Building a Baja

Gday pplz out there
I am building a baja bug and was wondering if any ppl out there had any tips for me in order for me to complete my bug. :bounce

go to www.fibrefab.com.au they have the kits, i have a baja and a big help is making your own cage, makes life easy, also make sure that you have enough clearence. are you looking for the wide eye or bug eye look?

is it gunna be regoed?

if so, figure out what you have to do to be ok with the RTA. IE, find an engineer now.

buy one already done
TRUST ME

Rego a standard bug, baja it and drive it. If you get defected then engineer it.

im with rotorbug do it first ask questions later
btw what r u running 12a 13b 20b??

dubbill wrote:im with rotorbug do it first ask questions later
btw what r u running 12a 13b 20b??

F- that... do it properly. I don't want to share the road with shit that might kill me

Kind of defeats the purpose of building something that is cheap to build and that is fun to drive. I guess its up to the individual. Baja with a series 5 13bt.

VWCOOL wrote:

dubbill wrote:im with rotorbug do it first ask questions later
btw what r u running 12a 13b 20b??

F- that... do it properly. I don't want to share the road with shit that might kill me

i agree with you cool there is only one worth doing it and thats the right way. i owe my life to my bug cause i did it the right way and got the right engineering. if you dont believe me look at the thread in my signature

ROTORBUG wrote:Rego a standard bug, baja it and drive it. If you get defected then engineer it.

I agree too with Barls and VWcool. I had to work hard and compromise my ideals to get mine engineered and it's right on the limit of legal. This attitude peeves me coz it means people like me get tarred with the same brush as people that deliberately break the law.😬

Rotorbug, I saw your car at the nationals the first time you had it there, and as I told you then, to your face I might add (so don't call me a back stabber or gutless), "there is no legal way it will get engineered in NSW as is." Not even 12a turboes are legal in bugs. Turbo 13bs are totally outside the capacity limit.

Please don't encourage other people to break the law. This is the sort of crap that causes law suits on forums.

Dubbill,
you've had a big day answering every 2nd post today. Take a holiday and think before you say silly things.

Now Ben, I will say it again.
You need an engineers certificate in most states for a Baja. Find an engineer and talk to him before doing anything. If you spend $100 on an hour with him, you'll save yourself thousands later on. That's what i did. I made an appointment and had all the questions ready before I went. Then I took detailed notes on every answer. That was 3 years before I spent a dollar on the car. When it was finally finished, the engineer walked round it twice and said "that's great, we'll do a brake test tomorrow". 1 week later I had a registered vehicle.

A LEGAL registered vehicle.

well said peter. id also like to add that any idiot, not suggesting in any way anyone is one, can put any engine in anything but it takes real genius to make it legal and conform to the rules. i remember someone said this about engine conversions on here a while ago

sorry vw brothers.:jesus

VWCOOL wrote:

dubbill wrote:im with rotorbug do it first ask questions later
btw what r u running 12a 13b 20b??

F- that... do it properly. I don't want to share the road with shit that might kill me

sorry cool you must live on a different planet to me here on earth we have to share the road with endless "shit that might kill" us
im just stating if you have mechanical knowledge you could "do it 1st and ask questions later" i know heaps of guys with engineers cert that have been defected by main roads if you are unsure and doing major mods i would suggest go the engineer route main roads if you wanna be really particular! but sometimes i dont call an electrician in to change my light bulbs either(illegal in qld to do your own) ooo arrrnn[ Edited on 19-8-2005 by dubbill ]

Speaking of baja kits, are overseas kits legal in australia?

Do kits overseas require any safety test results or certification or something?

Cause All the cool kits i see in places like the US are obviously all overseas, and knowing that getting full buggy bodies overseas or wateva can be illegal, It just had come across my mind.

dubbill wrote:

VWCOOL wrote:

dubbill wrote:im with rotorbug do it first ask questions later
btw what r u running 12a 13b 20b??

F- that... do it properly. I don't want to share the road with shit that might kill me

sorry cool you must live on a different planet to me here on earth we have to share the road with endless "shit that might kill" us
im just stating if you have mechanical knowledge you could "do it 1st and ask questions later" i know heaps of guys with engineers cert that have been defected by main roads if you are unsure and doing major mods i would suggest go the engineer route main roads if you wanna be really particular! but sometimes i dont call an electrician in to change my light bulbs either(illegal in qld to do your own) ooo arrrnn[ Edited on 19-8-2005 by dubbill ]

From the original post he is BUILDING A CAR...which sounds like a major modification to me.I also live on Earth. Do as Pete suggests and consult an engineer with your plans and ask lotsa questions here,you might get some decent answers from people who know what they are talking about.Ring the likes of Custom Offroad (33564356) and ask their advise on what to do.
If it was me I'd see the engineer first.Been there,done that and it was a waste of $$$$ to have to do it all over again to conform.It IS legal to change your own light bulbs in Queensland,not that it is relevant to this discussion.:P:aliennn[ Edited on 19-8-2005 by Mick H ]

ok im building one aswell wats a reliable, regoable, "NSW" motor to put in , Lets say the max power motor that someone has seen say in the $4000 -$5500 BRACKET ?

the biggest you can go with out an engineers is the 1800 but you can go up to about 2.5 with one. i have no idea on prices but brendans one that hes selling would be good with an engineers

i guess" MAJOR MODS" means different things to different ppll (bolted on a set of wide guards= built it my self????--:P) if you are going to mid mount a arm or j arm front end(the manx were building now) and you havent done these things b4= go n see an enginneer
if your basically using an beetle n "building it" (read modifying) keeping vw motor g box sus etc (which work OK ) Have a go yourself
5 years ogo i found out what an oil dip stick looked like(no joke)(always had new cars so never checked the oil)
when i left the states i had a "major moded" baja mid mount 750hp pp mazda 20b mendeola j-arm front end 25" travel 22" on the rear road registered in brawley california (bout 20min from glamis) i did most of the work myself with a little help from my friends..

it all really depends on 3 things
1 your requirements of your car
2 your experience/confidence
3 your budget
tell us what these are n it will be a big help

Oh god that must have been a sweet baja. 750 hp? thats greater than 2 times the bloody average wrc cars. WOW!

My suggestion, follow ur gut instinct. If u are not sure, then follow what eva pathway will make u feel comfortable. If u do decide to go without an engineer, be prepared for certain consequences cause there is always a chance of ya getting busted 4 it.

sorry bajaben for jumping in but im building one too and we should keep this post running for us to get rolling on it
all i want is to get airbourne about 5ft of the ground without driving of a small cliff plenty of torque and regod so i can drive it to stocktons for the weekend , Let me know wat you think .
Stanard gear box with ford ea brakes on rear for a ej22 motor no mods to the motor just a good solid motor for the suspension im not sure wat i need