Expedition chassis build

[dustymojave]

Nice Cody.
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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.

[Cody Loren]

Thank you Dusty. Just having fun tinkering.

I've been gone on vacation but came back today and scored this Al's exhaust used for the car. Looks to be in good shape just needs to be cleaned up and some new springs.

[jimmyhoffa]

Wooo! I have the same Al's exhaust, 1-5/8". I really like those thick flanges and the gusseting. fitment was really nice too.
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1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[Cody Loren]

Yes definitely assembles and fit 1000 times better than the tri mills I've had in the past

[Cody Loren]

Finished welding up my tank mounts. Been a slow week in the garage with all the holiday commitments.

[Cody Loren]

It rolls!

I'm starting to look at rear coilovers, does any one have any recommendations or past experience with a good length?

I ordered axles so hopefully I'll be able to cycle for travel numbers next week. Looks like I can make a 12" or 14" work from what I've read.

[dustymojave]

Shock length depends on where you put the shocks on the arms. If it's forward on the arm, then the shocks should be shorter than if you place the shocks farther back on the arms.

You need to get your trans final mounted.

Then you need to have your CVs and axle shafts installed.

Then you can cycle the rear suspension (check BOTH sides, don't count on them being exactly the same).

Your shocks should be mounted to the frame so that at full bump, the shock shaft is at 90° or less to the line from the axle to the arm pivot. The shock mounting bolts should be parallel to the trailing arm pivot bolts. Some will tell you that the heims let them be mounted at all sorts of funky angles. But stuff wears out faster and gets bent more easily if the shock mount bolts aren't parallel to the pivot.

Your frame probably needs a tube or 2 added for shock mounting. Probably from the top frame rail where it meets the cross bar above the bell housing, up to the roof back corner, and maybe another at the top rail junction with the vertical bar up from the end of the torsion housing. Then maybe an upper shock mount tying those 2 verticals together. That frame top rail is held in narrow in that area to allow for shock mounts.
_________________
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.

[Cody Loren]

Thank you for all the advice Dusty! Mounting the shocks parrallel to the pivots was something I hadn't considered yet. It's always great to get handed the advice from a man who has first hand experience like yourself instead of hearsay or whatnot.

I replaced the original rear seat tube this morning and got the rear seat mounts finalized and cut. Set the seats in too

[Cody Loren]

Started the pedal bracket today hopefully I can get it bent up tomorrow.

[jimmyhoffa]

Allright that's it I'm building a CNC plasma.

Keep going man! At this rate you're gonna catch up to me. Depends how long it takes me to wire my car right.

People talk down on Coors like its some sort of water trash beer, but it really is a good garage beverage. Doesn't sit too heavy on the gut, and the can tells you when it's getting warm so you can keep a good pace to maximize chilled beverage pleasure.
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1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[Cody Loren]

I'm on hold with the pedal mounts till I can get access to a bigger brake, so I started the fuel pressure regulator bracket and twin fuel pumps. Nothing is welded yet gotta get some fittings and decide how things will route first.

[Cody Loren]

I’ve been super busy with holidays, work, and everything else but I’ve been doing small stuff here and there when I can

[Cody Loren]

I went out to the Parker 425 race and came back real motivated but can’t seem to find the time! Hopefully once some of our weather clears I can get some done.

A friend broke an axle out there and a driveshaft

[TVander]

I am curious the length of your shocks in front, as well as spring weights. I am building a rail with I believe that same beam, and longer trailing arms. Spring weights would be helpful for me before I purchase mine.

[Cody Loren]

They are 10” stroke shocks with 150lb 10” long upper spring and 200lb 10” lower spring

[dustymojave]

Did you pit at Parker? Hang out with the crew? Or?

Your chassis is looking good so far.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1874223.jpg

I recommend adding some diagonal bracing to work with the weight of riders + the suspension it has. The frame, as it is, was designed for mellow dune cruising. It's basically a good design. It would be fine for a Florida street registered rail. I don't expect you to race this car, but I DO expect you to get after the loud pedal once in a while and use those dual carbs and coilovers. Especially if you're going to offroad races and getting an injection of addiction.

So...
In full size (same as main rails and cage)
- a diagonal behind the front seats, from top corner on one side to bottom corner on the other side (A single diagonal bar, or a 'V', or an 'X' - your choice)

- An 'X' in the roof, Front corners to back corners

- an upper cross member where the 1st verticals meet the top rails at the front

In smaller tube (like the diagonal lacing in the sides of the frame)
- At the front, from the upper beam clamps up to the center of the new upper front cross member

- Then from the back side of the upper front cross member to the A-pillar junction with the dash bar

(The above 4 bars will from an 'X' between the beam and the dash)

- A diagonal under the new front upper cross member to the bottom front cross member ((A single diagonal bar, or a 'V', or an 'X' - your choice)

Note that this frame is fabricated the cheap and easy way. The diagonal bracing that's there does NOT fit into the corners. They cheaped out and fit the diagonals to only one bar in the corners. It's much stronger to notch the diagonals into both tubes inside of a corner.

The additions I recommend will make the car work better, be less likely to crack and break, and as a side benefit, will make it much safer too. A friend of a friend had a sorta similar buggy with no bracing like I'm talking about. We took it out in the Mojave with some other cars. At one point I was riding in the front seat and we were on a fairly mild road. The beam was moving as much as the wheels were! With a stock VW beam, the beam was stiffer than the frame. It soon had cracks on the tops of the upper frame rails at the bottom of the A-pillars. After his other friend and I convinced him to let us beef up his frame, he was amazed at how much smoother the car rode, how much faster he could go through the same whoops and other bumps he had to slow down for before and how much more predictable its handling was.
_________________
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.

[Cody Loren]

Hey dusty thank you once again for all of your input. While there isn’t much I can or want to do about many of the dead tube junctions it will get many of the extra support you have described. I’m trying to get as many parts into the chassis I can so I don’t put a tube in the way of feet linkages or steering. A friend of mine recently purchased a similar chassis that has been abused so it’s great to see its failure points and plan accordingly on my additions to structure.

I always just spectate in Parker. I try to stay away from the craziness. It typically ends up being a busy work trip every year. My dad has a home there so it’s ussua a big summer prep weekend as well.

[dustymojave]

I really don't expect you to cut out and replace all the side truss bracing in the frame. It will serve the way it was built in that regard.

Just a point to watch out for when you look at a frame and a recommendation of how to fabricate additions to the frame.

_________________
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.

[Cody Loren]

Got my shifter mount cut and welded today ready to tack it in.

[dustymojave]

Looks good from here. I hate having a shifter positioned way forward, like it is in a stock Bug. Early Bugs have a curved shift lever, later ones are shorter and straight. Short is good for leverage ratio and getting a short throw to the shifter. But you have to reach forward for it. I like the position of the shifter there Cody.
_________________
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.