{"id":76721,"date":"2021-09-15T15:23:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T20:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=76721"},"modified":"2023-03-06T17:14:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T23:14:01","slug":"for-sale-1974-beetle-with-a-turbo-subaru-ej20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=76721","title":{"rendered":"1974 Beetle with a Turbo Subaru EJ20 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

This 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle is for sale on eBay<\/a> in San Antonio, Texas with a buy-it-now price of $6,500. We shared this project<\/a> last year when the owner Adam Chavez<\/a> was building it. The car is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 L EJ20 flat-four from a 2002 Subaru WRX. The engine is mated to the factory VW four-speed transaxle thanks to a KEP adapter plate, Stage 2 clutch and pressure plate. Adam states the Beetle has been driven at “30%” throttle with easy shifting to keep the transaxle intact. Issues with the car include rust behind rear windows, dent on front fender, crooked front bumper, no interior carpet, passengers-side low beam and blinkers do not work. The car also has a battery drain that was never solved. Adam’s solution to the issue was a battery kill switch. Update:<\/strong> car is sold<\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1974<\/a><\/p>\n

Full Specs from eBay listing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many mods to this beetle, who doesn’t want a 220hp+ VW beetle instead of the stock 1600cc 40hp’ish.
\nI purchased this beetle in early 2018 with the original 1600cc engine and drove it often until late 2019 i decided to do a engine swap.
\nClean blue title in my hand with my name.
\nComes with 2 original keys one for the door and one for the ignition
\nCar is on the stock VW trans,, granny shifting it and only 30% throttle the trans will stay together
\nCar is on 6lbs of boost which feels plenty fast- does fine on the HWY but because its on the stock VW 4 speed
\nis revving higher than id like at 70mph @ 4th is (4100rpm)<\/p>\n

This car is not for the novice, clutch grabs fairly hard and since the car doesnt weigh much (1800lbs) is moves quick<\/p>\n

A 2002 Subaru WRX wagon was purchased and the motor and engine were used. <\/p>\n

-Motor was take apart and rebuilt with all OEM gaskets\/oring etc…(Basically a new motor) Has about 5\/600) miles since the swap was completed
\n-New PCV
\nCoolant line through TB was eliminated
\n-New starter
\n-New Alternator & alt to crank gates belt
\n-Stock Tstat
\n-Deatschwerks 255IL inline fuel pump (450hp+ capable) & regulator. Is on a manual switch but can be wired up
\nthrough the Subaru harness
\n-Rear hood raingaurd
\n-Front and rear struts braces
\n-Rear Empi adj coil overs
\n-Wrinkle red intake mani\/turbo compressor housing-wrinkle black valve covers
\n-New NGK plus and OE coils
\n-Front Empi adjustable struts
\n-Stock FMIC
\nCompression on the motor is (130-140) on all 4 cylinders
\n-Windshield wipers work good
\n-Busaru modified stock Subaru harness on Stock PCM & speed sensor https:\/\/www.busaru.com\/<\/a>
\n-KEP adapter plate stage 2 clutch and pressure plate and TOB https:\/\/www.kennedyeng.com\/<\/a>
\n-Subaru WRX front seats fully adjustable
\n-Stock rear seats
\n-AutoMeter gauges (oil press\/boost\/coolant temp)
\n-AEM digital wideband idles @ 14.2-15.6
\n-6an Fuel feed line with inline FP gauge
\n-Stock feed line is now the return
\n-New FP regulator set @ 43psi
\n-New Mexico fuel sender and electronic buck regulator
\n-All original VW glass
\n-Oil pan shorted 2in for better clearance and also oil pick up shortened
\n-New 1996 Mazda 626 radiator, fits perfectly in the front., under the hood.
\n-No cooling issues at all
\n-16in Spal electrical fan switched on manually but can be wired through the Subaru harness
\n-Engine is on 3+gal of Zertex (blue)
\n-Aftermarket CD stereo deck, works but disconnected
\n-Perrin custom short ram intake
\n-Horn works good
\n-New MAF sensor and spare
\n-Stock FMIC
\n-Tires nothing fancy buy have decent tread and hold air just fine
\n-Come with older gen COBB tuning device, I never used it and installed on car.
\n-The stock PCM and entire Subaru harness are under the rear driver side
\n-New Battery less than 2 yrs old
\n-Rust under the rear seats were cut out and replaced
\n-When I got the car there was a battery drain on the car and never found the issue so its been on a kill switch and works just fine (comes with 2 keys)
\n-Exhaust is about 3ft long and is loud and thermo wrapped
\n-Stock turbo has a blanket as well
\n-Stock drum breaks work well
\n-Stock pea shooter exhaust are fake, just for looks
\n-Both windows roll up fine and doors lock fine
\n-Inspection has past before on the swap.
\n-Classic car insurance can be purchased for cheap rates on older classic cars<\/p>\n

There’s so much I’m forgetting, need nothing to drive home, starts right up.<\/p>\n

Negatives:<\/p>\n

I haven’t one thing to the exterior
\nHas usual rust behind the rear windows, common on the super beetles
\nInterior is sparse. no carpet
\nLow beam on pass went out
\nBlinkers stopped working, haven’t looked into it, could be a fuse
\nReverse lights work good
\nDent on the front driver fender, honestly don’t remember when I got that, could be easily pulled out.
\nFront bumper is a lil crocked but can be adjust im sure.
\nInspection is expired because I haven’t driven much.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source: eBay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle is for sale on eBay in San Antonio, Texas with a buy-it-now price of $6,500. We shared this project last year when the owner Adam Chavez was building it. The car is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 L EJ20 flat-four from a 2002 Subaru WRX. The engine is mated to… Read More »1974 Beetle with a Turbo Subaru EJ20 Update<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":76729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[352,84,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beetle","category-bug","category-type-1"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1974-Super-Beetle-with-a-Turbo-Subaru-EJ20-Flat-Four-07.jpg?fit=1600%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56603,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=56603","url_meta":{"origin":76721,"position":0},"title":"1974 Super Beetle with a Turbo Subaru EJ20","author":"swaptastic","date":"June 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this year we shared an amazing RWD Dodge Neon built by Adam Chavez. This time we focus on his newest project, a 1974 VW Super Beetle. Adam purchased the car two years ago with a stock 1600 cc flat-four. The air-cooled motor just didn't produce enough horsepower for Adam.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Beetle"","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"1974 Super Beetle with a Turbo Subaru EJ20 Flat-Four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1974-Super-Beetle-with-a-Turbo-Subaru-EJ20-Flat-Four-01.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1974-Super-Beetle-with-a-Turbo-Subaru-EJ20-Flat-Four-01.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1974-Super-Beetle-with-a-Turbo-Subaru-EJ20-Flat-Four-01.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1974-Super-Beetle-with-a-Turbo-Subaru-EJ20-Flat-Four-01.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":142165,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=142165","url_meta":{"origin":76721,"position":1},"title":"VW 1303 with a Turbo Subaru EJ20","author":"swaptastic","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Knepper Bugs & More is a company in Rahden, Germany specializing in Volkswagen Beetles. The company built this VW 1303 without an air-cooled flat-four. Instead they swapped a turbocharged 2.0 L Subaru EJ20 flat-four. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Porsche 915 five-speed manual transaxle. Knepper Bugs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Beetle"","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"VW 1303 with a turbocharged Subaru EJ20 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101512,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=101512","url_meta":{"origin":76721,"position":2},"title":"VW Beetle Race Car with a 900 hp Turbo Subaru Flat-Four","author":"swaptastic","date":"June 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dave Crowhurst and his Black Wanger Racing VW Beetle returned to Santa Pod Raceway in the UK for Doorslammers 2023. VeeDubRacing reports that Dave ran an event best of 9.56 sec at 143 mph coming close to his personal best of 9.51 sec at 146 mph. 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It is now powered by a turbocharged 2.5 L Subaru EJ25 flat-four. The motor features a semi-closed-deck block, forged crankshaft, forged rods, JDM STI EJ20 heads, and a Turbonetics turbocharger. It is paired to a 6-rib\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Beetle"","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"1963 Beetle with a turbo Subaru EJ25 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78935,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=78935","url_meta":{"origin":76721,"position":4},"title":"VW Beetle Race Car with a 700 hp Turbo Subaru Flat-Four","author":"swaptastic","date":"November 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"David Crowhurst and his Black Wanger Racing VW Beetle race car traveled to Santa Pod Raceway for Doorslammers and went 9.64 sec at 142.04 mph. 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The car is powered by a twin-turbo 2.0 L Subaru EJ20 flat-four. The motor features CP-Carrillo forged pistons, Pure Performance Motorsport forged rods, ACL Performance bearings, two GTA Turbos T25 turbochargers, and FuelTech FT350 ECU. 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