i need help on my baja motor

[Marc]

No worries - I'd be a little bent out of shape too if that had happened to me. 1970 transaxles are easily identifiable with the engine removed - it was the last year of the early style throwout bearing (retained by a couple of U-shaped springclips and with NO guide collar tube - this kind requires a clutch cover with a thrust ring in the middle) and the first year with only one drainplug. Every `70 I've ever encountered had the three bosses in the casting surrounding the input shaft seal that were used to mount the guide tube on later years, too - so by drilling/tapping three holes they can be converted to the `71 setup, something to consider if you'll be buying a new clutch cover. There's also an aftermarket tube available that inserts into the input shaft seal bore to allow updating the throwout bearing on a trans without the three bosses - it's available in an $80 kit which includes the requisite `71/early`72 113 141 701E cross-shaft.
There are some pictures of both styles, and the "plug-in" guide tube here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... &start=135
There's a sticky in the transaxle forum that shows where the ID info is stamped near the front of the gear carrier housing (it's visible without removing the trans). viewtopic.php?f=50&t=99606
All `69-`72 Bug transaxles have the same codeletters (AH) and essentially the same ratios, but besides the improved throwout bearing setup for `71 there were also internal progressive refinements that made each year a little different - it's unlikely that you'll be concerned with those, though.

Photos are always good. You can upload them to the STF server if you have nowhere else to have them hosted, but for general pictures that won't need to be available forever it's preferable to park them elsewhere and just post links to them so they don't take up space on doc's server...
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=127818

Again, the above comments apply to US-market cars - the smaller engines available in other countries came with "shorter" gearing. For a Baja with big tires, the "AM" box that came with 1300cc engines in Europe and Canada is worth looking for.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Welcome back to the forum badbaja209. Its never too late you join.

Lee

[badbaja209]

so marc and olfogasaurus i pulled my tranny/motor/rear suspension and i was wondering would it be better too run a suspension lift or should i torsion lift i did make a topic on this but that was because i was gonna do a torsion lift but ive seen a few videos of people puttin airshocks in the rear i dont wanna crazy lift but i want away from the almost stock im at now...........my tranny has no markings on it that i can find and when i drove about 4 weeks ago it seems fine too me its not sloppy or anything...............ps i will try and get pictures on here by tomorrow ....................ohhhh and by the way im still lookin for a way too lift the front of my baja too

[badbaja209]

hey marc and olfogasaurus if you guys dont mind you can click here and see my project i call her "spirit in the sky" let me know if there is not enough too see ......thanks marc and olfog...............




https://post.craigslist.org/manage/4617639917/75xvn

[badbaja209]

marc and olfog sorry i could post the pictures on here but ill upload more

[badbaja209]

hey guys i was wonder i have the two holes that allow heat from the dog house to the heater tubes that run too the car plugged is that good bad or does it matter surely it does or the would have came from the factory plugged right?

[Ol'fogasaurus]

badbaja209, again, I have a glass buggy which is similar enough (in my opinion) for me to talk about.

I ran for quite a few years with a stock suspension setup and air shocks which may or may not be what you are talking about. Mine were the type where you could add air into them to lift the back (or front if you have them up there too) via either a compressor or Schrader valves located in the rear of the car. You can also use one hose for both or two hoses and adjust the pressure that way. I am sure the guys here have heard the story so many times so I will only say that I do not recommend using that type of shock (it really isn't much of a shock in that sense anyway). If you are talking about the nitrogen type of shock then that is another matter, they are usually pretty good if you are careful as to what you buy.

On a stock, 5-joint IRS transaxle the CVs are good for ~ (about/roughly) 12° of angle. http://www.blindchickenracing.com/How_t ... ts_101.htm (I would save this URL as there is a lot of good information to be had here...http://www.blindchickenracing.com/How_t ... nd_cvs.htm) You could race prep them and get maybe a couple more degrees of angle but then you are getting into: I gotta have more travel than that mode!!!



That amount of angle/travel potential should allow you to notch the spring plate ~1/4" (the picture shows a double spring plate like you would have if you are stock) to get some more travel (do it in steps checking things out as no two cars are identical) allowing you to add some more preload to your torsion bars.

There have been a couple of posts that talk about setting preload lately: I think it was TimS's green Baha being one. I did a post several years ago about setting it also (viewtopic.php?t=110857&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0).

there are two other types of suspension changing devices, adjustable spring plates and an adjuster that goes in the rear torsion housing allowing you to adjust preload from there. From what I have heard it is a lot of work but might be worth it.

As far as the front beam goes there are a couple of ways to get some front suspension lift:

Cutting turning the centers of the front beam is one but there is a limit to how much turning of the beam you can do before the ride goes away completely. Not sure but many 1/4 of an inch is about it.

Adding adjusters to the beam is similar to cutting and turning the beam although you now have the ability to control it better. It is fairly easy if you can weld and does allow you some adjust met. There are two styles of adjusters: the AVIS style (http://www.mooreparts.com/1109-AC401103/) is the easiest to do but I would recommend it only for street driving as it isn't for heavy duty off-road and by that I mean some paved and non-paved alleys and rougher surfaces you might travel.



This is the Sway-a-way style is more heavy duty

They now have lifted spindles which are something to think about especially if you also have adjusters. I think they are good for something like 4" of front suspension lift. One drawback I am aware of is that the lower ball-joint is still compromised as it presses in in a way that allows for a couple good suspension compression hits to potentially pull the ball-joint out.

VW did not put suspension stops on BJ beams so the shock acts as the stop also. The shock attaches to the lower trailing arm.

The other thing you might look for are some Thing spindles and maybe their trailing arms. You can use stock trailing arms with the Thing spindles using Thing ball-joints but the hard part is finding a pair of the Thing eccentrics that fit only the upper Thing ball-joint which the stud is larger in diameter. You should be able to get 3 1/2 to 4 inches of lift depending on who you talk to.

There is a whole lot more you can do but I think this is the easy stuff.

Lee

[badbaja209]

ok i have looked at the adjusters can i maybe get some lift spindles in the front......and when i bought it they had put air shocks in the rear and the front has stock vw shock

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Air shocks as well as coil over shock (not to be confused with higher end shocks like Fox and others where the shock is as important as the spring were done a lot more; the coil overs are still being used.

I've never really looked into them before so here are some things I found:

http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Produ ... arings.htm

http://www.dansperformanceparts.com/bug ... 0front.htm Page quite away down for the BJ spindles.

http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac405315.html Whoooof, made my colon pucker.

Thing spindles are probably in the $250 and up category assuming you can find someone willing to part with a pair and the adjuster. The adjuster from what I have been told is almost in the same category as a new Bugatti or a New York Pent house.



This is a pair of BJ spindles side by side. The one on the left is a Thing spindle and the one on the right is a stock type I spindle. Notice the spud location is lower on the Thing spindle and also notice that the bottom of the spindle is longer. This is because the VW engineers changed the design of the type I BJ suspension and pressed the lower BJ to face down not up like previous type Is have.



This is how the Thing suspension is put together. What you see here is complete with the exception of the washer that goes between the nut and the spindle on the top ball-joint. If you look at your suspension you will see the lower ball-joint is pressed into the lower control arm differently.

From what I understand you can use the stock type I upper ball-joint but the loads on the high lift spindle (the spud moved lower) upper ball-joint are higher now (pun not intended) so I would advise you to go with the Thing BJ if you can assuming you can find a set of Thing spindles. I have been told that the old adjuster can be reamed to fit but the new adjusters that they are selling now days are designed for lowered cars so the angle of the eccentric hole in the adjuster is at a different angle.

Lee

[Marc]

OEM front shocks have a snubber assembly at the top which acts as a stop to prevent balljoint breakage on full compression; no aftermarket/replacement shock offers that feature, so for any serious off-road use you need to add stops. If you go with lifted spindles you'll be able to use the stock shocks with snubbers; the shocks are a bit light, but if your front tires/wheels aren't too big & heavy they should work OK.

Stock front shock w/snubber:


Converting to Thing spindles/control arms/balljoints is an excellent way to go, but the parts can be a little difficult to find (and they don't typically come cheap, either) ...that's what we did on the baja we built for my bro-in-law about 10 years ago (now belongs to my son, Chris V): http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... 28&t=65599 (My last post there shows what I paid for the parts then).
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/KaferCh ... rt=3&o=135 (Those front tires are 14" - it now has taller 15" tires and even more ground clearance)

At the other end of the spectrum is simply cutting the center anchor point sections out of the beam and welding them back in, rolled forward slightly...scribe reference marks before you cut and roll the center down by ¼ to 5/16". You can do slightly more, but that's the most I'd recommend. Now you'll need longer shocks to take full advantage, which brings us back to needing to add stops to protect the balljoints under rough use.

[Piledriver]

Heater ducts:
If you have heater boxes, you really MUST have the hoses hooked up so cooling air can flow through them.

That very "popular" but misguided mod will NOT make the engine run cooler... It actually hurts.
... as the fan housing was designed for that continuous flow, and the cool air keeps the heater boxes from melting as well as keeps some heat off the rocker boxes.

If you have J tubes, the plugs are OK but some testing from days gone by suggested that a ~3/4" hole in the plugs works best for engine cooling, as it ~matches the flow that would have gone through the HX.

[Marc]

I'd have to see the study results before I'd believe that, it doesn't pass the common-sense test. Now, on most V8s if you remove the thermostat you should install a restrictor with a hole about that size to raise the coolant pressure in the engine (that reduces cavitation which might reduce waterpump efficiency and encourage corrosion, and can actually make the engine run cooler than leaving the passage wide open) but those considerations don't apply to the ACVW - dumping cooling air would accomplish nothing positive in my estimation. Non-freshair, industrial, and gas-heater Things all use fan shrouds with no fresh air outlets and the factory doesn't poke holes in them

[badbaja209]

hey PILEDRIVER if you dont mind i posted just a few hours ago a bunch of photos of my car i dont know if anyone clicked on that link but doing it on craigslist was the onlly way i could get pictures on here..........................olfog and mark so if i just swap spindles will i have too put a knuckle on my steering joint i dont wanna go that far but if its needed i will and will just changing out my spindle for a 2/34" spindile will i be alright or will i have problems with trailing arms..........marc on the fan shroud i took too pepsi cans cut them in half and covored the holes should i keep them cover or uncover

[badbaja209]

i have the dunebuggy exhust that all i know marc would you mind lookin at that link on my post and see my motor if you dont mind

[badbaja209]

hey heres what some might think is stupid but............my windsheild and rear passenger window is now broke so should i try and sell my glass what i have left sell them for new spindles or put it towards thing spindles