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Cortland15B
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Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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2RL
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Joined: May 02, 2010
Posts: 177
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 Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:15 am Post subject: |
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| Looks similar to what I have under my rail. If so, its steel, about 1/8" thick or so. The front is supposed to attach to the trans nose mount, but I have it on the floor (it fit there better) and the back attaches to the rear of the engine with those L shaped pieces, but I used muffler clamps instead and attached it to the cage. Its seen lots of rocks and stuff thrown at it, and hasn't bent any, plus its wide enough to protect the pushrod tubes fairly well. |
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oldschool5er
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Joined: May 28, 2007
Posts: 804
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| It is steel and take it from me that if you are running through rocky areas and hitting the skid it will be bent up in no time at all, I used that style skid on my baja in the early days. (difficult to get it back on if it is bent up), But it will provide protection if you are not trying to use it as a rock crawler. If you have good suspension height it will work. I know you said you have limited time but in the long run I think aluminum skids are the best. I use T3 aluminum and have it bent and fitted, then I send it out and have it treated to T6, if you don't treat to T6 you will bend the T3 just like the steel. I will post you a pic of a T6 skid after 6 Baja races and you can see what I mean if you want. That skid was used like a rock crawler sliding it over boulders and coming down the summit in Baja many times in a limited suspension and is still good today. |
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Axitech
Samba Member
Joined: August 31, 2011
Posts: 1265
Location: Bucks County, Pa
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:24 am Post subject: |
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Speed limit signs work great if you are just trying to keep thrown rocks off your engine's bottom. Don't use my name when you get caught though!
_________________
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.-Thomas Jefferson |
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Brian
Samba Moderator
Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:47 am Post subject: |
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| Axitech wrote: |
| Speed limit signs work great if you are just trying to keep thrown rocks off your engine's bottom. Don't use my name when you get caught though! |
I have some "legally" obtained ones that I was planning on using.
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'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper
Only losers litter |
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Cortland15B
Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| oldschool5er wrote: |
| It is steel and take it from me that if you are running through rocky areas and hitting the skid it will be bent up in no time at all, I used that style skid on my baja in the early days. (difficult to get it back on if it is bent up), But it will provide protection if you are not trying to use it as a rock crawler. If you have good suspension height it will work. I know you said you have limited time but in the long run I think aluminum skids are the best. I use T3 aluminum and have it bent and fitted, then I send it out and have it treated to T6, if you don't treat to T6 you will bend the T3 just like the steel. I will post you a pic of a T6 skid after 6 Baja races and you can see what I mean if you want. That skid was used like a rock crawler sliding it over boulders and coming down the summit in Baja many times in a limited suspension and is still good today. |
Steel is a better option for me because I can weld on it if needed, I don't have TIG.
It won't really be "rock crawling" more like driving down a dirt road, a occasional rock or stump or log/tree branch that is sticking up from the ground, half buried in dirt that I will hopefully avoid but I want a little insurance in case I don't. Or going into a mud pit and not being able to see that piece of something under the water that might poke a hole in something. It will be at pretty slow speeds.
Do you think it will be adequate for this kind of usage?
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oldschool5er
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Joined: May 28, 2007
Posts: 804
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Sure it will work, road signs too Lol, if you are not dragging the chassi over stumps, boulders, or rock steps, It surely is better than nothing and offers some protection to the case and pushrod tubes. I would not attach it to the engine case at all if that is the design, better to the rear cage. I think I have an old skid made out of a New Mexico Road sign Lol. Kinda thin though. |
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Brian
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Joined: May 28, 2012
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Location: Oceanside
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sloboatnova
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Joined: September 20, 2009
Posts: 989
Location: Broken Arrow, Ok
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Cortland15B
Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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| oldschool5er wrote: |
| Sure it will work, road signs too Lol, if you are not dragging the chassi over stumps, boulders, or rock steps, It surely is better than nothing and offers some protection to the case and pushrod tubes. I would not attach it to the engine case at all if that is the design, better to the rear cage. I think I have an old skid made out of a New Mexico Road sign Lol. Kinda thin though. |
Whats with everyone and road signs? Lol. No stumps or boulders really just medium sized rocks and branches/limbs. It might get dragged over dirt and stuff like that with smaller sized rocks but nothing too big.
Yeah mounting it to my engine cage was the plan, only really needed to know where the front mounted. Is the trans nose cone an ok place or should I move that mount point one as well?
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Multi-year baja project that seems to never end
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=498587&highlight=budget+baja |
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Cortland15B
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Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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Cortland15B
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Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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Axitech
Samba Member
Joined: August 31, 2011
Posts: 1265
Location: Bucks County, Pa
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| Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:40 am Post subject: |
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If you're going off-road, use two street signs separated by a 1/4x20 nut at each corner and one in the middle. Just sandwich the nuts in between the two street signs. Personal experience tells me a 55 sign on the bottom and a 35 on top gives maximum performance. 
_________________
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.-Thomas Jefferson |
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Cortland15B
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Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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Brian
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Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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That one looks like it mounts to the motor itself
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'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
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'68 Camper
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KrAzY-BaJa
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Joined: May 22, 2008
Posts: 1409
Location: Sacramento CA.
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| Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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A question that sould have been asked before everyone started throwing ideas 
What do you have to mount your skid too? bumper cage ect? Pics?
a street sign is very thin and soft, It would need to be ran along a solid flat surface. it will fold unsupported.
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KrAzY-BaJa
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Joined: May 22, 2008
Posts: 1409
Location: Sacramento CA.
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| Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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A question that sould have been asked before everyone started throwing ideas
What do you have to mount your skid too? bumper cage ect? Pics?
a street sign is very thin and soft, It would need to be ran along a solid flat surface. it will fold unsupported.
_________________
70% of what you buy is something to start with.
ForYotaWagen: A Ford/Toyota/Volkswagen http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4871576&highlight=#4871576 |
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Cortland15B
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Joined: March 15, 2011
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Location: Northern Wisconsin
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dustymojave
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Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5802
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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I have one of the 3-piece skidplates. It's made of 13 gauge steel, close to 3/32"/.095" thick.
I've beat the crap out of it for 40 years and 450,000 miles.
See how bent up it is?
Note that I've used the L-brackets that came with it and turned them around to mount to the bumper tubes instead of to the lower rear engine case bolt. NEVER mount it to the case bolt unless it's a show only car, even then it's not right.
This is why it doesn't look too bent:
Slave labor is only illegal if it's not your own kid... 
Yeah I've had to beat it out flat a time or a hundred. This is after pre-running the Barstow course for the Freedom 250 a couple or 3 years ago. hit the top of a submerged rock and dented/bent the cage tube as well as the skidplate. That's just part of offroading. If you don't dent your skidplate, quit offroading in parking lots!
This skidplate of mine has been rockcrawled over the top of the Sierras and gone many places the Jeep club guys swear a 2WD CANNOT get to. I have one of the delta wing ones too out back, It hasn't been used as hard as the 3-piece, but that's not by plan.
My HiJumper has skidplates made of 1/8" diamond plate. Minor bends were achieved with a Ford F100 Pressbrake. Sit the plate on the curb, put a 4x4 on top on the bend line, and drive my F100 on top of the 4x4. 35 years later, they look fine.
Your cage will be fine for mounting a skidplate to Cortland. I mount the front forward of the torsion housing. Make it as tough to snag the leading edge as you can. The back edge should be pretty close to even with the back edge of the engine case.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet. |
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Cortland15B
Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 394
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| dustymojave wrote: |
I have one of the 3-piece skidplates. It's made of 13 gauge steel, close to 3/32"/.095" thick.
I've beat the crap out of it for 40 years and 450,000 miles.
See how bent up it is?
Note that I've used the L-brackets that came with it and turned them around to mount to the bumper tubes instead of to the lower rear engine case bolt. NEVER mount it to the case bolt unless it's a show only car, even then it's not right.
This is why it doesn't look too bent:
Slave labor is only illegal if it's not your own kid...
Yeah I've had to beat it out flat a time or a hundred. This is after pre-running the Barstow course for the Freedom 250 a couple or 3 years ago. hit the top of a submerged rock and dented/bent the cage tube as well as the skidplate. That's just part of offroading. If you don't dent your skidplate, quit offroading in parking lots!
This skidplate of mine has been rockcrawled over the top of the Sierras and gone many places the Jeep club guys swear a 2WD CANNOT get to. I have one of the delta wing ones too out back, It hasn't been used as hard as the 3-piece, but that's not by plan.
My HiJumper has skidplates made of 1/8" diamond plate. Minor bends were achieved with a Ford F100 Pressbrake. Sit the plate on the curb, put a 4x4 on top on the bend line, and drive my F100 on top of the 4x4. 35 years later, they look fine.
Your cage will be fine for mounting a skidplate to Cortland. I mount the front forward of the torsion housing. Make it as tough to snag the leading edge as you can. The back edge should be pretty close to even with the back edge of the engine case. |
http://vwparts.aircooled.net/HD-Skid-Plate-For-Use-w-Heater-Boxes-p/5535.htm
http://chircoestore.com/racing-off-road-skid-plate-for-dune-buggy-39-s-and-baja-bugs.html
http://chircoestore.com/standard-off-road-skid-plate-for-dune-buggy-39-s-and-baja-bugs.html
http://www.mooreparts.com/5476-AC800000-C%2A/
http://www.mooreparts.com/5475-AC800000-W%2A/
Out of these skid plates, which one do you think is the best?
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Multi-year baja project that seems to never end
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