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One girl, one Beetle Squared: ch. 2

6K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  IggysMom 
#1 ·
This is the my old bug and its build thread. It was torn down October 2011 and in April 2012, I replaced it with the 2012 Turbo Beetle

One girl, one bug... - StanceWorks




On to new things. We went through a few different ideas with this car, but couldn't pull the trigger on anything for a while. As some of you know going from a modified car to a completely stock car will drive you insane after a while. Thank goodness things were on a upswing for us and we were able to start working with this Beetle.

Details:
-2012 Black Metallic Pearl 2.0 TSI Beetle
-DSG with paddles
-Bi-Xenon headlights
-Blue and black two tone interior
-Sunroof

Stock pics:






I saw a picture of a wheel I really wanted, but later found out they were a UK company. It was the only wheel that jumped out at me...of course 3 piece always do, but I don't have that kind of money. LOL! About a week or so later, they started being offered as a pre-sale here in the states so I put a deposit down. I got them about 2 months later and they sat in my basement for months. Sadly...waiting for word of suspension.

The 18" 3SDM 0.05's:




Our answer came when a friend let us know of a barely used manual valve Airlift kit for a price our pocketbooks could handle and we could not turn down. We were able to order the Switchspeed Accuair controller from Open Road Tuning to replace the manual valves. With random other bits ordered, and friends to help we were able to start installing the suspension. Here are a few pics of the install and it's still in the process of being completed.

We ran the controller up through the back into a hidden cubby by the steering wheel:



A few of the local Lower Class, Wetdub.com guys and my husband helping with the fronts while our friend Marshall ran the power cable and some of the wiring:




Day Two with the rear install with the help of our friend, Randy and his garage:





Air install completed, but to be continued...



 
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#2 ·
Photo credit: Max Krubsack



Continued...


My husband, Aaron, and I cleaned the trunk up on a Sunday. We needed something to mount hardware too. Grabbed a piece of ply wood from the hardware store and wrapped it in suede from the last build.








The tank and compressor location are boring, but it's to get us by until we get another tank setup squared away through the winter. We are hoping to have it done by Sowo.





We also put my 15mm spacers on the front wheels...it made a world of difference.






We had mostly everything wired and installed that weekend except for the gauges. Side note: my turbo did not come with the dash gauges, but it has a shallow pocket where one was supposed to be. My thinking was, "I will just order the stock gauge pod and use it for the air gauges." That would be too easy. VW doesn't like easy and I found out after I bought the pod that they make two different turbo dashes. One with a big hole in the top of the dash and one like mine. So I had to do a little "modification", which in short means destroy a $140 gauge pod or cut a large hole in the dash. I took the easy route...








Your clips are belong to me.





And a mock up of what it will look like...hopefully. My friend, Randy, reverse engineered the gauge pod here at work so the face could be waterjetted out of aluminum. That is still in the works. Undecided if I will add a third gauge or not.






What we also didn't know at the time was that it's a good idea to have adjustable end links...who would have thought? LOL! So, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we contacted Bagriders about having end links overnighted. I got really lucky that I paid them within minutes of their UPS guy showing up. :alright They showed up at my work the next day and that night Randy installed them. It sure made the drive less noisy. :eek:





We needed to get as much done the night before Thanksgiving. We planned on traveling with our friends from Lower Class Kansas and Wetdub to the Tri-State meet in Oklahoma City. This was the first trip in the Beetle with air.

Here are some pics of the Beetle taken by Dtek.




 
#3 ·
A little update:

Got the gauge face water jetted out of titanium, but I need 90 degree fittings. It needs to be ground on a little to fit perfectly.


We also have decided to work with Standard Fabrications on a new tank setup. If you haven't checked their work out, you should! They are doing a custom setup with a paint theme we both had in mind. Very excited for that!!


A few winter mode pics:









Photo credit: Max Krubsack

 
#5 ·
Nice...I've always thought bags were really amazing; but not something I would ever invest in myself. Now that I have the first car I've ever bothered to change anything on, I'm not so sure I won't eventually do that to my Iggy. There is a bug here in Tampa named Eggy that is riding on 22s with bags and it is awesome. Eggy's owner Jason already said if I ever decide to do it he can help me which is great because I know nothing at all about making that process happen...lol.

Congrats on your new new beetle...wishing you many happy miles together :D
 
#13 ·
Thanks everyone!

Yeah, changing so much can be a warranty issue, but the only area that gets voided is the suspension since it's the part I replaced. not the whole warranty. Between these two vehicles and the other VW's, I've learned a thing or two to ask the service advisors...I may have even asked them a few times. Lol!

Installing an air setup isn't terrible, however, it helps when you have someone there that knows what they are doing. It would be like putting coil overs on, but with tubing to the air tank and some wiring to make a compressor run. There are many different levels of air ride setups. Some have hardly any wiring and others have ECU's (computer brains) that everything connects to. It's all about what you are going for. I will def. answer any questions people have. There are others on here that have a ton of info about it too!


I am hoping for more updates soon. I am ready for show season!!!:)
 
#19 ·
your beetle is outstanding!

What I love about your air ride system, is the placement of the tank and compressor. It's in a spot where you can still use your trunk. your beetle's air kit is really a good selling tool for those wanting a little practicality in their vehicle, while yet making it a show car... inspirational.

I'm sure you will find a way to tidy up your setup and give a bit more fit and finish.

very nice work. You should be proud!
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