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Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:15 pm

I have a bit more rake on my DC now that I'm running stock tires in the rear and 165/45 up front. so far in the three trips I took around the neighborhood, I scraped the steering box and shredded my horn wire all three times. I know there were ads for protectors but now the only one I can find is for the bout house one. I know that there were others. I have even read of one made with a wheel? Anyone have any links/ picts? Please don't suggest a box raise, I'm not doing that. If it came down to that, I'd rather raise the DC back up period.

Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:37 pm

I've seen one made from a discarded brake shoe... have you searched the Gallery yet? :wink:

Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:43 pm

Busryder wrote: ... have you searched the Gallery yet? :wink:

Peter - In Belgium, courtesy of:

PM him....
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8731

Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:47 pm

there are slider/scraper wheel that go on the rear of some rv/travel trailers maybe that could work for you

but honestly if you are low enough to scrap the box you will be hitting anything you put to protect it even harder
and will probaly not last long before it is messed up or broken off completely

your best options to protect the box is raise the box or the bus

Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:01 pm

Check this out
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=746301
It is something that might work.

Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:11 pm

jtpeeps wrote: Check this out
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=746301
It is something that might work.
That's pretty close to what I was thinking of

Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:14 am

these work
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=554871

Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:46 pm

joe56vw wrote: there are slider/scraper wheel that go on the rear of some rv/travel trailers maybe that could work for you

but honestly if you are low enough to scrap the box you will be hitting anything you put to protect it even harder
and will probaly not last long before it is messed up or broken off completely

your best options to protect the box is raise the box or the bus

seriously, raise the box. Box protectors are just lame IMO. They add more material between you and the ground, how many more times do you think you'll smack the box? Plenty. Leave the box smackin' for the bedroom and raise that steering box 8)

Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:16 am

Kelly wrote: Box protectors are just lame IMO. They add more material between you and the ground, how many more times do you think you'll smack the box? Plenty.

X2

Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:58 am

^^^ ldsvwguy wrote: Please don't suggest a box raise, I'm not doing that. If it came down to that, I'd rather raise the DC back up period.

Some people don't want to cut their bus with a non bolt-on mod (I am one, although every time I hit the box I'm like whoa.) Now that I have driven a few thousand miles on it, If I wouldn't have already redone the underside of my bus I would seriously consider it. Easy now, there is no reason to impose your Jedi tricks on this guy :) .

Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:26 am

I'm NOT suggesting a box raise, just expressing opinion on the silliness of box protectors :wink:

Very anti-hack here! None of my Buses have raised boxes and they get driven all over through multiple states.

Get rid of the rake, that's the main thing working against you...

Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:29 am

Ahhh...gotcha...damn Jedi.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:36 am

so, don't want to raise the box because you don't want to make non-bolt on mods, but smacking the box and the frame are ok? I don't see the logic

I used to be anti box raise until we did one. It was clean and the added benifit of better posture while seated changed my mind.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:25 am

So how do you go about raising the box? Better posture? Please do explain I'm new to this concept and it does intrigue me greatly. I'm all for leaving busses stock and whatnot but I also would like to take precautions to protect my beloved box. Gotta have protection measures! It does seem to me that though putting a protective cover over the box would protect the box but would lower clearance even more causing you to scape more and put unneeded stress on the box protection mounting. It would make more sence to me to just raise the box a bit. I would love more info on box raising.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:41 pm

Erik G wrote: so, don't want to raise the box because you don't want to make non-bolt on mods, but smacking the box and the frame are ok? I don't see the logic

I used to be anti box raise until we did one. It was clean and the added benifit of better posture while seated changed my mind.

My bus is lowered in what I would consider a mild to median height (drop spindles and adustable beam down a couple teeth (front) and a couple notches rear. I have never smacked the frame but have hit the box a time or two. If I had a bus slammed to the point I was smashing the frame up, that may be a different story, but I didn't see that in the OP's info, and I am not in that boat. The box is a bolt on item, the raise is a cut and weld mod. That's my logic.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:23 pm

My main reason for the no box raise is that I know I will eventually raise it stock 10-15 years from now when my spine deteriorates enough from a car accident i was involved in back in 2008.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:40 pm

my point is the box is bolted to the frame. I'm not going to argue that if you hit the box hard, it's the same as hitting the frame hard. It's a solid chunk of metal bolted to your frame...

For nfkk408, I've only done 1 box raise. We cut the frame, where the box bolts up, at an angle. Slid it up and to the back. Welded it back in place, and welded some steel on all the angles to make sure it was strong. The added benefit is that the steering wheel was an extra 2 inches or so up, which for all of us that drove that bus, made driving posture much better, more leaned back instead of hunched over the wheel

There are plenty of pictures and instruction on what to do out there. Previously, my buses and everyone else I knew well kept theres stock and we smacked the steering box. My next one will be getting raised, it was more enjoyable for me to drive. my back included. I've driven lowriders my whole life, and been in many many death defying accidents. My back isn't what it used to be at all either...

sorry to hijack the thread, that was not my intention.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:44 pm

Erik G wrote: my point is the box is bolted to the frame.

Ahhh...now I'm following you.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:54 pm

WideFive wrote:
Get rid of the rake, that's the main thing working against you...

This.

Also, there is nothing in a box raise that would stop you from going back to stock height later. In fact, it would seem that VW should have had the box raised to begin with. I have hit my box while offroad in a stock height bus. That thing hangs way too low.

Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:03 pm

I like these

They're made to weld/bolt to the bottoms of trailer hitches