If you have a buggy then the chances are that at some stage it is going to need a new Rust Free pan or you will want to change to IRS. There is many ways to do this but I have found by far the best is to use a Superbug rear end with a Ball Joint / King Pin front end.

If you simply add pivot boxes to your pan you also need to change the shock towers, rear forks and brake lines. If you use the Superbug rear end it is all done from factory and the shock towers are stronger.

I will add more details later.

So what is the best set up for serious of road use. Ball joint and IRS... King and link and Irs. Or swing axle and either style front.

NICE MIG !

These pics will be back soon... Grrrr Servers mmmmm

Brad,
Can u gives us a run down on what
is involved/needed for an irs conversion-
I'm looking at doing this in the near future
and would like to know straight up what
parts are the best to use:eg T3 irs vrs T1
irs, gearbox choice etc. The best setup
for some serious offroading.
Thanks mate.

Best way to do it is get a superbug / L bug complete rear end and cut it through teh tunnel and then weld it to the current pan after removing its rear end.

The type 3 has twin rear spring plates and heavier torsion bars. Along with an extra allignment bolt on the arms.

I use the following:

1 x 1600 Kombi Box
1 x Superbug rear end cut through tunnel at 250mm from rear
1 x pr of Type 3 Trailing arms complete with brakes.
1 x pr or type 3 twing spring plates
1 x pr of superbug torsion bars
1 x pr of 24mm kombi wheel cylinders.
1 x COR Kombi Transmission kit

That is pretty much it. Weld in the rear end and drive away no issues with modifying anything like shock towers etc etc.

Hey Brad

We have a super bug that has twin spring plates on either side. Does that mean they are off a Type 3 or were some of the S's made with them? Just wondering. I will build a good pan one day but for the moment mine suffices. If I had of known all of this before the rebuild I would have welded the super rear onto my pan rather than convert it. You live and learn I guess.

No, Twin Spring plates came on Semi Auto pans as well as Type 3's. The Superbugs never came with twin spring plates from factory.

Oh....so what is the difference between a semi-auto and a super??? I like the look of twin srpingers anyway; tougher.

I take your point....mmmmm

Any opinions out there on removing the rubber suspension stops on a KL front end? Are limiting straps an option on a buggy eg will they snag etc?

Some of you may be interested in this article on shortening a pan. Has some good info in it.

http://www.meyersmanx.com/garage/garage_shorten_p1.htm 

I found the info about dodging the handbrake tubes and throttle cable tubes to be of interst, as was the section at the very end about strengthening the tube with the leftovers.

Legal - you can get it blue plated easy as piss and then it is legal. It is simply a chassis repair / suspension substitution.

hey dudes.

I am putting in my kombi box now and doing a suspension upgrade to T3 stuff. You mentioned 24mm Kombi cylinders Brad?? By that, do you mean the actual brake cylinders? Are they better than the type 3 ones? Bigger? Its just that my type 3 ones are stuffed so I was going to get some more, but I will get kombi ones instead if they are the go?

Cheers
Jamie

when i get my 2 litre engine and 6 rib box am i better off keeping my baja on the road as it is and cutting up my superbug pan (only a parts car anyway) for the irs and welding on a king and link frame head and making a LWB IRS/KP pan this way and then reregistering my car as a 71? or should i get the IRS stuff off and lenthen my shock towers (or get someone to do it ie. COR) and putting the IRS on ym current pan.

when i get this done i want it all done at the same time. engine in, gearbox in. IRS conversion.

but if i use the super pan i can keep my car on the road its just the reregistering bit thats an issue.

Nick

Build the super pan by putting a king and link frame head on it. easy, cheap and works a treat.

what would happen if you where to shoehorn a complete kombi rear end in????would it be possible to blue plate???

will i run into troubles registering it brad?

how do you get around the change in chassis number when you do these conversions?

whilst there is no doubt a kombi back end onto a beetle pan can be done but how legal is unknown. on chassis #, do people stitch the old # in...?

kombi rear end is interesting! would need an engineer's certificate though I'm sure...

another thought, would these modified pans be rigid enough for use under a convertible body? would an engineer okay it do you think? Surely there's not much rigidity in a buggy body.

if u put a lift kit (chassis Strenthener) on then i reckon they would be tough as nails. plus dont u have to have one of those bars through the middle on a buggy so it doesnt twist?

to build a convertible in QLD you need to get a torsion and beaming test done. To build a buggy you do not.

Yes the pans are very strong with a strengthening kit on them.