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Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:47 am

I've been a Vee-Dub fan all my life with many street projects being completed. I live in New England and other than an a little ice cream after dinner, don't have much desert to speek of.
My wife and I have raced a tube frame buggy at motocross tracks for a few years for kicks. She has owned a Thing for thirteen years and I think it's time to do it up.
Next year we hope to take our," big trip"and tow her Thing out west with an RV.
I was wondering if any one could give me some idea of what the minimum beefing up I would need to do to be able to have some fun in the desert. I see the class 11's not too nuts... any help?

Right now I have Sway-A-Way adjustable spring plates to install and I have a stock roll cage I could use. I know how to weld and would like to at least put a full cage in. Do they sell pre bent kits for Things?
I have BFG All terrains on 14' Jackmen wheels but would like to go to 15" Centerlines.
I'm thinking of doing a body lift and raising the floor pans.
The engine is1641"?" 110 cam with Kadrons.

The wife says four grand is the money limit.

Thanks in advace for any input,Matt

Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:44 am

I have ridden dirtbikes, quads, 4x4s and Bajas in the Desert most of my life - started when 10 and now am 48!

1: Decide where you want to go and how fast you want to drive.
The desert out west is very diffferent from place to place. The high desert can be very rocky and the southern deserts very sandy. So the setups can be very different. Since you live in New England I would keep the changes simple or you won't be happy when you get back home.

2: For starters get the best tires you can afford as rocks can really tear up tires. A/T tires tend to have thin sidewalls but work well in the sand when aired down.

3: Get some good shocks. I like Bilsteins but KYBs will do the job. Lift kits are way over-rated in my opinion. You will be vey pleased with the places your Thing will take you in the desert.

4: Skid plate everything. You would be amazed by the size of rocks kicked up by your tires.

5: Good seats and seat belts are a must. All that bouncing really puts the hurt on your back. Check your electrical really well because that bouncing will find any contact that is spotty.

6: Build a good tool pack. Rough roads break stuff just like the Motocross tracks do. Don't forget the tow strap and a good jack. Bajas and Things can and do get stuck. If you do get stuck stay with your car. Trust me it is a lot easier for search and rescue to see your car then you walking through the desert.

7: Bring lots of water and if you don't know the area or don't have a map stay on big trails. It is easier to get help if you need it.

8: Tour areas that people frequent - some of my favorites are Anza Borrego, Ocottia Wells, Calico Desert (There is a nice campground with full hookups at the Ghost town), the Barstow area has Rainbow Basin which is very pretty this time of year and the trails are perfect for VW based trips and there is a KOA Campground in Barstow. If we are going out alone we let the campground peole know where we are going so that they can notify someone if we don't get back by the night.

Any more question please feel free to PM me. I know of lots of fun place to go and we also RV.

Desert Bob

Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:00 am

I'll try to get some pisc of my neighbor's Thing. No body mods, custom roll cage, Bilstein shocks at all four corners, nice bucket seats in the front, 29"? tires and a stout 2180cc engine. We took that car out to the Mojave River Valley north of Barstow and it rode great and handled the tough stuff and decent speeds. The only drawback were that the tires were not much of an All-Terrain tread.

and like desert bob said, Body Lifts are over rated. Thing's have a bit of ground clearance as is, keep the tires size on the lower end with a good all terrain tread and you'll be happy.

oh, and KYB are not good shocks. IMO, they are just stiff street shocks that people use off-road with mixed results. personally I cant stand them and it was peasurable removing them from my car last weekend.

Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:38 am

Great posts by the veterans so far, I was going to write very similar stuff myself before my dial-up connection failed. By the time I got back this info was already posted! :lol:

HBB, I am going to try that Bilstein idea, the KYB's on my C-11 sedan are shot.

Anyway, something I want to throw in is the desert is not some pure sand and rock moonscape, be ready for pollen, dust, insects, heat..........and cold! Yes, it can get cold in the So-Cal desert, so don't assume it's warm all year 'round or even around the clock. Rainstorms occasionally show up too, even during summer.

Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:44 am

http://www.bilstein.com/html/applications/6100/index.htm

http://www.bilstein.com/html/applications/7100/7100_offroad.htm

VW Off-Road / Class 9 / Class 11

at the bottom of those pages you'll see all their shocks setup for bolt-on use with VW's. if you plan on getting creative with notching and whatnot, you'll need to go with something a bit more for general use.

Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:51 am

Couldn't agree moer the the previous posters and their recommendations. As for the seats, I would recommend Beard Super seats. They aer a suspension seat that will make any rough roads/trails much more tolerable, aside from the protections to your lower back and tush! :) When you decide where you want to go, you may want to check with either the BLM about any trail/off roading restrictions/areas. I know the area about 10 miles north of Barstow is where the "old" Barstow to Vegas race used to start, with start lines pushing the multiple miles in length measure, but then the area got restricted, so check ahead. If you're in an area with a lot of ravenes or dunes, a whip antenna with a flag and light would be a good up grade. Hope you enjoy your trip out here.

Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:37 pm

One more thing. Watch the weather. If it looks like rain stay out of the washes. Flash flood can kill. This year has been really wet out in the desert and washes I have gone to for years that were dry in the winter now have water flowing down them.

Oh yea have fun. The desert is awesome and with the right attitude you will fall in love with the stark beauty and solitude you find out there.

Desert Bob

Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:34 pm

Thanks so much for your input! It really helped me visualize the desert better and wich way I should head with the Thing.
Function is number one but their is that'"posser" element...it doesn't hurt if it looks cool too!
I reindexed the rear and it looks like hell when the wheel comes forward that's why I'm thinking body lift.
Do you think I need to do more support to the front end if I think I might get some air? I guess I'll box the stock trailing arms. Can I use more than one shock in the rear or would I then have to tie into the roll cage?

I might be able to behave,but then again I've tasted the thrill of the launch so it might be tuff!

Any idea if a full cage kit might be availible for a Thing?

Thanks again,Matt
PS. No sleep tonight!

Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:14 pm

The Thing has the strongest factory made front end of any VW (with factory shock tower bracing and extra tie-ins for the front beam). It should do fine for what you want if you don’t drive like a lunatic. Good shocks are a must have item! If you need a serious amount of front travel there isn’t much you can do with a ball joint front end and you have to start looking at a K&L swap. I am looking into that right now and it’s not going to be much fun making that fit in a stock Thing front end and forget about having stock metal fenders.

A body lift isn’t going to fix that odd rear wheel placement when you lift it and the larger the tire you buy is only going to accentuate the off center look. Its sort a factory screw up, that I think (not 100% sure) came when they removed the swing axle/reduction box’s and converted to IRS. You need to buy longer rear arms to re-center the rear wheel in the wheel wells.

Also if you box the stock rear arms you need to cut off the rear shock mounts for it to work. You can then fab new mounts that tie into the boxed arms or get the triple shock weld on thingy than moves the shock mounts on top of the arms and would tie into the cage. If you are going to box the rear arms I would recommend cutting up a set of Bug arms and selling the Thing arms. They are slightly different than bug arms and becoming slightly scarce, where as Bug arms are in every junkyard across the country.

Just my .02cents.

Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:56 pm

Kadron carbs will not handle any real jostling without spilling excessive amounts of fuel from the float vents and will really put a damper on your fun. You need to put an external float vent on the float bowls. I tried driving a kadron powered 1641 up a washboard road with a decent incline and it just bogged and died. All solex and kadrons suffer from this.

Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:38 pm

Great info everyone!

Here is the best part everyone has overlooked (at least for us) - you've had a long day playing, maybe helping to fix or tow cars that broke, everyone gangs up on them at night back at camp and handles the problem - and then the infamous campfire stories start.

That, my friends, is the best part of the desert! Throw in the brightest stars you've ever seen and you know why you will always go back.

Build a safe car. Don't scrimp on safety equipment. Go have fun and see what needs to be upgraded, and then start crossing things off your list as you go...

Best of luck.

Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:51 pm

Couldn't agree more, Thnigdriver, although I would add to the cmapfire and stories, the 2 stroke blender full of tasty treats:)

Sat Mar 19, 2005 9:08 am

Things I've found to be important are;
desert= sandy, rocky desolate area. dessert= tasty after dinner treat.
Fire extinguishers-get a CO2 one if you can afford it.
If you are unfamiliar with the area, and you can't see around a corner or over a hill, get out and check first. Many trails are made by dirt bikes and atvs, things they can handle can ruin your f*@#%ng day.
Learn how to dig yourself out if you get stuck, you may (will) have to do this by yourself someday :oops: .
Water. I use a gallon bottle of Gatorade, just change the water once a month, it is a good sturdy bottle. Good for drinking, also good for spitting out small electrical fires without the powdery mess of a fire extinguisher :oops: .