Project Kapra: How feasible is this?

JThw8 wrote: For engines I'd probably never go with an aircooled again if my wallet gave me a choice, the subaru swap is too easy and brings sooooo much more to the table.

I hear what you're saying, but I'd rather be one of those "weird aircooled guys" than one of those "weird subaru guys".

Sure, it's more reliable, more powerful, cheaper, etc. but it doesn't have the right sound, and it doesn't have the right look, and it doesn't have the same analog feel. I'll take carburetors and an oil cooler every day of the week, thank you very much!

It's not a very rational car, and it isn't a very rational engine choice. Sometimes you just go with what you know.

Maroon92 wrote: It's not a very rational car, and it isn't a very rational engine choice. Sometimes you just go with what you know.

I know aircooled, it's my first love. I pushed performance with it running Solo Vees and offroad dunebuggies. After awhile the nostalgia gloss wears off and you want a true turn key solution that works every time, for less money with more HP.

I love air cooled vw's but I'll be the first to admit they were terrible terrible cars. There is this nostalgic love that makes us put on rose colored glasses and think that there is something magical about them but the truth is they need constant maintenance, they smell, they're noisy, they're under powered and fragile if pushed. The rose colored glasses translate "easy to fix" into reliable, those are not the same. On the upside parts availability for the mechanicals is still good, on the downside the quality of those parts is hugely variable.

Also by choosing VW you plant yourself squarely in the market with all the other VW based kit cars out there. Even today its a somewhat saturated market if you consider all the unfinished kits available used as well. To be a viable candidate for even small scale production you should set yourself apart.

You want aircooled with a recognizeable sound, light, and nostalgic, build a small "sports" car powered by a Harley motor. You wont be the first but at least its a bit more unique.

If you do this I'd really suggest making it as compatible as possible with a subi swap.

icaneat50eggs wrote: If you do this I'd really suggest making it as compatible as possible with a subi swap.

If he's using the VW transaxle he's halfway there, just plan for some place to stick a small radiator and you're golden :)

Maroon92 wrote: There are lots of people that drive vintage minis because they like the looks they get, or the questions they get from "normal" people. I think this car would turn that up to 11...

Yes and no - and I say this as an owner of a '64 Mini. I'd say 90% of the random people who talk to me about the car know what it is, even if they don't see one very often. I get more "WTF is that?" questions when I drive my GT6... or my ex's Volvo 1800ES.

Kit cars tend to get dismissed as serious cars as a matter of course, right or wrong. And like it or not, a AC VW engine will be a dead giveaway to what the car really is: a Bug with a fancy body.

Serious question: Have you driven a VW kit car? Attended shows and meets? The first step after coming up with an idea is researching your market to see if that idea is viable. Being honest here, while there are some AC VW enthusiasts on this forum, we're not really the market for such a car.

JThw8 wrote: You want aircooled with a recognizeable sound, light, and nostalgic, build a small "sports" car powered by a Harley motor. You wont be the first but at least its a bit more unique.

Dude, that is a FANTASTIC idea. I love it.

Maroon92 wrote:

JThw8 wrote: You want aircooled with a recognizeable sound, light, and nostalgic, build a small "sports" car powered by a Harley motor. You wont be the first but at least its a bit more unique.

Dude, that is a FANTASTIC idea. I love it.

I've seen adapters to mate them to a VW transaxle too ;)

" I love air cooled vw's but I'll be the first to admit they were terrible terrible cars. There is this nostalgic love that makes us put on rose colored glasses and think that there is something magical about them but the truth is they need constant maintenance, they smell, they're noisy, they're under powered and fragile if pushed. The rose colored glasses translate "easy to fix" into reliable, those are not the same."

This is so true... I had this exact experience with a '65 Mustang GT 2+2. I drove one back in the day and wanted another. So last year, I got the exact car I wanted, white on black GT with a 289 and 4 speed.

What a terrible car. The Rose colored glasses shattered. Maybe it was good relative to a '65 LTD, but what a crappy car, relative to anything sporty built in the last 20 years...

I sold it and moved on. Now without my rose glasses...

Exactly the reason I said something like the Exocet. Great engineering and execution. Right price range. Just needs a pretty exterior.

In reply to Maroon92:

I think Moto Guzzi would be better. Already pointed the right direction with a shaft drive.

In your price estimates, have you factored in enough profit to cover your time, labor, bloody knuckles, exasperation, and lost opportunities? If you sell two cars a year you'd need to make, at least, on the order of $20K each to make this a viable way to earn a living.

DWNSHFT wrote: In your price estimates, have you factored in enough profit to cover your time, labor, bloody knuckles, exasperation, and lost opportunities? If you sell two cars a year you'd need to make, at least, on the order of $20K each to make this a viable way to earn a living.

There is some reasonable estimate for profit in there, but I would never use this off-the-wall venture as a full time job. Could easily do this project as a night-job.

Personally (and this is just me) I'd be more interested in a small air cooled sports car that didn't use a stock pan. I'd want something that's purpose built to be better, even if it uses stock style suspension at both ends. I want a VW powered sports racer, not a kit car, and it becomes very hard to convince me that's what's going on if the stock pan is still there.

Maroon92 wrote:

Ian F wrote: Right now, the car I drool over every year is a Sylva J15 built by Galek Motorsports: MC engine w/ electric reverse moving 1100 lbs.

Oh, that thing is FANTASTIC! Love it!

Chet, from Galek Motorsports has posts here and is an advertiser in the magazine. I really like those too.

I have an affinity for sportsracers and aircooled VWs. That being said if I were to start down this road, I'd either build a track only formula vee for vintage racing or modify the heck out of someone's old kitcar. I know in my area forgotten kitcars frequently turn up in the $2500 range. These are cars with titles and complete drivetrains. Here you could just spend your money on maintenance, performance mods and de-uglyifying the car.

Here's an example of the starting point I'm talking about: MG kitcar on CL