My frist Baja (or VW)

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After looking for some time I finally found a baja and bought it. This is my frist vw of any type. I have had friends that have owned them and I have driven them over the years.

It a 1970, the motor is a 1776 with a 110 cam, it is running a single holly carb. from looking at it is seem to be at stock ride height.

The old owner said that he feels the carb is not right and should be replaced, it runs very rich right now.

I want to put larger tires in the rear, what is a good size? 31s or 33s.. I will have to lift the rear so I want to do it all at once.

[xirxious]

I've been told that 31" is that max you can fit without doing a coilover conversion. The torsion tube retainer gets in the way.

[67azBaja]

I have 31/10.50/15 bfg muds and I really dig em. If you want pics, I can post some.

[SpenceSuper11]

If you want to keep the same size tire on the front I'd pesonally suggest putting some 235/75/15's on the back. That's about a 29 and a little over 8" wide. It still looks awsome while not making the front wheels look like spares. Also if you ever decide you want to go bigger all around just move the 235's to the front and stick some 31's on the back.
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1600cc '73 Super baja

Opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily shared by anyone who is not intelligent, sexy, well-off financially, and a great dancer.

[runslikeapenguin]

[Lotrat]

We tried to figure this out a while ago, but never nailed it down...

A 31x10.5x15 on a long torsion bar rear may rub depending on the brand.

The 7.00x15 size in the front wins hands down. They are on the front of many baja's.
The Yokohama Y742S 7.00x15 is 29.8" in diameter
The Hercules HDT 7.00x15 is 29.62" in diameter
The Nankang/Nanco (can't find the spec)
on 5" rims

The rear is a toss up on the size. 30's always fit. 31's may fit, but may really slow down a baja with a stock motor.

The BFG AT 30x9.5x15 is 29.5" in diameter (stock motor/trans)(long torsion tubes)
The BFG AT 31x10.5x15 is 30.7" in diameter (short torsion tubes)
on 7-8" rims

I'm not saying that these are "THE" tires to run, but it's what most end up with.

[perrib]

The stock engine can not handle tires with a larger diameter. 235 70 15 all around work well. BFG has wide 29" tall Mud and All Terrains. Taller tires need a larger displacement hi torque engine and better axles and cvs or a 3 rib T-2 transaxle. Close ratio 3rd and 4th gears will also help.

[SpenceSuper11]

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Wow, thanks for all the info.

I am thinking about running.

General Grabber AT 2
205/75-15 (2) Front
30X9.5-15 (2) Rear

I kinda like the small tire /big tire look....

Also I am still tring to figure out the carb setup. Stay with a single or go duals? I will be off roads mud and snow so what gives me the best power and ease to fix on the road.

[2gr8dgs]

nice looking baja. i think that's a great tire combo. I like the ground clearance with big tires up front, but cant stand the way it cuts down on my turning radius. for a single carb, how bought a weber 40 IDF, or a 36 dell. a good manifold w/heat risers will make a big difference on how well it runs. no aftermarket carb system you buy is going to run at it's best without some tuning. they would also be my 1st choice for a dual carb setup for your size engine. good luck!

[ZARJDR]

b4 replacing your carb try this, If you have elec choke, it will have a ring with three screws in choke cover, loosen screws there will be an arrow and the word "richer" rotate choke body opposite direction of arrow, do this after car is warm, rotate till choke butterfly is right at fully open, put about 2,500-3,000 rpm on motor with the air cleaner off, place hand over carb throat and starve engine briefly(try not to kill motor) lather, rinse, repeat, if stumble & smoke disappear, reassemble air cleaner, let car cool, and re-adjust choke to make sure you have partial choke butterfly operation with cool choke parts. Cheap easy fix that is often overlooked!
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2006 RAM 1500 HEMI 4X4 92 LT250
06 Raptor DP1776 Sandrail
02 HONDA 400EX
03 YAMAHA WR450F 74 BAJA

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OK, So I went out and checked the carb.

It says Holley on the side and is stamped R 6549, it had a electric chock but it was removed for clearance between the carb and fan shroud.

I did some checking it is not a Bug Spray as the last owner said, but it a 5200 Series Holley.

So maybe I should find another carb? one I can have a choke and tune?

[ZARJDR]

OK if the elec choke was removed is the upper butterfly still there? if so, is it wired open? if not, then your rich condition is caused by the upper butterfly. usually a manual choke(push/pull cable) can be retrofitted, still a cheaper alternative.
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2006 RAM 1500 HEMI 4X4 92 LT250
06 Raptor DP1776 Sandrail
02 HONDA 400EX
03 YAMAHA WR450F 74 BAJA

[KJMac]

so it is a Holley 350 2bbl

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So the choke flaps/rod have been removed. I am going to check around and see if anyone has the parts. If not I will be looking a replacement.

What is the best carb for this motor setup I have? 1776 with a 110 cam.

[ZARJDR]

everyone has their own biases and reasons for them My last baja had the same Holley 5200 series, mated to a stock internals 1600 DP. My suspicion is the PO had some issues with it that he was unable to rectify. I have read both good and bad here in the forum about the EMPI progressive, but evryone seems to agree the big weber twos are awesome, and some really like the Dellortos as well. The webs and dels are both pretty pricey, but.... the Holleys are reasonably priced. My experience with the holley was an entirely positive one. My 02
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2006 RAM 1500 HEMI 4X4 92 LT250
06 Raptor DP1776 Sandrail
02 HONDA 400EX
03 YAMAHA WR450F 74 BAJA

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I dont mind keeping the 5200, I just want it to run the best it can.

This weekend I am going to check the timing, take the carb off and see if I can tell what they have done to it. And see if I can get it to run better.

Next week all the brake parts ordered will be here.

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Well, its been raining, so I got very little done.

I did get my new shifter installed. So much better then the stock thing.

I love the stinger but I hated the can to keep the rain out. So I spent $8.00 and got a exhaust rain cap for a tractor. I am going to warp the stinger and paint the cap black but for now I like it.

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Update

I have been buying parts and waiting for the weather to dry up enough for me to do some work.

I finally got over to DMV, and it only cost me $75.00 and a hour and half of my life.

Here are some pics of the current ride hight, (sorry they are from my phone)

Front

Rear

So from these photos I have about 11 inch of ride height, with the car sitting on 205-70r-14's.

I forgot to take photo of it coming apart.

Yes I had to use tie downs to hold the front up out of the way.

I got disc brakes for all the way around. I plan on alot of mud and water so I do not really like drums anyways.

The past owner said when he drove the car over 30mph it was all over the place, once I got the front apart and checked the tie rod end and ball joint, I found that they where all completely worn out. I had already figured on rebuilding the front end, so had parts ordered.

Another thing I found was both front brakes are froze and only trun with a great deal of force.

here is the beam out and ready for me to cut it up.

The upper has been turned 1/2 upper and welded back in.

The next day the bottom one is cut and turned

Cleaning up the welds and checking for any holes.

You can see the arms have alot more angle, I wish I had photos of them at stock.

And you know that last ball joint will not come out

Thats I got done this past weekend.