Okay if you had 1000 dollars to spend on a standard bug to turn it into a baja offroad rig what would you do. Basically thats my current budget and dont want to waste $$$

Used 235 75 15 tires.
Good used 3 rib transaxle.
Two $10 on sale H.F. imitation KCs
Id swap front for rear fenders so there would be no expense for fiber glass.

You use the same size tire front and rear... as for the tranny not familiar with the 3 rib having a high gear ratio, thought it was the 5 rib...

perrib wrote:

Used 235 75 15 tires. Good used 3 rib transaxle. Two $10 on sale H.F. imitation KCs Id swap front for rear fenders so there would be no expense for fiber glass.

find a good used Bus 3 rib transaxle ..... it has the lowest 1st gear and with 31" tires on the rear you will be able to run 75mph on the road. great when you are running a air cooled motor. use the 10 dre kit you wont need to cut the body. only use the 5 and 6 rib with bigger motors.

run bus CV on the inner and outer.

cut and turn the frount beem put ajustor in ... make sure you turn the ajustors 1/4 turn before you weld them in.

replace all ball joints with the ones that are used for lowering the car... they work both ways.

go to the junk yard and get some good seats that hold you in.

good tires... 31 10.50 on a 8" rim I like BFG All train for baja's they last forever! and have just enuf slip to keep them spinning when you clim a hill.

the frount tires go with a 215 75r use a LT with a 6 or 8 ply rateing ... they will hold up better to side inpacks. use on a 4 or 5" rim

steel rims are cheep from Discount tire.

I would Craigslist all the fiberglass and use spray paint to paint the car. If you use a name brand spray paint ... when you replace something the new paint will match.

Flat colors are EZ er to paint than gloss.

and the most important thing.... put gas in it and go play.

Look up VW Baja in a Weekend on youtube under AzBaja. We did that for next to nothing and most money was spent on red paint.

Brakes make sure that you have good brakes!!! then electrical. make sure your wiring is good and works everything else is just extra. O' Ya do not forget to patch the rust hole were the battery fell out the car

Brakes are a good thing. I used 235 70 15 tires to use the stock rims and swapping and cutting the stock fenders, leaving more of the money for the transmission and restoring suspension and brakes. All the other stuff is almost free if you have access to a welder and some basic tools. Dodge Caravan rear shocks work for the rear of the Baja when you lift the rear suspension. Lifting the front just cut and turn the top tube. The 10 degree kit to install the 3 rib is very easy to make.

same thing i did on mine right now, build it up on deals and pocket the other $600 xD

thanks guys looking into the tires now and searching for a 3 rib tranny near me.
I want to remove the stock gas tank and put in a 15 gallon summit aluminum tank any thing to watch out for in doing this type of setup. I dont want to have the cell in the passenger compartment as I want to have the space to put two individual seats in the back instead of the bench.


Muddypruett when you find more deals like that send em my way lol...

Even though it is not my money, buying a tank to gain 3 gallons seems like a waste of money. Make some big tree bars and on side mount a five gallon gas can and the other side a huge ammo box for tools. I have seen a rail with another fuel tank mounted in the roof rack.

First off, it looks like you are in Miami Florida. So with that said, take some time to review the type of terrain you will be using this car on. Most of us are in the Southwest and drive in rough terrain. We need as much suspension travel as we can afford to soak up the bumps.

You, however, are in a slightly different area. Is it a beach cruiser, grocery getter, fun car to run around the neighborhood... The actual use of the car will dictate what you need to do. Give us a little feedback on that and we will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Here is the video on "build a baja in a weekend!"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwPcl-BgVkk

Although in Florida our biggest issue is mud. However, I want to be able to get ontop of curbs and parking spot stops and off road on rocky roads we have. Old rock query we have.

What part of Florida you could find all the fiber glass you need used and there you dont need a lots of lift. we always got away with 30" tall tires in the rear.

I want to do a three inch spindle lift up front and not sure what to do in the back that's all the lift I want and thinking of cutting up my stock fenders do the brakes and rewire the car as it needs it and new tires.. Hope have enough left to start making a roof rack/ gas carrier/ rear bumper

where are you located?