'71 Super Beetle Autocross Build

[ChadH]

OK, sorry for the hijack, but what kind of hi-fi speaker is that in the back in your shop? I know that isn't a crap Sony presswood 8ohm MiC disposable tower.

I think it's funny people are more interested in the weird things they see in the background Here's the quick-n-dirty.

The arrays each have 16~5" midbass and 32~cone tweaters. All were buyouts from parts express. I also have two bass bins with 2~10" woofers each. The big orange box also is a 15" horn loaded sub. After 2-blown drivers, It's been put out to pasture. It used to rattle stuff off the shelves when it was working.



It currently runs with 3 amps (used to be 4), and dedicated Linux computer that does real time audio processing. Crossover, parametric EQ, and other goodies if needed.



Long story short, It's a giant MP3 player. Many of the array drivers are at the end of their life, a couple dead drivers, and surrounds are beginning to rot. Since the speakers were limited buy-outs, I can't just replace the dead drivers. I need to re-design and build a new array. Like everything else in this thread, not enough time to do it.

[Jadewombat]

Yeah, I got wrapped up last fall quite a while with audio. A LOT of speakers were tossed out after Harvey here in Houston and I scooped them up. Some of the cabinets were too far gone, but many were salvageable and almost all of the electrical components worked. All my stuff is analog except when I use my tablet as a source (sometimes vinyl, other times mp3). The neighbors behind me were complaining so I have to insulate that back garage wall at some point.

OK, back to cars now...

[ChadH]

..All my stuff is analog....

Yup, got that too - with single ended triodes Not loud enough to overcome the air compresser in the garage though.


Back to VW's. Here's my current delema.

I had modified the sleds from a previous build, but they don't fit with my 1-5/8" headers. I could:
a) Rework the sleds, and use the headers I have.
b) Just throw the sleds in a box, don't worry about them. The car will only be run hard for 60-seconds at a time.
c) Throw the exhaust in a box, and get a smaller diameter header. I'm worried what I have is too big for what I'm trying to accomplish. Looking for broad band torque, not just just RPM. It would probably still requrie sled re-work if I use it.

[Jadewombat]

I would use T3 cool tin wire tied to keep it tight against the bottom of the cylinders and throw the sleds in a box. A lot of the off-roaders go with this setup and run those cars all day long. I've been running my bus this way for years with no issues and I built and ran this motor in Tucson when I used to live there a while back.

Whoa man, way too much audio. I'm gonna stay awake way too late thinking about this. I've wanted a vacuum tube amp for years. I bought a used Onkyo receiver from 1978 with a true 27W RMS per channel (4) back in college, used it for years and pissed off the neighbors last year, then it was finally starting to die and got a Vector Research receiver of the same year in excellent shape, more power, and for $75!

The speakers I got. Whew, Pioneer, JBL, and Infinity. Vintage ones. Some really great stuff. JBL decade 36s, Pioneer CS88a and Pioneer 910s. I had way too much fun playing with all of them, but space (and to a lesser degree) time and effort were also a concern. Took some components from a Pioneer and made my own enclosure for a center channel and it really brings the room together. Got turned onto the Niles brand a while back. Niles are meant to be mounted in the wall, but sound AWESOME in an enclosure so I made my own. My former mentor had several Niles a customer gave him and each one was worth $1500 a piece. I made enclosures and it rocked his world in his shop.

Anyhoo, I'm rambling again, but I HATE audiophile snobs. Good sound is for EVERYONE!!!

[ChadH]

Tin fab-o-rama.

New 1-1/2" CB header. Fits even more differently than my old 1-5/8" speed bump trashed header. I'm not giving in to type 3 cool tins just yet. Major tweaks on sleds and DIY "industrial" tin in progress....







I don't care if a stinger is gauche and passe'. I'm rocking it. I loves me stingers.

[ps2375]

They give the starters headaches, literally. Sometimes it is good to announce your presence.

[ChadH]

Yah - I'm going to weld a few tabs on the headers, so i can hang a muffler. I'm sure the stinger will get old, especially after I trip and burn my shins while running around the car in grid. Common sence might take precidence here.

Here's completed sled end pieces. Things are pretty tight, but I think they'll work.

[petew]

Impressive, but are you overdoing it a bit?

[H2OSB]

Impressive, but are you overdoing it a bit?

??

I love what he's doing.

H2OSB

[ChadH]

Impressive, but are you overdoing it a bit?

Yes I am ! ..Waiting on Uncle Sam to deposit my tax refund, so I can buy heads and finish the engine. In the meantime, I have nothing better to do than beat on sheet metal.

Here's some more junk from China. Between the Al case, and other china-tin, the front tin wasn't even close.


Got that fitting sort of decent after a few more hours of grinding, bending and hammering:


And now it's all torn down again. I thought about a splashy color, but I think Hammer black will look best in the long run. Some pieces already have an older coat of hammer, and it held up pretty good. I'm not doing any more prep, other than making sure the parts are clean enough to paint.

[Mike T]

I am following your build with interest. X-Prepared always sounded like an exciting class back when I was active in Solo II. I "retired" from SCCA autocross in 2007 and sold my E-Modified Chevy V8 powered Porsche 914. Most of my success at autocross was in a VW Beetle in H-Stock and I always wondered how a thoroughly prepared bug would do. Great work so far.

Mike T

[ChadH]

I am following your build with interest. X-Prepared always sounded like an exciting class back when I was active in Solo II. I "retired" from SCCA autocross in 2007 and sold my E-Modified Chevy V8 powered Porsche 914. Most of my success at autocross was in a VW Beetle in H-Stock and I always wondered how a thoroughly prepared bug would do. Great work so far.

Mike T

I dig the avitar! Hopefully you're patient, this has at least another year (or more) to go. I don't anticipate being competitieve in XP, but it gives me the flexibility to do what I want. As I've said earlier, If I can do as well as a stock Miata, I'll be happy.

Way back at the start of the thread, I contiplated which of my 3 tranmissions to use. We'll I finally dragged them on the bench to look at them. The trans from the original beetle is my only option. (the other two have issues.) It's just a bone stock AH with 4.125 R&P and standard gears. Now, lets see if I can find it under the sediment....

[ChadH]

Chipped off all the crud on the trans - only took like 3-hours..


Got buisy with water and a wire brush. Looks pretty good. Cold air actually froze the grinder to my hand.

I drained the oil after all the cleanup, so hopefully all the water that made it in past the leaky seals n gaskets drained out. The magnetic drain plug was surprisingly free of shavings, so I'm feeling pretty good about the condition of the transmission. I'll replace all the seals and gaskets, install a 4-spider carrier, and 100mm cv flanges. I think it will work until I break it.

[ChadH]

CB Panchitos with dual valve springs and Ti retainers. This weekend, I'll do just a little cleanup on the castings and port match the manifolds. Maybe I'll have time to install them and start playing with valve train geometry.

[ChadH]

A little head cleanup after work. I used in rotozip bit in a Dremmel to clean up casting flash between the ports, and a cut-off wheel to clean up between the fins on the edges. I honestly have never seen this much light though a VW head before.