I picked up this gem yesterday. Havent totally decided what to do with it yet. I have a 4.3L Chevy V6 just layin around...hmm

 

i was eyeballing one of those about 5-6 years ago. it was all done up, but kind of wore out for the money they were asking. would be a fun toy in the right place.

 

this one cost me $200. needs some work but its a good side project

 

Not as bad as a V8 but still a 4.3 is a little heavy for them. I haven't been into those things in years so I might be behind the times. The thing to do if you wanted to do an engine swap was to use one of the following.
1)Corvair flat 6= aircooled but you had to get a cam so the engine would rotate the right way, good luck finding one of those motors now or even the cam
2) Porsche flat 6= aircooled with lots of power but WAY expensive
3) ford 2.0 turbo= insane power for a 4 cylinder but water cooled
4) Type 2 flat four (bus)= aircooled ,bolts right up to type 1 tranny( for a baja bug I would also use the type 2 tranny) still cheap to find and they came in a few displacements i think all the way up to 2.0

 

The 4.3l is a big beast and it's gonna need a lot of support. The backend of that bug has nowhere to put any of that weight. Especially since it's had the baja conversion. The old air-cooled flat four is held up by only 4 bolts on the end of tranny in the bug and the existing tranny and clutch wont take much if any abuse from that big v6. (I had one of those in a g20 van once and it's torque will destroy that old tranny.) if you use any tranmission that will mate directly to the v6 you will be faced with the wheels going in the wrong direction. So it only leaves you the front of the bug to mount the engine. That will mean moving the gas tank and doing a whole lot of cutting and welding to make that beast fit. I highly recommend going with a flat four. You can get big bore cylinders and pistons, dual webber carbs and a fat exaust and make that old bug fly. And a good old baja with a strong motor at the back is a blast to drive off road.

 

For a younger guy I have a fair amount of welding and fabrication under my belt.

My plan is to: 1: have a machine shop drill, tap, and balance my 4.3 wheel so it accepts the vw pressure plate.
2: build a rear bumper/ engine cage
3: install coil overs, or adjustable air ride suspention

wether it works or not it will still be fun

 

You should hit up the Samba site those guys will tell you all you need to know.
A good friend of mine I call the hippy (126 lb vegan with 3' dreads) has one with a stock 1600 it goes pretty good for a lawn mower lol his name on there is lownslow69 he can help you out a bunch. Reconsider the 4.3 too much weight as previously stated, much better swaps to do than that.
Just my .02