This came in from a cousin of mine who lives in Boulder.  He hasn't had a VW for more than 20-25 years ... but obviously recalls "the thrill of the chase" and results.
SamC

For a while, right after I got out of the service, I drove a '61 VW Panel Truck.  Those 25 horses in the "57 engine that was in it when I got it protested mightly when I tried to push it any, and they finally gave up after only a couple months of ownership, via a split crankshaft!  This was during the time that dune buggies and "hopped up V-dubs" were popular, so I checked out the local VW hop-up store, for rebuild kits, new motors, whatever I could find and afford to get the truck back on the road.  What I ended up finding was a '69 van that someone had tried to modify by putting a telephone pole between the driver and front passenger seats!  Engine and transmission for $350.00 seemed like a good deal, so the project began.  Now, that '69 engine packed almost 70 horses between that rear axel!  When I finished, that panel truck, with none of the added weight of an interior, could scratch rubber in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears!& nbsp; Whew!  Granted, top end didn't change much, and getting to the top end was still, well, a wait, but scratching rubber in my younger days was kinda fun, especially in a V-dub!

That's one of my VW stories!

Terry