I had an opportunity to do a little research. We hit the swap meets and the show area, watched the drags (crikey, some fast ones out there...and some slow ones). I think the highlight of my day was the opportunity meeting with John and Doug Berg.
Doug is the legacy of Gene Berg, an aircooled legend and pioneer. He's also one of 2 other brothers still helping to run the business their father started. Actually, they are the business with their engineering, fabricating and overall aircooled industry seasoning.
I was drawn to a nice little, simple, classic blue, VW bug...DRAG ROCKET STREET MACHINE MONSTER, that looked mellow, painted nicely, setup pretty well, clean on the outside but looking closer underneath the car, inside the car, IT WAS A SERIOUS BEAST! HELL YEAH. I hadn't even noticed the sponsor stickers all over it, saying "Gene Berg" this, "CLAUD BERG" that!... just that it had a GB Five Speed in it.(sticker towards the front)I too have a GB 5 speed kit. I'm still trying to work some kinks out of the system so i get excited when I come across other end users. These buggers aren't cheap so it's hard to find em installed and usability tested.
The owner, John, was nice and took a second to speak with me from his busy hustle to get the tenacious bug on the trailer. Thanks mang! He looked at my girlfriends bee sting, made a face then helped me understand more about his trans axle and why it was special...oops that sounded kinda strange, but you get the idea.
Anyhow, he pointed me in the direction of Doug Berg who spent more time explaining how this new 5 Speed Prototype Series was more robust and dependable than the previous series I have in my car. It was called the the Berg 5 Busbox, some of you may have already heard of it. Built for the bus using a bussy trans, but obviously fit able in the Type 1 while only demanding a slight bit more clearance at the nose cone than the previous type 1 series 5 speed kit. Nothing a big hammer, some Gatorade and a little muscle couldn't take care of! Just do it!I like that Doug was just as old school lookin' as many of the peeps I had met over the years in the aircooled scene. I think he owns sunnys from the mid 70's, but so does everyone right now, just not as authentic as his. Really nice guy, easy to speak with, patient and needed a haircut...bad, but a really nice guy, did I say that already? I look forward to speaking with him more. In the mean time check out John's portrait above in the reflection of his own ride. Thanks for the intro John, it made my day!...well that and my girl didn't croak from her bee sting. I think bees are cute, but my girl doesn't.
The Berg 5 Busbox has a removable section sandwiched between the nose cone and the main housing. This section self contains all the necessary gears in a more consolidated fashion than previous Type 1 Berg 5 speed conversion kits and is a bit easier to remove for maintenance. Perhaps one of the more exciting thing Doug prides himself with and the new 5 Speed Busbox is the ability to use a larger and more robust Ring and Pinion. The common 4:12 ring and pinion, 3:88, 4:37, and 4:86 also alternatives, show signs of failure due to their lack of surface area in these 5 speed applications according to Doug. I believe Mowgli's trans was starting to make noise before I gave him a long term rest after college. Apparently ring and pinion failure was a shortcoming in the older series 5 speed conversions. Doug Berg has done his best to address this issues in the most recent Busbox 5 Speed conversions applicable to both IRS and swing axle setups all whilst bringing more functionality to the table.
I believe I was just beginning to hear some noises before Mowgli was put to bed for a bit. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can get Doug to work with me ($) since I forked out for that 5 speed in my broke college days and want to upgrade again! Thanks Doug! we like you. :)
I think the Folts axle setup on this ride needs some mentioning too. Apparently much stronger than stock. This axle conversion is an option designed and fabricated by Dave Folts. Sure looks like a smart design. Look at that joint!, no, that one...over there.Personally, I'd like to know more about the long term effectiveness, longevity in a streetcar application with lots of supporting data, these things aren't cheap! - not cheaply made either.
According to forums out there, use of thicker trans side plates, sealed bearings and U joints, facilitate a tougher solution overall and more protection against side loading on the differential.
I plan to maintain running a dependable streetcar with the occasional quick starts. Whatever designs help facilitate this, I'm game for.
There's such a mashup of old/new technology, old school technique with modern application, modern application with the nostalgic appeal, you can hardly go wrong with an aircooled application, especially with so many guru's in the midst. I know guys like Jake Raby love their type IV engines as they're yet another testament to the aircooled evolution, a mashup of mad science and modern technology. There's so many ways to have fun, engineer and build for fun. So many peeps are willing to give you the time of day like Chico from Chico Performance who bothered to email me his cell number to talk in person instead of email about a possible engine build. (Hope he's not mad, I decided to support my local shop, "Viking" during these trying times instead) Anyhow, its both the industry, the culture and the appeal of pushing things a step further that drive and support the love I have for the aircooled industry. This is what makes Mowgli what he is, regardless what state of battered up he may be in.
