TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Jan 10, 2010 9:19 pm

Hi guys, awsome site. Been going through posts on how to build my 1st Baja but a few things are still a bit unclear. Heres my project I want to start.
I have a donor beetle 1600 tp thats basically stock with a swingarm rear and linkpin front.
I wan to lift it with dropped spindles in the front to get max travel.
The rear I want to put bus reduction boxes in but will I have to install a complete gearbox or will the side reduction boxes just bolt on?
Will I be able to run 33"s in the rear with this setup?
Whats the biggest size tires I can run in the rear with bus reduction gearing.
I will be using my Baja for daily comuting and just doing occational trailing with some mud no jumping etc. Paint will be matt black or grey.

Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:30 pm

Riceburner wrote:
I will be using my Baja for daily comuting and just doing occational trailing with some mud no jumping etc. Paint will be matt black or grey.

Thats what they all say... :wink: until the paint becomes dirty, or muddy, then its ALL mud and jumping

Tue Jan 12, 2010 4:15 am

I assume you mean lifted spindles not dropped (lowered) spindles?

You can install redux boxes on a bug swing axle but you have to flip the differential carrier first.

I run 33s on my redux box baja, but I also have a 3" body lift. You can probably do it without a body lift but you will need to trim the fenders quite a bit.

Check out bugzyla.com and click on the baja pics link for build pics.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:53 pm

Reduction gears will bolt onto swing axle transmissions, but only if you want 1 forward speed and 4 speeds of reverse.

Flipping the ring and pinion will correct this, then all you need is a way to bolt the RGB's to the spring plates. There's a good amount of room for an adapter plate in there since bus torsions are about an inch wider per side.

I'd recommend getting an actual bus gear box, since you are planning on driving it daily. The bus box has a taller fourth gear than the beetle so you'd actually be able to do highway speeds without revving way too high.

You get about the same top speed running a bus trans with 31" tires as you do with a bug trans with normal sized 24.5" tires.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:38 pm

Ah OK, I can get a donor bus for cheap but I dont know what condition the gearbox is in. $$$$ again.