Dependants: 3 1974 Kombi
1970 fastback
1956 Beetle
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The first VW that I admit to owning was a 74 Kombi, which I bought for a grand sum of $1700. It was running a clapped out 1700 type 4 engine meaning I paid $1 per cc which at that time I must have thought was OK. It wasn’t long before valve guides ceased to exist. So a compulsory rebuild was in order. A 2 litre with a C grind cam and 44 IDF’s gave it a bit more oomph than standard and it was then that I started to get the bug for racing. Ran it at a few bracket drag meetings with a little success, and even the odd Huntley hillclimb. The opportunity came to get a cheap turbo set up, and you can’t look a gift horsepower in the mouth. (Yeah that is baaaad). This got things humping along pretty fast. Had a lot of fun doing illegal things with that bus. Blowing RX7’s off around Kiama bends on the way back from Nowra drags for example. Best time on the ¼ was a 14.6, which was pretty cool as at that time it was faster than anything HSV had. On a run over to Northern Territory it maxed out at just under 200kph. It was a lot of fun, got a lot of attention and a feature in Fast Fours and Rice Cookers magazine. But drag racing got boring and I developed a passion for hillclimbs. But there is only so much extra camber, sway bars and super soft tyres can do, so handling limits were approached often and on a couple of occasions exceeded. |
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It became obvious that I needed something a little lower. So I went out to Harden and picked up a fastback for a cuppla hundred. It was being used as a goat kennel and it stunk, but it was rust free and almost straight. A hole in the engine block wasn’t important as the entire Kombi mechanicals were to be transplanted in. Speaking of the Kombi… it still managed to power away from most Kombi-phobics even pulling a loaded car trailer. The one’s who risk life and limb crossing double yellows so they don’t get caught behind a Kombi going up a hill. The fastback got a full body off job. All suspension rebuilt with either solid mounts or urethane, extra camber, adjustable sway bars and heavy torsion bars. The gearbox was fitted using a Berg bus-into-bug adapter, and some type 3 auto driveshafts fitted with Kombi CV’s. The engine is unchanged from the Kombi days with the exception being a counterweighted crankshaft. A pauter cam with 268° duration, stock hydraulic lifters, moly pushrods move stainless valves. Turbo is a TO4, blowing 18psi through a fan assisted intercooler and bored out stock throttle body with Haltech E6 injection. The exhaust is a back yard job. Although it is a bit quicker I don’t get the attention anymore, so that’s a bit sad but it sure feels a lot better through twisty bits. Don’t think I would ever have the balls to go through Bathurst’s Caltex Chase at 180 kays in a Kombi. In December 2000, I lost my faith in VW metallurgy when I had my first breakage. While doing a hillclimb at Bathurst I stripped every tooth from 2nd gear. Soon I hope to be back on track and giving some more Holden and Ford drivers a case of nerves, and maybe even help out Jack Rizzo and CT Hansen at some Porsche days. |
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The Kombi that is my current daily driver is a 74 currently putt-putting around with an 1800 stocky, but a mild turbo is in the near future for that one. And the oval is something I have had for 8 years or so, but not known what to do with it. It will remain parked up the back of the garage until I have the time, money and inclination to do a full resto. |
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