Jps1145's Little Baja - Build Thread

CopperBaja · Post by **CopperBaja** » Fri May 29, 2009 7:27 pm

bump'd

jps1145 · Post by **jps1145** » Sat May 30, 2009 7:39 pm

CopperBaja wrote:bump'd

Not much progress lately really. Just still kinda prepping it for the race.
I did cut the lower stops off the torsion housing and added some limit straps to the rear.
I managed to pull one of my screw-in wheel studs out of one of my drums. I had a feeling I would so I got some press-in studs in the 14mm x 1.5 variety and some matching ball seat lug nuts to go with them. (should have done it that way to begin with...

)

Post by **Hedrock** » Sat May 30, 2009 7:43 pm

I kinda wondered about them screw - in's. Is it a bad idea to tack them in from the inside?

bajaherbie · Post by **bajaherbie** » Sat May 30, 2009 7:53 pm

Hedrock wrote:I kinda wondered about them screw - in's. Is it a bad idea to tack them in from the inside?

what do you have?

my rear drums were studded when i bought 'em, but last year i did the fronts when i got the btr's. my ghia has screw-ins because it has 8 spoke empi wheels....

jps1145 · Post by **jps1145** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:23 am

I've started tearing things down now the race has come and gone.
I pulled out an etirely intact torsion bar from the rear passenger side. This can only mean one thing... stripped splines in the torsion housing. Since the other side is still holding weight, I can only assume the passenger side is stripped

Looks like I will be installing an adjustable center section. Any help from experienced guys with this procedure, please chime in.

The front is also pretty tore up as well. Just about every joint broke or is cracked. I thought my spindles were bent beause the camber went from negative before the race to positive after. Turns out the whole beam twisted in the frame as it was being pushed upward. Instead of leaning back, it is now leaning a little forward... Lot's of work to do up here.

Here is what is left of the outer springplate bushing. I'm guessing this has a lot to do with the splines stripping. The outside of the torsion bar was moving around quite a bit.

Bent the tab holding the bottom part of my rear cage.

Front bolts holding my skid plate sheared

CopperBaja · Post by **CopperBaja** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:34 am

Nice carnage!

Have fun, beat it up, fix it, go back and get some more!

bajaherbie · Post by **bajaherbie** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:36 am

i think i remember when/where it happened.

pm tako and skidmark, i believe they both have welded in the adjustable center section...

rickosuave1987 · Post by **rickosuave1987** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:39 am

jps1145 wrote: Any help from experienced guys with this procedure, please chime in.

my 2 cents....Go coil over...

But man, that is a lot of damage! Did herbie navigate you off a cliff or something?

Do you think with more bracing the front end would have held up better?

bajaherbie · Post by **bajaherbie** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:40 am

no, i had my eyes closed!

john just refused to lift.....

jps1145 · Post by **jps1145** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:08 pm

rickosuave1987 wrote:
jps1145 wrote: Any help from experienced guys with this procedure, please chime in.
my 2 cents....Go coil over...

But man, that is a lot of damage! Did herbie navigate you off a cliff or something?

Do you think with more bracing the front end would have held up better?

Maybe some day will consider coil over, but that would take a bunch more bracing in the car.
As far as the front, there's no question more bracing would have helped along with better material for sure.
Because I kept the support for the beam inside the footwell I had little leverage holding the front. When I rebuild it I will run support Higher through the dash (I didn't want to hack the dash before, but I need to now). Plus, I will run the lower beam support back to the "A" hoop rather then just the front firewall body support. I'll be adding a bunch more "X" bracing also.
Time for a one-piece front end. Anyone have one for sale???

seabeebuggy · Post by **seabeebuggy** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:30 pm

Tell me you did not put the red ring over the outer flange... It did go in the torsion tube behind the spring plate right.

Just asking it looks like the photo it was around the end plate.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:57 pm

did the end of the torsion bar twist?

jps1145 · Post by **jps1145** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:34 pm

seabeebuggy wrote:Tell me you did not put the red ring over the outer flange... It did go in the torsion tube behind the spring plate right.

Just asking it looks like the photo it was around the end plate.

Ahhh, no.

jps1145 · Post by **jps1145** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:35 pm

Lotrat wrote:did the end of the torsion bar twist?

I thought the same thing. But I think it would have twisted completely off because I cycled the suspension a few times.
I'll take the other one out and compare them. If they don't match, I stick the stock ones back in and see what happens.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:46 pm

jps1145 wrote:
Lotrat wrote:did the end of the torsion bar twist?

I thought the same thing. But I think it would have twisted completely off because I cycled the suspension a few times.
I'll take the other one out and compare them. If they don't match, I stick the stock ones back in and see what happens.

I would think that the paint would have cracked off it it did twist that much, but it looks odd.