TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1968 Semi-Baja daily driver

Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:48 am

I just picked up my first air cooled VW, and I'm both excited and disappointed all at once. Here's the short version of the introduction:

I live in New England, where winters tend to be a bit rough. I've been riding my motorbike exclusively all summer, regardless of whether it's sunny, rainy, or hailing (that was a bad call, though), but when snow starts to stick I won't be able to do that any more. I've owned a bunch of cool cars before, but my favorites are always those without 'check engine' lights, or even fuel injection. Give me carbs, a decent set of tools, and a small box of crucial spares and I'll never be stranded.

For whatever reason, the idea of a Baja appealed to me. They simply look unstoppable, like they'll handle ANY weather, or ANY blizzard, without complaining too much. After I did some research, I found that they really aren't all that practical or reliable, but that with a modest budget and some smart planning, I could build this into a reasonable car that wouldn't be especially fast or comfortable, but could be very reliable and very cheap to own. That sounds like a good combination, and I started looking.

In New Hampshire, the roads are salted every winter. As such, there aren't too many air-cooled VW's around that still have heater channels. I poked around for a good candidate and eventually came across one on Craigslist that I recognized from a year before, when I had spotted it on the side of the road and snapped a picture. It turned out to be the same car, and had been sitting ever since. It was listed for $1k, and was pretty darn rough around the edges (only one tire had air in it, for example). I scheduled a time to go take a proper look at it, and invited my friend Josh along, who knows these things inside and out. I trust him.

So, brief rundown:
Needs an engine (I can grab the crank pulley and wriggle it around, which seems like a bad thing)
Runs (badly)
Brake pedal does nothing (That was exciting to find out. Note to self: test brakes BEFORE testing whether it can move itself)
e-Brake does nothing (Made learning that the brakes don't work even MORE exciting.)
Clutch works (allows the engine to idle, and allows the engine to stall if left in 1st and engaged... WHEW, nobody died!)
Pretty much all the baja gear needs to be re-installed.

This looks ok to me (above).

This does not.

Wait just a minute, what's holding this cradle on, anyway?!

Oh, those spectacular piles of boogerwelds are sort of giving it something to hang on to ... kind of.

Not a lot better, but it isn't threatening to fall off if I go over a speed bump either.

I really hope this isn't considered a standard, safe installation.

In addition, the entire wiring system was re-done at some point. To me, it looks like a charging system nightmare, parasitic drain galore, and a serious fire hazard.

Those are fuses, by the way. I imagine someone was rather proud of this system, but it almost made me run away from the car altogether.

It's covered with (flammable) plastic waterproofing. Also, that's a boat fuel tank. Weren't these supposed to be gravity-fed from the factory?

Overall installation condition: Terrifying
I wouldn't trust this gear to even stay attached on the road, forget about handling any kind of off-road abuse. I'm not looking for crazy structural rigidity, since I don't even have any serious off-roading planned for this, but I'd like to not be terrified of the car's components falling off while driving down the street.

I don't really mind putting a bit of work into it, though. A new engine and cutting and reinstalling a dozen weld-points isn't overwhelming. There are definitely good points, as well.

For example:

New heat ducts.

Fancy stereo stuff (which will be removed immediately).

A stinger that'll never be installed (anyone want it, by the way?)

This thing, which has something to do with heating the carb or somesuch? It's an intake component, somehow.

A non-leaking sunroof.

A solid floor pan, with solid heater channels (the main selling point, for me).

All the suspension components are either passable or in good repair. I'm guessing the front baja gear was welded by a different person from the rear and top, because the welds look completely different and they actually took the time to fit it before starting to throw snot all over the place.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like a camber correction thing. Swing arm suspension is still new to me, and I'm looking up trailing arm suspension swaps (since it'll be a daily street car, primarily) but haven't been able to find a defacto howto or price estimate. Call me crazy, but doesn't that look like it should have some big rubber bushings in there?

Lastly, it's irrelevant and purely cosmetic, but I like the steering wheel some previous owner added. This is the level of quality that I'm looking for in every aspect of a vehicle, and while it's going to cost me time and money, I'm hoping this vehicle is worth it.

The battery is constantly dead (not that I'm blaming the battery, I think it's much more likely that it's a bad regulator or generator, or that all the electrical equipment/wiring is draining the battery all the time) so we had to jump it. It does technically run, but I can't say that I have any faith in this engine. I have a lead on a running 1600dp that'll get me through the winter for $500, so I think I'm going to go for that. For a $650 starting point, I don't think I came out too badly.

Thoughts? Feedback? I'm happy to hear whatever you have to say, whether you think it's a bad investment, a steal, or if you see something scary that I haven't noticed yet.

Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:27 pm

Time to sign up with us!

http://www.granitestateaircooleds.org

Just got the site back up from a major server crash.

Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:44 pm

Not a bad start for $650 and welcome to the insane world of Baja Bugs. I have owned 5 over the years and still have my 73 Baja/Thing. The 68 Beetle is not considered by offroad guys as the best platform for a Baja. It has a swing axle rear (limits travel and has camber issues when lifted) and a ball joint front end (the lower ball joint destructs over time). Both can be fixed for $$$. Now that is out of the way here is what I would do.

Take off all of the "off road" bars, bumpers, etc. and use a flap wheel to clean up the sheet metal. Patch any holes. Nothing looks very well engineered or installed.

Then re-do all of the wiring. Nothing more frustrating than a bug with flaky electronics. All mine get re-wired. This doesn't take much time. With planning I can rewire it over a weekend. You don't want to burn up your new toy.

Change all of the rubber. That means fuel lines, vacuum hoses, brake lines, bushings, etc.

Make sure it has good brakes. For me that means replace everything.

Don't go too big on the tires unless you plan on regearing the transmission. Keep them under 30". If you think a stock 1600 is weak just drive one with 33" tires and a stock transmission. WOW!

I typically worry about the motor last. Mainly because if it runs I might be tempted to drive it before its ready.

Bottom Line: Focus on making the bug safe and reliable. It must start, stop, and turn without drama. The rest will just take time and money and is part of the fun of owning a Baja. None are alike and are each as different as their owner. Build the Baja that makes you happy and ignore the negative folks.

The HBB Off Road forum here is very good. Lots of smart people willing to help a brother out.

PM me if you have any questions.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:55 am

Ive never owned a baja but from living in the north east as well i would say its a damn good starting point! Looks good, I'm gonna keep my eye on this because it looks like it will be a fun daily when done!

Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:06 am

Well the fact that your smart enough to know that Sh!^ ant right, Is A good start :wink: you would not imagine how many people would drive that around thinking thy have A big bad baja and put no effort into fixing the flows..

Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:09 am

I'm trying not to get too invested in this as a project, so I may just remove the baja cages and leave them off. They aren't really necessary for a daily driver.

I've been thinking, as well. A carb'd Ford 460 (because they're cheap and have super solid 4speed manuals) in the front and a dually rear axle with a chopped VW body would be pretty sweet, if you ask me. I might make that my summer project after the winter, since I'll be using a motorbike as a daily driver again. The parts list is obscenely inexpensive, and other than all the hours in metalwork, it'd be a pretty straightforward project.

For now, just getting it on the road every day is the goal.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:58 am

drummingpariah wrote: I've been thinking, as well. A carb'd Ford 460 in the front and a dually rear axle with a chopped VW body would be pretty sweet, if you ask me.
Please no. #-o
I've been daily driving my '69 bug in NH for the past few years, and it's never failed me.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:40 am

4Doora wrote: drummingpariah wrote: I've been thinking, as well. A carb'd Ford 460 in the front and a dually rear axle with a chopped VW body would be pretty sweet, if you ask me.
Please no. #-o
I've been daily driving my '69 bug in NH for the past few years, and it's never failed me.

Why no? I'm no traditionalist, in any way.

v8's are fun. The most satisfying car I've ever owned was my '72 Datsun 240z with a small block chevy and a pair of side dumps. This would be lighter and torquey-er, and would look every bit as cool.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:42 am

drummingpariah wrote: I'm trying not to get too invested in this as a project, so I may just remove the baja cages and leave them off. They aren't really necessary for a daily driver.
Several years ago, I bought a 63-based baja specifically for winter use. It had a 4-point roll bar that was always in the way when I tried to put groceries in the back seat. Plus, it seemed to be in just the right spot to hit me in the head in the event of a roll-over. I took the damn thing out. Much better. :wink:

Max

Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:03 am

I meant external cages. I may actually ADD an internal roll bar, so I have something to mount harnesses to and so I don't become the crumple zone in the event of a crash. I'm a little guy though, so I don't think it'll be very likely that it'll be in my way.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:43 am

drummingpariah wrote: I've been thinking, as well. A carb'd Ford 460 (because they're cheap and have super solid 4speed manuals) in the front and a dually rear axle with a chopped VW body would be pretty sweet, if you ask me.

I assume you would be building or using another frame and the only thing VW would be the shell. An interesting project, sounds like fun but don't expect to much love around here. It's not a purist thing, but what you are proposing would no longer be a VW.

Personally I'd love to see something like this built, but only if it was done right. A sweet 2.5" chop, extended front end, dropped front axle, and a full length front hood with a velocity stack peaking through. Not sure about the dually rear axle, but if this was finished and painted nice, it would be an awesome ride. However if it is gonna be a rattle can primer "rat look" POS, they it gets a "meh" from me.

-jeffrey

Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:40 pm

jhicken wrote: I assume you would be building or using another frame and the only thing VW would be the shell. An interesting project, sounds like fun but don't expect to much love around here. It's not a purist thing, but what you are proposing would no longer be a VW.

Personally I'd love to see something like this built, but only if it was done right. A sweet 2.5" chop, extended front end, dropped front axle, and a full length front hood with a velocity stack peaking through. Not sure about the dually rear axle, but if this was finished and painted nice, it would be an awesome ride. However if it is gonna be a rattle can primer "rat look" POS, they it gets a "meh" from me.

-jeffrey

Jeffrey,
Thanks for the input. It'd mostly be an inexpensive project that could be built in a few months. It definitely wouldn't be a VW any more. It would effectively be a chopped truck with a VW body on it to make it look good.

I'm not a fan of people going out of their way to make a nice vehicle look ratty. I tend to like vehicles that are built with a purpose other than just looking cool, but I suppose this project falls under that category (which makes me a hypocrite). That being said, I really love a nice satin grey paint job.

I'm certainly not decided on this idea, but it's always fun to have some sort of hardcore idea in mind when I own a car. It helps keep me excited.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:09 pm

Always feel satin/flat paint is just covering sub par bodywork although there is a guy in the UK that built an awesome Volksrod painted satin gray but the bodywork was impeccable. So I guess if it's done right, it can look good.

-jeffrey

Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:30 pm

drummingpariah wrote: I meant external cages. I may actually ADD an internal roll bar, so I have something to mount harnesses to and so I don't become the crumple zone in the event of a crash. I'm a little guy though, so I don't think it'll be very likely that it'll be in my way.
I'd be sure to use good padding anywhere near your noggin. :wink:

Max

Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:06 am

Max Welton wrote: drummingpariah wrote: I meant external cages. I may actually ADD an internal roll bar, so I have something to mount harnesses to and so I don't become the crumple zone in the event of a crash. I'm a little guy though, so I don't think it'll be very likely that it'll be in my way.
I'd be sure to use good padding anywhere near your noggin. :wink:

Max

Always. I'm a big fan of safety.

Unfortunately, the other driver's insurance company isn't assuming liability until they see the police report, which will most likely be a couple weeks. I may need to rush this Beetle into daily status until I can get another motorbike to get me through the summer. Couldn't have been worse timing at all.

Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:23 pm

If it still looks the same in the pictures above, can I request pictures of the front apron cut, well lack of apron I should say. I'm thinking of cutting it similar to that.

But yea, once you get the attachment to your bug, you might rethink other cars.

Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:53 pm

Happily. I won't be able to get anything for you 'till Wed or thereabouts.

Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:13 pm

much appreciated. I love the pictures, keep them rolling with your progress!

Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:46 am

As soon as I have the car back (the engine's in, but I won't have the cash or space to pick it up 'till Tuesday evening) you can rest assured that I'll have some updates.

Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:53 pm

Received!

The starter motor isn't doing anything, though. The PO wired a starter button in that worked fine before sending it off to the shop, but it seems like the starter motor died somewhere along the way.

There are THREE leads on the starter solenoid, and I haven't been able to dig up definitive evidence of what each does. One is obviously + on the battery, one had the starter switch plugged in, and the other had nothing on it. Can anyone offer a quick answer?

Booger-rtv (kind of like booger welds, but with rtv sealant) seals the fenders on. Seems silly to me.

Spare parts:

One tire is kind of dry-rotted

The spare is surprisingly nice:

The fuel lines run right through the passenger compartment. That seems unsafe to me:

Brake lines, too:

A few misc things that need to be fixed:

](*,)