finding engine size? and other quest.

[[email protected]]

Hey all,
New owner of a '70 beetle here. Is there a way i can tell what size engine my car has and what carb it's supposed to have on it? The PO said it's a 1300s, but i thought that was a "sport" model with special wheels?, this car has standard wheels. she also said it's a single port, and I was wondering if there's a good way to boost the power a little bit (economically)? And lastly, (for now at least) where is the brake master cyl. located and is it hard to r&r? She told me it needs a new one...the brakes sometimes have MUCHO pedal travel! Thanks in advance.
Greg
70 bug
98 GTI

[UZI]

i believe the sport model was 73 super beetle only. it had recaro seats, special shifter, sport steering wheel and came it a choice of two colors, saturn yellow or neptune? blue with an accent stripe. most or all chrome pieces were black. wheels were slightly deeper stamped steel wheels. if this is you first vintage vw, get yourself the john muir idiots guide. sounds like your brakes need to be bled. master cylinder is in the front of the car. if it's bad, replace it. if this car came with an owners manual, then this info is in the manual. if you HAVE to drive it somewhere, drive it to get it fixed. you will need to pump up the brakes to stop the car=increased stopping distance. as for engine size, if its the original motor, it's a 1300. single ports have a single tube to the head. dual ports have a sorta siamese twin tube to the head.

[[email protected]]

Ok, it's definitely a single port. I don't know whether the engine is original to the car or not for sure. I suspect it is, since the rest of the car appears very stock. Do the chassis numbers tell what engine it's supposed to have like a modern car or are they just a bunch of numbers?
Thanks for the help

[UZI]

from what i understand, engines were produced in quarters of the year. the build tag will tell you when it was built. then you have to find what engine # was made for that quarter, i don't know where that info is available. some people can look at an engine and know somehow, i think by the first letter(s) in the block #. i'm facing the same question on a 1960 bus. i know my engine is not original b/c it has that larger dia. tube to the port, making it a 1500. i hope that helps some. anyone else?

[bljones]

The chassis number won't tell you what the engine is. Look for the engine number stamped on the bottom of the generator stand. In 1970 the engine number should start with B6, and, in North America at least, it will be a 1600 single port. hope this helps.

[bljones]

Oh yeah... your other questions! brake master cylinder is located under the gas tank, right in front of the bulkhead. take off the left wheel, (or right, on RHD cars) and it is fairly easy to get to, although you have to unbolt it from inside the car, down by the pedal cluster. For lots of good advice on upgrading performance, visit www.aircooled.net, and go to the tech articles section.

[UZI]

wolfsburg west's catalog has engine# and chassis# chart for beetles in it.