Drfthis

What is the whight raito of the old vw bug's and are they top heavy

jcoby

depends on how much you build the engine, really. The stock engine has 36 hp, but you can build ~110 pretty easily (1835 kit, dual carbs, mild cam, 009).

The bug weighs in at around 1600lbs, for a power to weight ratio of about 14.5lbs per hp.

Yes, they are top heavy. Lower the suspension a bit, upgrade the front sway bar, add a rear sway bar, and they handle pretty decent.

If you are wanting to drive fast, the brakes are the biggest let down. 80->0 stops fade pretty bad.

bedlamite

They are not as top heavy as many people think, and there are also lots of aftermarket parts available. for brakes, Porsche 944 rear and Porsche 914 front rotors and calipers bolt on with an adaptor plate. Sway bars are a must have item, and 130-150hp n/a is easily achieved.

jcoby, they haven't made a 36hp since 1959, and 1835cc is a poor choice due to thin cylinder walls.

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If you can make black marks from the apex of one turn to the braking point of the next, you may have enough horsepower.

jcoby

Sorry, I meant 42hp

What combination do you recommend for building an engine that runs 130-150hp reliably?

bedlamite

From '66 on they were in the 50's. Never made a 42hp model

AS21 or AS41 with case savers, sand seal, full flow oil, deep #3 studs
2176cc (94x78.4)
78.4mm DMS crank balanced with 12lb flywheel and KEP stage 2 pressure plate
Cima/Mahle forged 94mmB p/c set
5.5" rods
Dual Weber 44idf carbs match ported to
Aircooled.net Road warrior heads
Aircooled.net Super-HD/AL pushrods
WebCam 86b
1:1.4 rockers
MSD 6AL ignition
static C/R 9:1

Reliability is a function of assembly and maintainance. If it's put together right, It'll stay together.

Or, if you want to, just buy one of Jake's engines.

You might want to ask http://www.mooreparts.com to ship you a tranny that will stay together too.

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If you can make black marks from the apex of one turn to the braking point of the next, you may have enough horsepower.