Type IV Baja Thing Project

[suntour]

I bought mine for $600, but that was quite some time ago. Of course it was a total beater, come to think about it, it still is a total beater.

[david58]

Bump

[LB181]

Dang I posted this one about three years ago. I still have the Thing, and its still under construction. I think I have gone through about three project cars in between, but I am finally working on the Thing again. I tore the front end down, and I am getting adjusters welded in, and new ball joints. I installed a rear disc brake kit from Chirco, and I am thinking about getting a so cal kit for the front. Should be on the road soon.

[david58]

Lets see some build pics of your thing.

[david58]

Ok, I will expand on my avatar a bit.

I made a "spacer" out of a ball joint front beam that I cut down to 24" wide. I used 1.75" tubing roughly 5" long that comes down to a 6" wider warrior beam.

I then ran bent tubes up to my rollcage, with cross bracing to mount a spun alum tank. This is also plated. I then made new braces between the beam and pan similar to stock using a 20 ton press and 1.5" tubing. The coilovers are 10" Fox reservoirs with 200/400 coils. They mount to L shaped adjustable brackets I got from a friend that normally mount koni coilovers on the rear of drag cars. This allowed me to tune up vs down travel. I've got the cheapo 2.5" longer 1" wider front trailing arms, and 3" lift spindles, turned by a HD rack and pinion and heimed tie rods. I now have a Bilstein steering stabilizer slowing it down. Right now it makes 9" up travel and 5" down travel for a total of 14" All the way up, the pan is 4" from the ground.

3" body lift makes room for the tires in the post, or 31" swampers, which I would like to replace with BFG baja TA's.

3x3 chromoly arms in the back mounting dual 12" fox reservoir shocks off the cage. Still kept the torsions because I couldn't afford to coil the back yet, and it works good. Bypass shocks are in the works, but it's a good 12" of travel in the back right now.

I want to go with combo spindles and 4" longer front arms when I get the funds, but UCLA takes most of what I make. It works really well at Pismo, and I'm hoping to go to Glamis over Thanksgiving.


A side shot showing basic idea.



Unfinished work showing front suspension.



Front truck showing tube work body lift and coilover mounts.

Sorry to make you check thesamba, I dont have any other way, think my pics are too big for here.

It's not Baja Shop, but it works well, and will be a nice car built on a college kid budget. I plan for dual buckets in the back as well, and a maroon paint job similar to the new H2 (bleh)

Hope that gives you an idea.

Jordan

The rack and pinion works great for pitching the car in the sand. Only problem is that it is twitchy, even more so with a 12" wheel. The razorback front tires helped this as well. No bumpsteer thanks to a LOT of measuing and help from friends, but lots of feedback, prompting a stabilizer. It is a much more positive feeling experience. Only problem I have had is that the stock column was destroyed in the sand, so I have been forced to add a cross bar on my cage to mount a second pillowblock (column bearing) on and to go with a tube column rather than stock. This is still in progress.

As to the discs, I understand that's a common problem too. I havent even tried what I have, but when I get to the point I can afford rears too, I will buy a set of neal pedals or the like pre-setup for disc/disc.

I kinda like that look for the fenders. With a tubing bender one could get pretty creative up there. For now, it stays open.

As for beadlocks and paddles:


Fronts are steel beadlocks fron Jegs, weld on to your steel rim. I had a couple and thought I might try them. They work GREAT.

Rear paddles are on aluminum for now, will be going steel as my last good jump tweaked one of the rims.



They didn't come off in this one. Only problem was the steering column giving up... had to get into it.

Thanks again for the compliments.

Jordan

Nice I fixed the pics for ya.