California FI Beetle muffler size?

[SlowLane]

Hi all.

I'm in the throes of trying to fit a not-so-direct-fit Magnaflow 39916 catalytic converter to my '81 Canadian Vanagon to satisfy the CARB-stapo.

Why I'm putting myself through this is a long, perversely convoluted story that I will go into some other time, but time is pressing on me to get this done, so I must be brief here.

My erstwhile muffler-wrangler is trying without much luck to source a muffler that is about 6-8" shorter than the stock Vanagon one but which would still look good. Seems the 5" round format VW used back in teh day just isn't that popular any more, and most of what we are looking at fall into the "oval" category, which just wouldn't look right.

Then I had a brainstorm: the late California Beetles had the same cat on them as the Vanagon, but Beetles have a lot narrower body. The correct muffler for the California beetle is an 043-251-051-C, which does appear to be "stubbier" than the Vanagon muffler, assuming they are the same diameter. I estimate from the photo that if it is 5" in diameter, then the length would be about 14", which would be just about perfect.

So my plea to the forum is this: if anyone has one of these mufflers on their beetle, could you measure its length and diameter for me?

Thanks,
Lyle

[Amskeptic]

Hi all.

I'm in the throes of trying to fit a not-so-direct-fit Magnaflow 39916 catalytic converter to my '81 Canadian Vanagon to satisfy the CARB-stapo.

Why I'm putting myself through this is a long, perversely convoluted story that I will go into some other time, but time is pressing on me to get this done, so I must be brief here.

My erstwhile muffler-wrangler is trying without much luck to source a muffler that is about 6-8" shorter than the stock Vanagon one but which would still look good. Seems the 5" round format VW used back in teh day just isn't that popular any more, and most of what we are looking at fall into the "oval" category, which just wouldn't look right.

Then I had a brainstorm: the late California Beetles had the same cat on them as the Vanagon, but Beetles have a lot narrower body. The correct muffler for the California beetle is an 043-251-051-C, which does appear to be "stubbier" than the Vanagon muffler, assuming they are the same diameter. I estimate from the photo that if it is 5" in diameter, then the length would be about 14", which would be just about perfect.

So my plea to the forum is this: if anyone has one of these mufflers on their beetle, could you measure its length and diameter for me?

Thanks,
Lyle

PM and email jackstar, a forum member here. He has a 79 Cabrio, maybe right outside if he took it to work. He might not have the catalytic convertor, but I think they used the same muffler and a simple distance piece to span the catalytic convertor's length.
Colin

[casamagana]

Hey there Lyle. Not sure where you'll see this first. The muffler on the '78 Beetle is 14" seam to seam. That is on a Wolfsburg West stock replacement muffler.