“Another Texas Baja” is going to Montana!!!!!

[TexasBaja]

“Another Texas Baja”
I want to start off by thanking Steve Tyo and Allen Englebert for their expert advice and all of their help they have and will be providing with this project. If it wasn’t for them I would not be as far as I am.


I started this project in the fall of 2008. This project is for my son David (aka: Bajaanyone?) so he could have something to drive to school and we can have fun with when we go to the races.


I bought a 1969 VW beetle that had a 1500 single port engine. My plans were to make it a simple and affordable Baja with a 1835 motor, disk brakes on all corners, full roll cage, but as time passed and the more research I did I have decided to make it a full out pre-runner. I have said that this is my mid-life crisis. (I am building my son a car that I have always wanted) My first car was a 1975 Baja but it was nowhere near the car I am building now. Pretty much completely stock with a 1641 engine, 4 point roll cage with a bug eye baja kit. Man that car was fun to drive.








This is what we started with. 1969 Beetle








It had been T-boned and someone replaced the front quarter of the car. My son started to strip it completely down to the pan. The neighbors loved us.lol











Once we got it all stripped to the pan we decided to convert it to a link pin front end. I have never welded in my life but I bought a flux core welder from a friend decided to teach myself.








We decided to push the front forward 4” so if down the road if we decided to use longer trailing arms it would look good. I am glad we did.

6” over beam with 8” shock towers.









We started off by just boxing in the rear trailing arms but plans have changed. You will see why later.






The pan on this car was in very good shape. The only thing I had to replace was the area at the battery. The rest of the pan was in great shape. The body was a different story. Like I said before it had been t-boned and was in bad shape. When we got the body off we found that the heater channels was completely rusted out and the body work was going to be horrendous. A co worker told me he had seen a baja bug in the junk yard and we went to look at it. Not too bad. This body is a 1970 but is only 6 months older than the other body and pan.









My son is an expert now in stripping VW’s so he got started.






We got it stripped and the body off. I cut the front metal off knowing that I was going to a one piece front clip.







Believe it or not I found a front end and rear fenders here in Texas; Conroe to be exact. Pretty good shape too.








Last March my son and I went to an off road race here in Texas and we met a race team from San Antonio that races a class 5 car.(TA Racing) Since then both of my sons and myself have become members of the race team . We have now moved the car from my garage to the shop in San Antonio so we can build the roll cage and finish the car.
My son turned 16 in September and we need to get this car finished. Steve has been so kind to help us get this car going. I think he is more excited than anyone to get this car finished just so he can test drive it since we will be using it at the races as a pre-runner.
Once we got it to the shop we started the roll cage. At first I was going to go with 1-1/2” .090 wall tubing but Steve talked me into .120 wall tubing.




























I asked Steve what size fuel cell I should get and he said the biggest one I can put in there.
Well I did.

22 gal Jaz fuel cell. It takes up the entire back but my son will never have the excuse to run out of gas or give any of his friends a ride unless they want to ride on the roof.









As I stated before we had originally boxed the stock swing arms but decided to go a different route. We ended up going with 3x3 arms and notice there are no torsion bars. We are going to go coilovers in the rear.






My original plans was to go with 31x10.5 BFG’s in the rear and 7.00x15 in the front. One night my son decided to put the race cars tires on it and he changed my mind. Thank god we don’t have a LS1 laying around in the shop.






My son has figured out that all he has to do is just show me what it will look like and it will change my mind.

This is how the car sits now but I should have a bunch of parts coming in this week so we can get back to work.






Updates coming soon…

[CentralWAbaja]

Well.....It's about time

You been around here for 6 months dropping little comments about this baja in your garage. I was just about to call BS. I actually had a post the other day that I did not submit.... asking you to put up or shut up.

Thanks for sharing...It looks good and I think you got some good help there...I mean the kid

Seriously... Steve is good help too I am sure.

[CentralWAbaja]

Man I really want to run that tire set as well.... but I am afraid it will just rip the front fenders right off.

I really like the look of having the front fenders on and not cut completely off.(Personal preference)

[bajaherbie]

looks great!


i noticed the 3 wheelers.... is the kawi a 2-fity tecate?

[Mrs. BigDave]

No long travel A-arms?????? I'm disappointed! Then again, Big Dave has to put up with me lusting after mid-engine, 2 seater, long-travel LS engined sandrails Death on wheels! LOL At least I have now moved my lusting to (possibly) a Can-Am Commander.....
Let me corrupt your son a bit and you will be doing the full on LS long-travel A-arm with trailing A-arm rears.....
Yes, I know I need more to do than ponder motorized death traps and shave the cats in to bald lions whilst Big Dave is gone.....
Still Stumping for Team Mo-mo and the Utards!!!!!

[Leatherneck]

Cool to see the pics of the baja progress as well as seeing your son get some experience he will use throughout his life. Keep the updates coming, looks like it will be a blast to drive.

[TexasBaja]

looks great!


i noticed the 3 wheelers.... is the kawi a 2-fity tecate?

Yes Herbie... That is a '84 250 Tecate. I bought it in 1990 from a freind of mine for 500.00. Best 500 bucks I ever spent. I also have a ATC 70 that the boys used to ride when they were little. I am going to sell it though.

Once we get the Baja done we will be coming up to Little Sahara and having some fun. I think we might bring the racecar too. If its not torn down to pieces for the Baja 1000. SO GET OFF YOUR DUFF AND GET YOURS DONE!!!!!


Mrs. Big Dave: I keep telling my son that If I only knew then what I know now things would be alot different. I told him the other day that it would have been nice to go A-Arm but I have to much invested in it now. Steve is starting to get the Baja Bug fever so maybe our next build will be an A-Arm. He had a Manix that was A-Arm. Keep on Stumping

Leatherneck: Both my son and I have learned so much from this project. He is taking welding class in school and is now teaching his teacher how to weld.
Steve grew up watching his dad build NHRA cars. The man knows how to weld. He has been teaching both my son and I.

CentralWAbaja: I figured you guys would call BS eventualy. I would not have expected anything less from all you guys and gals.
I am still going to cut both the front and rar fenders back but not drastic. Just so the tires miss.

The guys are bringing me back some parts from Cali so I should be very busy this week.Saved me a Boat load of $$$$ on freight. Hopefully finishing the suspension.

[jps1145]

That thing is looking awesome!

[rickosuave1987]

Thanks for posting your build thread up. Its really cool to see father & son projects. Especially with a car as cool as what youre building.

[TexasBaja]

Thanks for posting your build thread up. Its really cool to see father & son projects. Especially with a car as cool as what youre building.

Thanks Ricko.

I must say he will have the coolest car in High School. He is starting to convert these Kuntry boys from their 4x4 deisel trucks with dual stacks huge tires and mud flaps to VW's and pre-runners trucks.

[Hedrock]

Thanks for posting your build thread up. Its really cool to see father & son projects. Especially with a car as cool as what youre building.

Thanks Ricko.

I must say he will have the coolest car in High School. He is starting to convert these Kuntry boys from their 4x4 deisel trucks with dual stacks huge tires and mud flaps to VW's and pre-runners trucks.

Sweet

[TexasBaja]

Look what just arrived from California.













Both front and rear shocks. 2.0x10” in the front and 2.5x14” coilovers in the rear with Eibach springs. Now I am just waiting on Moore Parts to ship the correct coilover conversion kit. Hopefully that will come this week so we can work on it this weekend.


The race car is back and in need of some attention before the next race so we have a busy month ahead of us.



I will keep the updates coming.

[bajananyone?]

Dad totally forgot a picture of his baja.....

[bajaherbie]

uh, nice shorts.

[TexasBaja]

uh, nice shorts.

As soon as David posted this picture I said it just a matter of time before BajaHerbie would comment. Those were OP chord shorts and they were cool back in the day.
Now the chic's pants are a different story.