Hello all!
I heard a lot about this group around the web (namely the Legendary Camo Baja website), and decided to go to you guys before starting up my first baja project.
Currently, all I have is a stock tranny and the Dual-Port 1600 stock motor out of my '73 Super Beetle. I already have the crank case opened, cylinders are honed. Gonna stick with stock size for now, just for reliability.
My plan is to get the engine completely assembled and install a sand-seal pulley and a full-flow oil kit while I search for a good vehicle to throw it in.
My one HUGE concern here is that if it takes a year or two to get the body ready, is there any way to seal my engine off to avoid rust problems? I really don't want to have to tear the whole thing apart down the road before I even get to use it - and have to hone it and re-ring it again, replace valves, etc.
As far as the body, I found a $50.00 '68 already cut with the baja body kit already installed. No holes in the floorpan and all rust seems to be on the surface. ALL of the rubber is bad (bushings, etc.) but I'm planning on doing this from the ground up...
-pulling the body off the floorpan, cleaning and "rhino-lining" it, putting a 2" (or 3") body lift on (buy? or build-my-own
-new wheel bearings all around
-adjustable torsion bar on front (weld-on adjusters or purchase the whole bar?)
-urethane transmission mount kit and a tranny strap
-steering dampener(s?)
I know if I buy the '68 I get the undersireable balljoint + swing axle combo, but this won't be a true performance vehicle. I just don't think it is that big of a deal for my mountain-road-driving here in Idaho - and though I'm not yet sold on it, $50.00 sounds really good to me!
You guys and gals are the experts, so I'd really like some input on the plan I laid out. This seems like a huge undertaking to me, and I don't want to get half-way in just to find out that I made an error in judgement and have to do some major re-working or re-calculating. What may help best is a plan of attack - what to do, in what order. When I fire this baby up for the first time, I want her to be (off)road-worthy.
To those swing-axle people out there, how have you increased tire wear time? any specific brand tire? I'd like to put some nice 10" wide mudders back there, but though this won't be my primary vehicle, I'd like to drive it around town a bit... and I REALLY want to turn the torsion bars down one spline for that added clearance!!! (In the future I'd like to go to IRS to save tire wear. )
Other than that, ANY pointers or tips are welcome - no matter how small. Like I said, I'm on a budget so this will be a work-in-progress for quite a while before she first tastes the dirt, so I'd really like to have a good plan going in.
Thanks in advance! Ben in Boise