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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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 Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:01 am Post subject: The Evolution of our Hi Jumper |
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Back when we first bought it
New +4 Beam, 2X2 front arms, Saco Rack, Fox shocks
3X3 rears installed, Everything related to the VW motor removed
Ecotec in
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Vanapplebomb
Samba Member
Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5417
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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I have been very interested in that yellow beast that was in a few of the pictures you put up a couple years back. Nice to have you back on the forums. NICE to see some more pictures of it 
One question for you. Was that bus transmission in there with to stock length arms?
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021 |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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Ecotec Harness(Which I Build). I do the 02'-05' Fly by Cable and 07+2.2 fly by wire
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Vanapplebomb
Samba Member
Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5417
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Nice wire harness. Nice and neat.
What did you do for axles on the stock arms? Did you get aftermarket 15 5/8" axles, or were you one of those people that made do with the stock axles?
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
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dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5802
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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Cool.
Based on what I've seen in race cars the past couple or 3 years using Ecotecs, I suggest motor mount supports from the cross bar above the bellhousing, coming down to the side motor mount bosses on the sides of the block - Instead of mounts coming up from the lower bumper cage tubes. That way if you bang the skidplate, the engine is not affected. With mounts off the bottom of the bumper, any touch of the skidplate pushes up on the engine.
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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.
Last edited by dustymojave on Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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norcalracer
Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2006
Posts: 239
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 6:54 am Post subject: eco |
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| I agree the wire harness is very nice ( how much do you charge and do you reflash the ECU as well to avoid VATS) And on e more thing ive seen and heard is make sure you have a good hefty skid plate under the oil pan they are very week.I am sure someone will be building a heavy duty one some day. |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:39 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Richard, I need some good HI Jumper nerf bar pics. Im hoping to bend up some new ones this weekend. Please post them if you have any good side shots of yours.
We plan to do just that with the motor mount. I will also have a small motor mount on the front of the motor going from the block just under the Crank pully to the lower rear cage. I will be using a aluminum skid plate, But putting extra tubing in the lower cage. The skid plate I cut of was probly 50+#. It was overkill.
norcalracer please check your PM. Yes we actually completely reflash the ECU empty and use HP Tuners to rebuild ECU with just what's needed. VATS is completely gone
Got the fuel tank done yesterday. Put 3 new 3/8 NPT Bungs in. Fuel outlet on the bottom, Fuel return next to the filler and a vent in the center
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flashho
Samba Member
Joined: August 11, 2012
Posts: 240
Location: Mulege, Baja
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:36 am Post subject: |
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| Great looking car and upgrades! Keep the pics coming. I will look thru my pic collection tonight, for nerf bar ideas and pm you if I find some. |
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md perf
Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2012
Posts: 149
Location: Pinckney, MI
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| Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 10:06 am Post subject: |
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what are the prices for an Ecotec with the goodies to install? I just blew $2300 on a pretty nice VW engine for my buggy, but now I am looking to upgrade my Baja bug...... I would go to a bus trans of course..
What size torsion bars in back?
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They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:40 am Post subject: |
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I pd
$400 for the motor(44,136 miles)
$400 for adapter set
$600 is what I do Harnesses and computers for
$50.00 for all aluminum Honda Civic Radiator
$95.00 for a 1700 CFM Flexalite fan
$160.00 for Fuel pump and filter
$100 in the fuel tank for bungs, fittings and build lines
$160.00 for new Kennedy Pressure plate and Daiken disk
I'll probly have $75.00 in the exhaust
No more adjusting valves all the time, trying to keep carbs synchronized, no more plugged idle jets. We have done a dozen of these and its a nice swap
I would recommend a 6 rib if you can find one, 3 ribs are doing ok with a stock motor
26 mm torsions are getting the job done, but Im gonna try some 28s
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don't_bug_me
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2013
Posts: 852
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| The ecotech looks like you have the best of both worlds with reliability and power, is this a cheaper, more expensive or equall in doing a Subaru engine swap? I'm not familiar with either, but would probably lean more towards the GM powerplant some day. |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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I don't have any experience with Subby motors but it looks to be quit a bit more expensive.
I can tell I don't know anybody that has successfully done a Ecotec conversion that wishes they still had their Aircooled VW motor
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don't_bug_me
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2013
Posts: 852
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| If I want to look for an inexpensive donor car, what years and models would be the best and still have a good motor, and how high is high mileage on an Ecotech, so I can avoid a rebuild right off? Thanks |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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02-05' Cavalier. Rated @ 162 HP. They are easier to wire. Mileage honestly doesn't matter, just change the timing chain, guides and tensioner and you'll be ok. I have a line on 5-6 20,000-50,000 motors still in the cars
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don't_bug_me
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2013
Posts: 852
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Wheel_Works wrote: |
| 02-05' Cavalier. Rated @ 162 HP. They are easier to wire. Mileage honestly doesn't matter, just change the timing chain, guides and tensioner and you'll be ok. I have a line on 5-6 20,000-50,000 motors still in the cars |
That's awesome, cheaper than any scooby doo that's for sure, I don't need one right now, I'm working on my baja, so I'm in the info gathering stage, I'm picking up a dune buggy body tomorrow, it may be the recipient next year, followed by another baja with an Ecotech, I'll sell my baja to fund the new one after the buggy is done, one step at a time. Thanks for all the info to date. I may utilize you for the harness and computer flash if your still doing them when I need it, or I'll wing it, I'm pretty good with wiring schematics and wiring from scratch, I can read any blueprint as well. Did some electronics and avionics in the past, wiring is just like a road map to me. |
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dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5802
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Wheel_Works wrote: |
| Thanks Richard, I need some good HI Jumper nerf bar pics. Im hoping to bend up some new ones this weekend. Please post them if you have any good side shots of yours. |
This view shows how the nerf bars fit on mine. They were built at the time of the original fabrication of the frame. The mounts are 1-1/4" x .120" wall with a 1/4" bolt through to hold the bar in. The bars are made of 1" x .065" wall CREW and were gold irridite-zinc plated.
The rear mount locations make good sense, doing it over, I would extend the forward mounts farther forward and taper the bar into the frame side more to catch brush and such less. I would start the front bend right outside the socket next time.
Be sure to locate the mount on the frame where banging the nerf bar doesn't bend the frame rail. My upper mounts are on the upper rail right at the shoulder bar, the lower rear is on the bottom rail right ahead of the torsion cap and the front is on the lower rail right at the front seat crossbar.
Midwest, eastern and southern buggy guys tend to build "Tree Bars" out of the same material as the frame rails and weld them to the rails often in unsupported runs of the rails. I disapprove of this as when you bang the bar, it transfers the impact to the frame. This can badly damage the frame, and if the impact is bad enough, will tear the tree bar off with a chunk of frame rail included. The way mine are made, like a sprint car's nerf bars, the bars are less strong than the frame and only attached with one bolt. I have never bent mine. While banging bars with other racers or tree trunks may bend the nerf bars, it's EZ to make another bar to replace badly damaged ones. I consider bumpers and nerf bars to be expendable protection for the car. I don't use fancy 4130 tubing as they should be inexpensive and replaceable. It's kind of like a box for a product. It's the disposable deal there to take any hits and protect the product, not to be as good as the product or to be a battering ram.
| Wheel_Works wrote: |
| We plan to do just that with the motor mount. I will also have a small motor mount on the front of the motor going from the block just under the Crank pully to the lower rear cage. I will be using a aluminum skid plate, But putting extra tubing in the lower cage. The skid plate I cut of was probly 50+#. It was overkill. |
One racer around here put a mount bar across forward of the top cross bar of the bumper with a mount to the end of the engine at the end of the head. But the concern with NOT building mounts off the bottom is that when the skidplate hits the ground, it pushes up on the engine through the mounts and does damage to the engine and trans that way.
I was looking through my old 1970 HP Baja-Prepping VW Sedans & Buggies, which was the book before Jeff Hibbard's Baja Bugs & Buggies and saw a couple of photos of Johnny Johnson's Baja 1000 winning Corvair-powered buggy. It has engine supports from the top rear of the main hoop of the cage down to the mount under the crank pulley, but no mount from the bottom.
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| Wheel_Works wrote: |
Got the fuel tank done yesterday. Put 3 new 3/8 NPT Bungs in. Fuel outlet on the bottom, Fuel return next to the filler and a vent in the center
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Anybody doing this better KNOW what they are doing. The risk of explosion is VERY HIGH! Although you got a little bit of contamination floating in one of the welds, overall it looks good and should work well. Better to do this to a brand new tank that hasn't had gas in it yet.
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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. |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, Richard for the pictures
I actually washed the tank out with simple green and water before welding the bungs in, no issues
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dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5802
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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A customer's HiJumper back in the early 80s. This set of sprint car style nerf bars are mounted the same as the ones HiJumper built on my car.
I like the looks of this set better than the ones on my own car.
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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. |
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Wheel_Works
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009
Posts: 347
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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Thats probly what was on my car. My pods are cut up front about the same area that the white car is. The story is that my car was built @ San Ferndo as a turn key. Not sure if they did that or not? I can say that the construction is very good.
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