VW Hood on a our vw shortback sandrail

[cnicholls]

I thought I would share some modifications that we made to our sand rail this year.

A few years ago my son and I built a sand rail in 5 weeks and we had a great time at silver lake. However in our rushed project, I neglected to torque the flywheel to speck and that caused major damage to the case/crank (we found out the day before we were to leave for our trip) So this year we started in the winter building a new engine, K03 Audi Turbo, Chopped the tall rollcage and extended the rear for a long back short wheelbase and added a hood and sides to keep some of the sand out.

In 2016

Turbo Charger/Intercooled Engine Layout.

Our first trip went well, had some clutch issues but had a blast!

When we got back we decided to add a hood I had some old vw hoods so we thought why not?

[heywebonya]

Clever, turned out very nice
_________________
If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[L5wolvesf]

Looks cool nice work.

also
If you have a fire near the engine that extinguisher is not in a good spot. I would put it on the floor in front of the passenger seat. So it can be grabbed quickly.

last thing
If it is a Kidde extinguisher check to see if it is part of the recall.
_________________
Amonster Motorsports

SNORE # 1196 sponsored by:
- www.356carburetorrescue.com/home.html
- Barnwerks Fabrication & Welding
- ArtSpeed Graphics

“Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.”
S. McQueen

[Vanapplebomb]

I have a hood I was going to put on. I’m not sure I will now just because it does cut down on visibility a good deal up front in such a low sitting vehicle. I set the hood on and really didn’t like the view from the seat even though it looked sweet on the front of the rail.

Nice work though!

Not many out there.
_________________
1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

[dustymojave]

Re the fire extinguisher...
Some offroad organizations want a fire extinguisher externally accessible near the back. In a buggy that means next to the engine and gas tank. Both are likely sources of fire. But if one is on fire, the extinguisher is in the fire and thus not accessible. Same with offroad race trucks. An extinguisher in the back is still next to the fuel tank and thus not accessible in a fire.

So working Tech Inspection for some of the organizations that do not require a fire extinguisher back there, but still require one on the vehicle, and dealing with racers who DO race also with organizations the require an extinguisher outside in the back, I recommend to those racers that they install one in the cab where you can get to it even if you're buckled in and upside down. Someplace like cross-wise on the floor by the front edge of the seat.

Also, not so much an issue in huge sand dunes like Glamis, but for offroad races we require extinguishers that are rated "ABC", vs the one you have which is rated BC. BC will put out fuel and oil and electrical fires. But an ABC will also put out a fire that has spread to the brush/weeds/grass/trees near the car that's on fire. I put out a fire in my next door neighbor's kitchen (EVERYTHING on fire including the floor, walls and ceiling!) with the one out of my Hi Jumper. They had deep fried french fries and forgot to turn off the fryer. So my extinguisher put out oil, paint, electrical, wood, linoleum, plastic and more. If your buggy catches fire in the woods or on a trail through grass or whatever, you can put out the car fire and keep it from re-igniting from the grass, bushes, trees or whatever.
_________________
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.

[cnicholls]

So, given the limited space, is the fire extinguisher in a logical area?
The hood pivots forward and is pinned in near the windshield, I really don't want to unpin a hood to get to fire protection should something bad happen. I don't race or run anywhere where there is a safety inspection, its more for peace of mind and being responsible. I didn't give it a lot of thought when we mounted it, however reflecting on your comments did raise a few things I had not thought about.

[dustymojave]

[L5wolvesf]

In the pic with the young boy sitting on the passenger seat you can see a red bar under the seat. It looks like you could mount the extinguisher to that bar. BUT, if it is a Kidde and has a plastic lever they break and there is a recall on them with free replacement.
_________________
Amonster Motorsports

SNORE # 1196 sponsored by:
- www.356carburetorrescue.com/home.html
- Barnwerks Fabrication & Welding
- ArtSpeed Graphics

“Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.”
S. McQueen

[AlexF2294]

I know this is an old post, but what year hood did you use?

[vdubrookie]

VW powered lady bug, pretty cool