This came in from a cousin of mine who lives in Boulder. He hasn't had a VW for more than 20-25 years ... but obviously recalls "the thrill of the chase" and results. SamC
For a while, right after I got out of the service, I drove a '61 VW Panel Truck. Those 25 horses in the "57 engine that was in it when I got it protested mightly when I tried to push it any, and they finally gave up after only a couple months of ownership, via a split crankshaft! This was during the time that dune buggies and "hopped up V-dubs" were popular, so I checked out the local VW hop-up store, for rebuild kits, new motors, whatever I could find and afford to get the truck back on the road. What I ended up finding was a '69 van that someone had tried to modify by putting a telephone pole between the driver and front passenger seats! Engine and transmission for $350.00 seemed like a good deal, so the project began. Now, that '69 engine packed almost 70 horses between that rear axel! When I finished, that panel truck, with none of the added weight of an interior, could scratch rubber in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears!& nbsp; Whew! Granted, top end didn't change much, and getting to the top end was still, well, a wait, but scratching rubber in my younger days was kinda fun, especially in a V-dub! That's one of my VW stories! Terry |
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