Really off road - like, in water !

[Baja4]

Would a guess be that the house and driveway in the truck picture be your handiwork also?

[Lotrat]

The ride height is giving me some problems, and I figured maybe I could use Trekker/Thing reduction boxes, tubes and shafts. Maybe trekker/Thing spindles up front ? could I just use the spindles, or would I need the whole front beam.

Awesome build. Not bad for a first time VW build. You probably found all the Type 166 sites like http://www.vw166.com/schwimmwagen/techn ... chnung.htm ... lot of good info and pictures.

The beetle you started with has a link pin front end. The Thing used a ball joint front end which is not "easily" changed. The tube spacing on the front beam is different for the ball joint and link pin. The original Type 166 used a link pin front end and reduction gears on the rear. How close to the original Type 166 are you trying to get?

[Leatherneck]

Wow, the amount of craftmanship just in this pic is unreal. Yes, thanks for posting the project, outstanding job so far.

[nilza]

wow, .. . . .just wow. thats some nice skills you have there. love the dimple die set .

As far as the lift is concerned. to be a bit more period correct, instead of changing to ball joint a set of country buggy spindles would be better (yes i know how hard they are to get) but seeing as how they are basically just early kombi spindles with the steering arms bent the wrong way, surely it can't be too hard to create some with the kombi part as a donor?

[Stray Catalyst]

Wow. Your fabrication skills are incredible! Please post a build thread, I want to watch this come together.

Stray

[Mr Slug]

The ride height is giving me some problems, and I figured maybe I could use Trekker/Thing reduction boxes, tubes and shafts. Maybe trekker/Thing spindles up front ? could I just use the spindles, or would I need the whole front beam.

Awesome build. Not bad for a first time VW build. You probably found all the Type 166 sites like http://www.vw166.com/schwimmwagen/techn ... chnung.htm ... lot of good info and pictures.

The beetle you started with has a link pin front end. The Thing used a ball joint front end which is not "easily" changed. The tube spacing on the front beam is different for the ball joint and link pin. The original Type 166 used a link pin front end and reduction gears on the rear. How close to the original Type 166 are you trying to get?

Thank you, I really must confess to being way behind when it comes to the mechanical side of things, I figured it may be easier to post up a close picture of the hub here we are - do you think the Trekker/Think part will fit ?



Nizla, thanks pal, BTW, - What is a 'Dimple die set' ?

Baja 4, - yes Mate, spot on, I did build my own house, how did you figure that out ?

Thank you all for the great comments, I have the build on other forums too.

The only one that it met with complete indifference was the 166 forum, I asked them for one dimension, and the silence was deafening - I can only guess that they 'Do not approve' - but with real VW166 running at close to a 1/4 million bucks - who can blame anyone for trying to build their own. Its not like a fake one and its going to fool anyone.

Thanks again for your help and interest.

[Mr Slug]

This is what I made this past weekend.

Starts in the usual way with the internet provideing pictures. then I figure out what size I will make it to - A) look about right, B) fit in the truck that I am making, and C) fit the other componants that I have.

With the instrument board here, I have to cut slightly different holes because I don't have the correct instruments, but parts that are close in size and look similar. - A genuine 166 speedo is $400, and lets face it, would be like a rat with a gold tooth.

Anyway, I know you guys prefer the pictures to the waffle.

[madmitch]

Very nice craftmanship and back yard engineering there slug. Its going to be hard to tell it from a real one.

[Punchdrunk Monkey]

great sheet metal work!

[Sneaks]

<THUD>

I'm not worthy...I'm not worthy...I'm not worthy...


Freaking incredible. Please, keep us in the loop!

[fusername]

eh its alright.

[turbobaja]

Wow!

I thought I had too much spare time! This is some really impressive work here. And mostly from pictures that you've scaled up?!?! Wonderful!! Can't wait to see how things progress with this water buggy.

Nice brick-work on the place as well

[Chris V]

The ride height is giving me some problems, and I figured maybe I could use Trekker/Thing reduction boxes, tubes and shafts. Maybe trekker/Thing spindles up front ? could I just use the spindles, or would I need the whole front beam.

...The beetle you started with has a link pin front end. The Thing used a ball joint front end which is not "easily" changed. The tube spacing on the front beam is different for the ball joint and link pin. The original Type 166 used a link pin front end and reduction gears on the rear. How close to the original Type 166 are you trying to get?

Thank you, I really must confess to being way behind when it comes to the mechanical side of things, I figured it may be easier to post up a close picture of the hub here we are - do you think the Trekker/Think part will fit ?

...

Looks to me like you started off with a ball joint car, and still have one if the picture above is yours - In other pictures I see a late brake reservoir and 4-lug wheels laying around...So if that's the case you just need to track down Thing control arms and spindles, which'll give you around 2.5" of lift.

[Mr Slug]

...[/quote]

Looks to me like you started off with a ball joint car, and still have one if the picture above is yours - In other pictures I see a late brake reservoir and 4-lug wheels laying around...So if that's the case you just need to track down Thing control arms and spindles, which'll give you around 2.5" of lift.[/quote]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you,
You are very observant, there are indeed four bolt brake hubs lying around. The car is a '69 Left hand drive from Portugal. Those are the spindles beam etc that it came with, I have fitted new backplates and brake equipment - also changing the wheel bearings to permit the use of 'Wide 5' drums.

Am I correct in thinking that the 'control arms' is an Americanism for Track rods - the steel pipe that has an adjustable track rod pin at either end, and joins the steering quadrant to the hub ?..........tomato /tomatoe

On the rear end, I have used the standard swing arm as it is much the same as a 166, made up special brackets to mount a pre '63 axle tube/drive shaft/ reduction box - woke up in the middle of the night havibng realised that I would get four reverse gears and only one forward - anyway, tore open the transmission and figured I could mount the diff on the other side and reverse it all befor it got to the red boxes.

I have also taken 400mm out of the chassis to make it 2000 wheel base.

Here are some of the pictures of VW TYPE 166, that I found on the internet and offer much useful information during the build.

Period pictures of the type 166 in use by the original owners - the bad guys.

Actually, this particular guy was very bad indeed ......Jocquin Peiper,
on the left was a very nasty type, and did some dreadful things.







Here is one that is under new management. Picture taken of a captured VW 166 being used by the U.S. forces at an airbase in Italy, 1944. It clearly shows how important it is to get the ride height up from a stock Beetle, and how much nicer the 'wide 5 wheels' will be.



This is a nice restored example of a genuine VW166, sold at auction for approximately 140,000.00 Euros.

[Chris V]

Looks to me like you started off with a ball joint car, and still have one if the picture above is yours - In other pictures I see a late brake reservoir and 4-lug wheels laying around...So if that's the case you just need to track down Thing control arms and spindles, which'll give you around 2.5" of lift.

You are very observant, there are indeed four bolt brake hubs lying around. The car is a '69 Left hand drive from Portugal. Those are the spindles beam etc that it came with, I have fitted new backplates and brake equipment - also changing the wheel bearings to permit the use of 'Wide 5' drums.

Am I correct in thinking that the 'control arms' is an Americanism for Track rods - the steel pipe that has an adjustable track rod pin at either end, and joins the steering quadrant to the hub ?..........tomato /tomatoe

...

"Control arm" refers to the trailing arms with ball-joints - un-related to steering linkage. Our "tie-rod" would be the same as your track-rod