Hi Guys - I live in the NSW New England are on the end of a dirt road and having chewed over the idea of landcruisers, Nissans etc etc to cope with the conditions I started thinking about a Baja style beetle. Having years ago owned a mid sixties bog standard 1200 beetle for 6 years and it never giving me an ounce of trouble. Plus I love Veedubs.

I like the style of a mild Baja type - not going racing or rock climbing. I just need a tough easy to fix vehicle with good clearance - reliable enough to go touring sometimes. What do you reckon guys?

The one fly in the ointment maybe the NSW RTA. Has anyone dealt with these A&*holes before and how are they with the idea of a Baja?

I've ordered "The Book" from the states and have read a lot of the info on the site but there is some much info I'm a bit lost as to what would be a good option as I can see the Baja's with all the bells and whistles would be a great tool. I like the idea of a bit more grunt from the motor but not at the expense of reliability and I don't need 33's on the back wheels really.

Any input would be appreciated

Gidday and welcome. Bajas are awesome offroad and soo much fun. Not necessarily the best rock climbers without major major modification and expense but they will still embarass 4whellers.
I was worried about the RTA ..... as well so I bought a car already done. From my understanding though, because you are not making structural changes there should be no problems. You are just putting on a body kit. It is important to enclose the motor so that people can't access moving parts etc. As far as wheels and lift is concerned they can be done relatively cheaply.

Reliability will depend on how well the base vehicle has been maintained. Just remember they are old vehicles. I bought mine Jan last year and have had many unfinished trips due to breakdowns but am starting to see a lot more reliability now.

There are many guys here with more experience who can give more and even better advice but if you look at this thread http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=89893  you will go a long way to getting an idea of what is best suited.

If the book you ordered is 'Baja bugs & Buggies' it is the bible for offroad buggy builders and has some great advice.

Hi and welcome. You have some good ideas by the sounds. If not planning major offroad work, and 31's not big on the plans, sounds to me like you would be happy with a lifted stock bug with some minor mods and slightly larger rubber. I think it's a good look and if done right won't be a million dollars but will be a capable robust vehicle. Along the lines of an American class 11 offroad race car.
You will find that it's best to find a beetle with the later double joint rear suspension, these have open drive shafts and a semi trailing arms that maintain minimal camber change through the suspension travel, this combined with a torsion bar fron end, either king/link pin (earlier) or balljoint (disc brake) will be a good performer on the dirt and the bitumen. One major consideration that is very important with how the car runs on the hiway and the longevety of the engine and mechanicals is getting the gear ratios correct for the tyre size your going to use, and hp of your engine.
Gearing effects engine rpm which effects cooling fan rpm...and the overall cooling of your engine.

It's a big subject, but there's a few idea's to start with.

Good luck with the mission.

Thanks Guys, I had got to the idea of the later IRS suspension I guess either front suspension has it's advantages. Just need to find the right car now, ain't that always the problem!

The gearing could be a bit of a headache considering the possible ratios against what power the engine is giving, and the need to keep that fan at a reasonable speed! 5 speed box would be nice - know that a Suby could be made to fit but would be a bit less of a Veedub then!!

Cheers