Sharkey is up for adoption!
First I'll make this simple, and then I'll make this complicated: Sharkey is up for adoption. A few of you local veterans may remember her from nearly twenty years ago at the GCVWS in Coquitlam but I'll provide further info in a minute. I can't possibly fathom what someone would pay for her "as is" so I'm leaving it up to potential buyers. I trust any aircooled vedubber to be honest. Or if a club just wants to "harvest her organs", even better.
1963 VW Beetle. Obscenely customized. 2161cc. Turbocharged. Aftermarket programmable EFI. GM Black Sapphire Blue with grey interior and minor pink accents. Serious offers only. She has to go (within the next three months -- six months tops).
Why? (this is the complicated part)
Any potential new owner should bear in mind that Sharkey "as is" should not be expected to perform reliably as a daily driver. She was more of a thought experiment at a point in my life where I was really pushing the boundaries of what *could* be done -- not necessarily what *should* be done -- to an ACVW. Want proof?
She's got a 2161cc motor breathing through half of an old modified CB Performance turbo kit with aftermarket engine management software (Wolf EMS) controlling a custom fuel injection system. She sports a centrally mounted Mustang throttle body mated to a center-mount inverse-Tee intake plenum (100% built from scratch), branching off to modified DP end castings with injector bosses molded in. Spark is handled by a pair of RX-7 coil packs in a distributorless set-up triggered by a magnetic crankshaft position sensor on the backside of a Berg pulley. She's not intercooled (no room), but features a 1st Gen Eagle Talon blow-off valve to handle compressor surge. The EMS is so old that the unit communicates via Serial Port and not even USB. No heater boxes; just a gas heater that needs at least a new glow plug.
What else? Every single strand of OEM wiring has been replaced with a one-off custom harness (I've still got my old wiring diagrams in .JPG format so you're not completely left in the dark). She's rolling on American Racing Hopsters (16x7" up front, 17x9.5" in the back) on a Chevy bolt pattern, and incorporates a drastically narrowed front beam and wide fibreglass rear fenders to tuck everything inside. Disc brakes up front, and Type-3 drums on the back. Recovered front seats are from a 1st Gen CR-X while the back is mostly stock. A total of thirteen VDO guages span the entire dash.
I haven't driven her in 10 years and my current lifestyle means I don't have room anymore to store her (and likely never will). I would not -- I repeat -- WOULD NOT recommend anyone attempt to use her as a daily driver as is, since she is so customized that it would be a nightmare for any new owner if she breaks down. As an example, I remember driving along one day when I lost all power to my ECU. I checked fuses on the side of the road and verified that I had power right up to the ECU but the ECU was dead. After towing it home and dismantling the ECU, I discovered an on-board fuse on the main board had blown (the manufacturer claimed that it was a "design flaw" and that new units now came with a higher rated fuse). A new higher rated fuse solved the issue. If a scenario like this scares you, then you don't want to daily-drive Sharkey.
As much as it saddens me, parting her out would be the best thing. Or, stripping out the motor and electronics and drop in a simple carbureted engine instead. Or maybe yoinking the Wolf system and installing a MegaSquirt system. But you must take the whole car.
So what else does Sharkey have that a new owner could use?
How about a gusseted swingaxle case with HD side cover and stock ratios inside (only about 10,000kms on it since it was rebuilt, but it leaks and needs to be resealed). Berg axles, with chrome plated axle tubes and spring plates. The heads were semi-hemi cut before hand and I could never get it to run perfect due to a lack of squelch, so new heads would be advised. The cam profile is also quite mild and intended for turbo use. A large Gene Berg UHP 3.5L sump hangs beneath, and there's lots of chrome-plated goodies as well. And how about power windows? Not the cheap regulators that slip over the factory crank spines but ones that completely replace the stock ones? There's probably more, but like I said, it's been nearly ten years since I've driven her and I'm almost certainly forgetting some things.
I have one major stipulation:
Sharkey must leave on a flatbed. I could not, in good conscience, let you attempt to drive her away. She hasn't been really driven in nearly ten years and could very well break down on the way home. Her battery is dead and is likely so sulfated that it will need replacement anyway, but we can try and start her up so I can at least prove that she runs. New gas would be a good idea as well.
-James
