1970 VW Squareback 1600 to RX7 rotary conversion.
page 4
03-22-02
Well, about time for an update. Bill Shapley at VW Automotive in Las Vegas
hooked me up with a killer trans. He put a 4.87 ring and pinion in and the
gears are just right. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. I ended up wasting
my clutch because the 4.11 R&P was just too much, like starting in second gear
and fourth was too high even at 70 MPH. While Bill was going through my Tranny,
I worked the radiator into the front of the car, along with the oil cooler
using late model BMW kidney grills for ventilation. To get the water up front I
plumbed 1.25" electrical conduit under the car. The new setup worked very well,
and I drove the car hard for about 4 days. The last night of the four, I was
following with my camera hanging out the window of the Honda, shooting some
mpegs and a couple of stills and my brother was driving the VW. You can hear
the rotary start to sound rough, but it still whipped my 97 Accord. The apex
seals let loose on the rotor, and we putted home. A couple of weeks later, I
found another junkyard engine that looked like it wasn't full of dirt. The guy
at the yard assured me it was a good engine, but his friend hadn't been able to
get it running in his wrecked RX7 that had been sitting for some time. Sigh, a
risk. Well, almost a week ago I got the car all put together again, and even
managed to mount a spare tire where the radiator had been in the back of the
car. This new engine (new to the car) is way better than the other one ever
was. The car is fa-a-ast. I figured my MPH at 17.8 today, but the carb was not
tuned right and was real rich. Holley carbs are finicky I think, but it seems
to be tuned much better now that I tuned it right off the freeway with the
engine piping hot, not just warmed up. O man I gotta get to the drag strip.
This car is fast, and it sounds good too. In the near future, look for an AC
compressor install, and Nevada Hose of Hose to help me with some good hoses
like the oil cooler hoses they custom made for me.
05-16-02 Yeah I know I'm slow. I've been either having way too much fun at the
drag strip with the VWX7, or exhausting myself with sandpaper. After a couple
times at the drag strip, I've decided the car is not the fastest car out there,
and therefore should not be the ugliest.
It IS, however, faster than most people expect it to be. I can beat an older RX7
witch is lighter and has the same engine and I give a stock corvette a pretty
fair race. It's turning low 16's and doing about 86mph in the quarter. With
that, I need to get it painted. That's why I am updating my site, because the
car is gone getting painted. When it comes back, I've got a box full of AC
hoses to install so I can feel cool while I'm driving the VW even when it is
not so cool outside.
So while I'm waiting for the car to come back, I'll tell you about it. It is
way fun to drive. The rear engine rear wheel drive power-train configuration
lets me get good hookup on the launch. The car has resettled and is now driving
nicely again. I really think after being on jack stands for 5 years, the car
got stiff. After driving it, and getting some miles on it, the car has loosened
up, and drives much smoother. The radiator up front is working like a charm,
and I won't say here how fast I've had the car, but it is stinkin fast for a VW
and will wip the crap out of any modern grocery getter.
a picture before paint...
Looking at the picture, I'll describe a couple of features. Look for the skid
plate in the front. The typeIII (VW jargon for squareback) front beam (front
suspension housing) hangs pretty low when you lower these cars. Since I know my
driving style, and I don't car to slow down for every little bump, I just
prefer to hit them. So I put this nice 1/8 thick chunk of aluminum to absorb the
obstacles when I hit them. I've hit this thing a lot, and it is nice knowing it
is there for me when I pull in the driveway or tackle a large speed bump or go
over a railway crossing in a ditch at, well... a little more than the speed
limit. The skid plate has proved it's worth, and has the scars to prove it.
Besides, it keeps all my cooling hoses safe and gives me a place to route them.
The second area of interest is the headlights. There are several companies
offering halogen conversions, and these are the same ones used on a Kenworth
truck. I have nothing but good comments about these headlights, and while the
aren't cheap, they are well worth the money. How much does it cost to fix a
crashed VW? I don't want to know, but safety is very important to me.
Speaking of safety, the type III also uses disc brakes in the front. I am very
happy with the braking power of the ol VW. Right now I'm still running the drum
brakes in the rear, but I'm considering a rear disc setup. My only hang up is
the brakes work so good now, I am afraid to mess with a good thing.
I'll be back after the paint job!
