They say there is nothing stronger than the bond between a father and a son. This is especially true when there is a common interest that can bring a father and his son even closer together. Whatever the hobby may be, in the end, there will always be something there to remind both a Father and his Son of the good times, and countless hours that they spent together; which they can of course cherish and keep with them forever, re-enforcing that bond shared between them. For Dale Sevcik and his son, it is undoubtedly safe to say that their 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle project car, is an ideal exemplification of a bond that will never be broken.
The story began for Dale about 10 years ago, who found the Beetle via contacts from a customer’s engine he had repaired. The man whom Dale had bought the Beetle from, used to be a car dealer and brought cars to Canada from the United States. The Beetle was just one of the vehicles that this man had brought up and it sat in his garage untouched and in immaculate condition, for 8 years. When Dale first laid his eyes upon the Beetle, the car was virtually stock and was practically in mint condition. A look at the engine and to his surprise, this little bug was turbocharged. With no hesitation at all, Dale found a new project for him and his son to work on.
At the time of Dale’s purchase, Disney had just released the feature film, “Herbie”. Dale’s son, being 13 at the time, was really intrigued with what was done to “Herbie” to compete at the race track and from there, it was decided that Dale and his son were going to build their very own NASCAR Herbie. Little did Dale and his son know what they were getting themselves into however.
The project starts for Dale and his son by doing a complete overhaul on the suspension with their version of “Herbie”. All front and rear suspension sway bar bushings have been replaced with polyurethane bushings, along with brand new ball joints and tie rod ends. Dale also acquired lower struts and stiffer springs for the front end of this vehicle, while the rear has adjusted torsion bars with KYB shocks, and an upgraded aftermarket sway bar with VW Bus torsion snubbers.
For footwork and stopping performance, Dale’s Super Beetle sports 4 wheel disc brakes all around, and a 19mm Master Cylinder with a front brake line lock hooked up to the shifter assembly. For shoes, Dale and his son’s “Herbie” rocks Goodyear Eagle GTII tires all around with 235/60R15 fitted at the front and a beefy 275/60R15 fitted at the rear.
In the engine and drivetrain department, Dale and his son have modified the fuel tank with a 1/2″ fuel line connecting to the dual carbureted 1915CC air-cooled turbocharged motor. While on the topic of this turbocharged motor, this little bug produces approximately three times it’s original horsepower, giving it 150hp and 160 ft. lbs of torque. While the transmission was not built by Dale and his son, it is still highly modified as it wears a VW 6 Rib Bus Unit with a Quafe Differential. This father and son team have also implemented the Snow Performance water methanol injection, which they tell us works fantastic with no problems to the engine at all. The motor and transmission are also solid mounted to the frame of the vehicle to give it that “race car feel” when driving on the track.
The interior of Dale’s “Herbie” contains racing seats and harnesses, a removable steering wheel, and a 6 point Chromoly roll bar with frame horn supports, which prevent rear wheel hop. The sunroof of Dale’s Super Beetle is an aftermarket piece that is very similar to the original back in the 60’s. Colored gauges, an RPM Tachometer, and one piece windows can also be found in this Beetle.
Without a doubt the most eye catching piece found on Dale and his son’s Beetle are the NASCAR vents located in the rear quarter windows, sporting tubes that direct air back to the motor, through the firewall. And last but not least, we cannot forget the signature “Herbie” paint job found on the exterior of what we feel, is a project car that is definitely well thought out.
After a brief look at the creation of Dale Sevcik and his son, this is the final outcome of their 5 year project, a “NASCAR Herbie”. Taking into account all the time, blood, sweat and tears put into this build, one thing we know for sure has been solidified for Dale and his son, and it is the strong bond that will never be broken between them, as they’ve built themselves one incredible Super Beetle; A “NASCAR Herbie” if you will, to call their own.
For more photos on Dale Sevcik’s 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle, check out more pictures on our Flickr page here: Dale’s 1972 Herbie
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