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1st VW Trends Dyno Day: Part 2

Bill Mortimer's 1971 Type 2
Bay Window Buses aren't as popular as their Split Window ancestors... yet. But discovering Bill's '71 Panel made quite a few people drool during the Dyno Day! This box-on-wheels certainly deserves some space in these pages, doesn't it? Built with much help from Dyno Don Chamberlin, it sits on detailed Porsche alloys and features a nice camper interior. The 7.5:1 compression ratio 1776cc has been together since 1978 and was simply inspected when purchased two years ago. Components include: stock VW rods, an Engle 120 camshaft, non-welded 40x35.5 VW heads, Weber 44IDFs, a Bosch 009 distributor, and a Kymco 1-1/2" header. The beige Type II made 94hp at 5500rpm (torque: 93). Not too shabby considering Bill didn't take off the fanbelt - all other contestants did! Dyno Don told us that the Porsche 911-style fanshroud utilized by his friend typically steals about 15 horsepower.

John Rayburns's 1964 Sedan
John's interest for VWs can be traced back to the early Seventies. Around 1980, he became the owner of a sedan that his father bought new in 1964. This vehicle was later equipped with a variety of "Empi Mark IV" accessories from the Sixties, like the Sprint Star wheels, gauges, steering wheel, etc. Up until a few years ago, the Bug used to be driven on a daily basis - about 12,000 miles yearly. In order to make his ride safer and more enjoyable, John installed Porsche 356 front drum brakes, as well as a Berg 5-speed transmission. Dave Rhoads built the current engine, which reads like this: 2332cc (84x94), 5.5in Eagle rods, Web Cam 86C, 46x36 VW 041 heads by Jeff Denham, 8.8:1 CR, Weber 48IDAs, Bosch 010 distributor, MSD 6A ignition box, and Phoenix 1-3/4in. header. This combo allowed the blue '64 to rank as number three of the normally aspirated Volkswagens during the Dyno Day, thanks to a great 175hp pull at 6500rpm (torque: 160).

Bill Schwimmer's 1959 Ragtop
Bill has owned various Cal Look Volkswagens since the early Eighties, including an 11.90-second Oval Window. His current ride is this European '59 that he purchased in 1989. Since then, it has been driven quite extensively, the longest trip being to Seattle and back in 1991 with a 1776cc motor. The car now relies on a rather low compression ratio 82x94 engine; but this has not changed its owner's street driving habits--the coral red Ragtop is equipped with a Berg 5-speed trans since 1999. As Bill and his Cal Looker are well known by VW enthusiasts the world over, both were even invited and attended the 1996 Bug Bash at Avon Park Raceway (England)! Here are some of the engine specs: 2276cc, 5.352in. Carrillo rods, Web Cam 86C, 44x37.5 VW 040 heads by Jeff Denham, 8.6:1 CR, Weber 48IDAs, complete MSD ignition, and Phoenix 1-3/4" header. It has proven enough to run the quarter mile in 12.48 seconds at 107mph in full street trim. Most participants to our Dyno Day were stunned by the results of Bill's driver: 176.9hp at 7200 rpm (torque: 161), the highest figures of all normally aspirated Volkswagens present!

Greg Brinton's 1967 Sedan
Greg Brinton has been drag racing for years in PRA's Pro Stock and Super Street categories. His last ride was Roger Crawford's Pro Stock Bug, which he drove in 1997 to a class record of 9.65 second. In 1988, Greg purchased this '67 built by Gary Grauman - it had been featured in the June 1985 issue of VW Trends. He installed the 78.4x94 motor, bolted to a Berg 5-speed transmission, four years later. Specs are as follow: 2175cc, Rimco VW Super Rods, Clay Smith cam (similar in spec to an Engle FK-87), 46x38 Super Flo heads by Heads Up Performance, 12.5:1 CR, Weber 48IDAs, Vertex magneto, and Phoenix 2" header. A dyno pull of 176.3 HP at 7000 RPM (torque: 149) meant that Greg reached the number two rank of all normally aspirated cars present during our event.

Keith Greiner's 1967 Sedan
With its primered rear fenders and slightly smashed nose, Keith's '67 wasn't the most attractive car of the bunch on hand. But jeeezzz, does it go fast! With a turbocharged 1915cc motor and four speed trans, it has run a 10.37 at 137mph at the track. The new engine combination can be summed as follow: 2443cc (88x94), 5.7in. Scat H-Beam rods, Engle custom grind camshaft (close in spec to an Engle FK-10), 42x37.5 VW heads by AJ Sims, 8.4:1 CR, Garrett T04 turbo, Holley 750 carb, Bosch 009 distributor, MSD 6AL ignition box, and custom made 1-3/4in. header. With help from his father Dave of Proformance Motoring, Keith is still experiencing with a heavy VW Vanagon automatic IRS box built by Transmedic. The Greiners weren't very successful during the dyno day. The Bug, (which weights 2150 Lbs. with Keith on board and is still driven on the streets of Orange County), managed a "modest" 259hp at 7800rpm (torque: 213). No wonder... Dave discovered two bent pushrods about an hour after the dyno pull!

Robert Hemphill's 1969 Sedan
Here is the Bug that created quite a commotion following its impressive dyno pull! Afterall, you don't see VWs like Robert's turbocharged '69 very often. It is still frequently used long distance on the street, and our man even drove it to the Dyno Day from Victorville - about 1 hour 15 minutes away from Orange County. In race trim, the car weights a hefty 1980 Lbs. (with lightweight Bogart racing wheels) and runs amazing numbers at the track. What about 11.03 at 120mph with a slightly different (265HP) motor! The 2276cc uses the following components: 5.5" Carrillo rods, Engle V26 cam, slightly ported 40x37.5 CB 044 heads (64cc chambers), 7.9:1 CR, SDS fuel injection system, SDS crank triggered ignition, and a small custom made 1-1/2in. header. Robert's red Bug registered the highest number of our event: 281hp at 6000 rpm (the dyno could not register any torque however). Congratulations Robert!

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