52 pm

learn to drive a stick,be a man in a world of millennial pussies who cant...

Sun Feb 21, 2016 11:33 pm

Automatics have their place in the world but an aircooled VW is not one of them. Learn how to drive stick, I think everyone should learn how to drive stick.

Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:12 am

The things you'd have to know how to do to swap an automatic into a beetle are way more complicated than learning to drive with a proper manual transmission.
But- auto sticks are not unreliable or junk, or any worse than most automatics.
But they don't get power to the wheels as efficiently, and when they do mess up they are more complicated to fix, and parts cab be very hard to source.
But auto sticks are very cool for a daily driver. Just don't rest your hand on the shifter. It'll act worse than a manual with a new driver.
But yeah, if you can do mechanic work and labor intensive welding projects like swapping in a corvair trans, or type 3/4 trans, I have faith that one extra pedal and listening to the engine should be a snap to learn. ;)

Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:29 am

sb001 wrote: You heard right.
Autosticks flat suck and are the bane of VW aircooled's existence.

Finally, you actually gave some good advice on this website!

I'm with Johnny on this one, beetles may be one of the easiest cars out there to learn how to drive stick on.

Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:35 am

OP - A Good quality clutch kit will cost about $150. Takes a couple hours to do the job. (Yeah, I know you hard core folks can do it in the sand dunes in under 30 minutes while drunk on your ass using only a screwdriver and a beer tab :lol: )

So, get some good advice on how to drive the car and if you kill the clutch its a hell of a lot cheaper to replace it than convert a car to auto.

Mon Feb 22, 2016 6:44 am

johnnypan wrote: learn to drive a stick,be a man in a world of millennial pussies who cant...

Started teaching my 13 year old son to drive my manual beetle this weekend so he will be one up on most kids of his gen. 10 minutes and he was doing okay in the driveway. Not hard to teach yourself either.

Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:04 am

There is no need for fundamentalism on either side ("autosticks suck", "autosticks are the best") – to each his own :idea:

I'm from Europe, so obviously I can drive stick like everybody else, but nevertheless I prefer an autostick and find it very enjoyable. Am I Satan now? :roll: Calm down, people ;)

Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:42 am

Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:43 am

johnnypan wrote: learn to drive a stick,be a man in a world of millennial pussies who cant...

Good thing I can.

Born in 1992.