AEH Build Thread - 72 Baja

[AEH]

After being bug-less for 25 years, I finally decided to build another baja. 25 years of mother nature has taken it's toll on the VW population out there. Back then the junk yards were full of good parts and good cars. After buying three cars, bringing them home and then deciding they weren't what I wanted, I finally found a rust free car. It has been in a barn since 1986. Original pans in really good shape and no body rust at all.




I had been hit in the front before it was retired. Most of the damage was limited to the front apron but the gas tank frame was buckled and the right front quarter panel had a little wrinkle in it too. It had been the happy home for several generations of rats and the wiring had suffered some in the process. A friend had a front clip from a car that was totaled in 1975 with 12,000 miles. It was perfect so I decided to take the plunge and put them together. It even had the little light in it that shines down on the gear shift.




I didn't realize how integral the body and pan are and even though I marked and cut them exactly the same I had a bugger of a time getting everything to line back up. I was really wishing I had just fixed the original front until I figured out that I needed to jack up the pan to get the doors to line up correctly. Turned out pretty good, but the pics are crappy. Also cut through the heater channels in the perfect spot just by luck. Welded the tube back on and slipped it back together when we put the new clip on. Wish I had taken some pictures, but if you ever cut one cut it 2 inches off the pillar and don't cut all the way through. Cut all the way around instead



You got to love a car you can turn over on it's side so you don't have to bend over to work on it!

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[AEH]

I bought a thing beam from a guy in Nashville. He sent a bunch of pictures and it looked great. He said there was no rust but when I got it the Towers were completely rusted out on both sides. The part I wanted was the Spindles and trailing arms but I over paid thinking the beam was good too. I had a friend just pick it up and bring it to me so that's the way it goes.




I cut the shock tower reinforcements off the thing beam. There was a ton on rust inside between the two layers but enough good metal to be worth welding them back on to a good beam. The original design had them open at the top which was not the best idea I think. I welded mine 100%.




I sand blasted the supports and welded them back onto the good beam that I had. I also welded up the towers all the way around.




Now I've just got to sandblast it and have everything powder coated.

[AEH]

Here's the before and after on the pan. I had both sides sandblasted and gave it a good coating of POR15. I still have to take the front axle and training arms off and flip it over and do the bottom next.

[bossride]

Holy cow you are brave on that front clip!
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'59 Beetle.
'66 Beetle.
Yellow rail buggy.

[AEH]

From a distance it's hard t tell the difference in bravery and ignorance. At worst it was gonna be a $600 mistake, but I'm glad I did it. It took a while to get back in the hang of welding the thin metal in the windshield post but it turned out good. I am trying to metal finish it, but I may give up and add some filler. I have my welder set as low as it will go and I still get some pitting at the weld edges so it just never ends. I think I need smaller wire but don't want to buy a roll just for that.

[AEH]

I boxed in my trailing arms today. My car will be mainly street at a little higher than stock ride height so I wanted to keep the stock shock mounts. Tacked them together and made sure the shocks will clear at full travel. I've got about a 1/4" clear in all positions for a 2" shock.




I also put the stock bump stop back on it. Hopefully that will keep the 31's off the fenders. As low as I could get it it's about 1/16" higher that factory, so I wont loose much travel.




The second one went much faster. I busted all the tack welds loose once I go it like I wanted it and used them to mark the other side. Then it was just cut and paste.

[thext94]

If you're going this far into your build, why not go for cage mounts for the rear shocks? Not really questioning, just curious. It could maybe give more options in the future

Tyler
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Tyler

'67 Baja: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=441376

'67 Class 11: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=521883

[AEH]

Yea, I wollered it around for a month or two, but in the end the conservative side won out. I want a good driver, quite and warm with an all new full factory interior. My youngest (14) thinks she might want it for a first car and that means we need a rear seat and it has to be Pretty! Not pink mind you, but needs to look good and have some wow factor. There's not much room to start with and a cage will just not work.

I'm past the drive it fast enough to tear it up stage. I just putter along off road anyway so I think it will meet my needs. We don't have all the open desert here. Just tight wooded logging roads.

[thext94]

I can appreciate that. You definitely won't be getting dirt inside the car like I get with those holes in the back
I'm stoked for the rest of this build
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Tyler

'67 Baja: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=441376

'67 Class 11: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=521883

[dirtkeeper]

I like what you did to the rear arms.

If i could get what you've done in the last few weeks over a years time i would be happy.

good work!

[bajacole]

[Mal evolent]

I was about to ask if you could reinforce the trailing arms without engineering a new shock mount.

now I have to add the shock reinforcement kit to my next mooreparts order.
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73 Beetle, Ghia front brakes, Type 3 rear brakes, 1776, Solex 34 Pict-3, Bosch SVDA, '97 Mustang seats

[77 Westy M plate decoded]

Baja Bugs for Volkswagen Virgins: Index

[AEH]

I reworked the square to round transition and reshaped the shock mount up to just below the weld transition and it worked out perfect. My anvil fit almost perfect and now the flat starts about 7/16 below where the cup welds on to the part that attaches to the arm. Working it slowly it looks almost as good as the original transition and I think better than cutting and welding it back on. If I move the shock hole up 7/8" I'll still have almost 3/8" of metal below the hole above the original hole which is where I'll cut it off if my shocks work out right.

I got my front beam adjusters installed today as well. Ill get everything powder coated on Friday. I cant wait to start re-assemblIng the pan.

[pafree]

[larryvance66]

Awsome work! You obviously are a fabricator extrordinaire! Keep up the good work. I'll be watching this build. Maybe I can learn a thing or two.
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I got a Volkswagen for my wife....Best trade I ever made!

[AEH]

I finally had time to run up to my buddies house and we did some powder coating today. He's got a cool walk in oven he built and it does a good job. Digital controls and everything. Got most of my parts done that I plan to powder coat. One more trip later will get it I think.

The chrome turned out better than I expected



The Olive drab is not as light as it looks in the pic. It looks more like the top pic. I bought the green thinking it was greyer than it turned out to be. I wanted dark grey with a little green tint but it's pretty green. I think I like it though. Camo is my favorite color anyway. My original plan was to camo wrap the baja but my daughter is not too fond of the idea. A little too redneck for her taste. So the engine tin can be my token tribute to Camouflage.

[AEH]

Made a little progress today. Got the front beam done and the brake kit mounted. The front went real good, ready for wheels. I used the Wide 5 Empi Kit with the heavy duty cast brackets. Every thing fit (imagine that) and it seems to be pretty good. Time will tell. I have the same kit for the rear and it's another story. They didn't put much thought into the Emergency brake cable location on the caliper but I can make it work.





I also built up a lock for the rear Trailing arm pivot bolt. Just another variation on the theme. It worked out nicely and goes on easy and is in tight and out of the way. I welded a 1/4-20 bolt to the little piece of angle iron so the stud sticks out.

[rtaylor]

this is what I want to do to my baja :[ Wish i had the time and space to do it. Great work though!
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My '70 baja
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=492101&highlight=

www.photobucket.com/vwbaja

[AEH]

I added some beam supports to my front beam. I made a little plate to go underneath the pan that will also catch the two big front body bolts. Forgive the different shaped plates, that's just what I had lying around already cut. They work though and are under the pan.

[AEH]

I started cutting the body today. I mounted the rear fenders and it's amazing how bad the fiberglass kits are. Mine was purchased in 1992 but never mounted so I was hoping it would be a little better but it was way off and the inside flange on one fender was trimmed so short I'll have to add some to it. I did get them mounted and looking acceptable.

I wanted to box in the rear cut and I had the apron laying there so I made a little template tracing the raw edge on a piece of cardboard. I cut a filler plate from each end of the apron. I left a 1/4" lip on the back side to wrap around and not leave a raw edge.



It worked out perfect, one for each side, and I welded it up.


I left about a 3x3" section of the little shelf at the bottom and turned a 1" lip down to form a gusseted support and welded all that up too. Turned out really stiff and looks great IMHO. Just a little more sanding and a bit of filler and on the the front.