El Lobo Baja build thread

[dustymojave]

BTW...
Those 215-75 BFG KM3s should work fine on the front. Although I would be more inclined towards KOs. It's NOT 4x4 and the fronts don't need mud tires for forward bite. A less aggressive tire will work better in MOST cases to provide steering and braking function for it.

My Baja has been rolling on Yokohama Extra Tractions for quite a long time.
But that has been due to smoking deals, not preference. I would rather the same casing with a highway tread.
_________________
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.

[Yuma B]

New guy here on the site but have a project similar to yours. Enjoying your build so keep on posting!

[21golden007]

Progress! A lot to tie up in the back(limit straps, bump stops, finish welding supports, Disk brake mounts welded on, CV's) but its on the ground and rolling. I think ill begin working on the front and get it to the same point.

[Cheeze]

Great looking buggy. Keep up the good work.

[milrtym]

Just saw this thread and have to say well done bud. I am building an El Lobo as well so will keep an eye on yours.

[21golden007]

Updates.
Front beam is tacked in with supports added. May still add more.

Coilovers will not fit under the fenders and hood lol but thats ok, Ive seen other buggies with them protruding through and they look fine.

I also cut the pos dash out of the hood and made my own aluminum dash so it can be separate from the hood, this way I can just easily remove the hood. I'll either add straps or hood pins to keep it down.

I'm waiting on the front trailing arms to be made (its been 6 weeks now, from pacific customs) called them and they said they don't know when they'll be done and blamed material issues.

In the meantime Ive been working on the rear limit straps, disk brakes, and bump stops.

Ordered Jamar disk brakes for the front. Pricey but there aren't many options out there for the combo spindles so it is what it is.

I also ordered all the stuff needed for the rack and pinion steering. Again it would really be nice to have the front arms in to assemble the entire beam and make sure everything is sitting right, looks right and is where it needs to be before doing this. oh well.

[21golden007]

A few updates,

Jaz 14 Gallon 30x9x12 fuel cell. I made the mounting for it using rubber cylinder vibration isolators, angle iron on the bottom with rubber strips gorilla glued to it, and aluminum straps. Ive heard horror stories of welds breaking on fuel cells and them leaking so hopefully the two tiers of vibration isolation will do the trick

Steering setup for rack and pinion. I have it all tacked in place where I think I want it but really need to get my seats in and mocked up before cutting or fully welding it.

Rear bump stops and limit straps are in. the bump stops aren't necessarily permanent. At some point Ill consider air bump stops..... but they're expensive so I'm making do for now

I was planning on ordering new tires for the front likely 215/75/15 but I forgot that I have some good shape "geo track" tires lying around that are 235's/75/15's, They are a bit big for a 4" rim but I might see if I can make them work

Ive still been waiting on the pacific customs front trailing arms, we are now on week 11 of waiting. I couldn't wait any longer. I ended up buying latest rage 4x1 arms to mock up and see if they would work. I only moved my beam forward 2.5" with the expectation of 2.5" longer arms not 4" longer arms. Below is a pic with the tire showing about what it would look like. I figured with a 10% restocking fee and pacific customs telling me "we have no idea how long it will take" for the other arms, it was worth buying and seeing if the 4" will work.

[dustymojave]

Are those vibration isolators the type that are 2 flat discs with studs welded to them with rubber bonded between?

Or are they the type that have a bolt passing through a rubber disc?

If they are the 1st, then you will NEED to have some other sort of restraint to retain the fuel tank if the isolators become unbonded. A Baja Bug in our race team lost an oil cooler to that type of isolator. Cost them the race. Not NEARLY as catastrophic as a fuel tank coming loose.

I would NEVER accept a fuel cell in a race car with the bonded type isolators to mount it. Pass-through type isolators WOULD be accepted.

If the fuel tank is a PROPER "fuel cell", it will have a bladder filled with foam inside the metal box. Many of the Jaz fuel cells used in offroad racers do not have a bladder, but have a polyethylene tank with foam inside the metal box. Or just the polyethylene box with foam, without the external metal box. Like I have in my Hi Jumper. I've NEVER seen one of the poly box type fail. If an aluminum box fuel tank fails. it will leak, if a fuel cell in a metal box suffers a failure of the metal box, it will NOT leak.
_________________
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.

[dustymojave]

If those "Geo Tack" tires are Yokohama "Geolander" tires, I have used them on my Toyota pre-run trucker and was NOT impressed with their traction on ANY surface.
_________________
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.

[JWHracing]

the aluminum fuel cells crack at the welds due to the fuel moving around in them, not because of vibration. A proper fuel cell has some sort of internal baffle inside to keep fuel slosh to a minimum.
_________________
65 Baja - Class 5 Unlimited Race Car

2021 STORR Pro Air Cooled Buggy Champion
2019 AZOP Unlimited Buggy Champion
2017 SADR 1300 Class Champion
2016 AZOP Limited Buggy Champion

Currently "retired" from racing

[dustymojave]

[21golden007]

Correct these are just a cheap off brand SUV tire. I was surprised how much they narrowed up on the 4" rim. It was a challenge getting that bead lock on there though . For free I figured it was worth it to try them.

This fuel cell has the foam inside but it is strictly an aluminum tank, not the $1000+ off road fuel cells you guys are talking about.

I believe the isolators are through bolt but am not 100% sure. The force is mostly up and down since its mounted horizontally. Did he have his radiator mounted vertical or on an angle? I could see that type of sideways stress causing separation.

[dustymojave]

I suggest that you NOT assume that all motion and forces on a tank full of fuel are in only one plane.

What happens when you step on the brakes?

What happens when you hit a pothole in the pavement?

What happens when you take it offroad (this IS the "OffRoad forum" after all) and the forces are in all directions?
_________________
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.

[21golden007]

[dustymojave]

Isolators are a fine idea. Just need to be the ones with a through bolt.
_________________
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.

[21golden007]

The "bathtub" (apparently that's the name now) is coming together. I finally have pretty much everything I ordered

Next is-
welding entire cage
cut front fenders to get full suspension cycle
officially assemble front end(steering rack,Tie rods, Spindles, Shocks, brakes)
run front brake lines
complete seat mounting
complete steering wheel setup
figure out how the hell Im going to paint everything

I think that's about until next winter engine/trans. Certainly all kids of other little stuff of course.

[dustymojave]

[21golden007]

I did think about a body lift but with this not being a manx and the paint job being mediocre, I was ok with chopping it up a little bit. For the rear I took a grinder with a flap disk to round out the wheel well and give me a couple extra inches. It worked pretty well. The original way they cut this tub looks like they did it by hand anyway. Its no where near perfect. If it was a nice sparkly manx I would not do this

[21golden007]

Finally able to pull it in and out of the garage.

Looks a little different than last year

[mr_bill]

cute CORGI !!
_________________
see ya' on the trail........

"Mr Bill"
Dos Perros Motorsports
Orange, CA
1972 Class 11x/Stock Bug
'60's era "vintage" Tunnell-Buggy

"...no one here....get's out ALIVE...."

Motor = electric
Engine = internal combustion

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