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Old 1st June 2020, 08:10
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Mister Towed Mister Towed is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andysharrock View Post
lol that's what I meant sort of ,my first car @17 a VW beetle CRB618L I rebuilt it so many times and change the colour 4 times .it was my mums car she wrote it off in an accident and I put it back on the road after passing my test. always wanted a 356 porsche but could never afford a real one. been a DINK I can now make some of my childhood dreams come true
My first (only) Beetle was SGP 345F back in '89. It was a 1500 Automatic (two pedals, manual change with electro-hydraulically actuated clutch and IRS instead of swing axles), which i converted to a proper manual and three pedal setup from a 1303S when the 1500 threw a rod through the crank-case and damaged the gearbox.

I kept the outside looking shabby and stock but uprated to a 1600 motor with 85hp and lowered it with dropped spindles at the front and a one-spline turn at the back.

It had enough go to put a smile on my face, but it always sounded like my dad's Suffolk Punch lawnmower right across the rev range. The handling also always demanded 'respect' (read fear). It wandered all over the road at anything over 55mph, the tail would try to overtake the nose at every opportunity and you needed at least three lanes clear to pass a truck on the motorway due to the wind blast blowing you across the carriageway.

My main reason for going down the Spitfire chassis route was the experience of trying, and failing to get that bug to handle. At least I know I can get this one to change direction without having to check the shipping forecast first.

Anyway, I've got a bonkers Outlaw Speedster to build so I'd better get on with it.
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