My 1800cc Subaru EFI conversion cost me NZ$1800, about US$900. That's quite good for about 110hp Not a rocket ship, but cheaper than I can do a stock type 4 here!
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Molloy:
<B> One of the main reasons I went for my
conversion was the cost of a hopped-up
VW engine.My rotary conversion cost $2500.
About the same as a 1914 bug engine with
kadrons.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
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Allan W
58 Beetle
70 Type 3 Square
70 "Fonzie"
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TIMBERWOLF:
<B>In certain circumstances, for a particular person there is a good engine that makes that guy smile when he drives the car. THAT is the best engine.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have a 58 Deluxe with a 36hp (in peices), a Beetle panelvan with a Subaru impreza engine and a type 3 square which will have a warm 2.0 EFI type 4 in it. All VERY different engines, and I like them for different reasons. I will admit to the subaru being the most reliable and cheapest to do though - A second hand 36hp or type 4 generally needs a rebuild, and the type 4 will need heads. The subie motor cost me NZ$1K with the loom and computer and all the other parts. The only complete type 4's I have found lately are about the same!
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Allan W
58 Beetle
70 Type 3 Square
70 "Fonzie"
Thats a scary price for a 2nd hand type IV.... what are the regs like for conversions in NZ? heard they are pretty hard in parts of oz. Good to hear your enjoying the 36 horse as much as the scooby, slow chugger chug cruising is as cool as tyre shredding some times.
For those who are interested, I have measured the sump to crank centerline distance on the V6, it is about 200mm, the same as a type 4 vw motor, and about 80mm higher than the subaru EJ20.
I will try to measure the weight when I get a chance too, but after moving it around I can say it ain't that much more than a vw motor.
70HP in a beetle is not scary as posted earlier, and 80HP will only lift the front wheels if your front shocks are rooted.
For those who want $ figures. I could have gotten a 1915 turbo with a 350 2BBL Holey that puts out about 150 HP at the crank for a little over $5K US... just for the engine...(I'll call it the "tranny breaking special")
For the conversion I'm getting
EJ25
Turbo Headers
Stinger ECU with custom wiring harness
Adaptor
"Built" T1 Transmission
Kafer Bar
Rear sway bar
WRX STi radiator
modified intake Manifold
shortened sump
... everything but the Partridge and a Pear tree. for about the same. Oh yeah... with 200 Horses NOW and an optional 70HP turbo upgrade (down the road) for less than $500 more.
Not bad for an 2000 lb '73 Superbeetle. Also, this is going to be a daily driver, not a weekend warrior... so the decreased reliability with the 94mm bore and the increased temps with the turbo charger weren't the best ideas... not to mention the EFI should act a lot better with Nebraska temperatures.
Another thing Bent, you might want to consider the offroad benefits of going to an EFI... not having to worry about the carbuerators acting up when not on a NICE FLAT STREET SURFACE... or a 400M strip.
But hey, what do I know...all this is just a regurgitation of what other people told me. I don't offroad, and the fastest bug I've been in was a stock 1600 (at about 105MPH.... 160 ish kph? don't know how and don't know why, but hey... we were all 16 and dumb once)
Oh another thing... for all of you "purists"... how "pure" is an engine with a different crank, different case, different flywheel,cylinders, heads, cam, rockers, valves, pushrods, lifters, oilpump, carbuerators, exhaust... seriously people... just because it LOOKS similar doesn't mean it's anywhere near the same D*** engine. but hey, that's my opinion. And you know what they say... opinions are like butts... everyone's got one... and most of 'em stink.
Not a rocket ship, but cheaper than I can do a stock type 4 here!