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 Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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 posted on October 21st, 2006 at 08:02 AM |
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Baja kit how thick?
hey all,
i need to know how thick the fiberglass should be and also what can i do to reinforce the kit. is tar recomanded or is it too heavy?
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The_Bronze.
A.k.a.: Bronze
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 08:54 AM |
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I used chassis black but then again I have have a cheeta kits which is fairly thick already and didn't really need reinforcing. My guards are
actually much thicker than stock steel guards and I would estimate up to 1/3 to 1/2 an inch (1 to 1.5cm roughly) in places, particularly along the
guard crease and the outer edges.
Two ways to add strength in top of knitting more layers of glass, tar or chassis black.
(2) Use block washers behind the bolts. They are square pieces behind the bolt that run under the guard along the wheel arch and act like the round
washers but squeeze the guard hard against the car reducing vibration.
(3) Brace the guards front and rear to the nudge / push bar and the front ot the tree guards if you have them that run along the sides. The outer
areas of the guard a often the weakest. Especially on corrigated roads.
Reduce the amount of weight on the guards, heavy indicator assemblies, trapped sand, head light assembly etc. Sounds stupid but I have seen baja with
inverted spotlights bolted into the guards and showed sighn of shaking out no doubt taking the best part of the guard with it.
Hope this helps.
Bronze.
[size=4]Bronze.[/size]
Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
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shaihulud
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 12:43 PM |
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If you buy guards that are ready made you may find the fibreglass to be a bit thin. You need to do as the bronze says and strenghthen the joins to the
body with big washers and minimise loads on them.
If you are getting yours made for you, ask for a thicker finished product (about 5 mm thick is good) Also ask for extra material at the edge where the
bolts go as that is where the greatest stresses are. If you can get that area wider than normal that's even better. The extra material at the bolt on
edge needs to be thicker for about 50mm from the edge out into the mudguard area to stop stress concentrations.
I have a Baja with guards that are in my opinion far too thin. They are already showing sings of stress and the are cracking at the bolt on zone.
What I have are simply not good enough. They are thin, the bolt on area is too thin and too narrow and the shape of the bolt on are does not follow
the shape of the Beetle body accurately, so when the bolts are tightened the flange bends and cracks while the guard is fitted.
It's all very unsatisfactory, but I have not seen a Baja kit yet that is thick enough, strong enough at the bolt on area and which conforms to the
Beetle wheel arch accurately. They mostly seem to be badly designed and cheaply made.
If I am wrong and someone makes what I would like to have on my Baja, please tell me.
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 01:39 PM |
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Yes,
the guards are usually very thin and flex and naturally crack the paint....
It just needs someone to make them thicker which means stronger....
but most people make things to a price....
Look at the standard looking wide fiberglass guards made by Richard Holzl..
maybe stronger than standard guards...
certainly thicker.... very good quality...
Someone was giving away a set of moulds for Baja kits on here....
Maybe someone who likes fiberglass [??] could make some decent thick guards....
Lee -- [a non Baja person...]
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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ancientbugger
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 05:52 PM |
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The first thing I've done on my sons baja is to strengthen the guards and bonnet. I was considering getting a metal flange that follows the inside
contour of the guard where it meets the body so spreading the stress along the whole flange rather than just at the bolt holes similar to the type of
thing in my buggy where the body bolts to the floor pan.
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car110
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 07:11 PM |
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Well I'm the opposite the thiner the better around the bolt holes. If you happen to collect a fence or tree which oftens happens rallying or
screaming through the bush as I do i found that they just pop at the bolts and don't destroy the hole gaurd. I average a set of gaurds about once a
year and these gaurds are torn off at least twice to three times in their life. I will have many people arguing with me that i can't drive but if
you go hard you have to expect breakages.
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Anthiron
A.k.a.: Nicko McKay
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 09:25 PM |
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my old guards were super thick and very nice.
but my new wider guards arent so thick. but i must say car110 has a point i recently ripped a guard off and it ripped thru the bolt holes.
20 mins of fibreglass and it was fixed.
definatly big washers to spread the load and another layer of matt wouldnt go astray
62/60 model bug eye baja bug, (Full Build in Progress)
1974 Chevrolet Luv
1970 MK2 Ford Cortina GT
1979 Yamaha RX125 Two Stroke tracker project.
2004 Harley Davidson Sportster XL Custom
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Baja Wes
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 09:54 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by The_Bronze.
I would estimate up to 1/3 to 1/2 an inch (1 to 1.5cm roughly) in places,
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Holy crap! That is really really thick. I have a Cheetah kit (with the words embossed in the bonnet) and it is about 5mm on average.
Here's an extract from the current Queensland Transport mod code.
The new national mod code which is already in place in some states has the same clauses as above, but adds the following;
Where the modifier has quality management processes in place, testing of the components need only be done once to prove the general
design.
Now Baja kits are non-structural, therefore you don't need to do the testing. The funny thing is the BS 2782 testing it calls for is outdated and
no-one does it anymore. Buggies have an exemption from this rules anyway;
http://www.offroadvw.net/buggyboyz/BulletinNumber34BeachBuggies.htm
So anyway, it says the kit needs to be 3.5mm not including the gel coat to be legal. That's why decent kits end up roughly 5mm total.
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 21st, 2006 at 11:29 PM |
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where did you get your cheetah kit from wes?
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ancientbugger
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| posted on October 22nd, 2006 at 10:27 AM |
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Another thing I've done is to fibreglass plastic bowls (don't laugh) inside the front guards as headlight bowls as per the original wings with drain
holes and cable holes instead of leaving the back of the headlight itself open and ready to get damaged by flying stones etc.
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11CAB
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| posted on October 22nd, 2006 at 10:53 AM |
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I've got galvanised headlight buckets that fit into my guards....protects the back of the headlight and shouldnt rust....the headlights mount to them
too instead of just into the fibreglass
65 Meyers Manx
68 Country Buggy (KO 367)
68 Country Buggy (KO 669)
68 Country Buggy (KO 789)
68 Country Buggy (KO 815)
68 Baja Bug
76 Baja Kombi Twincab
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Baja Wes
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| posted on October 22nd, 2006 at 11:36 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Learner
where did you get your cheetah kit from wes?
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VW and Volvo centre. Their moulds must be really old though, because the kit has heaps of crazy crack imprints in the gel coat. It took heaps of spray
putty and sanding to fix.
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 22nd, 2006 at 11:38 AM |
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yaks. thickest in melb in 2.5 mm thick (fiberglasS) which seems so thin even with the gel
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The_Bronze.
A.k.a.: Bronze
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| posted on October 22nd, 2006 at 09:31 PM |
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Yeah - My guards are really thick. There is no flex in them. They are a lot heavier than the original guards that's for sure. I removed the guards on
a 66 recently and I was surprised with how light they are in comparison. My car is actually heavier than the original vehicle even with the valances,
aprons and bumpers missing because of the weight of my guards and engine cage.
B.
[size=4]Bronze.[/size]
Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 09:38 AM |
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if it's too rigid wouldn't it crack more easly even that thick? considering the weigh of them aswell
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ancientbugger
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 09:46 AM |
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Years ago at VW Action in the UK (early 80's) a manufacturer of thick fibreglass guards had them on show and was inviting the public to have a go at
breaking them with a club hammer, I don't recall anyone breaking them but I do remember they were about half inch thick.
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 03:14 PM |
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the vw an audi center sells the cheetah kit for $1200!!!!!!
so far autoparts online and fiberfab is cheapest at 720...
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Baja Wes
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 05:43 PM |
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Have you asked Custom Offroad?
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 10:22 PM |
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custom off road won't get them until before christmas they sell em for 990!!
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Anthiron
A.k.a.: Nicko McKay
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| posted on October 23rd, 2006 at 10:23 PM |
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go second hand dude.
u will only scratch it anyway!!!!
62/60 model bug eye baja bug, (Full Build in Progress)
1974 Chevrolet Luv
1970 MK2 Ford Cortina GT
1979 Yamaha RX125 Two Stroke tracker project.
2004 Harley Davidson Sportster XL Custom
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 24th, 2006 at 01:55 AM |
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true but no 1 has got one to give a set away... or they do but they don't seem to keen about it. anyway my son just got sick got hospital bills to
pay so it's not going to happen anytime soon. but won't hurt doing some research....
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Learner
A.k.a.: Lionel Luu
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| posted on October 24th, 2006 at 09:34 AM |
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my second option is to modify my stock fenders for now. any one know where i can go in South eastern subs of melb or around melb?
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