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Oct 30, 2023 15:12:14 GMT
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The wife and I are always sending texts to each other with cool, interesting cars. She sends me a link to this and I say "Hey- that's pretty cool". Next thing you know, it's only an hours drive and we are standing in front of it. It's a 1972 VW 411 Wagon. Beetle engine, not there, no auto gearbox either. Lots of trim/brightwork in the back and a good title. Cheap as chips too, I might add. Very nice guy that had it- he never got around to starting the project. The Purists are going to be mad at me for what I'm about to do to this thing... But I can tell you it's NOT getting a Durango/Hemi chassis haha! The wheelbase on this is 99-100 inches. So I've been searching around and have discovered the Fox body Mustang is close enough, some older Camaros & S-10's have a similar wheelbase. The Nissan 300zx... See where I'm going with this? Rear wheel drive, front engine tire shredding power in a tiny can. Yep. The old VW floor pan and suspension are of little use to me, I want modern handling and power. Of cousre, budget minded.
I'm open to interesting suggestions- I'm visioning a wild little drift car or street racer style. Not sure yet!
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cdwood2010
Part of things
Dangerously optimistic
Posts: 228 
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Oct 30, 2023 15:18:05 GMT
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Shut the front feck. That's an amazing find, I can't wait to see what you do with it! Pretty sure the purist dubbers are freaking TF out right now. Popcorn on standby! C  |
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,500
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Oct 30, 2023 15:46:09 GMT
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Nobody's freaking out, because nobody likes type 4s.
They're not separate chassis like Beetles or type 3s, though. I don't know whether that screws your plans or not.
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Oct 30, 2023 16:04:02 GMT
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A Porsche Boxter has almost the same wheelbase ( 1" less), and apparently early ones can be found for reasonable money. So that is probably what I'd do with it. Although... I have a Toronado transaxle in my shed, waiting to be used in some crazy project....  That 411 would be a nice sleeper with a souped up V8 in the back. |
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Oct 30, 2023 16:52:30 GMT
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Nobody's freaking out, because nobody likes type 4s. They're not separate chassis like Beetles or type 3s, though. I don't know whether that screws your plans or not. Oh yeah I've been reading that nobody likes these, but it wouldn't matter if everyone loved em, it's still going under the grinder/saw. Might take in a Jag Etype into the saws one day- I like interesting vehicles and if I get a vision, it's happening.
Chassis on this thing is also meaningless because I plan on removing the entire floor & firewall of the thing and setting it on top of a unibody floor pan that is powerful and fast. The rest? Yeah we'll take the leap and build our wings on the way down.
It's going RWD V8 almost assuredly. Or AWD like maybe an Audi TT or similar... |
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,753
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Oct 30, 2023 18:38:51 GMT
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There never was a beetle engine in there. More a bus engine, but then busses (bay windows and wedges) used the engines of the type 4 VWs. Pancake style flat fours. Type 4 engines were often used to build really juicy beetles! Not that this is of any use for Your project.  |
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Last Edit: Oct 30, 2023 18:40:08 GMT by braaap
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Oct 30, 2023 20:00:40 GMT
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That's right- he did say that it was a bus engine, and these axles are specific to them. When it stops raining I'll empty the thing out and see what is exactly inside of it. I know the engine and gearbox are not inside, I was offered a frozen Porsche 914 engine with the stuck original engine but I struck a deal without those, for obvious reasons |
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,753
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Oct 30, 2023 21:10:32 GMT
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Oh yes, the 914 used that vw type 4 engine, too.  |
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Hi grenade Went to collect a rear bumper 50 miles from home today. Home conversion to Subaru power. Shortest video to maybe (unlikely) influence your decisions. |
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Hi grenade Went to collect a rear bumper 50 miles from home today. Home conversion to Subaru power. Shortest video to maybe (unlikely) influence your decisions. I'm leaning towords the Subaru but if I do use one- I'm keeping the entire front engine layout and modern suspension. This vehicle I have is a 1972 and to get a new engine under the thing, with old steering/brakes- ahhh, yeah that part is unlikely. But the Scooby platform bonded to the VW shell? Now this has potential. We're looking at one on Saturday |
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jimi
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,239
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This should be good Paul I still remember your Maserati from TB   |
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Last Edit: Nov 3, 2023 17:54:54 GMT by jimi
Black is not a colour ! .... Its the absence of colour
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As was said above, nobody cares about these. My pal has a barn full fo panels that he bought, thinking that one day someone would want them. He still has them. Rare or not, they aren't pretty enough, or fondly remembered enough for people to get all dewey eyed about.
Seen one with a 911 motor once. Easy to fit apparently. Kind of messed up the luggage carrying capability of it though. Not sure I'd want to go front engined with it. One of the cool things about these is the flat floor. Also the titanic luggage space up front.
Boxster motor and gearbox would be fun. Then you can keep the front suspension and save a lot of trouble. Do something different.
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Last Edit: Nov 3, 2023 18:09:39 GMT by horrido
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Pretty sure the purist dubbers are freaking TF out right now. Popcorn on standby! C Pretty sure - after many many years of going to VW shows -, that these 'purist dubbers' don't actually even exist outside of the fantasies of the rat look brigade. |
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Last Edit: Nov 3, 2023 20:57:50 GMT by horrido
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Man I love the look of that Maserati! It was so cool and a crazy challenge getting that 1UZFE in there. It had electrical gremlins, needing data from the transmission etc- it would do a burnout, so that's all that mattered. No idea where it is now. As far as the "purists" theory? Oh they exist. I go round and round with them all the time lol As far as the "rat look" brigade? Not a fan of "rat rods" per say, but more a fan of ancient, original looks with performance from today. I like naturally worn, weathered vehicles that when you look at them- they tell a story. What kind of life it must have lived, how it was cared for and who may have used it for all those decades. Very cool. I remember saying that I wish I had a car that looked old but handled well and had the reliability of a new car. I was telling my friends that- forty years ago. Now I create them. The VW 411? We like the way it looks. It reminds me of a Reliant Scimitar, a Volvo P1800 and a Datsun wagon. All very cool, quirky little things. Now imagine 165hp+ front engine, four wheel drive? Manual shift? Come on! That sounds like silly fun to me. We're off in a couple hours to measure one up. |
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It's kind of hilarious how strangely styled these are. Works in your favour though I'd say. It actually looks a lot more normal with the wheels pushed way forwards (and the dorky stance corrected a bit), so it opens up stuff like S10 frames for you.  |
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,753
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Some fun facts about VWs type IV: when it was released, german public gave the 411 the nickname Nasenbaer, which in english is an animal called nasua. I think horrido demonstrated really well why. (Actually the later passat b3 got called that name, too, but maybe not in its time of production.) And german public explained the 411 with 4 doors, 11 years too late. Lookswise I prefer the successor 412. |
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Last Edit: Nov 4, 2023 16:08:11 GMT by braaap
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Slammed look, not for me. Wide tires that stick out of the body- more my style. But the Fuchs style rims look pretty cool. As of right now- it's still up in the air as to which donor vehicle is going under it. Our Subaru got rescheduled until tomorrow. I want to do some measurements even if I don't buy it. 3 series BMW's might work too. It's more than likely getting a roll cage, if it goes V8 |
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I'm surprised nobody noticed this:  It's not something you see in Ohio |
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