fairly high?, increasing axel width etc. etc. Alot of buggy/baja offroad questions. plz help....

I was wondering what alternatives there are to raising up a buggy or baja pretty high.

From what I have seen, what people have done is to install trailing arms in the front and rear. (Well, I think thats what they are called)

Has anyone else got em'? How do they go? Can anyone give any pics?

Anyone else got any other good methods into raising the vehicle to a high pose? How did u go about it? Hows the performance? are they lasting pretty well? What skills did it require to install/modify?

Are there any kits or packs to raise vehicles pretty high?

Where did ya get em'?

Soz for all these questions, but there flooding my mind. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Post any pics if you feel it would help.

Thanks everyone,
Cheers,
Chris.:thumb

It would be mad to have a baja like this: (the following picture). However, I have heard that the fenders must fully cover the wheels to comply with the adrs. Therefore, couldn't you just modify the fenders on the baja kit to cover em'? Would it be able to be registerable?

What would I need to purchase to get a baja looking like this? (up high, wide axels, u know...)

Thanks all.

[Edited on 6-6-2005 by vw54]

Heres more pics.

Or go to the following link:

http://www.bajas.8m.com/mycar.htm 

All VWs have trailing arms, its not something you add.

To get a baja like that in your pic, the set-up it would most likly run is
Front: Widened K+L beam, longer/wider trailing arms, long travel coil over shocks.
They are the basic ingrediants for a wide, long travel front end. pretty expensive.

Alternitively it could be ball-joint with 181 trailing arms and spindles, or BJ lift spindles. Basically stock suspension travel (~5.5") but raised via the lower mounted stub axles.

Rear is IRS, looks like about 3x3 diagonal arms (3" wider, 3" longer than stock VW Type1 IRS arms) Has to be long travel coil over, means you need relocated shock mounts, most likly tied into a roll cage.
Also needs CVs with more articulation (Bus, porsche 914 930 etc)

Long travel suspension requires longer shocks ( new mounts have to be fabbed, not so hard on the front but rear you basically need to have a roll cage to tie into) Also stock VW torsion bars cannot be used due to the extra twist so coil over shocks have to be used ($$$$$$)


If you think you can have a bug like that in oz, you are dreaming, ADRs state that suspension travel has to be within *I think* 20% of stock travel.

[Edited on 6/6/2005 by Chewy]

P.S buy Jeff Hibbards Baja Bugs and Buggies NOW!

Dam, that sux about the adrs. What happens if you make it classed as an ICV? Then you would have the change the engine and all to pass emissions and noise, but is there any way possible?

Get $25,000 and you should be well on your way to an ICV

not only the engine but the whole car ie side intrusion bars and all that stuff

rego it standard, then do subtle mods that wont attract to much attention
or
buy a car trailer and build yourself and offroad only car

True, but then there isn't much I could do with it if its only offroad. I couldn't drive it home, or drive it on any government owned road, wouldn't I? (cause of it not being registed/complianced)

Any using it for offroad racing would be too expensive to travel around aus and pay to get into the races? (I would imagine)

hmm, its hard. If only someone made vehicles like this baja, so it ain't classed as an icv or modified vehicle. Rather, it would actually be a standard, production vehicle and would be able to pass. ( I again imagine)

sigh.

i sell you mine for $20000
its about as modified as you can get

Hey Chris if you have the $25,000 I spoke about earlier, you will have $5000 change with this one

or for me to build it for you through the shop will cost you well over $35000 and still not look the ones in the photos

Or you could buy my buggy when it is finished but it would be about double the price of terrys so you may be better of with his.
But if you intend to build something more extreme then ordinary you better have a full wallet and lots of patients to get it through Main Roads as you can Bet your life you will get pulled up by the cops and have them check it over.

In QLD if you are building a Baja you had best get friendly with the Modifications Handbook found here:

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/driver.nsf/files/images/$file/Vehicle-Modifications.pdf

Basically it states stuff like:
Suspension travel cannot be modified by more then 1/3 of the distance to the bump stops
Wheels cannot be more the 1.3 times the widest optional wheel
Wheels must fit within the guards when viewed from above
Wheel track cannot be increases any more then 26mm
etc etc, best to read it yourself.

You will also want to read the Light Vehicle code of Practice. You need to subscribe to QLD Transport and pay an annual fee to get this but any Blue Plate engineer will have a copy. Places like COR will have a copy.

[Edited on 6/6/2005 by MikeM]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all ur help.

Thanks for the offers on the bajas and buggies, but ATM I'm too poor. I got to save up for a few years, but at the moment, I'm just at the planning stage to understand what I wanna be saving up for.

Some pics of what you can get me would be great. Thats if you would be able to get any.

Thanks again all.
hmm, maybe get a big 4x4 Landcruiser chassis, cut it up, and slap on the vee dub baja body would do the trick. Doubt it. maybe not. Well, I dunno, but you have to honestly say, those bajas look insane.

become a yankee.... go live over there where nearly anything can be registered...

You can spend a lot of money on this stuff and there's lots of possibilities. Unfortunately there's only so much you can do legally. Have a look at Baja Wes's website, his suspension is fairly stock, but it still has good height, you don't really need any more. Alternatively if you want something better, do a search on here, there was some pictures of Mike Sharps new suspension set up posted a while back.

Heres a pic of my rear end with lengthened and widened rear trailing arms. I fabricated mounts for twin shocks and adjustable coil spring seats. has 14" travel and you can wind up the spring mounts for more height if you need it.

As for all that legal stuff ...yeah well.

have you shortened your sump yet rotorbug?

I have heard good things about the suspension, I know that for a buggy I was looking at, apparently the vw suspension was good in that it did'nt have McPherson struts, but rather just shockies (well, on the earlier dubs like the 1500s, not the L).

But yeah, but better just get that book and learn from it ay. I can't say I know a great deal, but yeah, I'm just learning at the moment.

How are they far better compared to the big 4x4s? I know that I hear alot about the offroad vee dubs being far better, and always stronger and able to perform better on the rough.

I personally do believe they are, but its just a gut feeling and luv for vee dubs that has my opinion on that. lol rather than knowledge. I know they are far lighter, and apparently that really helps.

True, I should. The only way to learn really well is to get one and actually drive, maintain, service and use it. Nothing beats learning by personal experience.

Yeah, I would like to get a cheap buggy for my 1st. Just throw in a couple grand, and then I will look around, as well as post in avd asking what people are willing to offer me for what I got.

I can't wait till I get one though. Oh, I can hear the engine roar already.

Just get a beetle first and pull it apart...

Yeah. I will be looking for a 1500 beetle (1967 to 1971 I think) around xmas or early 2006. Something cheap.

Thats what I was originally planning to do, until I saw a few cheap buggies on carsales.com.au. But beetle is cheaper.

Plus then I can experience the whole beetle to buggy transformation. hmm, definitely good advise. I should really go that way.

Thanks alot mate, u have helped heaps in getting all the info I need, so I can have a good strategy and all with the future buggy hobby. (expensive, but looks dam fun!!!)

[Shakes hands] And thanks to all others now. I can see the light at the tunnel. Now, I'm gonna save up for a 1500 beetle (Cause I know that the buggies I have been looking require a 1500 floorpan/rolling chassis).

Just got to work out which buggy I should get. Seeing legally I'm not able to get a swb certified, i will have to get a lwb. I don't mind. If I raise it up enough with big tyres and all, they can look pretty cool. hmmm.

Any recommendations on what model buggy I should get?

Chewy, Have you actually built a buggy from scratch?:o

Chris, if you can buy a buggy for cheaper then buy it. No offence, but bugger the "I want to experience it for myself" crap. It's just hippy propaganda. It's also bad financial planning.

If someone had told me all the crap I'd go through to build mine, I wouldn't have done it. I'd have bought one instead.

Read this,
http://www.geocities.com/peterwood732/buggyproject/buggyprojecttips.html 

Then read through my buggy build up pages. But realise this. Most of it was just plain hard work and lots of cash. For nearly a year I went out every thursday (my day off at the time) and bought stuff. Thousands and thousands of bucks worth of stuff. And that was before I really started working on the car. And there were issues too. Some times it made me so upset I couldn't sleep. TheEngine loom for the subaru made me want to cry, seriously.

So please don't get romantic. Building buggies is 99% custom or you pay serious bucks for custom stuff other people have done (Ie, Custom off road). Most things don't just fit.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, save your wallet and your girlfriend/parents lots of stress and buy one if you can.

[Edited on 9/6/2005 by pete wood]

I bought a Manx, drove it around for 4 years, and decided I wanted a tougher one. So I bought a junker with papers and started from scratch.

The 2nd Manx has been in build now for a bit over a year. It has its ups and its downs but overall I've enjoyed it. Depends on your personality, your skills and whether you see it as hard work or a hobby. During the build I have kept the mindset that it is a Hobby that I do in spare time. I'm not married and I don't have Kids so I have more time then most I guess.

The most frustrating part I've found with the whole process has been waiting for custom parts. Not my lack of time.

The Manx I am building you cannot buy. And I've had enough of buying someone elses problem when it comes to second hand cars.

Mike I can see what your are saying. You guys are lucky enough to have a buggy specialist close. No one in sydney had any interest in buggies when I first got mine. I had to learn lots of hard lessons because of that. The point I am making is, it's hard work and takes cash. I think having one first and then building a better one is much better proposition than just starting blind like I did.