Why?
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:33 pm
I have been involved with Vdubs almost all my life and being out of the big Cities there werent many Custom parts coming my way. My first real car project was way bejond my own abilities at the time This was 1986 and I was just out of the Army. I decided I wanted a chop top Bug I found an old oval roof section welded it into a 63 and proceeded to chop it 75 mm only at the front Something about it being easier I also wanted a 2liter engine at the time I had rebuilt one bug engine so How difficult could it be? I knew it was too big to fit but hey Volkspares had a upright conversion and I saved up to buy it Salary 600 bucks Fan conversion 300 bucks so even those days a type 4 was expensive! I trail fitted it on an old sub and then met my wife to be....... The bug sat around for more than 2 years and I never finished it. Forward to Christmas 1999 a couple of friends were sitting around the fire and the topic came up Herman succesfully drag raced a turbo type 4 with a normal cooling system and we began thinking about the pros and cons. I had seen the Dtm fanshroud on the net and whilst it was neat I thought I If they can do it so can I. I had a 411 sub lying around and started the next week I used as many stock type 4 and type 1 parts as I could I cut open an old doghouse shroud and based the internal arflow design on that. I then centered the ducts over the centers of the cylinders and made fiberglass moulds
I also made a pattern and had the alt stands cast.
Getting the engine to seal in the compartment was a big hassle but I got it right. The first one was running by the enfd of 2002 and it is still being used daily as a 40km trip work and back. I have now completed 3 such engines and sold 2 more as kits I am currently building another two for a friend in Pretoria. One of my kits went to Australia when Herman Emigrated. I also have made a jig to make intake manifolds for 36idf webers as well as the aircleaners in the Photo.
Regards Armand.
I also made a pattern and had the alt stands cast.
Getting the engine to seal in the compartment was a big hassle but I got it right. The first one was running by the enfd of 2002 and it is still being used daily as a 40km trip work and back. I have now completed 3 such engines and sold 2 more as kits I am currently building another two for a friend in Pretoria. One of my kits went to Australia when Herman Emigrated. I also have made a jig to make intake manifolds for 36idf webers as well as the aircleaners in the Photo.
Regards Armand.
