Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
I'd love to lift it, but it's my daily driver. I drive it up and down the coast from the boarder to LA all the time. I need to keep it streetable. My company wants me to have a car that is 5 years or newer or they'll tax my car allowance. They didn't for the first 2 months, so I may just keep it and see. My old car allowance plan said I needed a 3 year or newer car, but they paid anyway. I pick up company VPs from airports and take customers to fancy lunches, so I've kept this one mild and clean. My oldest is 2 years from driving, so I may just keep it for him. No space, no time, no money. I'm gonna put it up on CL for 5 and see if I get any bites. If I sell this Jeep I plan on ordering a new Jeep, so I'll be driving the baja for 6 weeks until it comes in. That's gonna be fun.
- mikeadams
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:28 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
It's hard to leave well enough alone. I'm driving the wheels off a Hyundai and would love to drive a toy. Then I'd have some other turd I'd be working on night and day..Lotrat wrote:I'd love to lift it, but it's my daily driver. I drive it up and down the coast from the boarder to LA all the time. I need to keep it streetable. My company wants me to have a car that is 5 years or newer or they'll tax my car allowance. They didn't for the first 2 months, so I may just keep it and see. My old car allowance plan said I needed a 3 year or newer car, but they paid anyway. I pick up company VPs from airports and take customers to fancy lunches, so I've kept this one mild and clean. My oldest is 2 years from driving, so I may just keep it for him. No space, no time, no money. I'm gonna put it up on CL for 5 and see if I get any bites. If I sell this Jeep I plan on ordering a new Jeep, so I'll be driving the baja for 6 weeks until it comes in. That's gonna be fun.
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Dang it! Missed another desert season. I think I'm the only one here with a working baja that's never used. 
Happy Easter anyway.

Happy Easter anyway.
- CentralWAbaja
- Posts: 4287
- Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:05 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
What do you mean? We are waiting for it to warm up enough to rideLotrat wrote:Dang it! Missed another desert season. I think I'm the only one here with a working baja that's never used.
Happy Easter anyway.

It is not Mickey Moused.....It's Desert Engineered!
- takotruckin
- Posts: 3774
- Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:40 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
I'm with you. Never made it to the desert this year either. One beach trip and that was it.Lotrat wrote:Dang it! Missed another desert season. I think I'm the only one here with a working baja that's never used.
Happy Easter anyway.
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
SoCal desert season starts on Halloween and ends on Easter... unofficially. There are a few "cool" days to be had, but it gets too dang hot out there to plan a weekend. Time for Pismo!CentralWAbaja wrote:What do you mean? We are waiting for it to warm up enough to ride
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
I made it out once with my son and some dirtbikes for the day back in November. That was it for us. The baja has been doing duty as a toad for the past few years... and it's a big duty.takotruckin wrote:I'm with you. Never made it to the desert this year either. One beach trip and that was it.
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- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Geez that kid got big... circa 2008. 2nd trip in the baja to the desert.
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- gratednipple
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:06 am
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Nice boots?Lotrat wrote:I made it out once with my son and some dirtbikes for the day back in November. That was it for us. The baja has been doing duty as a toad for the past few years... and it's a big duty.takotruckin wrote:I'm with you. Never made it to the desert this year either. One beach trip and that was it.
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Ha! Nice eye! Worth every penny. Thanks again.gratednipple wrote:Nice boots?
- CentralWAbaja
- Posts: 4287
- Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:05 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Does Lotrat still have a baja or did he go totally 2wheel?
It is not Mickey Moused.....It's Desert Engineered!
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
What's up fellas?
Still got the baja... getting out of the 2 wheel stuff. Just sold my bike. Kids bikes are next. Tired of cleaning carbs for stuff no one rides.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/search/ ... d=11581974
Thinking about selling the baja too. Just changed the oil, adjusted the valves, cleaned the air filter, and re-indexed the sagging drivers side torsion bar. Anyone know the torque spec for the cover bolts on a snot box? Once that's done, it's good to go.
Still got the baja... getting out of the 2 wheel stuff. Just sold my bike. Kids bikes are next. Tired of cleaning carbs for stuff no one rides.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/search/ ... d=11581974
Thinking about selling the baja too. Just changed the oil, adjusted the valves, cleaned the air filter, and re-indexed the sagging drivers side torsion bar. Anyone know the torque spec for the cover bolts on a snot box? Once that's done, it's good to go.
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- Leatherneck
- Moderator
- Posts: 17104
- Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:47 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Good to see you still have your key to get in here Lotrat. Maybe it's time you made a trip with your Baja.
- Lotrat
- Posts: 4975
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:43 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Spent the last month researching and came up with nothing. I tried to contact Bugpack tech support, but I didn't realize that EMPI bought Bugpack back in 2015. All the bugpack tribal knowledge was lost. The Empi 8544 is similar, but there's no torque spec listed for the cover bolts. I went with 15ft-lbs. Hope she holds. Nice to have the baja running again.
- dustymojave
- Posts: 2312
- Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:08 pm
Re: Lotrat's Budget Baja Build
Hey LotRat! Good to see ya on here again, but sad to read you saying you're thinking of ditching the Baja.
The bolts for the breather cover aren't under serious load. Torque on the bolts is not critical. Having internal; lock washers under the bolt heads is more important. Clean threads on the bolt and in the box with blue loc-tite would help, but again, not needed. good and snug, not real tight.
The bolts for the breather cover aren't under serious load. Torque on the bolts is not critical. Having internal; lock washers under the bolt heads is more important. Clean threads on the bolt and in the box with blue loc-tite would help, but again, not needed. good and snug, not real tight.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting