Five Ways of Modifying Volkswagen Bugs That Change it's Purpose of Just a People's Car #BlogPost

30 Jan 2017

Hello CTzens and welcome to this blogpost of mine.
Today I’m covering 5 ways of modding VW Beetles that are common, yet change the basic idea of the car.
As Deadpool, the CTzen who gave me the idea for this, mentioned, ways that make it less than 50% of a Bug haha.

So, let’s get right into the Bugs!

#1 Subaru Engine Swaps

Engine swaps have been a thing ever since petrolheads exist. They’re done by enthusiasts who want to get more power in their car without having to upgrade their current engine.
A bit of a shortcut.
Or is it?

Putting an engine made for a front-engined AWD car into a rear-engined RWD car might be a bit more complicated than Marty and Moog have showed us.
So, the question is asked now:

Why and How are people doing it?

Here is why.
They need…

Taking out the original air cooled engine that produces a maximum of 40 bhp (consider that some of the horses have escaped during the years) and putting in a fresh turbo’d ej20 with over 350 BHP and a 5 speed gearbox will definitely make your Bug go nuts!
That is the recipe for a perfect sleeper, a track weapon or even a dragster.

But why Subaru engines, you may ask?
The answer is simple: Their piston layout is the same as the Bug’s; They’re both Boxer engines.
And that really matters during the process of fitting it in.
On the other side, it is far from a ‘plug and play’ engine swap. Lots of fabrication is needed to make it look, fit and function properly.
In some cases it might require cutting off pieces of metal from the rear end in order to fit the engine inside.
But due to it’s growing popularity, a lot of conversion kits are available out there, on the market.

#2 Baja Bugs

Derived from Dune Buggies, the idea of a Baja Bug is making a VW Beetle capable of impressive off road maneuvers, anywhere from beaches to rock climbes.

There is usually a list of (basic) mods people follow :

Removing rear panels, so that the air cooled engine could breathe easier:

Roll Bars

These are used for, more or less, obvious reasons.
Off road rides, rock climbs and dune bugging can be tricky and your car can flip over.
Buggers usually equip their Bajas with 6-point cages, which can be combined with safety seats and harnesses.
Speanking of safety, fuel tank upgrades are also a must.
Sponge-filled tanks are a common choice, as they prevent the fuel from spilling.

Suspension upgrade

Suspension stops can be removed for extra drivability, though drivers often choose longer shock absorbers to lenghten the suspension travel.
This modification provides a more comfortable ride off road.
Coilover type springs mounted to the roll cage are a good replacement for the torsion bar suspension, providing even better off roading conditions.

Off road wheels and tires

In order to leave the comforts of tarmac you have to equip your Beetle with some durable, off road made tires.
Depends on whether the Baja is going to be used for rock climbing or dune driving, differeng kinds of tires are used.
A way of compensation for RWD, along with the lightweight front end.

Engines are either swapped or rebuilt to reach higher RPMs and speeds.

Last, and my least favorite one, is the front panels to fiberglass swap.

It makes the car look very odd, compared to the original look.
I like keeping it simple.

Bug yeah!

#3 Beach Buggy

This is, by far, the simplest and my favorite mod on this list.
Cheap and easy, can be done by a home mechanic (Theorethically).

Bug’s body is attached by a few bolts and can be assembled / disassembled quick&easy.
Which is, basically, the point of this kind of builds.
Reshelling a car and leaving the original, air cooled engines in.
Swapping the original body with something like this:

A fiberglass body, often painted in bright colors.
A lot of these builds are minimalistic.
Two lightweight seats, a steering wheel and speedometers are all of the interior.
And some rubber mats, if you want.
Gas tank is swapped with a different dimentioned one to fit inside the… Bonnet?

As minimalistic as these builds can be, some people simply go crazy with their Buggies and end up with something like this:

A bit too much, if you ask me.

These builds are often followed with engine rebuilds.
The original air cooled Boxer motor gets some performance parts ( carburetors, heads, etc.) and the finished product should have around 100 BHP.
Enough for going crazy on the beach in such a lightweight vehicle.

#4 Hot Rods

You all know what a hot rod is.
Slam + Power = Hot rod

Beetle’s lines that in a way resemble the old Fords’ lines make it a perfect platform for doing this.

Again, here’s a list of mods that make a hot rod:

Slamming it
Widening the wheel distance
Putting thinner tires, prefferably white walls
Lowering the roof and putting a smaller windshield
Painting it matte black

And voala!
You’ve got yourself a perfect hot rod.

I really like this style, as long as the engine stays in the back.

Speaking of engines, since hot rods are an American way of tuning a car, V8’s are often the way to go.
Some manage to put it in the back, where it, on a Beetle, belongs to, while some put it in the front, where it doesn’t. Haha

A special breed of hot rods are rat-rods, whose special characteristic is rust.
They are rusted on purpose to give the car a perfect patina and a vintage look.

How can you not love it? :D

#5 Front Engine Conversion

The last and, by far, the most complicated one on the list: The Notorious Front engined Bug.

They are built out of multiple vehicles.
In cases like this, Beetle is usually the donor car for just the shell.
The chassis, engine and drivetrain are usually derived from classic Muscle cars.
Therefore, V8 is the most commonly used engine.
Whether it is from a Ford, a Chevy or a Dodge, these engines make the perfect choice for making your Bug a mixture of Murican power and Deutsch design.
Though the basic idea of a rear engined car for mass uses is lost, it can still be a good sleeper.
Scratch that.
A perfect sleeper.

People have split opinions on this type of conversions, and it’s all for a reason.
I, personally, am not the biggest fan of them, but I can’t say that they’re bad.
It’s still a fast car, just with a different configuration.

So, that would be it for this blog.
Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it. :)

Massive thanks to CTzen Deadpool for giving me the idea of this post and to CTzen Jakob for letting me use his meme.

Make sure to drop a comment on what you think on my blog and which type of build is your favorite!