Responding to posts. Always fun.
I think for now I might just stick with the stock VW engine. If I get a FI one, I'll put that in there because I'm slightly more familiar with a FI engine for fuel cutoffs and such than a carb. I still gotta learn how to tune the carb on my '69, as 14mpg is NOT nice. Anyhow though,
Clev - I don't really have a commute. But I do enjoy going to Canada. That's about a 600 mile round trip from where I'm at (southern WA), and having something that would get good gas mileage would be awesome. I think I just need to set up some project goals and see how close I can get to on a stock VW chassis and engine. The body has got to go though.
Is it bad that the only thing that makes me nervous about this -entire- project, is making the doors?
moTthediesel - I'm planning on trying to get the Freeway Flier transmission for the car. (
link) Hopefully that way I could get away with lower crusing RPM. That won't come for at least quite a while though.
Pendragon - A beach buggy would be awesome, but I don't have the money to go out and just romp around with one. The truck we has gets 12-14mpg Highway ('97 F-350 XLT), and it's at least an hour's drive to the coast. That and I would rather have something economy. I know the whole time and money thing might not add up to what my goals are, but since I seem to generally have free time, and I'm using craigslist to get 90% of my stuff, I'm not really putting in much cash. That's another reason I want to start out with the stock setup. No point in dropping $$$ if it just won't work right.
Also, do you have a link to that website? A diesel engine (if I could) is the only modern engine I would put in there. Mainly because I could run SVO or Biodiesel. And it would probably get up hills better than with the gas engine in it now. I'm just curious to know if anybody makes a small flat 4 diesel engine that could fit in a VW. Granted it won't be stock, but I don't want to modify the chassis -too- much. Because if it turns out that this is a good idea, I want to be able to work on it easily and run with it.
I'll start working on a goals list and try and get those images uploaded already. They are just idea sketches.
Also, anybody know the mpg difference between a carbed Bug and a FI'ed one?