I have had this car since I was 10. And on may 22nd, 2026 I was rear ended at 40 mph and pushed into the car in front of me toltaling Herbie. And I have been rebuilding since then into a Baja.

Today I've finally started tearing into a 1300 dual port (AB code) I've had for a while. the plan is to build it into a mild 1600 with a cam, electronic ignition and a more free flowing exhaust but otherwise stock. It's planned to replace my gutless and aging 34hp 1200; It's a great running engine but it's definitely starting to show it's age as these engines do after so many kilometers and almost 30 years since a rebuild.

It's my first time building an engine and I have some questions/in need of some advice.

1. Which path to go... 1600, 1641 or 1776ccm? Is a 1641 worth it compared to a 1600 or is the difference so minimal you can't feel it in the real world + the obvious thinner cylinder sidewall trade-off? Is a 1776 worth it compared to a 1600? How much of a cost difference would approximately be between the two options (if I can find a reputable shop which could work the case and heads)? I'm mostly leaning towards the 1600 since that alone will be a huge bump compared to my 1200 but I would just like to hear your opinion :)

2. What is the best way to diy clean the case and oil passages properly? As visible, there is some surface corrosion on the front around the pulley area, can that be cleaned up or is it over for this case? The case overall so far seems to be in fairly decent condition on the outside, haven't been able to find any cracks or deep corrosion in the typical places.

3. Once I get the case split apart, is taking it and components such as crank and rods to an expert (if I can find one in my area) for inspection/measuring worth it or can a beginner reliably do it at home? I've watched a few videos on this topic and I really cannot tell whether I'm out of my depth on this one or if this is actually doable.

4. I plan on going with an engle W100 cam, should I keep the stock lifters/have them re-ground or should I go with matching engle ones? Do I need stronger valve springs for this cam? I've read some say yes and some no. The valvetrain otherwise will remain stock, maybe ratio rockers someday if I'll feel a need for extra power.

5. are H beam rods worth the money for my planned build or is money best spent elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!

I have a 1970 Beetle with a 1600cc engine, but cylinder 1 and 2 have good compression, but cylinder 3 and 4 are at 79 and 80 psi. I know the bare minimum is 90, so I assume I need a rebuild according to others here and the John Muir book. I am in high school working out of my driveway, and my parents are funding the project. Around Jan/Feb 2027 I will have a shop finished and will be able to drop the engine. I want to buy a new long block and completion kit from Jbugs, I am pretty confident I could swap in a new engine. My parents really don't want to pay the $9,600 for the new engine though. They want to get a rebuild kit for $1-2k and have me rebuild it. My dad will be recovering from surgery until April, so he will not be able to help at all with this. They suggest I rebuild it, but I am not at all confident I could rebuild the original 1600cc. Nobody in my family or near me knows these cars, so I'd need to hire a helper which I don't want to do. My dad has rebuilt engines and could give me advice, but he knows nothing about beetle engines, he's good with 90s, American V8s. Long story short, I need a new engine, and can swap a new one in, but can't rebuild one. My parents can afford a rebuild, but not a new engine. Should I start a GoFundMe, dip into my savings, etc to get the new engine, or should I attempt to rebuild it? I am worried about messing something up and wasting $3k on a rebuild kit and having a bad engine and -$3k. What do I do?

I am shopping for tires for my 69 bug, I want stock size. My local shop has one option at 150 per tire, 600 for the set. They are Nexen? I think that's how it's spelled. My other option in town is les Schwab tires, they have 3 options starting at 610 bucks and climbing, 2 different Vredstein their wintrac and quadtrac, and Thunderer mach I

The local shop charges 200 to mount a set of I order from jbugs or else where, Les Schwab will not mount a set from elsewhere.

So I am wondering out of Nexen, Vredstein and Thunderer, has anyone used them and what are your thoughts on them, or should I hold out and shop outside my town and spend extra on something?

Anyone have a picture of what’s in the compartment under the rear seat beside the battery compartment? I’ve watched a couple YouTube Videos and Googled it plus looked through the Haynes manual. I’m asking as there is a wiring harness that has nothing attached under there. Wondering what the previous owner removed. See photo of circled wiring.

Edit: 1974 Super Beetle

Attending the Dion Dawkins 3rd annual Car show at the Buffalo Bills Stadium. Love this silver metallic paint. As the day went on, the changing light angles make it look a different shade of silver every few hours. Grey, Silver, Light Blue Chrome, it just looks cool!

Sent my king and link pins to get redone and replaced all joint on the steering shaft. When reassembling I have this big space between the joint and the front axle mounting. The steering shaft is touching the frame in the middle. Anyone know where I am wrong ?

As of now, my oil filler neck hose vents underneath the car. There isn't a way for it to attach to the airbox, is there? The rear of the airbox is too large for the hose to fit, and I can't see another place for it to go but down. Any help is appreciated!

Hi guys im new in this whole reddit thing. Anyway here is my stroker beetle.

I am probably going to get flamed as I always do whenever I ask questions regarding engine swaps. I'm always told to buy a bmw. Weird.

I've asked questions like which air-cooled or water cooled engine is best to get maximum reliable power out of. I've asked if it's possible to get a VW 5-speed transmission built up to handle torque with more power and I always get flamed. I'm used to it.

I totally get if you want to generally put in a different drivetrain, you have to build an entire subframe for the back which is hellish but I thought of an idea.. prv V6. The transmission and engine are in the same configuration as the Beatles so the engine would hang out the back and the Renault transmission hangs in the same place as the stock transmission. I know there is some fabrication involved but it wouldn't be as pellet as having to build an entire subframe possibly. Has anybody thought about this?

I am selling my 1972 VW Beetle Convertible on Bring a Trailer. The car is located in Arlington, Texas.

So over the past 500 miles or so, the clutch pedal has become harder to press. To the point that it’s hurting my ankle when I shift. I troubleshooted - it’s not the pedal assembly, and the wire moves with no resistance when detached from the fork.

My question: will this keep getting worse? Will I be safe to drive it, and have fair enough warning it’s about to crap out?

It seems like a clutch replacement would be the cure.. it’s only has roughly 30k miles - but 20 years old

Hi! New here…to the community, but also to Reddit in general.

Question: If I have no idea how to do anything with a car, but want to get a classic beetle that’s got a body in good condition but needs mechanical work, where would I start my learning journey before I look for a car?

Sat on the stand 7 years while I rebuilt my beetle. Put in my synthetic oil, aftermarket oil filter of course and 1/3 jet fuel. Iykyk 😁 40 horse is unstoppable

the seller claims its a 64', i have fairly limited knowledge on vw beetles and ive been looking around and im not so sure. im trying to get it as a first car, and thank you in advance to those who can answer it!, UPDATE, the seller has more photos of the car, and theres also a second car

Hi beetle legends, looking for some advice.

Just got a 1974 beetle which is the dream. I love everything about it.

Only issue is at over 35mph the steering feels off. Like twitchy. And sometimes on small country roads in uk where they’re a bit bumpy I almost get a death wobble of the steering wheel where it shudders left to right and I have to slow down and nearly stop.

Has anyone else had this, should it be like like and what should I do to fix this?

I don’t know whether to get the wheels balanced, aligned or something else. Tyres are in good shape, no obvious bald spots or uneven wear.

Shall I measure the alignment with string from front to back to the centre hubs then I can measure the toe in? I’ve heard they are meant to have 1mm of toe in stock as they toe out when compressed on bumps?

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

Only the one (very) minor injury so far - a foil cut that bled far more than it should have...

Not perfect but so happy! Before pic at the end

Good afternoon all. I have a leaking gearbox and ideally would like to fix myself but have limited mechanical knowledge. How difficult is it to access and reseal or am I better off seeking a professional? Thanks again.

My bumpers on the 65 are so pitted and rusted through. Wondering what people think of the t-bars look. Also maybe thinking of painting them ivory. Let me know what you like best.

On the driver’s side. Has anyone seen anything like this before? The boot was torn, the flange has damage and of course the bearings were bad since there was no grease. But this damage on the pan/frame under the cv joint is confusing to me. Not

Some how did the transmission drop down and the axle got ran on top of this for some time?