A Notchback Story

[earlesurfs]

I purchased this Notch in 1991 for $1960 in LA at night. On the drive home the lights got dim and when I stopped for gas I had to push start it because the generator was bad. Two days later I was pulled over and it was impounded for fake tags and had not been registered since the mid eighty's.

A year later I rear end a ford truck and had to replace the front clip...

The car had been butchered and put back together with horrible craftsmanship so I decided to take it completely apart, rebuild the pan and build a fast type 1 engine with a race trans. I built a 2054 with ported 044 heads, 130 cam, and 48 IDA's. bought a close ratio trans and it was off to the races! Best ET was 7.10 at terminal island but rumors say the track was a little short. It was still fast enough to beat all the tubbed big blocks out there!

This was before I raised the engine and trans 1-5/8" to eliminate camber. I was breaking axles left and right and dave foltz hooked me with a bus nose cone and Diamond axles.

Next came a paint job and interior. I purchased a set of Honda Plelude seats because they were the cool seats to have in the 90's, door panels and headliner from J-Bugs and my father helped me install custom black carpet that was show quality.

The last picture was 1997, the last time I drove it. I lost my license and it sat for 6 months in my garage in sunset beach. the salt air got to the rings and rusted them into the cylinders. The heads were full of corrosion and I was devastated. The motor was sold to my father for parts and the car sat until about a year ago.

[earlesurfs]

a couple years ago I was working tons of OT and started stockpiling parts for a killer new engine. Here are some of the parts:
2387cc
86mm Bugpack Flanged Crank
Pauter Rods
94mm Weisco Pistons
S/F Heads ported By Deal Lowry
Pauter 1.5 Rockers
Pauter Rods
fk-46 cam
12.5:1
1-3/4 A-1
Italian IDA's

I still had my thing fan shroud and misc. other parts

I reinforced the subframe and purchased Delrin solid mounts from Bugbox then had it powdercoated.

[earlesurfs]

I was not happy with it so I started building a coilover rear end with ladder bars. I was test fitting the subframe and noticed a lot of rust in the sheet metal "frame" where the subframe mounts. I gave up and was pretty upset. What do I do now?

Repair/ Rebuild the frame sheet metal?

No way!

Its time for a full tube chassis!

I drove over to Ron Lummus and purchased a Chromoly chassis in kit form.

I came home and fired up the compressor and got out the death wheel and sawzall.

[earlesurfs]

I picked up the chassis kit yesterday and could hardly sleep last night I was so excited!

[earlesurfs]

I notched a few tubes today, got the pan out finally and disassembled it for the parts I need. I am going to build an a-arm/coilover front suspension and am going to use the type III spindles.

Good Bye Pan... Hello Chassis!

Some of the front end parts I have accumulated.

More pics to come...

[earlesurfs]

My dad used to take me to the bug-in's at OCIR. Since I was really young I always wanted a black notchback. Since high school I've wanted a black tube chassis notchback. I am finally going to have that car!

The goal is a steel body, full bumper, tube chassis notchback that lookslike it did in 1993 but lower with way bigger tires. Eventually it will get a turbo and EFI added and I would like to put a G50 LSD in it. A low 10 second street car is my ultimate goal.

1993

[KopfenJager]

Sweet ride!

[EverettB]

Cool, looking forward to progress.
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[supaninja]

Sweet dude!
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Nick
Megasquirted Type 4 powered Notch http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=427890&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Blog of Doom http://supaninjanick.wordpress.com/

[ALLWAGONS]

Awesome! Cool story!
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I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[avesondm]

I will be sure to stay away when I see it on the road. Do you plan on taking out to Irwindale someday?
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71 Squareback FI "TC"

Fat chicks need love too and I have more frunk space than you.

[ataraxia]

I have an actual photograph of your car somewhere.

I grew up in Long Beach/Garden Grove and had a business in North OC, so I drove around a lot.

I was driving around in my Squareback and saw your car. I almost always had a camera with me-I pulled over and took a photo of it because I liked it.

Weird...small world.

Good to see that you're going for your dream...I heard the same rumors of the track at TI being 'short'.

[Shaven]

great story...
its taken a few years but in the end you got what you wanted... love it
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the dc baggin is because its a well known fact that a restored sc will never be worth anywhere near what even a shitbox dc is

[earlesurfs]

[vwfye]

you may officially be my hero now!
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64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"
1974 Ghia "PUK"

[bigvwhead]

Awsome story please keep up on the pic's I have a very rusty 68' notch that I have been considering doing the same thing with and would like to know what problems you face during your build. Are you planing on keeping the cookie cutters on your notch? I have always love the look of them on type-3s.
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'65 Karmann ghia
'65 500,000 mile bug (og motor-trans)
'65 Twin Turbo Ghia (in the works)
'66 double cab
'66 bug

[earlesurfs]

I plan on posting pictures of the entire build and posting some older pics of the car as well as soon as I can dig them out and scan them. I have tons of old pics leading up to the point where it was. I have A lot of pics from when I had the pan off. Also a lot from when I had to replace the hood due to the wreck and a door, front fender, rear fender and the rear trunk lid due to rust caked full of bondo. I purchashe the replacement parts from the Recycler way back in the days before the Internet. the parts were bright yellow.One of the rear fenders I bought but did not use (I think it might have had louvers somewhere) was bright yellow with some crazy black and bright colored (hot pink?) graphics all over it. It appeared to be a great paint job(show quality maybe)even though the style was hideous. I always wondered what happened to that custom 80's notch that they sold parts from it.
I remember paying $200 for two descent rear fJender, two front fenders a hood and a perfect trunk lid... Those were the days!

Anyway, I'm out of town right now so no progress on the notch this week. When I return home I plan to get the main hoop in and the rest of the roll cage notched and intalled. I will post pics. I am also going to get the engine wrapped up and over to DRD. To break it in and jet it on the dyno. That will be one less thing to think about and should help me focus on the chassis.

I like cookie cutters on type III's too and I plan on keeping them. I found a company that will widen them called Eric Vaughn machine: http://www.ericvaughnmachine.com/Services.html
I'm thinking 9" or 10" in the rear but not sure until I get to that point. Maybe run 275's in the back and 225's out front? Maybe Hoosier road race tires with the two DOT grooves. Not sure yet. I was going to machine some adapters and had a set of 19" bbs center locks I could put on occasionally but I sold them to a BMW guy who just had to have them. You can see one tucked under my notch... I should have hung on to them.

I was out of the vw scene for a long time and there are some new terms going around I am not too familiar with. Would you say this is a "dark side" build?

[earlesurfs]

Got home early and decided to work on the notch engine a little tonight.

I tig welded my old German fan.
I'm going to assemble the alternator with pulley and balance it as an assembly.

I have only owned one VW alternator my whole life. I purchased it from a friend while I was in high school probably around 1992 for $30. It was extremely ugly and making loud bearing noise. I was putting new bearings in it and started sanding the parting lines off. My plan was to powder coat it. I hit it with 80 grit then went to 220. after that a little 400 then 800 and even 1200. Took it to the buffing wheel and now I have a polished alternator...

I hope it still works

Hopefully I can get the engine complete this weekend and take it over to the dyno. After that I am going to attack the chassis and try to get it at least a roller by June.

More pics to come...

[earlesurfs]

[earlesurfs]

I got a little work done on the Notchback today. I spent a lot of time getting the tools working properly and built some adjustable support stands to hold the longer tubes while notching them.

we also got my dads '67 back on the pan today. Its going to be a really nice car!

I'm starting a new job tomorrow so i'm not sure when I will get to work on this again. Hopefully soon. I was hoping to have it rolling with the engine and trans in by the classic but we will see...

More to come