Odd spindle question

[allencoal1975]

First off this is my baja. I love baja bugs ,and wanted something a little different. At this point I have decided I need to take it to the next level.
It's gone as far as it can with a mostly stock new beetle suspension. I want to put together a long travel A-arm set up ,and for the sake of convenience of available parts I was planning on a set of king pin spuds ,and one of those pre-fab spindle kits. My question is do you think they'll hold up to the almost 1000# weight difference?
I don't see a big difference in size over my ranger spindles ,and plenty of rangers take a beating off road.

[veeweeman]

Is that thing still FWD?...or beetle body on bug frame. ...that thing looks bad ass!
_________________
Never be a follower...Do your own thing, make it your own!

[allencoal1975]

it was still front wheel drive. That's one of the things I plan on changing. I do plan to keep it front engine though ,and that's why I'm mildly concerned with weight. I may just be over thinking it.

[dustymojave]

You seem to have overlooked the point that king pin spindles are for rear wheel drive cars. I'm not too sure how you expect to drive the vehicle with spindles welded to the uprights unless they're tubular spindle spuds.
_________________
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.

[allencoal1975]

[TDCTDI]

By keeping it in the front engine configuration, you'll be putting far more weight on the spindles than they were designed to handle.

I'd suggest that you leave that car as it is, source another shell & build a tube frame for it so that you can make it a rear engine/drive car with a newer shell.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Fenix]

[allencoal1975]

[Fenix]

Yeah,

Sounds like you need to just start with a full tube chassis and then mount the beetle body to it. Way too much fab not to go full tube and still retain structural integrity, durability, and a reasonable factor of safety on the component attachments.

[heywebonya]

Have you considered adding an inch by adding strut spacers? There is about a wallet-full of difference between upgrading and completely redesigning a car.

Instead of bug spindles, consider changing to a Ford Ranger front end (from a 4WD).
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If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[I Ride Sand]

i'd avoid the idea of a solid axle. consider going with say porche 944 drive train parts. front engine, rear trans, and would allow use of trailing arms. you would have to shorten the torque tube and drive shaft, but then you have a much better weight distribution.
_________________
Just a dirty coyote playing in the desert.
now where'd that dirty badger run off to?

[veeweeman]

I hope you have a garage full of fabrication tools and a spare car to drive. ..your project is VERY interesting none the less but you're talking about a whole new drive train here. ...I've always wanted to do what your talking about but I'd really (for the money) the cheapest route would be to aquire a IRS vw pan and build a new foundation to mount your body on...once the new foundation is completed (a lot of measuring and planning on your part) would require only a few days to accomplish the actual body swap based on how you cut and fab your body to fit the new chassis. ...it's totally doable, since you already have the car to get measurements from
_________________
Never be a follower...Do your own thing, make it your own!

[dustymojave]

Crumco built a couple of New Beetles a few years ago. My son worked there at the time. One is known as "Black Beauty". It was featured in Hot VWs.

Here's a discussion about it in STF-ORF.

http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=136940

400+hp Honda V6 mid-engine. It got endoed at Barstow at somewhere around 110mph. Wadded the original steel VW body shell, but only bent a couple of rear trailing arm tabs.

Check the fab work.

In the thread, he ends with talk of a build with front engine (VW 1.8T - 270hp) mounted inline with a Turbo 400 trans, and a 10.25" rear axle. FAR less expensive than using a transaxle.
_________________
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.

[veeweeman]

Sick as F@€#
_________________
Never be a follower...Do your own thing, make it your own!

[allencoal1975]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I have come up with a plan.

[earthquake]

I know a guy here that has a sand rail with a big block Chevy motor 1 foot behind a Ball joint front beam and it has not broke yet, YET!

Casey
_________________
74 CLASS 11 LOOK-A-LIKE
69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
https://time-zonelabs.blogspot.com/p/about-kelly.html
DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]

[allencoal1975]

[TDCTDI]

[allencoal1975]

Okay here is what I decided on. ford ranger lift spindles. I like the way they look ,and they should be more than enough for the weight I'm planning on.

[earthquake]

The Nissan 300ZX twin turbo had a nice set of forged aluminum spindles, I have a set but I am not sure where they are at right now or I would post a picture, they have a nice set of 4 piston calipers stock but the ball joint holes are a bit weird. They have a 5 bolt pattern that I think is the same as ford pass car [5 on 4 1/2"] and use a 11" rotor stock if I remember right. they don't have a spindle pin but use a bearing pack and a stub axle through the upright. I will try to post a picture if I can find them.

Casey
_________________
74 CLASS 11 LOOK-A-LIKE
69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
https://time-zonelabs.blogspot.com/p/about-kelly.html
DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]