Thread: VW rat rods? whats up?

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We've got a couple of rodded bugs running around here in the town where I live, and I think they're way cool...

One is similar to the pic of the black one posted earlier in this thread, chopped & fenderless....the other one is chopped, and looks like it's been stretched a bit too, but they whacked the top completely off, so it's like a little roadster...

They both have pretty nasty engines in them, and sound really good too...they're both bad a$$ little bugs....

I love em!

Any of you guy with a V8 in the front? wpould like top see a few pics have & finish?
I remember back in the 70's when i was in high school this guy driving one! never have seen an other one on the road...

Thanks ratty41
looks like he did a nice clean job!

There was a chap in Kingston (Ontario) who built a VW with a mid mounted Buick Aluminum V8 back in the 60's. He used a Porche transaxle and Porche brakes all around. He used to race it in the sporty crowd races and actually drove it on the highway to the track. It was quite a sleeper.
I understand he used the drivetrain from a homebuilt formula libre race car (also home built) that had been wrecked in a race.
Last time I saw the car was in a mall parking lot in Brampton many years later so it apparently survived beyond its racing days.

Sounds like a sleeper..

Yeah, it was. Except for two small grills in the front hood. the Porsche wheels and a slightly lowered stance, it looked completely stock. I've heard that the owner loved sucking out performance cars while cruising down the 401.

at the Houston autorama in november there was a whole section of these things Mostly ratrod surf style

I think an ole square back body set on an s dime frame and slammed would make a righteous grocery getter. It'd be different. Oh yeah and lots of room for lawn chairs, coolers, an all the other necessarys.....

John,
How long did it take you to learn to shift left handed?
I had rented a space for our tool shop from "The Trike Shop", You can only watch them test drive a trike or two everyday! before I had to have one, and then came a deal I couldn't pass up. I have been driving mine 6 yrs now. I have different motors, that I can switch it in 1 hour, I had 2332 but a rod went, I have 2 Brazil blocks, I have everything to but together my turbo motor, I don't know which cc I'm going to use, I have 4 sets of P&J's new in box's, but everything I have, cars, garage, house, shed, are all are packed, to move to Tn as soon as my house sells!!!

Pat

Originally Posted by HemiTCoupe

John,
How long did it take you to learn to shift left handed?
I had rented a space for our tool shop from "The Trike Shop", You can only watch them test drive a trike or two everyday! before I had to have one, and then came a deal I couldn't pass up. I have been driving mine 6 yrs now. I have different motors, that I can switch it in 1 hour, I had 2332 but a rod went, I have 2 Brazil blocks, I have everything to but together my turbo motor, I don't know which cc I'm going to use, I have 4 sets of P&J's new in box's, but everything I have, cars, garage, house, shed, are all are packed, to move to Tn as soon as my house sells!!!

Pat

Wow now that you said something about It. I never even realized I was shifting left handed Geese!!
and I not even blonde My biggest problem was staying on the dang thing I'm use to riding bikes and leaning into my corners not counter leaning the frist time I road it I was so anxious to ride it I jump on fired it up and and down the road I went until it came to the first turn I went one way and the bike went the other I quickly got up and made sure nobody was looking If they were they were probably rolling on the ground laughing thank God I was only going 5 or 6 mph

hey hemi I joined a club after I got my trike called the Btw really a great bunch check out the web site and other trikes http://btw-trikers.org/uploads/home.php until next time ride safe

your right, once you have owned a souped up bug it is hard to get away from. Which brings me to my next comment. See what you think. A front engined air cooled 31 Ford Five Window Coupe, using a 3444cc air cooled vw engine mated to a chevy tranny. The car would run on E85 or Methanol so I dont have to run cooling tin, also it would be turbo charged. This is a project I've been kicking around in my head for some time now, funds aren't there to start on car yet. Tell me what you think, good or bad, I can take it. By the way this engine will be capable of well over 500hp, and street driven!

This is what I built back in the eighties down here in Florida. It was a fun car and hopefully somebody has seen her. Locating her is more difficult than I thought.