I always knew the baja had bog in the sills. Now after driving it for a while and jumping a few dunes it seems to have all become very apparent. Ben kindly welded up the loose clutch tube for me and pointed it all out.

the driver's side sill is pretty much non existant now that all the bog has shaken loose!

So...I need to decide if I should flick the body for a less rusty one, or repair this body with full sill replacements, or hunt up a buggy body and lengthen it for the full sized beetle pan.

With the body off I should do an IRS conversion and beef the pan up. I saw on custom offroad's site they offer exchange pans for $1800, converted to IRS. I assume this doesnt include a front beam tho. $1800 is a lot, but is looking kinda worth it.

not sure which way to turn! I was thinking of selling it, but there's no way I'm selling it with it's arse hanging out, thats far too dodgey for my tastes.

you have a U2U

thanks mate got it

really have to have a big think. it's a shame about this body because it has reasonably fresh paint (even if it is banana yellow )

Get another body rust in sills is not good and for the cost of sills and getting them instaled means big $$$$

I'm told the sills are about $120 each side? doesn't seem unreasonable. just means I'll have to buy a MIG to replace my dead one... and paint the bottom. Heh 2 tone dont look so bad...

you will get them cheaper from mick motors delivered to you.

come over and have a look at the 68 body if you like.
I am still in 2 minds with selling it.

I would get another body and put it on a good pan. The thing about a good pan is that it last forever and you can just keep on changin bodies if need be.

to do a body lift, is there anything else you have to modify other than weld on the box section around the pan? does it even need to be welded? surely with the number of bolts VW used just through-bolting the box section would be ample...

With the body lift on a Baja you can get away with simply bolting the lift kits in. You also need to space the rear and front body mounts, the ones near the shock towers and fuel tank. You will also need to modify the fire wall where the steering column goes through and potentially lengthen a few wires and fuel hose depending on you exact vehicle setup.

Seats will also need to be modified or you will feel like a little guy driving a big car. That is pretty much all you need to do, you may also like to raise your bumpers to make it look right. As a guide we do a drive in drive out 2" body lift kit for $990 and it taks 2 days. This includes front braces and a few other things but it gives you a guide on what is involved.

Biggest issue we face is the amount of sills out there that are stuffed. This means as soon as you try and unbolt the body the fun begins....

my Baja has a bolted through body lift kit. I use a floor pan seal above and below the lift kit. It works well. I prefer to bolt it rather than weld it.

Thanks guys. Yeah thats why buying other bodies makes me nervous. nothing like paying $500 for another shell to find you now have two rotted out bodies.

so you just lay out the kit and put the shell back on and bolt it up??
would it be better to weld the bottem and then bolt it?
and it's better to use the seal kit right? as i was told just to use a good silicon
hey brad how much for just a kit and dose that come with bolts?
yeah if it has good running gear and floor pan the shell is easy to change
you should have sold it to sgetty when you had the chance
he loves rusty old veedubs lol

If you weld it then it will likely crack. A little movement is a good thing.

Don't use silicone on metal, it will make it rust.

Use VW floorpan seals, and put black windscreen sealant on the seals to help it seal.

I'm going to disagree with everyone else here - buy the new sills and repair it. If that is the only area of concern with the body, and you welding skills are up to it, you should be able to get it sorted in a weekend or two. From memory, you did a crapload of rust work on the super, so you should be well trained now !

Is the bottom of the A pillar gone too ? That area can be tricky (especially if it extends to the bottom door hinge mounts).

Just always remember - measure three times, then cut short and trim to the final weld line ! Always easier to take more metal out than to fill in air.....

yeah, though that mig welder expired and I now have to buy a new one, but it's a good excuse. the body seems on the whole good other than the sills. the driver's side bottom hinge looks depressingly bogged up, but I wont know how bad it is until I chip it all out.

dude come over and have a look at the 67 body i have here.

It will do the trick for you

righto! you around tomorrow at all?

0402270727 is my number.
Give us a yell when you want to come over.

I wont be to far from home.