Sneak Peak: Craig Gibbs 1970 Volkswagen Beetle

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Garrett Turbo Bug
OK, there are two things you need to immediately spot in this picture. First, is the accelerator pedal. It is custom designed due to the travel required on the Holley 750 Double Pumper carburetor. Turns out Volkswagen never had this carburetor in mind when designing the Bug. Who knew?

Second, is the second boost gauge that only reads boost. Now, there isn't a second turbo or even a street turbo that this gauge is used for. It is actually a recall gauge. There aren't many electronics on this car and installing a boost gauge with recall is pretty expensive. So, what Craig did instead was install a one way valve, similar to a brake booster one way valve, a T-fitting, and a pressure relief switch. After a run down the track, Craig will look down and see exactly how much boost he used. Once noted, he'll push the switch and the gauge resets to zero for the next run. It only reads maximum, but that's all that's necessary for Craig.

 
Garrett Turbo Bug
Not only did Berg make the Nose Cone on the Bus Transmission, he also made the shifter! Mounted to the shifter is the two step switch we mentioned earlier.
 
Garrett Turbo Bug
And here you see the Grant steering wheel, Autometer oil pressure, temperature, and volt meter, along with the OEM Beetle speedometer. It only goes to 90. Craig goes faster. He even uses the old VW ignition key switch!

 

 
Garrett Turbo Bug
When it comes to saving weight, you can't do much better than starting with a Volkswagen Beetle. Craig decided that he needed to do a few things to ease the Bug's workload, though. He installed fiberglass rear fenders to fit larger rear tires.
 
Garrett Turbo Bug
If you hadn't noticed, Craig also installed a one piece front end on the Bug for further weight reduction and it can make the Beetle easier to work on, if my photos haven't shown that.
 
Garrett Turbo Bug
The white paint, glass, sheet metal and doors are all original from the Bug.
 
Garrett Turbo Bug
And yes, that is a classic Garrett Turbocharger decal that you can't get anymore!

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