bug-out vehicles

suzuki dr400 dual purpose, or a honda 650xL. I would think a motorcycle would be the way to go.
 
ok.....mine has changed couldnt handle 8 mpg in "the beast" I bought a 2004 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 extra cab v6 20mpg...much better :D
 
parade3.jpg


Non turbo, multifuel. Almost indestructible.
 
Hey Hotrod,
When in High School I took a stock VW pan & transmission ($125), bought a 1500cc motor - rebuilt ($325) my father brought home some 3/4" and 1" rigid pipe and my brother and I went to work. We built the entire roll cage, fuel tank bracket, everything. Bought a pair of old VW seats that fit the stock sliders that are welded to the pan, some Gates Commando tires (yes its been a while) and presto. An off road buggy on a High School budget.
Drove it hard, jumped it, bounced off boulders, and it kept running. I ended up having to install transmission braces after breaking the nose cone, not a big deal or expense. The tranny held up fine (stock). Now, if you build one off of a Baja body I would install an IRS transmission for many reasons, and have it set up right from the start. I would run an 1835cc engine until someone can prove the 2275 is just as reliable, separate oil cooler, roll cage, skid plate, etc. and a roof rack for gear. Better seats too, my back isn't what it used to be. The sky is the limit, along with your pocket book. Unless your nuts driving they hold up fine, real fine.
As a matter of fact I'm looking for a good starting platform now, good project for my kids too. Should be fun to head into the local mountains and deserts when its done, camping & fun. With the right tires they do well in the snow too.

Good Luck,
Tom
 
I'm thinking the most fuel efficient VW engine I can find...

And some down tubes off the roll bar into the front trunk area... NOTHING up front in case of a head on collision :eek:

How do the baja bumpers do for protecting you from other cars? :cool:

Sounds like a fun little baha :D
 
Bumpers on these rigs are like anything else, varying degrees of quality. We started buying our own heavy wall steel tube, bending it, and attaching it to the shock front end tubes, shock towers, and we made flat plates to bolt on to the body sheet metal. These worked well, you could hook a tow strap to the front bumper without if coming off.
On the rear engine cage we always added skid plate protection that extended on the sides to protect the cylinders and push rod tubes. Bend the skid plates up on all ends so it will slide across obstacles rather than catch on them. We also added a 2" receiver to the rear cage as well. Keep the top of the engine covered as best you can, keeps the rain and snow off.
The 1600 and 1835 motors are very reliable, 1600 being more fuel efficient however.
 
I like the skid plate ideas...

One question... Do you recomend a ball joint front end? Or a kingpin? Kingpin sounds like less of a fight... but is more expensive!

The other is the swingarm vs IRS... for cornering ya want IRS, but I dont know about offroad!

Also... can anyone point me in the direction of a baja forum similar to this one? I have found a couple, but they are all DEAD! No real VW forums either from what I can tell... at least not any that cover bajas... :(

Thanks for the help...
 
Just stay away from '66-'68 if you want a Baja. They had swing arm and ball joint. '65 and earlier had swing arm and king/link pin. '69 and later had IRS and ball joint. It's about an even trade. With the later bugs (not the supers, though) You get longer life from the rear tires and a steadier car off road but the ball joints have their limits (no really long travel shocks). With the earlier bugs you get the king/link pin front, which will let you crank up the front pretty high but you do end up with a funky camber on the rears if you lift it too much. The swing arms are pretty tough, just a little squirrellier ( is that even a word ;) ?) and rear tires don't last as long. When I got my Baja I thought I was going to get a '69. The guy sold the '69 but still had a '65. Right now she's got 13" of clearance up front and 11" in back (right down the middle). I can't turn the back much more or the rears will end up REALLY cockeyed. But I will take a grinder to the rear fenders and put some 30s out back, right now she's just got 235s out back and 205s up front. If you know a good VW/off road shop there is a way to weld in an IRS rear onto a link pin car but the money could probably be put to better use. There is a Baja message board, I have it bookmarked at my desk, I'll post it later.

Frank
 
I wonder if you could install a 6 point suspension (kinda like a racing SCCA corvette...) Although That would probably limit your movement to whatever your clearance is... and not allow the axles to move front to back...

Hmmm...

Thanks again for the help! :cool:
 
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