Looking for guys or gals...hell might as well be PC for once in my life....that have experience in converting drum VW IRS rear ends to disc brakes and or five lug.....

I'm looking at a fake Speedster that has a four lug VW front and rear end....front discs and rear drums....I would like to know how hard the conversions are, who to avoid, who has the best parts, what's compatible for DIYs....

Thanks

go buy a copy of hotvws mike. lots of vendors sell the whole setup and you can get 5 lug rotors for the front.

k

Geez, they still in business? Figured they went down the toilet when VW went to water...haven't picked that mag up in 20 years...

Thanks

Mike ,go to Speedster Owners.com.Get on their board and you'll find all the answers.They also have classifieds,parts and cars.

http://www.cip1.com

The econo kits work but you have to fuch around with it a bit. I think you can get them with 5 bolt.

Just did one on a speedster... 4 bolt with adaptors.

i still read it every month. when the wife is in the checkout line at the grocery store . if there is a tech article of interest i buy one on occasion. for bigger rears on the cheap go with t-3 drums and have them drilled with the pattern you want. i have the tech writeup in one copy.

k

Early 944 brakes are a bolt on on the rear. Germanlook.com forums has lots of information about doing this. It will widen the track in the rear, if i remember right, about an inch overall.

Checkout CB performance or jbugs website. I'm sure thats an easy conversion with all the V-dub stuff on the market. You can probably even get a Wilwood setup from a sandrail shop. Let me guess, you are look'n at a black one with flares?

http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=714

CB carries it all (www.cbperformance.com) and are probably your best bet. Alternatively Aircooled.net (www.aircooled.net) for excellent tech advice. There are basically two types of rear disc kits, with and without parking brakes, then "cheap" (rotohub combination hub/disc) and "race" (with separate hubs and rotors). Difference is a hundred bucks and a bit, but the "race" package is lots better quality. There's nothing else involved, just unbolt the old stuff, bolt on the new and bleed the brakes. Very simple and they work great right out of the box. If you want that old wide-five look, though, you'll have to pay at least double. I personally would stay with the four lug (more modern, rugged) and put 356 hubcaps over them. No one will know the difference.

I was going to ask earlier, and should have, are you wanting the wide 5-lug early vw pattern, or the Porsche 5 lug pattern?

QUOTE (charlesmac @ Aug 11 2005, 12:36 PM)

... the Porsche 5 lug pattern?

which "the" Porsche 5-lug pattern? all Porsches have 5-lug wheels (well - ok - except for the centerlock race cars...)

the drum brake or the 5x130mm disk brake?

OK, your right i know. I was referring to the 5x205 vs. the 5x130mm patterns.
thanks for the clarification.

shoptalkforums.com...

also I think Tom Perso is a big-time bug guy too.. he had his 2270 t4 in a bug... I bet that was a fast bastard!

5x130 so I can run Fuchs....

Mikeee is buying a tubster...


M

Thinking about it....

Can't decide on a hot 4...or to use the 2.4 MFI motor I have sitting around the garage......

Yah, I like it.

I'd go /4.

Story on the 2.4? Oh 'DIBS'.

PM me!


M

The speedster replicas are fun to drive, I have a Intermeccanica speedster that I drive almost everyday. It has a 1914 four in it, and it keeps up with traffic. The hubs have been redrilled 5 x 5 1/2 more wheels to pick from.

QUOTE (SEEMORE BUTZ @ Aug 11 2005, 10:41 AM)

5x130 so I can run Fuchs....

That's easy enough. When you buy the disc kits ask them for blank rotors drilled to 5x130 and, very important, have THEM press in the studs. If I remember correclty CB Performance doesn't much like to do the different bolt patterns, while SoCal Imports had the best prices and did good work. Both my kid's VW's have four-wheel discs with redrilled rotors, the younger's running 6 and 8 inch Fuchs, the older's autocross Ghia running 16x7 inch 4x100 ricer wheels (for clearance) with Azenis. And a 2.0 liter 914 engine. It's a tail-dragger, but in the 914 spirit of things.

The kit cars are a lot lighter so a nice strong 4 would be a lot of fun.

Gee I feel stupid The hubs are drilled 5 x 4 3/4 ( chevy ) . not 5 x 5 1/2 .

Shelby is the Intermeccanica the one that is now called Beck Speedster?
I've been considering one of those or a Beck Spyder as my basic transpo starting in Jan or Feb (or so)

No, the Intermeccanica is built in Canada. The Beck is built on the west coast in California. The Beck Spyder has been built for a long time , and I believe they just started the Speedsters , A good build from what I hear. Vintage Speedster is another good one. I really do enjoy mine. If you have any questions you can email me

The one I am looking at is advertised here, on the Samba and the Speedsterowners.com. It's a CMC, Classic Motor Carriage.

They made a pretty good copy but are now out of bidness...seems they had a whole lotta bidness orders that they couldn't fill, fell behind, got sued and went of bidness....State of Florida smacked them down hard....

The seller toasted the Type I motor in AZ...go figure.... and I'm looking at it as another project.

Mike ,you are right.But I think all the molds etc. were bought out by Street Beast. I have seen some of their bodies and I think they look good. There seems to be some wavey lines on the driver's doors . But those could be block sanded smooth. I like the look of the flared bodies, that's what I have.

Who what, me? Have a bug? Noooo...

I had the CB Performance Roto-Hub conversion kit on my 63 Bug (sitting on a 71 IRS pan). I also had their front brake kit to match it. Those were activated by a 17mm 914 MC.

It would stop on a dime, true and straight. The rear calipers were off G-bodied GM cars (I think), Cutlass Supreams, Regals, etc. They worked really well.

Not much money either. If I recall correctly, they now sell a 5x130 pattern for Porsche wheels.

My friend Grant got a set in blank and drilled his own 5x100 pattern for New Beetle wheels.

Later,
Tom

Pics - not sure if they help...









I miss that car....

Tom

If you have fab skills you can make the 914 rears work. You needs hubs from a T3 and you cut the nose down .600...fab some brackets and weld them in. I had this set-up on my old bug.

QUOTE

I've been considering one of those or a Beck Spyder as my basic transpo starting in Jan or Feb (or so)

Sean, the speedster is real small and the spyder is even smaller. A spyder (Vintage) parked beside me at the PCA show and the body only came 2/3's as high as the teener...windshield frame was less than half way up the 914 windshield...very small.
The owner said that with the top up he could only get in if someone helped close the top after he was in.

i saw manfred listed just above the speedster. he doesn't want to swap the plastic car and some cash?

k

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Aug 12 2005, 08:16 AM)

the speedster is real small and the spyder is even smaller. A spyder (Vintage) parked beside me at the PCA show and the body only came 2/3's as high as the teener...windshield frame was less than half way up the 914 windshield...very small. The owner said that with the top up he could only get in if someone helped close the top after he was in.

So the top is basically for parking only? I know they are small, they had a replica on Automaniacs with Goldberg last week. I know he's big, but that car is tiny! Still, at this point it's a virtual coin toss.

what about side windows? snap on vinyl pieces?

british style side curtains are what I've seen for these.

Side curtains....like my old Bug Eye Sprite.....

Looks like the deal is going down. Gonna try and hitch a ride with Joe Spark/O'brien on the trailer coimng from New Mexico through Phoenix.

Manfred is semi up for sale again. I find that racing takes me away from my family but street cars are OK.....

QUOTE (seanery @ Aug 12 2005, 10:23 AM)

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Aug 12 2005, 08:16 AM) the speedster is real small and the spyder is even smaller. A spyder (Vintage) parked beside me at the PCA show and the body only came 2/3's as high as the teener...windshield frame was less than half way up the 914 windshield...very small. The owner said that with the top up he could only get in if someone helped close the top after he was in. So the top is basically for parking only? I know they are small, they had a replica on Automaniacs with Goldberg last week. I know he's big, but that car is tiny! Still, at this point it's a virtual coin toss.

Very small...he said with the top up he is claustrophobic as shit and he had only driven it once with the top up. He was a small guy 5'-6" or 5'-7" at the most.

Also he was having insurance problems...it was for sale but none of the potential buyers could get insurance for it.