My Baja build

[las912]

I bought an old VW1303 74' a while back, a rough looking car that barely ran and had no real brakes to speak of. But I bought it with the intention to make it into a Baja and then all the bad stuff didn't matter as much.

I live in Denmark and we have virtually no hills, desert or long stretches of rough terrain but I've always wanted a baja so here it goes.

Originally I wanted the torsion front end type but actually opted for the Mcpherson when it was time to buy the car, it was a process of careful consideration and I ended up with the 1303 from my birthyear.

One of the main problems with Danish cars is the rust! We use salt on the roads and a poorly kept 50 year old car have been rottet out several times over it's lifespan, I'm surprised this one still exist.

[las912]

Started on the rust part in the right rear wheel arch and around the springplate, the springplate and holder was rusted pretty bad and I ordered new of both.

Rust rear right is fixed and moving on.

Engine out and rear cut off.
Empi exhaust mounted to find out how to
build rear cage

[las912]

I wanted to mount longer shocks, perhaps even two for the looks and redundancy
I must have spend a day looking online for the cheapest, longest shocks with the most travel. What I found was front shocks for the type 2 was long and very cheap, only oil but that's OK.

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[Michael1]

Great build !
Thankyou for showing it .
How did you mount the dual shocks at the arm?

[ORANGECRUSHer]

Looks like you got your hands full there. I'll be interested in seeing how it turns out.
_________________
Brian H.
I may not know everything,but I will try to help if I can
OrangeCrushER Berrien Warrior 2.4L Quad4
LAZY MARY 1970 Baja 1835cc

[las912]

Yes it's becoming quite a rebuild...

I can take some pictures of the trailing arms tomorrow to show you. Just finished welding them up today.

[Buggeee]

We use salt here as well. That looks like a very solid car. Nice find!
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[las912]

[las912]

Got a little further today.
Cleaned the rear and almost ready for paint, I hope it shows up in the next couple of days.... I ordered a turning brake from Amazon with express delivery from USA and some paint from my country the day after.
The paint is still missing but I got the brake.

My first plan was to mount the turning brake in the front right side footwell, but that didn't really fit well there on my build, to much going on with the CB radio and passenger feet Then I decided to mount it behind the parking brake and alter the handle to fit. I ordered the one with the upright handle because I thought that was what i wanted, to bad I had to ruin the chrome.

Here's a mock up and I hope it's the right spot! But I can't be sure before all is done and fitted.

[las912]

Rear is in primer and finally I've reached a turning point where I can start putting parts bank on.

[oprn]

Nice work!

Too bad you chose the Super Beetle, the front suspension is very poorly suited to use as a Baja Bug. Too weak, no body kits were made to my knowledge for the conversion because it depends on all of the front sheet metal to function properly.

I know you said you will not be taking it off road so it's all cosmetic. It will be interesting to see how you do that end of the car.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[71StandardReduction]

I'm not sure about availability in their region but mark v fiberglass did or may still make super specific baja kits.
I had a 74 super street baja, I'll see if I can find some pics of it.

Edit: had a couple in my gallery

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One thing I ask from the Lord, This only do I seek:
That I may dwell in the House of The Lord all the days of my Life, to gaze on the beauty of The Lord and to seek Him in His Temple~Psalms 27:4

YHWH NISSI
YHWH SHALOM

64 Pan Buggy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Ruby Red 1966
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=779597&highlight=

https://youtube.com/@SCOFabwerx?feature=shared

[las912]

[DHale_510]

>I've decided to build the body to my own liking and not buy a kit.
If I was to order a kit it would be from US and cost silly money in shipping and besides I'd want something different.
At first I wanted to build it like a bug eye, but now I think I'm on to something else......

You could start by just trimming the fenders, that's how we began the Baja thing before anyone made plastic fenders. First the nose and hood. Here's my 1961 car made in 1967;

>do wonder what the weakness in the super beetle is? Is it the rather thin lower control arms or the fact that the stabilizer/sway bar is part of the locating structure.

The strut type suspension can be just as strong as trailing arms, but the build is totally different. Lots of rallye cars have been built with strut suspensions, not many VW bugs though.
The front box assembly is critical to the upper strut mounting and stability. If you cut it up for a Baja look you have a weak mounting. If you build a tube structure off a roll cage you can make this stronger than stock, but it will limit any trunk/spare tire space.
The upper strut mounts are too flexible and need better bearings. Likely you want to make a tie bar to stabilize them too, although a good tie in to the rollcage [now mostly a tube framed car] does this. Much better shocks will be needed, "normal coil over" type with 10" or 12" springs and adjustable perches and valving are worth the seemingly high price.
The lower control arm is weak as well as the pivot and ball joint. All of this can be built with strong tubing, pivot joints and bigger ball joints.
The swaybar/locating design has weak mounts at both ends and the swaybar function is of little use off road, so replacing it with a sturdy bar with strong pivots is pretty easy. This can go either forwards or to the back, off road you may want it to go back and tie to the cage structure much better.

All of this can be done serially, as you break things I suppose.

Dennis

[Buggeee]

The lower control arms on that year are stamped steel, which could use reinforcement. (The 71-72 Super Beetle lower control arms are cast iron).

The bolts holding the clamps for the sway bar up front are small and short. So that is an area for easy upgrade.

The strut towers can be braced to each other in the trunk. I've done that on my street super.

Maybe it's been said, but check out the Dustbuggy videos on YouTube for a real world Super Beetle Baja that rocks hard off road. In a later video they ditch the baja front fenders and trim a set of stock front fenders and it looks fantastic.

I've read that adding a set of springs salvaged from the rear of a VW Rabbit/Golf into the front struts inside the stock front springs (dual springs) is an easy lift kit for a Super Beetle.
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[las912]

Thanks for the suggestions. I might start with cutting the front fenders until I really dig into the front.
The front will be reinforced in various ways, but for now I will have to keep eyes on the ball so I don't lose motivation with the rear end.

But I do love fabricating stuff and I think I'll be getting a surge of fresh energy when the front end is due.

I do have some issues with the paint! It's annoying but something I have to live with, can't redo it all at this point.
The paint will not harden over spots where there's body sealer..... Bummer.
I also got some "runs" in the paint...... It's my first time really trying to paint using a real paint spray gun.

Yes I have seen the Dust Buggy videos and loved the "series"....

Nice to know with the rabbit springs. But the car was/is actually super high up front when I bought it, why I don't know? But again, I'll deal with it when I get to that end.

This is an up to date progress

[plotch]

Nice

[Buggeee]

[Buggeee]

The color is fantastic.
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[Buggeee]