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Topless Baja!
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mike dee
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Joined: December 13, 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:54 pm    Post subject: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Ok, so I have been a member for almost 17 years now and this is my first post!!! Long time lurker, might be a record LOL!

So,lets hopefully start this first post off right. I have owned 2 Baja's before my current build. 1st one in 2009 had no motor or trans and we had just started our business so we never had the money to build it, so it sat for awhile and than sold off. The 2nd Baja we picked up in 2016, it was a runner but it ran rough and was a little rough all around. It was a little more than I was ready for at the time. It needed quite a few replacement panels and did not run right. I did not have the welding tools or skills at the time to finish it, so once again it was sold off!

Fast forward 6 yrs and we have been lucky enough to be in a position to finally build a Baja that I can keep. I have also been lucky enough to meet a few guys that taught me how to weld over the last few years. I was also gifted a complete welding setup from one them as we became great friends!

Ok, so lets move onto our newest purchase. We bought a 1967 Baja from an owner of a body shop that we take care of. We actually bought it a little over a year ago, but it sat at his house for the entire time as we started to build it. It was purchased with the top removed, but it was done poorly. So we started to add a complete roll cage and fix all the crappy welds and fabrication, lol! I also bought it without a motor or trans. We added 3x3 trailing arms, extended front beams and rear disc brakes. We also picked up a used 1600 with IRS trans. I started to tear down the 1600, I will be replacing the pistons, jugs, full tune-up and tins. I will post a bunch of pics of the progress of everything. We have alot ideas planned for this Baja and will post as we progress with the build.

My goal is to build a nice exploration and camping rig that 3 people can take out

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mike dee
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Joined: December 13, 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Quick pic of all the parts I bought. I have a ton of other parts I need to order, but that is plenty for now!

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BFB
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Joined: November 03, 2014
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 8:24 am    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Nice looking Baja, looks good topless!
What do you do for the body shop?
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Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

BFB wrote:
Nice looking Baja, looks good topless!
What do you do for the body shop?


We own a PDR company and it is one of our main accounts. They are also really good friends of ours now.
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Picked up a few random parts today, scored a great deal on a set of new 8" headlights, they were 50% off!

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mike dee
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Here are a few pics of how I would like to build my baja!

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dodger tom
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

this thread isn’t what i thought it was about.
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

dodger tom wrote:
this thread isn’t what i thought it was about.


Sorry to disappoint LOL!
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

This is the first Bug motor I have ever worked on, so it's a bit of a learning curve. So I started to reassemble the motor today, getting the pushrod tubes to mount up straight was a pain! I think it's looking pretty good!

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mike dee
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Just finished up refreshing the motor! When I bought the motor & trans, they were still in a sandrail and they ran great, just a little dirty, beatup and leaking oil. So I decided to replace a bunch of parts and replace all gaskets to seal it up.

List of everything I did to the motor.....
I had Don's Bus box powder blast the heads & inspect
Full tune-up (points, rotor, plugs, wires,coil & cap)
Cleaned and directional sanded tins, got rid of some of the shine
Stainless hardware for tins
Air filter
Alternator pulley
Intake rubber boots & intake manifold gaskets
Billet valve covers with gaskets
Pushrod tubes w/ rubber gaskets
New to me exhaust w/ gaskets
Exhaust studs
Chrome dipstick
Replaced all the 1/2" oil lines for breather & oil cooler
Alternator mount
Rebuilt carb Weber 32
Kennedy clutch
I am sure I am forgetting something!

Just a nice refresh of the important things to make it run a little better and hopefully not markup our drive way LOL! I think it turned out pretty nice, you can really see the difference in the before and after pics.

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mike dee
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Picked up the bug today and cleaned it up a little bit at my buddy shop before heading home. Nice looking tow rig and Baja if I say so myself!

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Last edited by mike dee on Tue Jul 05, 2022 9:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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72BajaBen
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Nice, looks like a great start. Keep the posts and updates coming.
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2022 8:09 am    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Here are a couple random pictures, polished up the wheels this morning, turned out pretty good. As you can see by the interior pictures, I have a lot of work ahead of me!

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sick_boy
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Joined: October 22, 2012
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Location: Middleton, Id
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:06 am    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Looks good! I too have been coming and going to the samba over the years and also am on my 3rd build, having kids said goodbye to my baja, then my 4 seat sandrail was sold off when we moved to Idaho, now im finishing a manx to explore up here.

One thing to point out for chopped bajas is make sure you attach the body to the cage in multiple areas, especially the b pillar to door jamb. I have a few buddies with chopped and those bodies flex like crazy. Doors have opened up while driving, and they rattled like hell before they tied them into the cages to stiffen them up.
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mike dee
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:16 am    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

sick_boy wrote:
Looks good! I too have been coming and going to the samba over the years and also am on my 3rd build, having kids said goodbye to my baja, then my 4 seat sandrail was sold off when we moved to Idaho, now im finishing a manx to explore up here.

One thing to point out for chopped bajas is make sure you attach the body to the cage in multiple areas, especially the b pillar to door jamb. I have a few buddies with chopped and those bodies flex like crazy. Doors have opened up while driving, and they rattled like hell before they tied them into the cages to stiffen them up.


Thanks for the advice.
Unfortunately, I think the build will no longer continue! When I got the bug home and started to clean out the interior, I notice that it was missing something very important, something the previous builder cut out SMH! Yeah that's right, he cut the rear hump out to access the shifter and in the process cut out the VIN number. So this car has no VIN number anymore, so it's pretty much a worthless shell & pan.

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sick_boy
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:10 am    Post subject: Re: Topless Baja! Reply with quote

Man people are stupid! Worst case scenario, you already have everything to swap over to a fresher car! It would be work, but you could cut it free and swap pans with a titled one. Not that it means much at this point, but those seat mounts going to the heater tube are a big nono. They need to land on the cage. The heater channel is just sheet metal. Hope you can salvage your project and get back on track!
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