A toad to be

[Freelander]

Their was even a farm tractor produced that was powered by a VW engine.

 

[user 423]

Bullfrog:

Thanks. It's wet here today and I will look around some more later.  I do know that the frontend has 4 new bolts holding it on. Makes me think it may have had a complete rebuilt frontend installed since it has new balljoints.

How about these:




These were marked:   Under body to chassis with front under bolts

 

[bullfrog]

Body bolts and washers. On each side from underneath inside the inner channel in the pan that screw into captured nuts in the body. These would tend to indicate the body was removed. They are pointed to guide them into the nuts through the thick body gasket. They run from the front foot well panel to the rear of the pan just past the jacking points. There are two long bolts on each side about 3” apart at the very front corner of the pan which is reinforced which could also be your long bolts from the previous picture. It looks like your body may have been removed at one time and probably your floor pans replaced as that is usually the only reason for doing so. Take a close look at where the floor pan joins the tunnel top and bottom. A really well done job is seamless and one solid weld. A replacement is usually skip welded to an uneven or unparallel lip of the remaining pan they cut off. It looks like somebody started or did a body off restoration.
It’s beginning to look like there may have been more rust than you first indicated. The front beam shock towers usually get rusted out about the same time as the floor pans so replacing the whole beam would make sense. You can replace the floor pans without removing the body by just unbolting the pan but replacing the front beam is more difficult with the body on. Heater channels usually rust out on the bottom along with the pans so check those also.

 

[user 423]

^
Good info. I'll check tomorrow and take pics,too.

 

[bullfrog]

Convertibles came from the factory with reinforcement rails ( as they didn’t have the steel roof to keep the body rigid)that fit up in the channel and were held in with the body bolts. Old steel bed rails from a Hollywood bed frame fit in the channel and by cutting a wedge out of one side of the angle it is easy to form the kick. Weld that one spot and drill holes for the body bolts. Once that is installed you can jump the car without the body flexing and both doors flying open. I also generally use them down the side where the running boards bolt on for support and as a sort of rock slider, plus it makes it easier to mount “tree bars” that prevent trees from catching the rear fenders and large rear wheels. Look up “Rush Off Road Park hill climb” on YouTube and you will understand why a chain saw is considered standard recovery equipment.

 

[user 423]

Yeah, I figured there are all kinds of tricks to keep things together.

I checked YT for that Rush hill climb and found there are a bunch!

A killer climb for sure and some amazing buggies people have built. Serious stuff.

BTW: You mentioned the guy in Bullhead City but hey, I'm 400 miles from there!

I'm finding some deals though in Tucson and Douglas. One decent looking sandrail with no motor for $500.

PS: I found a guy here in Sierra Vista that has an old tranny he will give me for free. So now I can bench run this motor and see what shape it's in.

 

[bullfrog]

There was a VW shop out west of Marana but he is probably out of business. I drive 452 miles round trip to get groceries, what are you complaining about! Lol!!!

 

[user 423]

It looks like your body may have been removed at one time and probably your floor pans replaced as that is usually the only reason for doing so. Take a close look at where the floor pan joins the tunnel top and bottom. A really well done job is seamless and one solid weld. A replacement is usually skip welded to an uneven or unparallel lip of the remaining pan they cut off. It looks like somebody started or did a body off restoration.
  It’s beginning to look like there may have been more rust than you first indicated. The front beam shock towers usually get rusted out about the same time as the floor pans so replacing the whole beam would make sense. You can replace the floor pans without removing the body by just unbolting the pan but replacing the front beam is more difficult with the body on. Heater channels usually rust out on the bottom along with the pans so check those also.

Here are some pics of the PS pan and the battery area. Is the long seam what you refer to?

I wasn't aware that the body would need to be removed to replace the beam. Good to know.

 

[bullfrog]

The body doesn’t have to be but it is so much easier to do while the body is off. It is hard to tell from the pictures but normally the battery box area and pan rusts out before the heater channels. Usually there is no sealant between the pan and heater channels and the area behind the battery box area looks rough where it should be smooth. Is the heater control cable steel tube welded to the pan? It should be spot welded in a few places only. A good look underneath will probably tell you more as most people spend more time making what you can see easily on top look better than what you can’t underneath.

 

[user 423]

Not great pics and I should have cleaned it up better. I guess it might look like painted-over rust but it has undercoat applied and the whole area by the battery clamps is solid.

Here's the one pic again. Isn't that the weld from pan-to-tunnel (arrows)?

 

[bullfrog]

Sorry I was thinking it was a picture of the outside edge of the pan. On a original bug the pan and tunnel are spot welded. Are those spot welds or short beads? The tunnel should have a lip about 3/8” wide that sits on the pan and small depressions where it was spot welded. That looks like sealer or something not stock in the picture to me. Possibly where a replacement pan section was welded to the original tunnel?

 

[user 423]

Short beads. Actually, seems almost like a continuous bead. I need to take better pics..lol.

BTW: I'm thinking I don't want to cut up the body. Instead just do some minor things to it like bigger tires,etc. for some tame offroading. I haven't followed Baja racing for a long time but what I'm thinking of is more or less a stocker like Class 11.

After I get it together I might look around to trade for a buggy that's already set up nicely for more serious stuff.

PS: Just today a guy answered my craigs ad and is giving me an old tranny so's I can bench run the motor.

 

[bullfrog]

Usually the tunnel is covered with a sticky 1/4” thick asphalt with a paper covering that hardens so much it has to be chiseled off. The original floor will have sections covered in it as well. Usually it gets burnt or chipped off so you can weld the replacement pan sections with catching things on fire.

 

[user 423]

Unless I'm wrong it all seems to be pretty solid. I'll be going pretty slow with the project so there will be plenty of time to check everything out.

I just ordered a windshield for it plus WS for all the other windows. Need to get it weatherproof.

I had to temporarily install all the glass the other day with RTV and duct tape because it rained.

 

[bullfrog]

I really liked a class 11 type bug an old guy like me used to tow behind his camper when he came to the park to run roads like the Burr Trail and Henry Mountain roads like the Bull Creek loop. Basically had a body lift (which is basically a piece of square tube steel between the body and pan that you can purchase pre made which makes the body super ridged) and a raised heavy duty front and rear suspension which gives you plenty of room for 30” tires. He did put in a lower ring and pinion and an extra set of spider gears in the transaxle. It also had an oil cooler, hydraulic steering brake and a rear skid pan and a basically stock motor with a thin bolt on extra capacity sump. It had more than 9” of ground clearance. Nothing that couldn’t be transferred or taken off a stock bug.

 

[bullfrog]

Do you know the really thin weed eater string and some wooden dowels for handles works pretty well for installing windows. Wrap twice and overlap in the outer rubber gasket body groove, lots of Dawn dish soap and water. My last body was slightly warped so I had the windshield installed at a modern automotive glass place, with a guarantee. They bought/broke 2 trying to use too large a diameter nylon cord before I loaned them my set up.

 

[user 423]

(Oops.Forgot to quote)...in re the guy's Class 11 bug:

That's the ticket. I'm perusing some of the info on the Samba about what I"d need to do to end up with something similar. Not sure how much I want to spend though.

So how big could you go on tires with a 3" lift?

https://www.jbugs.com/product/16-9800.html

 

[bullfrog]

Yep, it is really easy to over spend. Buying used vehicles with the parts you need is the best deal as there are lots out there sitting, but you have to be careful. My last one probably had several thousand dollars in parts still in boxes not to mention tools when I let it go for $1200! A few years ago a lady had her former husband’s pan buggy with a bus transaxle, 100 horse power motor, disc aluminum wheels, 15 gallon fuel cell, wench and racing seats/belts. You name it it was there and working sitting in Green Valley south of Tucson for $4,500. He probably had $10,000 worth of parts in the thing.

 

[highdesertranger]

the body lifts we used to install on Bugs were rectangular tubing, they had round tubing welded in where the bolts went through, very rigid. that one you linked to looks like C-Channel. highdesertranger

 

[user 423]

^
So it's a cheaper kit for doing a play car then. You'd want something plenty strong for racing.

Here's what looks like the same kit. Seems it does have several vertical supports within the main channels:

https://www.chircoestore.com/produc...t-fits-vw-baja-bug-and-fiberglass-dune-buggy/