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Steve's personal statement:
Hi
I look after my clubs Website www.clubvw.org.au and through this I met
Alexander, unfortunately online only. I wish him every success with his new
site and if enthusiasm counts for anything it be a huge success.
Warning I’m not a VW purist, I like to modify them, a bit like Dr Porsche did.
I was born in Sydney Australia on 2nd of September 1954, that
makes me a Oval window with heart shapes taillight's. My friends and I often
refer to each others age by the corresponding beetle model. I have lived in
Sydney all life.
I first became interested in Beetles in 1970 when I went for a weekend away
with a workmate that owned a 1967 1300 Deluxe Beetle. These were an Australia
only Beetle that had a 1300 cc motor, 6 volts, king & link pin front end, just
like a 1965 model Beetle, we then started getting 1500 Beetles from 1968 on along
with the rest of the world.
We received the 1302 (Superbug) and 1303
(Lbug) along with the rest and our last Beetle in 1976 had the flat screen beam
front end and CV joint rear end. I was restoring a Velocete motor bike at the
time and when I told my parents how much I enjoyed my trip away in my friends
bug, they happily lent me $500.00 to buy my first Beetle, a 1963 austerity (no
chrome no petrol gauge no glove box lid painted bumpers 1200 cc motor) model. I
had that Beetle for some time and fitted a 1500 cc motor 6x13 front wheels and
7x14 wide wheels. It got me to work most days and on weekends I competed in a
few motorsport events, didn’t win anything but had some fun. I wrote this car
while practicing the Scandinavian flick in the wet one night.
I then bought a 1961 model and transferred all my stuff over from the 1963
Beetle, this one lasted until I finally had enough money in 1973 to buy a new
Beetle, this was not to happen because by this time the 1303 had been released
and quiet frankly I found its looks not to my taste, boy how my tastes have
changed since then. So the chase was on for a 2nd hand 1302 in good condition.
A work mate (Chris Heyer who now owns a Sydney VW dealer, Penrith European
cars) had a friend that wanted to get rid of his 1972 Superbug so a meeting was
arranged and I fell in love with my car all those years ago.
After getting out of a well sorted 1961 Beetle with wide wheels etc the
Superbug lacked a bit in the handling department, the Dunlop B7+ tyres didn’t
help much either, so I fitted a set 14x6 inch Hotwire mag wheels with 185/70x14
tyres this helped remarkably.
I gradually modified my Beetle lowered it fitted stabliser bars and fitted a
1641 cc motor with a Holley Bugspray carbie 009 dizzy extractors power pulley,
this motor ran an 18 sec ¼ at Castlereagh strip and I still competed in motor
sport events with a bit more success
In this time I fitted a Powertune fibreglass body kit which consisted wider
fenders a front airdam and whale tail, I changed the wheels to 7x14 Magnum
eliminators.
In 1979 while working a Sydney VW dealer called Cloughs of Bankstown a young
lady walked into the shop and while being served asked me who owned the yellow
Beetle outside I answered me and she seemed impressed. I later met the same
young lady at pub in the city, she was on a hens night and I was on a bucks
night, we chatted for a while a got married the next year.
I then started working at a performance VW specialist called Powertune, there I
learnt a lot a about making VWs handle, go, stop and last. While working there
I fitted 8x14 Magnum eliminators to the rear of the Beetle. Over the years I
collected parts to make a killer VW air-cooled engine, new German case, new
heads, SPG 82 roller crank, 92 mm pistons and cylinders (specially strengthened
by Powertune) 46 IDA Webers, all the good gear.
In 1986, After working at Powertune for 8 years and gaining my mechanics
licensee I left and became a Patrolman for an Auto Club. I’m still doing the
same job now.
Just before I left Powertune we dismantled a new 1900 cc wasserboxer engine, I
was impressed but I became interested in these motors when the 2110 cc motor
was released. In 1987 I sold all my air-cooled stuff except the Webers and
bought a brand new 2110 cc wasserboxer motor, I was lucky as I had friends that
worked for the importer of VWs into Australia and they got me a European motor
with 10.5 compression ratio. I then went about modifying the wasserboxer motor
and fitted it to my bug in 1988 just in time for the first VW Nationals at
Easter.
After this I gradually refined the Beetle with many suspension modifications
and fitted some 15x7 and 8x15 local alloy wheels and eventually 8x17 and 9x17
Porsche alloys.
Then in 1988 I got tired of the daggy appearance of the Beetles original paint
so I had it repainted and also got rid of the Powertune kit and fitted an Aero
kit from Vintage VeeDub Supplies. I have had many other cars some VWs and some
not over the years but my Beetle has been with me all this time and I hope to
keep it forever. The Beetle has traveled in excess of 420,000 kms, with many
original parts still fitted. It’s a bit like granddads axe you know 2 heads and
5 handles, best axe I ever had.
Steve Carter
[Sent by Steve Carter on 08SEP1999]
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