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theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#823102
Hi all,

I am completely new to anything VW. I have just purchased a 1969 Beetle convertible that I want to make into a Volksrod. More specifically my own version of the “Heb Rod” of sorts as you can see by my avatar.
The Heb Rod...


My 1969 convertable...



The first items i need to get are:
a front beam extension (8")
drop spindles
1935 ford wire wheels.
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

barls Administrator Causer of Chaos and Mayhem

9,473 posts · joined Jun 2004 ·

#823110
looks different, but have you spoken to an engineer about these mods as it could be hard to get registered and do legally in australia.
“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” Bill Hicks
the chaos project - click me

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#823118
barls wrote:looks different, but have you spoken to an engineer about these mods as it could be hard to get registered and do legally in australia.
I think it should be ok, it’s already a registered convertible. The beam extension is ok if you reinforce the firewall and beam mount.
This one below is in Vic.... so it should be possible in QLD.
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

barls Administrator Causer of Chaos and Mayhem

9,473 posts · joined Jun 2004 ·

#823119
mate to do it legally you need to get engineering approval. if you were to do this without the engineers and have an accident even if you arent a fault, the insurance company will just wipe their hands and walk away.
also the rta and its forms in other states employ people to go one forums to look for dodgy modifications, then they send their inspectors out to look at them.
not worth it in my opinion. but feel free to do the dodgy way.
also just because someone in another state has done it doesnt make it legal especially if he hasnt done it right ether
“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” Bill Hicks
the chaos project - click me

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#823124
barls wrote:mate to do it legally you need to get engineering approval. if you were to do this without the engineers and have an accident even if you arent a fault, the insurance company will just wipe their hands and walk away.
also the rta and its forms in other states employ people to go one forums to look for dodgy modifications, then they send their inspectors out to look at them.
not worth it in my opinion. but feel free to do the dodgy way.
also just because someone in another state has done it doesnt make it legal especially if he hasnt done it right ether
I will look into the engineering but who said anything was dodgy? Where did you get that from? As for them hanging out on forums and then sending inspectors around to your house (you need to be careful they might blend in with the humans) one day they might knock on the wrong door.
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

barls Administrator Causer of Chaos and Mayhem

9,473 posts · joined Jun 2004 ·

#823125
mate i never said what you was doing was dodgy but ive spent enough time working at a mechanics to know 70% of mods done to peoples cars arent up to standard. some of the stories of cars ive seen would scare you like 5mm wood screws holding set of seats in to the car.
the reason im saying do the engineering, is your modifying the wheel base of the car beyond what the manufacturer designed. its going to impact else where.
ive heard of the inspectors waiting outside someones place for over a month just to have a look at the car and they got him in the end, he was on a forum spruking how he had done this or that to the car and didnt care if it was legal.
good luck and make sure you send stoppa a pm about this, hes the only one ive ever seen get it passed the rta, which is impressive as they have the highest standard for modifications to cars in australia.
“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” Bill Hicks
the chaos project - click me

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#823137
barls wrote:mate i never said what you was doing was dodgy but ive spent enough time working at a mechanics to know 70% of mods done to peoples cars arent up to standard. some of the stories of cars ive seen would scare you like 5mm wood screws holding set of seats in to the car.
the reason im saying do the engineering, is your modifying the wheel base of the car beyond what the manufacturer designed. its going to impact else where.
ive heard of the inspectors waiting outside someones place for over a month just to have a look at the car and they got him in the end, he was on a forum spruking how he had done this or that to the car and didnt care if it was legal.
good luck and make sure you send stoppa a pm about this, hes the only one ive ever seen get it passed the rta, which is impressive as they have the highest standard for modifications to cars in australia.
I intend to do this right, in fact I rather over engineer things. I’d love to hear from “stoppa” regarding his build.
Yes, there are a large number out there that take shortcuts or just don’t understand the implications of some modifications. Strong and safe is the aim.
The modifications for that guy must have been seriously dangerous. Enough to spend tax pays money hanging out in the streets for a month, just with the hope that they may catch him. In fact that amount of time is harassment. That behaviour in some neighbourhoods leads to people getting badly hurt.
From what I have read and seen regarding the beam extensions, once reinforced end up stronger than the original.
Some of the engineering design and equipment available now in 2011 is a far cry from back in 1969. Whether it’s steering geometry, suspension, engine, body or chassis most professional modifications are a substantial improvement.
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#823287
barls - posted on January 25th, 2011 at 03:05 PM wrote:but feel free to do the dodgy way
barls - posted on January 25th, 2011 at 03:25 PM wrote:mate i never said what you was doing was dodgy
After re-reading this thread, your comments ARE accusing and contradictory. The ONLY person mentioning anything dodgy is YOU. 😬

Whats the go? Dont you like some new members or is it everyone? 😠

I get on here as it looked to be a good forum with helpful members and information. The first posting reply's I get is cyber bulling from a super moderator. How un-Australian and today being Australia Day.

I noticed in your signature "I'm from the govt and I'm here to help", I now realise it’s not a joke and you are quite sincere about it. 🤪

Think I might sign up here - www.volksrods.com Looks like a better forum with better moderators.😂

........................................
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

beetlechef Learner Dubber

5 posts · joined Jan 2011 ·

#823589
there is nothing more passionate than a Vdub owner and their baby

Birdman Wolfsburg Wizard

428 posts · joined May 2010 ·

#823634
G'day TheVman and welcome to aussieveedubbers.
A forum that is usually very friendly and helpfull place.
I think barls was of his meds yesterday so please excuse the gruff greeting you recieved.
If this is your first vw i hope you find it more of a movement than just a manafacturer.
Vee Dub folk are the best people around and you will hear endless stories of people being overtly friendly and helpfull. Give us a yell if you need any help. cheers.

barls Administrator Causer of Chaos and Mayhem

9,473 posts · joined Jun 2004 ·

#823636
Birdman wrote:I think barls was of his meds yesterday so please excuse the gruff greeting you recieved.
not off my meds just sick of the ill just do this and it will be fine attitude that becoming more prevalent in modern culture.
as i have said previously, to be done right and legal is hard. i wish him all the best with his project but i hope he does it the right way with engineering.
“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” Bill Hicks
the chaos project - click me

Imac Commited Dubber

67 posts · joined Dec 2009 ·

#823826
Hello Vman,
Being a buggy guy I have to get engineered to often, I think you may be misunderstanding Barls reason for saying go to the engineers first. It's that the strength, design, or quality don't mean anything if the legislation says anything contrary. Some of the interpretations I have heard of are bazaar, for example demister required in an open buggy so to get around this some guy don't put on a windscreen were is the safety benefit in that, also what is it with 7/16 bolts with seat belts (don't the RTA have to abide by the Metric conversion act of 1975ish) shouldn't it be 12mm. So to save many thousand of dollars talk to the engineer and be sure everything is OK with him and hence your state traffic authority. You will be dealing with bureaucrats who know jack about anything mechanical who are only interested in appling the rules that have been issued to them by other bureacrats who know jack about anything mechanical. So do the project but do it the way they want it, which may not be quite how you want it but I'm sure there are ways to do it. How would you like to spend 30G to have the RTA bureaucrat look over the screen and say "the computer says NO!"
Best of luck Ian

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#886887
Well its almost 12months to the day since I went to swap the NSW rego for QLD rego and got knocked back. I had to take the NSW Transport Dept. to the freedom of information act to get the original engineers report for the car. They still could not produce it so I had to get it re-engineered all over again in QLD. Many thanks Kelvin Ney the engineer that has a common sense and practical approach.

So today I am legally registered in QLD with all the correct paperwork. There were no modifications required to the original design required, basically a 12 month paper hunt.

* Nice lady at the QLD Transport Dept. looked through the stack to find me ones that match the VW year, 069-SCK , personalised non personalised plates. 😎

Now its time to get stuck into it and the real work happens.
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 ·

#886909
great to hear 👍
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse

Fantasy http://seventhchronicle.com

Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity

Barrels www.barrelman.com.au

VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au

waveman1500 Also rides a Honda

1,346 posts · joined Dec 2009 ·

#886913
Hi mate,

As Aussie Dubbin said, that red volksrod lives in South Australia. Here are some photos from a run last year.





The car has an early Ford-style dropped I beam axle with split hairpins and a transverse leaf spring, which is definitely a bit different to a VW beam extension! It also has a bunch of other mods, including deleting the side windows and welding up the top of the doors, which has allowed him to shave the outside door handles.

An 8" beam extension seems pretty extreme to me, I am not sure whether you will get it approved. At the very least you would have to do substantial reinforcement to the front framehead, as you are adding a lot of lever arm to the forces imparted by the front beam. As others have said, it is definitely essential to get a certified engineer involved with this project in order for it to be legal. The sooner you do so the better, as it will prevent you from having to do things twice.

Welcome and enjoy your project! Make sure to keep us updated.
1972 VW S-Bug - For Sale!
1968-onwards Beetle panels and glass for sale

helbus Administrator Mad fabricator, paint and body

7,386 posts · joined Sep 2002 ·

#886915
I know how you feel with the paperwork. I am in the process of doing a very extensively modified vehicle at the moment, and 2 years (yes two years) of getting engineering FEA reports done with drawings and dimensions, and thousands of dollars paying for the reports. This is before any actual physical testing is done. The beauty will be when people say at the end. "How did you get this registered?" and it is all legal.
EJ22 into Bay Microbus - Finished project build thread- click on this spot here for info

theVman Officially Full-On Dubber

214 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#886942
waveman1500 wrote:Hi mate,

As Aussie Dubbin said, that red volksrod lives in South Australia. Here are some photos from a run last year.





The car has an early Ford-style dropped I beam axle with split hairpins and a transverse leaf spring, which is definitely a bit different to a VW beam extension! It also has a bunch of other mods, including deleting the side windows and welding up the top of the doors, which has allowed him to shave the outside door handles.

An 8" beam extension seems pretty extreme to me, I am not sure whether you will get it approved. At the very least you would have to do substantial reinforcement to the front framehead, as you are adding a lot of lever arm to the forces imparted by the front beam. As others have said, it is definitely essential to get a certified engineer involved with this project in order for it to be legal. The sooner you do so the better, as it will prevent you from having to do things twice.

Welcome and enjoy your project! Make sure to keep us updated.
That Volksrod is certainly stunning. I do notice the difference in the front end compaired to the pic I have of it here. Using the ford suspension the front wheels actually end up almost the same position as it will with an 8" extender. Was there any bracing/strengthing done to allow the ford front?

Yes, beam extensions are 8", most commonly 10" and even 12" but the latter require bonnet cuts/steering mods, I intend to stay with the 8" and add a framehead brace like this:
Regards
theVman

1969 Beetle (soon to be Volksrod)
www.adlerbike.com/volksrod
www.installsmith.com