Rightio

I have officially started my rebuild. My plan is to get practicallity before good looks at this stage so I will do all my major mods now and do the aesthetic alterations later. I have around 20 days for it all. Plans are to take body off; convert swing-axle to IRS; cut-n-rotate front or install adjusters(not sure yet); 2-inch lift-kit; rotate rear torsion for more clearance. Maybe I will put a kombi box in depending on whether I can get one between now and then; but definately a different gearbox and possibly/probably a motor swap.

So far it has taken me 1/2 a day to get body ready to come off with all seats out, fuel tank out etc. All I need now is a bit of lifting power because it is just me at the moment. Once body is off it is all-systems-go. Meanwhile I will get all the IRS stuff of a Superbug(for now) and make my IRS jig.

I think it is acheivable... Any bets for or against me? Mostly one man job with a bit of help from Dad. I'm 18 and this is my first big project but its all good becasue I have the skills.

Pics are getting taken with a disposable camera and Kodak better watch-out if they don't turn out well -I am not doing the whole thing over just to get some pictures if these fail!!!!!

Chances are, this thread will be the source for a few questions along the way. If everything works I will wipe the smirks off a few peoples faces. They currently doubt baja capabilities.

I better get back to it -nothing gets done sitting in front of the computer -eh?

Fingerrs-crossed
Jamie:thumb

Whoo Hooo - go for it dude!

Ya never gunna know if ya dont give it a go! (i cant believe i said that - anyway)

Mate - BIG job. Have fun! - good idea to take piccies so ya can sit back and giggle over a beer later on!

1st Question: Is there any difference between the rear torsion bars between the superbugs and my 71 standard? Because the torsion bar on my baja has had a bit of a work-out, would it be advisable to replace it with the one from the super?

Thanks
Jamie

You can do it - my old man and I did rust repairs, body prep, paint work, and swapped bodies on my baja in 6 weeks.

As you said mechanical work is quicker than aesthetics.

Go for it

I think they are different, but most people put Type 3 Squareback torsion bars in, they're a little stiffer.

Well I think you've definitely got your work cut-out for yourself. If you don't have a girlfriend you should be right

You will need to use IRS torsion bars when you convert from swingaxle. IRS ones are longer. You can modify the swingaxle springplates to work with the IRS but I could bother unless you want to run tyres bigger than 31".

As for type 1 vs type 3 torsion bars, depends on what sort of driving you do. Type 3 will give better road/rally handling, but type 1 will allow more wheel travel / axle articulation for serious offroading.

Wes, who wouldn't prefer a bit of fine female companionship at the cost of suffering a bit more time on the schedule??? I know which one i would choose. :kiss

I had originally planned for 15 days but I added a bit extra!! We'll see....

Jamox

If you do it in 20 days you can come and do mine too. PLEASE. Im sorta taking it easy on ny baja. But looking at it, if you have all material and consumabuls there lift kit and IRS conversion in 20 days is achievable. Plus I reckon the body is only there to protect the driver/ passenger, specially with the way i drive.

Good Luck

Joel

I'm going to beat you to it Joel, then you can learn from all my mistakes.

With regard to the fron-end, I have read everywherer that you can(and should) cut off the stabilizer bar. Has anyone had any problems with doing this? I am a bit apprehensive about cutting stuff off -even though that is what a baja is all about! Opinions?

Catcha
Jamie

If you're talking about the swaybar, you don't have to cut it off, just undo the mounts and it'll come off.

remove the front swaybar using the standard clamps. You have to bend the front tab, and then hammer the top out of the taper. A bit of a pain as you'll find.

Then get the sway bar, cut the curve ends off, and stuff the striaght bit down the middle of the long tie rod. This will stiffen the long tie rod and prevent you from bending it. You don't realise how easy it is to bend until you've bent it.

Excellent! You always read about people bending tie-rods -sounds like a good preventative. Of-course, I will now also be able to park on large rocks amd curbs without the other wheel being in the air too. It just gets better.

On-ya guys
Jamox

6 to 12mths.

Taking your swaybar off will help front wheel articulation, but one will still come off the ground on LARGE rocks

Well I will say you are gunna be busy... I reckon you will not finish all the above work.... but if you do, hey hats off to you. If there is one thing I have learnt over these past few months it is that everything takes 3 times what it should....

Anyway good luck with it..

Wes is not in the Picture... Wes is about 50 kg and very petite.. In fact the chick ( Donna) would be larges nd easily beat teh snot out of him...

Oh yeah Wes said you were after some info on K&L beams.. Here is some info on installing adjusters.

Fitting Adjusters

Well, I am ahead of schedule so far and it is only day three. Wes, when I can park ona rock that big, I will be laughing whether one of my front wheels is in the air or not!!!

Thanks for the link Brad, I actually have a balljoint front-end but the principles are the same. I am sort-of expecting it to take a lot longer but I thought it would be good to have a goal.

If I can prove Lugnuts wrong I will be moderately happy.:thumb

Make notes as you go - with your pics it would be good for the magazine.

Good luck :thumb

If you have a ball joint front end then make sure you do a few mods to it before you put it back on.
Strip it and set up some limiters to save your ball joints as below works fine. This pisture doesn't show the rubber that fist between the two metal bits.

Gusset and stich weld your shock towers and add front end braces.... that will let you beam survived a little longer after hitting a few pot holes.

Enjoy.

That is a very good picture. I was contemplating the limiting-straps method but Wes set me straight. The set-up on that beam looks simple and effective. Is the piece of angle just welded onto the tower or is it inserted through/into the tower and welded as well? Also, that link you sent me to suggested that there was more to come regarding moving the top of the shock towers rearward? How is that acheived? With regard to the barces/gussets, I suppose angle-iron is the best bet?

Ha ha! As it turns out, the previous owner has already bent and restaightened the long tie-rod so the sway bar will be jammed up it for sure!!

Thanks a bunch. Monday I pick up the steel for the lift-kit and order adjusters. Hopefully, tomorrow I will get the jig for the conversion made.

Righto Bye
Jamie

With the ball joint front end you don't move the tower anywhere, that was for K & L only.
The 6mm angle iron is only welded to teh side of the tower and not through it. It is very simple an should be quite effective.
For gusset get some 4 x 50mm strap and simply cut a 45 degreeish angle on each end or a 3 inch bit and weld it from the top beam to the shock tower.

Well, we have struck problems. THe body and everything is off and all the bits are out of the Superbug. Then, I realised that because my chassis numbers don't match the numbers on my licence, I could be in real trouble for insurance or if it gets stolen, or if it is stolen( I just bought it). So now I havve to get the whole vehicle inspected and the licence amended and that means that everything has to be done perfectly. Just more hassle.

Then, we took the front-end off and discovered how bent it was....bummer. So, we took it into a engineering place and because they were too busy, the owner gave us instructions on how to use the massive hydraulic press. Yippeee. We ended up correcting it fairly well. But, that delayed us a bit and now my Grandpa has borrowed our Landcruiser ute for a couple of weeks. There goes our method of transporting the pan for mig-welding by the engineering man. So, now Dad and I have to take a motor out of our other Landcruiser that doesn't go, but is licenced; and then remove and swap the Landcruiser motor from our other ute which goes, and isn't licenced. ?? Make sense. SO then we will have a ute that we can drive on the raod again and the pan can be transported. That is where I am at. And in amongst this, we have to crutch our sheep too.

The schedule may suffer a setback... hahahahaha

Rightio Bye
Jamie

My schedule went to the pack. I am not too sure what happened but it had a lot to do with unforeseen circumstances.

Yesterday, dad and I finally managed to take the motor out of one of our utes, and then swap the motor from another ute into it. Now, we have a licenced ute to take my floorpan into town for welding with a mig. We also straightened the front end and the adjusters are now ready to be put in. The IRS pivots are ready to go along with the jig. Unfortunately, I have had to change my plans a bit. I haven't got a kombi gearbox so that will have to be later, I am also running out of time because the sheep need crutching and I also have to get my pan inspected because I couldn't track down the original floorpan to swap numbers etc. Because of this, I will put my lift-kit in next holidays becasue It is basically made and I have bought all the studs etc.

So, pictures will be available eventually but until then..

Righto Bye
Jamox

So what happen with this project ?

I was hoping the post would be lost forever! It ended up taking about two months I think. Like I said, a lot of things came up. Basically: installed adjusters in front, converted to IRS rear, full body-off pan inspection/patch-up, rust removal etc, made and installed my own lft kit, IRS gearbox and TP 1600 put in. Also turned the splines on the rear bars etc.

I ended up having to put the body on the pan on my own. Three of us lifted it over and put it on drums, then I had to put the lift kit in place, jack her up/down, bolts in, goo etc etc, on a 35 degree day on a dirt floor in our machinery shed. It was a shockin' experience. Next time I will have a helper for sure becasue my lift kit had to be persuaded to line-up every step of the way. It is ridiculous trying to line up the body seal with the pan and the lift kit, then the second seal with the lift kit and the body, squirt the sealer in between each, and then put all the studs in without smearing sealer everywhere etc etc ETC!!! I finally got there in the end. Next time will be easier. I have some updated pics to post but no scanner until Wed. Then finally I can show some people my rig.

Still a lot to do though. I have exams this week and next, then I am making a roof rack, running boards, better bars front and rear, interior etc. Heaps.

There you are.

Rightio
Jamie

there are some pics here;
http://offroadvw.net/bajaboyz/WA/jamox/jamox.htm

Thanks Jamox, sorry to open the closet I was looking for info on a Kombi gearbox and found the thread !!

No worries.

My worst fear was realised when Wes posted that pic. I have done more since then and that pic is pretty crap. The front wheels look toooooo tiny. I have pics on film, but none developed yet...soon.

My car is everything. I still have heaps to do, but at present it goes anywhere I do. Rounding-up sheep in the paddock, on the beach, in the bush, gravel, mud, dust, salt, rain, hail, lightning etc etc etc.

Uni is almost over and then more work can happen, after harvest though. During harvest the only time off is when there are total vehicle movement bans in paddocks so it is too hot to do anything then anyway.

You're right, at least it is partly done. ;-)

Rightio Bye
Jamie