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Post by 71covert on May 9, 2008 10:35:56 GMT -5
Hey I am new here and first want to say hello to everyone. I am getting ready to make my 71 a rocket and am looking for lots of help. I am putting a ramjet 350 into my convertible. I was looking into www.prostreetbug.com and their kits. Has anyone here done one of their kits or know how complete they are? I don't wanna spend all that money then be nickeled and dimed to death with all the little stuff. Second I was looking for any advice that anyone have done this may have to offer. I was also wondering what transmissions everyone is using, rear tire sizes, and gears they may have. Again thank you for all your help, and I keep up with my plans and build once I begin. Thanks Mike |
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Post by hellraiser on May 9, 2008 12:11:01 GMT -5
hello and welcome. first of all, if ur not wanting to spend alot on this project and your fairly mechanicaly inclined than u could always go with the s-10 chassis as i have and others. second, as for gearing and tires it all depends on what look your going for, do u want big meaty slicks, a lowered street bug, ect? third on the www.prostreetbug.com if you look at the chassis, it tells you what each kit includes. hope that helps.  |
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Post by V8 Super Beetle on May 9, 2008 12:11:16 GMT -5
Hey I am new here and first want to say hello to everyone. I am getting ready to make my 71 a rocket and am looking for lots of help. I am putting a ramjet 350 into my convertible. I was looking into www.prostreetbug.com and their kits. Has anyone here done one of their kits or know how complete they are? I don't wanna spend all that money then be nickeled and dimed to death with all the little stuff. Second I was looking for any advice that anyone have done this may have to offer. I was also wondering what transmissions everyone is using, rear tire sizes, and gears they may have. Again thank you for all your help, and I keep up with my plans and build once I begin. Thanks Mike Welcome aboard Mike! Check out "1973 Bug Project Specs" I believe is the name of the thread where a member here actually built a frame from their plans, but they didn't purchase a kit from them. They have different packages ranging from plans, to precut tubing (Stage I), to every suspension part included (Stage III which every supension part is included minus the guts for the rear end, I think you get just the housing?). They had more details online but reduced the amount of info, so it seems. Their kits range from about $1.5 K - 5 K depending on what stage you get, if I remember correctly. So it can get pretty pricey but you get what you pay for. If I could've afforded it I would've bought a Mustang II front suspension and made the frame out of 2" x 3" .120 steel tubing, similar to the Glass Station plans. When you go that route you're looking at some serious $$$ but it'll be a nice build. Most have gone with a shortened 9" ford rear or whatever rear came with the frame they're using for their donor chassis. In my case it's just the S10 stock rear (I'm building a 283 so it'll hold). As far as tranny I think most are using a TH350. It's a real common and cheap tranny to use that'll hold up to some serious power if built well. Other options would be the TH400 or 700R4 all which are automatic. A stick is doable but your foot space is limited.  Tire size and rear gear ratio varies between each build. Most are using a 15" rim size, looks like. Gear, you'll probably need to ask yourself, will it be street / strip or all out drag and make your selection accordingly. My $.02 |
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Post by lookatme on May 9, 2008 13:23:39 GMT -5
you'll probably need to ask yourself, will it be street / strip or all out drag and make your selection accordingly. ^^ best advice i could give. |
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Post by 71covert on May 9, 2008 13:43:33 GMT -5
It will be street driven so I am wanting a 4 speed auto. I am leaning towards the prostreet kit for a few reasons I have read that it seems the s10s sit higher and I am wanting my to have a lower stance and look. And after getting a s10 and replacing all the worn parts in the suspension and converting the rear to a four link and cutting down the frame it seems that the kit may be more what I am looking for. I am not completely mechanicaly inclined, I mostly just lack a lot of the tools. But thats what you have friends for. Right? I will post some before pics later. And may order the kits as soon as prosteet returns my call.
Still open for any pointers
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Post by V8 Super Beetle on May 9, 2008 14:11:35 GMT -5
Lowering a S-10 is very easy because there are a lot of after market parts available and you can pretty much slam it to the floor. All in all it has costed me about $150 for the frame, $150 for new bushings, ball bearings, etc. (everything needed to completely rebuild the chassis), and paint / primer was another $75. So I've spent around $375. Thing is you have to take it apart and install those pieces and you have to cut out a lot more metal from the bug body. Not difficult but time consuming. On the other hand I've only had to weld four critical areas (frame wise) to get it to the length I need and to fit some shorter leafs under the frame. With the prostreet chassis you'll have a lot more welds / sections to your frame.  You could easily go to the junkyard and just buy the front clip of a S10 and build the frame out of steel tubing. A lesser espensive way to build it. Like this. This build uses a S10 front clip and the rest of the frame is custom built out of 2"x 3" tubing and angle iron.   If money isn't an issue I would just go with the prostreet build! |
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Post by 71covert on May 9, 2008 14:54:12 GMT -5
Wish it wasn't but money is an issue I had to sell my a few of my toys to get the money together just to look at buying everything. I have owned the bug since I was six and I dont wanna let it go so this seemed to be the best idea.  my vfr I sold  my 71 blazer with 12 in lift on built locked one tons this is where the motor is coming from only 100 miles on it sold my dirt bike to so lots of sacrfice for this and if any one is intrested I am selling the wheels and tires off the truck they are 42 in tsl on double sided beadlocks with all the goddies |
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Post by V8 Super Beetle on May 9, 2008 15:40:59 GMT -5
Lots of sacrifice made for sure. The nicest way to go would be to build that prostreet chassis or something similar using the Mustang II front suspension, four link rear suspension, and a shortened 9" ford rear. Are you going to make yours look stock?
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Post by lookatme on May 9, 2008 18:27:31 GMT -5
thats a nice 71 with a 69/70 front clip. i got two longbed 71 trucks, and probly enough parts and sheetmetal to make an entire truck. the trucks are the running ispiration. its fun to just cruise around the neighborhood and open up.
i would recomend a 4 link, and either a dana 60, a 12 bolt truck, or the 9 inch. the 4 link is good to keep the rear suspension nice and short. pretty much any of the rear ends are going to need to be narrowed in order to tuck under the fenders. the s10 is probly one of the easiest frames to use for chevy parts. i dont see why you shouldnt be able to use a ford ranger frame though ( havent pulled tape on one).
there are plenty of options depending on finances and creativity. mostly just creativity in using what parts are readily available.
-chris.
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Post by 71covert on May 9, 2008 21:13:20 GMT -5
Thanks that truck has been my life for the past four years. I am selling it to a friend that will be using the suspension, axles, and other small parts on his 72. He has a much nicer rust free body. I talk to the guys at prostreet this afternoon and will be ordering a stage three kit hopefully next week. Here are some pics of what I will be working with. Here is my 71 superbeetle when I first got it.    Here are some pictures of the bug when I was about 18 with a paintjob and some new rims and a little chrome and sweet new interior and top by sewfine   Here is her current condition in the garage   The 1776 that was built by randy of sportcars volkswagon specialties  The bug was bought by my grandfather when I was 5 with 33,000 miles with the intention when I turn 16 it would be my first car. It had 36,000 miles when I was 16 and I got a new motor when I graduated high school. The car was at 55,000 miles then and had lots of new parts that made it cooler for a high schooler. Now it sits with 85 thousand miles and I have a feeling once it has a chevy heart the millage will grow much faster. I will be updating as much as I can with what is going on with my baby but there may not be much for a while since prostreet said it will be two to three weeks for the frame to be completed so more will start then. till then I will be checking out everyones thread. Thank you every one feel free to write when ever. |
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Post by racerman51 on May 11, 2008 9:58:43 GMT -5
has Pro-street said anything about what you should do before you take the body off of the chassis?..just an idea here to keep the body straight before you do anything..since there's no roof to keep it from folding up when you take it off,what you should do is fab up a couple of braces for the door openings...like what Stacey David did among others on some of the shows on SPEED Tv the past few years..they wouldn't have to be much,a couple pieces of maybe one inch square tubing with a couple of pieces of flat-bar on each end..take the doors off and make one of the ends of the brace to fit the holes where the door hinges bolt on the body and bolt the brace to that and the other end flat and tack it to the door sill near the latch..if you have a MIG welder,or access to one,this could be done really easy and without too much damage to fix later on..MIGs have the ability to make a good weld with a limited amount of heat,in the hands of a good welder,anyways and if you can make a good tack,it will hold up until you cut it off when you finally get your project done. Agrinder works well in this case.. anyways,here's a link to Stacey's site..check it out to see if there's anything there that can help you.. www.gearztv.com/index.php? |
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Post by hellraiser on May 11, 2008 23:45:50 GMT -5
the heater channels in the body keep it pretty well sturdy, and also in any convertable vehicle, they have extra bracing built in to make up for it not having the structuability of the roof.
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Post by V8 Super Beetle on May 12, 2008 8:44:05 GMT -5
What the guys do that chop their roofs is tack weld some braces across the doors where they latch and weld a x bracing inside the car body. Your body will flex some but I think you'll be fine if you build your chassis correct. I know the body on mine flexs pretty easily but a lot of the metal that made the body rigid has been removed. Come to think of it the body didn't really flex before I cut out all the metal so it'll sit on the s10 frame. I believe the extra bracing is in the pan itself and not so much in the body.
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Post by V8 Super Beetle on May 12, 2008 9:11:27 GMT -5
Cool lil story about the bug and that's awesome you're building the prostreet chassis! Can't wait to see it come together.
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Post by racerman51 on May 12, 2008 12:55:01 GMT -5
check out this video from youtube..at the 28 second mark,you'll see an example of the door braces I was talking about before.. ca.youtube.com/watch?v=_zM5ijEnyfU&NR=1 of course,I'm not saying that you have to crash test your bug,but this is a good example of what I meant by the braces...you can thank V-8 Superbeetle for that.. |
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