Wicked66

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

"WICKED66" is a '70 Mexican Bug body installed on a '66 swing axle chassis and titled as a '66. The modified Bug was professionally built in Mexico and sold into California as a custom order.

This strategy became popular in California in the '70's as a way to get around annual e-test requirements.

The Bug moved from California to Florida and eventually found its way into Canada.

WICKED66 was sold from our private collection at The Old Volks Home in Mallorytown, Ontario to a buyer in Collingwood, Ontario in February 2021.

How the Build Started

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

We spotted the old VW Bug for sale near Ottawa Ontario in 2011. It was truly mint... BUT... it did have a noisy transmission.

We brought the Bug home and took the trannie to Leduc Racing for a rebuild. That's when we came up with the idea of creating an Old School Performance Bug ... And so the extensive build began!

WICKED66 was not raced, although we did take it to the VW Nationals in NJ once just for fun. Watch the video below of that day and you will see that the car was driven off the line...no wheel spin at all. It was built for the street and VW enjoyment.

Wicked VW Video

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

Here is a copy of a surprise email we received from a previous owner who had spotted WICKED66 on Facebook.

Robert Caldwell <caldwell@xxxxxx

Thu 19-Nov-2020 8:29 AM

Reg

This is a long story, but you might be interested anyway.

There was a very large VW Dealership in Mexico City. He and his sons owned over 6 VW dealerships. One other son decided he wanted to do something different, so he started a company in Nogales Mexico, on the border with Nogales, Arizona. (There is only a road and border fence dividing these 2 towns, and I have been there several times to both places, just walking through customs from one to the other.)

Anyway, this guy would bring new Beetles from this father's dealership to Nogales Mx and strip them down to the chassis, then mainly US customers would bring their good but old VW pans to him, and he would strip them and use POR 15 coating on them and then install all the new components on that chassis, thus the serial number on the pan was still there and it could be legally registered in US or Canada.

Yours (WICKED66) was built for a gentleman in California, who then sold it to a guy in Miami, who drove it daily for about a year and put it up for sale.

I saw it on the net and bought it from him, had it shipped to Kanata (Ontario Canada), where I lived (paid shipping, duty & taxes so all was legal).

I didn't drive it, only 100km total, as it sat in my garage. I finally was getting ready to move back to NB, so I sold it on Kijiji to a retired RCMP officer, as a present to his wife, who always wanted a beetle.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Bob Caldwell

Our Records Show

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

Robert Caldwell, who wrote that unsolicited email, purchased the bug from Florida in late 2007. The car was appraised for $12,500 in October 2007 prior to being registered for road use in Canada. It had 49,915 km (31,000 miles) on it at the time.

Roger Pinon purchased the bug from Robert Caldwell in July 2009. And it was appraised at $12,500 with 50,418 km (31,260 miles) on it at the time.
In August of 2011, it was traded in by its owner (Roger Pinon – the retired RCMP officer) on the purchase of an RV. He traded in his older RV and the VW at Carleton Trailers, near Ottawa Ontario.
We purchased the car from Carleton Trailers on September 2, 2011. The bug had 60,112 km (37,330 miles) on it when we purchased it from Carleton Trailers.
As of February 2021 when the car was sold, the car had 62,769 km (38,000 miles) on it.

Build Sheet - Engine & Transmission

Engine Build Leduc Racing

+/-4000 miles since build
Balanced & Blueprinted
AH short block; drilled for full flow
Balanced 8 pin crank
Flywheel lightened, balanced, 8 pin
Schadek 26mm Oil Pump, 8mm Pump Studs with Full Flow Cover
Deep sump
Remote filter
Hardened push rods in Stainless push rod tubes

Replacement Cost (2020) - $8,550

More Engine Details

MAHLE 94mm pistons, balanced
Compression 8.1:1
Crower No. 61004 cam for Street Use
7500 Red Line
HD valve springs with Chrome Moly Steel Retainers
Hardened Valve Keepers
75 amp chrome Alternator
Real 44 IDF Webber dual carbs
Webber intake manifolds
Adjustable Fuel Pressure Guage
Ceramic headers (no heater boxes)
Phat Boy exhaust
Electronic Ignition

EMPI's GTV-2 Racing VW Dual Port Cylinder Heads - Sept. 2020

Performance improvement
Cast with 20% larger than stock intake and exhaust ports for more strength and rigidity
Dual port cylinder head
Stainless Steel 40mm intake & 35.5mm exhaust valves.
The valves are held in place with Hi-Rev Springs
Chromoly Retainers and hardened keepers
Installed by Joe Leroux

Cost installed $1,800 CDN

September 2020 - Other Improvements

Ceramic coated the exhaust and headers ($500)
Vintage Speed INOX-356-3000 High Flow Air Breather + AN fittings & black cloth hoses ($700)
Breather is seen a long horizontal tube in photo above engine shroud
Installed CB Performance bolt-on #1695 Billet Valve Covers - Polished ($325)
Installed Joe Bence roller throttle tube kit ($55)

Transmission #PE200600

Rebuilt by Leduc Racing

All new parts

3.88 Ring and Pinion
Super Differential
Upgraded to 4 spider gears per side
HD aluminum side cover
Steel shift forks to replace brass
Welded 3rd and 4th gears
New synchros, bearings etc.
1700 lb Kennedy pressure plate
HD throw-out bearing
Super Front Mount with Urethane pads
Scat DragFast shifter

Replacement Cost (2020) $3,000

2012 Upgrades

Driveline Install & Additions

February 2012 – CIP1 – $2,145

5 new Empi Chrome 8-spoke Wheels - 15"
New front tires
4-wheel disc brakes with 2.5” front drop spindles

New Auto Meter Nexus Gauges $1,366

Oil Pressure
Oil Temp
Battery Voltage
Pedestal tachometer

September 2012 – DPD Auto - $318

2 New rear tires – BFG Radial TA for Old School Cal Look

Driveline Install & Additions

August-October 2012 – $3,600

The engine and transmission was completed in late spring of 2012. We had them installed in Whitby Ontario. In addition to the Engine & trannie installation, we had other mods completed.

New 4-wheel X-drilled disc brakes installed
2-1/2" drop spindles
Kennedy 1700 lb clutch added
Sway-A-Way front stabilizer added
Solid rear trannie mount added

Inexplicably, the engine started running poorly while in Whitby and the shop was not able to sort out the problem. It was flooding badly and the installer was not an engine builder. The Bug was trailered from Whitby directly to Last Chance Auto Restoration.

Last Chance Auto - 2013

Driveline Install & Additions

Last Chance Auto - 2013

October 2012 – December 2013 – Last Chance Auto - Parts & labour over the year - $9,898

We were concerned about the excessive engine flooding so we had Last Chance Auto remove the engine and tear it down to make sure no damage had been done by excess fuel in oil. It was fine.

Replaced one defective Weber carb (no warranty)
New Nexus gauges installed including custom dash work
Gutted interior and applied POR15 rust inhibitor to floor pans and inner body shell (no rust found); then added sound deadener to entire interior
New fuel lines
New carpets
New steering box
Upgraded brake master cylinder
New HELLA brake light assemblies & lenses
Much more as shown by receipts in Records Binder

Wicked Garage - 2015

Last Chance Auto - 2013

October 2015 – Wicked Garage Ottawa - $2,067
We were never able to tune the Weber carbs and although we were only using the car for the odd VW event, it always bothered me that it would occasionally backfire.

We searched for carb tuners and found Wicked Garage in Ottawa. While the car was there, we had them adjust the disc brake setup.

May 2016 – Upholstery by Shon Ottawa - $4,800
We had Shon do the custom upholstery and install the power window regulators purchased from Horton’s in 2014.

More Upgrades - 2016

Wicked Garage - 2015

More Upgrades - 2016

October 2016 - Last Chance Auto - $4,153

There was a slight pulsing in the brake pedal and some of the typical VW oil seepage coming from the push rod tubes which was annoying.

Replaced rear rotors, calipers, disc pads etc
Replaced push rod tubes
Replaced accelerator & speedometer cables
Upgraded braided brake lines
Replaced rear axle seals

More Upgrades - 2020

Wicked Garage - 2015

More Upgrades - 2016

May 2020 - Joe Leroux - $3,800

Joe Leroux is a well known collector/restorer in Eastern Ontario.It had been about 8 years and 4500 miles since the engine build, so we decided to pull the engine and freshen up the engine bay. We wanted bolt-on valve covers as well.When doing valve covers, Joe spotted a factory-defective head and also found a weak starter.

New starter
Replaced both heads – Empi - GTV-2 Heads - CIP1 #C13-98-1335B ($1000)
Installed Scat Billet bolt-on Valve Covers
Ceramic coated the headers and exhaust pipes to freshen them up - $800
Installed Vintage Speed high flow oil breather system including AN fittings purchased from Tuned Perfection

Original Interior

The original interior was in the Bug when we purchased it... and it was like NEW !

This photo shows the original frames and stuffing as we found it. Notice the factory sticker still on the stuffing.

This is a close up of the original Mexico manufacturer label that you can see on the center of the seat stuffing in the above photo.

It still is on the seat today!

Other Mentions

The headliner is original and like new as you will see below.
The original dash shows no signs of cracking or sun decay.
The body was gutted just after acquisition and completely sound-proofed.

Body Details

Wheels & Tires

Brakes & Front End

This Restored Vintage VW has...

Fully Chromed "Riviera" 8 spoke 15" (5.5" wide) Aluminum wheels, including spare.
Nankang 145/SR15 radials up front (and spare)
215/65R15 BFG Radial TA's on rear to give it that "Old School" Cal look.

Wheels, tires, hardware cost - $1,500

Brakes & Front End

Brake and Suspension Mods

ACC-C10-4121 Front Disc set with 2-1/2" drop spindles.
ACC-C10-4126-FKT Rear Disc set
Upgraded to X-Drilled Rotors.
Emergency brake kit.
S/S braided brake line.
Upgraded Master Cylinder.
Sway-A-Way front Stabilizer bar

New cost installed - $2,300

Gauge Upgrades

Brakes & Front End

Gauge Upgrades

Auto Meter LED Nexus Analog Gauges

Oil Temp #6456 ($292)
Oil Pressure #6453 ($259)
Voltage #6491 ($115)
3-3/8" Pedestal Mounted Tachometer #6499 ($270)
Sensor Module #6400 ($272)
Factory speedometer

Nexus Gauges with Programmable 7 Color LED Lighting.

Cost Installed - $1,800

Wicked VW's

Wicked66

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

How the Build Started

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

WICKED 66 was Born in Mexico

Wicked History

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

Our Records Show

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

A New and an Old VW Bug Got Married in 1970

Build Sheet - Engine & Transmission

2012 Upgrades

Driveline Install & Additions

Driveline Install & Additions

Driveline Install & Additions

Driveline Install & Additions

Driveline Install & Additions

Last Chance Auto - 2013

Driveline Install & Additions

Last Chance Auto - 2013

Wicked Garage - 2015

Wicked Garage - 2015

Last Chance Auto - 2013

More Upgrades - 2016

Wicked Garage - 2015

More Upgrades - 2016

More Upgrades - 2020

Wicked Garage - 2015

More Upgrades - 2016

Custom Interior

Custom Upholstery

Door Speakers

Dashboard is like new

...more...

Body Details

Wheels & Tires

Brakes & Front End

Brakes & Front End

Brakes & Front End

Brakes & Front End

Brakes & Front End

Gauge Upgrades

Brakes & Front End

Gauge Upgrades

Instrument Panel

Wheels & Tires

Photo Gallery

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