Mid-engine Beetle with a 2.0L Porsche ????

oldmansbad67 · Post by **oldmansbad67** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:35 am

I have a friend who is going to help me setup a hand clutch as i'm disabled! I think i'm going to go with a mid-engine Beetle with a 2.0L Porsche Flat Six with a reversed beetle transaxel? The Sube. looks great but I heard the wiring is a bitch and $$$$$$! I want to keep it simple. Has anyone done a mid-engine Porsche motor before??? Johnny

Dave_Darling · Post by **Dave_Darling** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:14 pm

I think it has been done. You'd probably start out ahead of the game if you used the 914 transaxle instead of the Beetle one; it is set up for mid-engine operation and bolts right up to a 2.0 liter 911 engine. The 73+ "side-shifter" ones allow you to have a shorter shift linkage with fewer joints in it, which tends to reduce slop in the shifting.

It'll be "interesting" to see how the rear suspension works out! The stock Bug stuff will be completely in the way, unless you put the engine way up high! It may be possible to adapt a different setup, like the 914's, but there's a whole lot of fabrication and redesigning of stuff to do in that case!

Sounds pretty nifty, though!

--DD

Post by **Piledriver** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:54 pm

Price rebuilding that /6.

(Or even getting a valve job done)

Count on building a tube rear chassis.

A Beetle motor or T4 will work just dandy on that 914 tranny as well...

Try to track down a dead 914 for the rear trailing arms etc, work from there.

If you are really bulding the car to handle vs just look cool, consider doing this to a SB. (Strut front end, later ones have rack and pinion steering etc)

Not trying to discourage you, but I have issues finishing all the projects I start...
Few things are more depressing than an unfinished great idea..