Sand rail rebuild

[Doctordreeann]

Hello samba! I'm new to the vw world so please bear with me. So I took this rail on a trade a while back, and don't really know what kind it is. Doesn't really matter because I'll be adding a lot to it as the story progresses. I do know it's a 1500 sp, early 70's irs transaxle, and all beetle suspension from the look of it. Feel free to comment, correct me, and throw pointers my way!

Got it torn down and started fixing all the hacked up welds, cut off a bunch of old tubes, and got rid of the stupid cross thatched floor

Time to start fabbing some sickness!

Kudos if you can tell me where this cooler came from

Oil cooler mounts

Now creating this mad max/death race style pushbar! I'll keep you posted

[Doctordreeann]

Finished welding on the topside of the push bar. Got some fenders on order, once they come in we'll finish it out and throw on the skid plate

[Vanapplebomb]

That oil cooler is super big for that engine. If you want a better cooling system than the 1500, you could step up to a 1600 dog house cooling set up...but even so, the only real down side to earlyer cooling fan shrouds is that 3/4 cylinder will run slightly warmer than 1/2 cylinders because of the oil cooler preheating cooling air to the 3/4 cylinders...but even so, I haven't seen high oil temps in any stock engine unless something was seriously wrong with it. If I were you I would ditch that external oil cooler and go with a 72 and later dog house oil cooler/adapter/fan shroud. You would be suprised. The stock dog house cooling set up can actually cool some rather powerful engines. Certainly more than enough for a stock or mild engine.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

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

[Vanapplebomb]

By the way, not trying to attach your build, just trying to give you some constructive practical criticism.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

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

[Aerindel]

Why coil overs in the back? I find my stock torsion set up is borderline overly stiff as it is. Unless you have removed your torsion leaves for some reason it seems like its going to be like driving a rock...
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Homemade woods/street, bug out rail. IRS, Balljoint front end. 1967 1600cc DP, Weber 32/36 progressive, tri-mil quiet pack. Rear only cutting brakes.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630046

[ORANGECRUSHer]

Like he said he's new to VW's.
Scratch the oil cooler. Your il won't be warming up propperly
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Brian H.
I may not know everything,but I will try to help if I can
OrangeCrushER Berrien Warrior 2.4L Quad4
LAZY MARY 1970 Baja 1835cc

[Doctordreeann]

Thanks for the criticism guys. I got that oil cooler from an old SF blackhawk helicopter that I was forced to demilitarize and shred. I know its monstrous, but I really want to use it(and the other parts yet to be revealed) for sentimental value. On a blackhawk, these coolers have a large axial fan spun by the driveshaft that mount in the front of the shroud and force air through. I highly doubt that much air will flow through using it like this, but rather serve as a long passage for oil to naturally cool. Does that make any sense?

[Doctordreeann]

Also, the cooler has a thermostatic bypass valve that directs oil around the cooler until the temp reaches 160f. I'm at least going to try it out, and if my warm up time is crazy excessive then I'll bypass the thing and leave it mounted purely for aesthetic purposes. Sound like a plan?

[Aerindel]

[Doctordreeann]

Fence cutter!! I've got the whole wire strike system, so you better believe it's going to be in full effect! Will I ever test it out? Probably not! I'd be a little scared to blast through a farm fence willingly, but it could save my life. When I got the buggy, the gas shocks that were on the rear were all but blown out. It would bottom out when I sped through semi rough terrain, and that was not a good feeling! coilovers were inexpensive, and I like the look of them. Maybe they work, maybe not...I'll be sure to let you know!

[Doctordreeann]

Got the roof panel welded on and replaced the dash tube yesterday. I think she's starting to look mean

[ORANGECRUSHer]

I would def do some triangulation on that big open spot above the 'beak'
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Brian H.
I may not know everything,but I will try to help if I can
OrangeCrushER Berrien Warrior 2.4L Quad4
LAZY MARY 1970 Baja 1835cc

[Doctordreeann]

There will be plenty of bracing up there. I'm still working the nose now. Got a few more angles on today, just trying to make sure the front wheels are gonna be well guarded on the trails. Started working out the tree bars too...tell me what you think

[Aerindel]

I envy how mean its going to look.

I worry about the practicality. Pretty much anything that stuck out on mine has been broken off over time during actual use in the woods.

I really like the big spiky look on these vehicles but I think that in reality something shaped like an almond would take less damage in actual use.

Since you mentioned mad max you may appreciate this pic of me and my 9 month pregnant wife if you've seen the latest movie:

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Homemade woods/street, bug out rail. IRS, Balljoint front end. 1967 1600cc DP, Weber 32/36 progressive, tri-mil quiet pack. Rear only cutting brakes.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630046

[Doctordreeann]

I'm digging the skulls on top! I might have to bite off that idea. There is going to be a bar connecting the lower center point tubes to the lower outside tubes and I'm going to run a 1 piece 7 guage skid plate kinda in the shape of a crown to tie it all in. It should be pretty solid.

[Doctordreeann]

Okay so today I added the lower pushbar tubes, framed the outside of the tree bars, and got the floor on and halfway welded.

[Sandjunky]

Props for making it yours. You should plug the holes left in the rear bars where the PO raised the roof. That is a bad water trap that will cause corrosion inside the tubes.

[Axitech]

I like the look of the front end, but, you might want to rethink it. The pointy cow-killer is great, but the tree-grabbers that you added will give you a world of grief. Instead of allowing you to be shoved sideways if you get too close to a tree, or rock, you will get sucked into it! Es no Bueno, mi amigo!!
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He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36


The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.-Thomas Jefferson

[Doctordreeann]

The side points don't stick out past the wheels, that's just an illusion from the camera angle. If it proves to be a problem in the woods I'll just tie all the points together to make a large triangle up front. There are a bunch of open holes left over from the po's hackjob. I have yet to break out the hole saw to make caps for them, but I'm getting there. Thanks for the input!

[Doctordreeann]

Finished welding the floor seam today, braced up the tree bars, and made my skid plate stencil. Off to the metal shop tomorrow...