Magnesium Engine Fan Shroud

The fan shroud is on the back of a type 4 motor and I will be letting it "hang out" the back of the car and cut the read hood, but more on that later.

The shroud is made of Magnesium which polishes even better than aluminum but oxidizes faster. This is where the term "Mag" wheels comes from.

Here is the shroud with a bit of sanding. I will later sand blaster it after smoothing the casting as it ia cast a bit on the rough side. 

Should be epic.

 

Paint Stipping

I have decided that I want the look of bare metal. The plan would be to strip the paint and then clear coat it. Her are some pics of the hood and a few other areas in the process of stripping.

Here is a section that had body filler. The metal underneath has been welded are somewhat rough but will add character in my opinion.

Should be epic.

Type 4 Engine

There are two similar types of air-cooled VW motors:

• Type 1: motors used in beetles and early models of everything else.
• Type 4 motors, originally used in VW Type 4 cars and Porsche 914s and starting in 1972,  Vans too.

I managed to pick up one of the most desirable air-cooled VW motors a 1971 Type 4 1700cc W code High compression (8.2:1) engine from a VW 411 but is the same engine used in a Porsche 914 for $200.

The story was it was rebuild, put in a van and then the van was wrecked after about 20,000 miles. It then sat for many years.

This motor have 80-85 hp originally and throttle body fuel injection. The motor that would have been in the '68 beetle originally would have bee a 1500cc and had  about 50 hp.

This motor is a direct bolt in with the exception of changing the flywheel pilot bearing and the rear body section will have to be trimmed because the cooling fan sticks out the back instead of on top of the engine.

Here is a pic with the heat shielding removed.

The VW Volksrod Project

So somehow a somewhat dismantled 1968 VW Beetle found it's way into my garage. Here are some pics as me and the boys take stock of it and tidy up a bit.

 

What is a Volksrod?

The first thing you need to do if google Volksrod. Here is a link Google images of Volksrods
They are also known as Volksrats or Ratwagens. The basic idea is to make a hotrod on a VW base since pre-40's cars are becoming rare and expensive.

They come in all shapes and sizes and the variations are many. Generally is it a VW beetle with the fenders removed, the front axle moved forward and often the roof lowered. Some are painted up, some are left with the original paint or without much effort for the paint to look finished (ratty). Some are also made into hot-rod pickups.

The lack of effort on paint and the opportunity to be creative with the styling really appeals to me.

Should be epic.