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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:54 pm Post subject: pan stiffeners |
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So I came across these pan stiffeners the other day and wonder if anyone has tried them or something like them.
This is for my convertible but thought someone here might have tried them. My convertible is missing the lower body rails below the heater channels, do you think this would be a suitable replacement so I dont have to remove the body to install new rails? The company says they are 10ga steel.
http://bgwspectre.com/metal.html
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:45 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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I havent tried them but was thinking of getting something like this for my Sportster how much do they cost ? I looked at the web site but didnt see the price . |
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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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$110 a pair + shipping. I think for that price Im gonna try a set.
They are also prompt responding to my emails. |
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 3:41 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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weasel_ugs wrote: |
$110 a pair + shipping. I think for that price Im gonna try a set.
They are also prompt responding to my emails. |
Thanks for getting back to me I book marked their site I wonder if the holes are already drilled in them to match the factory holes in the pans. |
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slalombuggy Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2010 Posts: 9131 Location: Canada
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 5:09 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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The stiffeners go beside the pan on a cabrio and weld to the bottom of the heater channels. They dont bolt between the body and pan.
brad
Last edited by slalombuggy on Fri Mar 23, 2018 9:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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didget69 Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2004 Posts: 4925 Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 9:53 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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You could also get 2 6-Foot sticks of 1" x 1" x 11 Ga Square Steel Tubing delivered to your residence for ~ $65.00 & make your own braces.
https://www.metalsdepot.com/
bnc _________________ I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door. |
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cudabear Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2012 Posts: 65 Location: Lk Mary FL
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 10:49 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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I made my own in a full size pan for a four seat buggy. I used 1x1x1/8 & bent it in my exhaust bender, it bent just fine.. I was able to flip it upside down weld it all in place & tie it too the front frame head and rear at torsion area it made it super strong. |
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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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slalombuggy wrote: |
The stiffeners go beside the pan on a cabrio and weld to the bottom of the heater channels. They dont bokt between tge body and pan
brad |
I know where they go on a convertible, I'm hoping these will work for now. If you look in my gallery at the black bug you can see why I don't want to disassemble the car at this time |
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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:03 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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didget69 wrote: |
You could also get 2 6-Foot sticks of 1" x 1" x 11 Ga Square Steel Tubing delivered to your residence for ~ $65.00 & make your own braces.
https://www.metalsdepot.com/
bnc |
Coming bent and predrilled is worth the extra to me.
Last edited by weasel_ugs on Fri Mar 23, 2018 5:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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slalombuggy Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2010 Posts: 9131 Location: Canada
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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I doubt they'll do much for your Baja. Cabrio rails are easily twice the size. It's not so much the thickness of the metal but the size of the box.
brad |
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BIGMIKEY Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2007 Posts: 1102 Location: North East Pennsylvania
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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Please note for informational purposes that 1.25" tubing will fit the channel perfectly. This is what I used for my buggy floorpan stiffener. Should you decide to go that way.
Mike T _________________ BIGMIKEY
Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=
1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue. |
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 6:14 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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Has anybody used a pair of those braces that go from the beam back to he pan like a thing has? I have a shake in my sportster Ive been chasing. I have read I think every thread and re read the threads on here about the shake. I even had a brace made for the roll bar to windshield which didnt help but it looks good.
All the tie rods seem good, but thinking of having all that replaced just to eliminate that. Took it out yesterday made a 141 mile round trip to a car show it was a fun ride but the shaking gets old. |
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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 10:31 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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vponder wrote: |
Has anybody used a pair of those braces that go from the beam back to he pan like a thing has? I have a shake in my sportster Ive been chasing. I have read I think every thread and re read the threads on here about the shake. I even had a brace made for the roll bar to windshield which didnt help but it looks good.
All the tie rods seem good, but thinking of having all that replaced just to eliminate that. Took it out yesterday made a 141 mile round trip to a car show it was a fun ride but the shaking gets old. |
Last 2 VW's I had with shaking problems turned out to be bent wheels, have you checked them? |
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wythac Samba Member
Joined: August 02, 2004 Posts: 2791
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:10 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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If you are using these on your ragtop where I think you are, you'd be replacing C channel with box section tubing which would in theory be stronger than original.
While something like these stiffeners may help a buggy a little bit, I'd expect a minimal increase in torsional strength of the body and pan without tying them together laterally at the front and rear of the pan.
To the other poster with a shimmy, take the advice of other posters before spending dough. Try some stock wheel and tires if you have any available. Offset and quality of wheels are often the primary reason for shimmy |
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:42 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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Yea I got new repop five wides on the front had them re-balanced at the newest tire store in town , they have the latest Hunter machine, had the rears done Friday they've been on awhile so it was worth it. But.... shake still there. Like I said in the other post I may go ahead and do the tie rods and see where that takes it. Also looking at X bracing the cowl some how. It would just make it more pleasant to drive . |
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wythac Samba Member
Joined: August 02, 2004 Posts: 2791
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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A few other suggestions then:
A means of stiffening the entire pan, using something similar to what the OP is looking at, augmenting them to create a frame that outlines the pan
A kafer bar or rear crossmember to tie your rear shock towers together
Or both of these measures taken together
The beetle body is/was a stressed member of the frame of the car. Using a FG buggy body is no replacement. Some, many in fact, don't ever have problems associated with this inherent weakness of these kit cars. But there is enough variability with the conditions of the pans used and the bodies put on them, that it's possible that no suspension or wheel modifications will eliminate your problem. |
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weasel_ugs Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2012 Posts: 721 Location: Prescott Valley,Az.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 4:28 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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vponder wrote: |
Yea I got new repop five wides on the front had them re-balanced at the newest tire store in town , they have the latest Hunter machine, had the rears done Friday they've been on awhile so it was worth it. But.... shake still there. Like I said in the other post I may go ahead and do the tie rods and see where that takes it. Also looking at X bracing the cowl some how. It would just make it more pleasant to drive . |
I was able to balance my bent wheels but because they were bent it still would shake. Tire balancers usually have a hood that covers the wheels while spinning them making it harder to watch, I would watch them through the small openings while spinning to see if they wobbled. |
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:46 pm Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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weasel_ugs wrote: |
vponder wrote: |
Yea I got new repop five wides on the front had them re-balanced at the newest tire store in town , they have the latest Hunter machine, had the rears done Friday they've been on awhile so it was worth it. But.... shake still there. Like I said in the other post I may go ahead and do the tie rods and see where that takes it. Also looking at X bracing the cowl some how. It would just make it more pleasant to drive . |
I was able to balance my bent wheels but because they were bent it still would shake. Tire balancers usually have a hood that covers the wheels while spinning them making it harder to watch, I would watch them through the small openings while spinning to see if they wobbled. |
yea I went through so much "new " wheel trouble I had the wheels turned on the machine before they mounted the tires to see if the wheel was true. |
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vponder Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2013 Posts: 289 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:44 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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Got a question about the Kafer bar set up, I looked over in the Offroad section and didn't see anything that would address the question. Will that change how the buggy feels driving or will it say make the buggy shake more say idling at a red light. Or over all is it a good addition to have. I do not take it off road just driven on the street. Its a swing axle, I have all new trans mounts. Just seems to me that you would feel more vibrations while idling . Thanks Vince |
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wythac Samba Member
Joined: August 02, 2004 Posts: 2791
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2018 11:57 am Post subject: Re: pan stiffeners |
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Vponder,
I assumed you were talking about the shakes while rolling. A shake at idle isn't suspension related.
A kafer bar or supplemental rear cross member replaces or augments the strength between the two rear shock towers. Look at the top of the cast steel rear housings on each side and you'll see threaded dropouts where the beetle body was once attached. It provided a connection between the two sides of the rear suspension. Removing the beetle body removes this source of stability, and can (but not always does) effect the structural stability of the pan. |
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