Gpzguy
New member
Thought of this when I read the title of this thread
Yeah, that's a beetle with a 5th wheel
YouTube - 1974 Volkswagen Beetle & Camper - road test
yours is cooler though
I don't know, this is extremely cool!
Beetle Off Road camper build
- Thread starter 67bajabug
- Start date
I don't know, this is extremely cool!
Love it! I was referred by a member of another forum to come check out this build. I have a 70 beetle with ball joint front end and IRS rear. I have cut and turned the front and reindexed the rears. I think I have about 13 inches of clearance under the pan with the tires I got. For the fronts, I have 7.00x15 military tires on stock wheels and the rears are 31x15.50x15s on some wide steelies. Other than that and the baja kit, its a standard beetle setup.
I would recommend the trans strap because thats my next upgrade. I broke my front mount in October.
As for the front end, I have yet to have any problems with the balljoint set-up. I do know that the spacing between the tubes is different between a balljoing and linkpin, so thats not necessarily an easy swap. The rear IRS can be done, but you'll need the brackets and the jig (HotVW's had an article on this swap this past fall) as well as all the used parts (spring plates, torsion end caps, trailing arms, trans, cvs/axles...) It adds up fast. I think the jig and brackets are over $100, and the used parts aren't always easy to find cheaply. Unless you are really bored and like a lot of work, I'd find a chasis with a linkpin front/ swing rear and convert the rear OR find an BJ/IRS chasis and convert the front. Or just drive it with what you got.
My biggest problem with the baja was doing trail rides and going as slow as everyone else. I was geared too tall and had to keep stopping. And when it came time to conquer an obstacle, I didn't have a low gear, so it was a pretty fast jump up/over rocks and ledges. I would recommend the nerf bars (got mine a vw show/swap for $20). Mine paid off first time out and they are maybe 3/4" tube. I would build it cheap and have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, no one wants to spend a lot of money to buy a really nice baja. I think most go for less than $2500, and thats for the pretty ones with new engines.
I would recommend the trans strap because thats my next upgrade. I broke my front mount in October.
As for the front end, I have yet to have any problems with the balljoint set-up. I do know that the spacing between the tubes is different between a balljoing and linkpin, so thats not necessarily an easy swap. The rear IRS can be done, but you'll need the brackets and the jig (HotVW's had an article on this swap this past fall) as well as all the used parts (spring plates, torsion end caps, trailing arms, trans, cvs/axles...) It adds up fast. I think the jig and brackets are over $100, and the used parts aren't always easy to find cheaply. Unless you are really bored and like a lot of work, I'd find a chasis with a linkpin front/ swing rear and convert the rear OR find an BJ/IRS chasis and convert the front. Or just drive it with what you got.
My biggest problem with the baja was doing trail rides and going as slow as everyone else. I was geared too tall and had to keep stopping. And when it came time to conquer an obstacle, I didn't have a low gear, so it was a pretty fast jump up/over rocks and ledges. I would recommend the nerf bars (got mine a vw show/swap for $20). Mine paid off first time out and they are maybe 3/4" tube. I would build it cheap and have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, no one wants to spend a lot of money to buy a really nice baja. I think most go for less than $2500, and thats for the pretty ones with new engines.
well i picked up another swing axle trans for 75 bucks so i guess i am gonna stick with that.
i am heading over to the shop now to start working on it again. i got kinda side tracked because my jeep needed some work and i ended up buying a jeep for my girlfriend. it needs a motor and i will probably put my spare 4.0l in it this weekend. after that all my concentration is on this project. it should start moving faster in the coming weeks.
tonight i am cutting out the rear sections of the floor (the part that dips down) and redoing them with custom flat panels i made. that way the bottom of the bug will actually be completely flat and have no dip. i am doing this to gain an inch or 2 of ground clearance and because the back floors were previously hacked in there and are rusting already.
tonight or tomorrow i should have plenty of pics and descriptions of this.
i am heading over to the shop now to start working on it again. i got kinda side tracked because my jeep needed some work and i ended up buying a jeep for my girlfriend. it needs a motor and i will probably put my spare 4.0l in it this weekend. after that all my concentration is on this project. it should start moving faster in the coming weeks.
tonight i am cutting out the rear sections of the floor (the part that dips down) and redoing them with custom flat panels i made. that way the bottom of the bug will actually be completely flat and have no dip. i am doing this to gain an inch or 2 of ground clearance and because the back floors were previously hacked in there and are rusting already.
tonight or tomorrow i should have plenty of pics and descriptions of this.
so i measured out the approx size of the part i was gonna cut out and measured the thickness of the metal on the pan.
then i went and got a piece of 19 gauge steel and cut 2 36x 17.5 sheets
after that i measured the distance between the beads and rolled beads in the panel that matched the front floor of the pan. the bead roller is a modified harbor freight. there is not much harbor freight left to it lol.
the 2 panels laid onto the pan. they still need to be cut and fit. should look pretty decent. only took about an hour to make.
then i plasma cut the seat brackets off. the plasma is a thermal dynamics cutmaster 38. i picked it up used 2 days ago and its my new favorite tool.
the bead roller puts a slight curve into the panel. the easiest way to correct this is to hammer the panel between 2 pieces of wood.
tonight the old floors get cut and used as a template to cut the panels. then i will mig the panels in.
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I have had 24 bugs, 3 buses, 2 ghias, a station wagon and a square back. I use to race the little buggers long ago. Someone way up there said something about a cut back brake, not sure what that is...but, what I did here and in Europe, was to add two levers, one on each side of the E brake lever. On the E brake lever I welded a piece of strap steel accross the bottom so that if the E brake lever was pulled up it would pull both side levers up. The brake cables were attached to the side levers. In turns, I would give it the gas and lightly (or as necessary) pull the inside brake lever and spin or drift it through curves. Driven like a tractor. I did that in 68, it may have been done elsewhere, but not in my area.
My campwagon (lol) bug only had the drivers seat. My girl friend sat on the head of the bed beside me. The rear seats were out. A platform was built and gave me a level floor. Under that floor was a cooler, where the front pass seat use to be, a stove was under the floor behind the drivers seat. I had other stuff under that floor too. Mine had the old gas heater in the rear below the back window and as I recall, it was scary sometimes, but worked great. I had foam rubber trimed out in three sections and covered, so I could lift up my floor pannels.
Since I had the rear heater I plugged up the heater vents in the body kick panel tubes. I got some rubber door molding, thin strips and doubled up the gaskets on the lower part of both doors. You had to rollthe window down to close the door!
I don't remember the tire size on the rear, but think they came off my 55 Chevy, wide snow tires, best we could do then. I did strap my tranny and bajaed the fenders, cut them out with a saw! I put my spare on the roof and kept extra gas in the spare tire well up front, but rarely needed it, but it had no gas guage. I don't remember which engine I had in that one, but all got a velocity style air cleaner.
I floated that dub down the river! We use to go from sand bar to sand bar and upthe banks. Farmers who saw us thouth we were nuts...probably were! LOL
I can tell you you don't need large tires on the front. If I did get stuck and had a half tank of gas or less, I could pick up the front end and change direction, get in and drive away. I made some skis for the front tires out of lumber (I was a kid then) and drove it when nothing else was on the streets, 18 inches in SW Missouri is alot of snow!
I had to weld up several pans, best done on the bottom. The weekest point of a VW is it's spindals, we would change over to Porche hubs and front ends in Germany.
I'm probably the only guy that had a two story VW bug. The bottom body ridge fits in the rain gutters on the roof, just put one body on top of another and had a sun roof in the bottom car. (Actually, I was hauling off an old body to the junk yard) The kid with me stood up and waved through the top window. The local newspaper reporter was out and about and saw us and we ended up in the newspaper with all sorts of questions about what they might have seen.
Other than strapping the tranny and rear of the engine with additional mounts if you're going into the air, a VW doesn't need much of anything, just lose the weight and take off!
My first one was a small split windowed 57, wish I had it now!
My campwagon (lol) bug only had the drivers seat. My girl friend sat on the head of the bed beside me. The rear seats were out. A platform was built and gave me a level floor. Under that floor was a cooler, where the front pass seat use to be, a stove was under the floor behind the drivers seat. I had other stuff under that floor too. Mine had the old gas heater in the rear below the back window and as I recall, it was scary sometimes, but worked great. I had foam rubber trimed out in three sections and covered, so I could lift up my floor pannels.
Since I had the rear heater I plugged up the heater vents in the body kick panel tubes. I got some rubber door molding, thin strips and doubled up the gaskets on the lower part of both doors. You had to rollthe window down to close the door!
I don't remember the tire size on the rear, but think they came off my 55 Chevy, wide snow tires, best we could do then. I did strap my tranny and bajaed the fenders, cut them out with a saw! I put my spare on the roof and kept extra gas in the spare tire well up front, but rarely needed it, but it had no gas guage. I don't remember which engine I had in that one, but all got a velocity style air cleaner.
I floated that dub down the river! We use to go from sand bar to sand bar and upthe banks. Farmers who saw us thouth we were nuts...probably were! LOL
I can tell you you don't need large tires on the front. If I did get stuck and had a half tank of gas or less, I could pick up the front end and change direction, get in and drive away. I made some skis for the front tires out of lumber (I was a kid then) and drove it when nothing else was on the streets, 18 inches in SW Missouri is alot of snow!
I had to weld up several pans, best done on the bottom. The weekest point of a VW is it's spindals, we would change over to Porche hubs and front ends in Germany.
I'm probably the only guy that had a two story VW bug. The bottom body ridge fits in the rain gutters on the roof, just put one body on top of another and had a sun roof in the bottom car. (Actually, I was hauling off an old body to the junk yard) The kid with me stood up and waved through the top window. The local newspaper reporter was out and about and saw us and we ended up in the newspaper with all sorts of questions about what they might have seen.
Other than strapping the tranny and rear of the engine with additional mounts if you're going into the air, a VW doesn't need much of anything, just lose the weight and take off!
My first one was a small split windowed 57, wish I had it now!
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
bump:victory:
Lord Al Sorna
Harebrained Scheming
This is a GREAT project! Subscribed.
I don't know if you have seen it yet, but www.shoptalkforums.com has been an invaluable resource in the build of my 77 standard bug.
Just for fun:
This is my still-in-the-works project. Has a 2056 Type 4 conversion out of a Porsche 914 :sombrero:
If you have any questions, especially engine questions let me know. I did all the work on my bug and it started off looking much worse than yours.
I cant wait to see the finished product!
I don't know if you have seen it yet, but www.shoptalkforums.com has been an invaluable resource in the build of my 77 standard bug.
Just for fun:
This is my still-in-the-works project. Has a 2056 Type 4 conversion out of a Porsche 914 :sombrero:
If you have any questions, especially engine questions let me know. I did all the work on my bug and it started off looking much worse than yours.
I cant wait to see the finished product!
LOL, I guess the old trick of driving the car like a tracor "cutting brakes" is still a strategy. I was the first around here to do that in the 60s. I raced the old buggy and others yelled foul, but they ended up doing the same thing! Don't knowhow you doit now, but I used three levers, left and right of center brake. The center brake lever had a piece spot welded under it so if you lift the center, both levers came up. Or did I mention that???? LOL
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Gpzguy
New member
'77? But the rear bumper has the flat mount posts, not the tubular '5 mph' energy adsorbing mounts that were used from '74 on.... (like my '74 standard had)
Is this a Mexican bug you imported?
ttravis5446
Adventurer
I have been watching this thread since it started and it got me thinking about building a Baja. I was into Buses when I was a kid but have been pretty much out of VW's for a while. This Bug came up for sale from a guy at work for $500 so I jumped on it. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do and how far I want to go on it. But I plan to start work on it next week.
Lord Al Sorna
Harebrained Scheming
I fabbed those mounts, as it ended up being a way cleaner look and my originals were all FUBAR. Turned out pretty good, I just welded them out of plate steel. I notched the fenders accordingly.
Steve F
Adventurer
That's my old site :Wow1: I sold my white bus off years ago and the site just died as I lost interest, I still had a bug for a few years longer.
That green bus was very nice and was probably the best one running around that had the lift and all that.
Cheers
Steve
That One Guy
Adventurer
Just sayin'... We are totally threadjacking here... It's been like 2 pages of us sharing our stuff and none of him...