first five off road modifications I should do?

[Metal Twister]

Have a Thing that I need to get more off road worthy. What would be the first five modifications I should do to make it noticeably more off road friendly? Keeping in mind I want to keep it street legal as well. Thoughts or direction?
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[Aerindel]

1: re-enforced front shock towers.

2: boxed trailing arms (if you have IRS)

3: Skid plate.

4: Roll cage

5: 5-6 point harness.
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Homemade woods/street, bug out rail. IRS, Balljoint front end. 1967 1600cc DP, Weber 32/36 progressive, tri-mil quiet pack. Rear only cutting brakes.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630046

[Metal Twister]

Interesting... do the shock towers tend to fold over? Break off? It doesn't seem that there would be that much pressure on them unless you went with coil overs on the front?

Thanks for the reply by the way. I will be building a cage for it and already have the 5 point harness's. Yep a skid plate is a must as well... Hum, better get busy!
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[Dale M.]

Only one..Sell thing to me....

Dale
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“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
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All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[Aerindel]

[3gengines]

[dirtkeeper]

The thing front beams already have reinforced shock towers.


Here's a few

New quality shocks
Studs For the wheels , makes putting those big wheels and tires on so much easier
Quality aftremarket or from other car seats. This along with good shocks can improve the ride a lot
Transmission straps
Good carburator filter

[Metal Twister]

Ok so I guess most of this stuff has already been done by the PO?

The wheels have studs, after market trailing arms of some type, Good looking long Bilstein shocks on the back and new Gas-A-Just shocks up front, body lifted, and after market high fenders. The front end is cut and turned and the tranny is strapped in. The engine im told is a 1776 with a pointless distributor along with a Weber Carb with a good air cleaner attached. It is also sporting a nice aluminized exhaust. Not sure if it is the hot set up for off road though, seems to be close to the ground? He threw in a second transaxle that he said was a close ratio 3rd and 4th if that sounds right? and a set of paddles for the sand. I don't think any of this stuff has ever been used, if so very little.


Based on your posts here it looks like a cage, a skid plate, and mount the seats along with the 5 pt harness that are from something else should get me going.

It sure looks like crap so some type of paint will be in order in the near future as well. Kinda thinking camouflage might be easy and fun at the same time? Pros cons?

And thanks for the reply's, its a great help! Ive had it in the barn for a year now and think its time to make it street-able once again. Last time it was on the street was 2010.

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[Aerindel]

What carb is that?
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Homemade woods/street, bug out rail. IRS, Balljoint front end. 1967 1600cc DP, Weber 32/36 progressive, tri-mil quiet pack. Rear only cutting brakes.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=630046

[Metal Twister]

That is a Weber 32 36 DFEV Anyway that is what is stamped in the back of it?
Good or bad? I know the guy who built the engine here in San Diego. He runs an import shop and he tells me he fiddled with the carb for a good part of a day when he set it up. His customer drove it home and started stripping it down for paint... it ever went back on the road. I get it though I have a few of those projects that seem to always take the back seat to something more important.
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[Aerindel]

[Metal Twister]

Thanks again...
So why a heated manifold? I'm in San Diego at sea level and Ive never had an issue with things getting cold?
Warm air intake? Heater Boxes? Things have gas operated heaters.
Its been professionally re-jetted but I might want to tinker a bit with that.
I ran the lifted bug on my avatar for 8 years with out tin and it worked just fine. Im not so sure it is as critical as everyone says? Ive had several rails and never ran any type of tin... Just saying?
Fuel filter out side of the engine compartment is a must! I have a couple of the glass ones that I would feel much better running than the plastic disposable models.

And thanks for the link... I will dig into that this evening. Thanks again it is truly appreciated!
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[dustymojave]

I put my glass fuel filters in a piece of clear tygon tubing with zi[ ties to protect it.

Lower tins are not needed, especially without the heater boxes.

I don't think your Thing is sitting low. What are you basing that on? Looking at images of Class 5-Open Bajas with 6x7 arms on the back and +4 arms with lift spindles in the front? Look at this Crumco race Baja with all of that listed above. See if yours sits so low in comparison to it.

Or did you just mean the exhaust? If you want it better, it would have to be custom made.

The carb will work. As Aerindel said, some think you should just throw them away. Some think they're the best. Try it before you decide whether you should get rid of it.

Umm...6-point belts are for lay-down seating like a formula car. You know...F1, Indy, etc. 5-Point is what is needed in a Thing. If a cop gives you troubles over it...They think you have to have a 3-point belt and race belts are not tested for DOT approval...you MAY have to put in and use stock-type 3 points when driving on the street. Even if they're not as safe. Cops almost NEVER care about what is better...just what is legally approved. Often they don't know that either. You can have both in the car.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Metal Twister]

First off thanks for the well thought out reply. It is appreciated!
The car sits plenty high, I was concerned about the exhaust which looks low since the body lift was added. I will try to modify it my self before running out and purchasing something else.
Same with the carb. Since posting this up I've talked to the guy who built the engine. He says he spent a good part of a day dialing in that carb and insists its a good one.
A lap belt is all that is required in Ca. For that year. And to be honest I will most likely use the 4 point since the crotch strap is a major PITA!
And finally the glass in the Tygon tube is a great idea. Will do.

Thanks again and I will check out Crumco's link.
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[dustymojave]

3-point belts were required in all cars by California in 1968. Things were sold in the US in 1973 and 1974. So an officer COULD require 3-point belt use for your car.

The purpose of the crotch strap is to keep the lap belt down on your hips. Shoulder belts pull the lap belt up as they are snugged. The crotch belt resists that. Lap belt riding up into the belly is what killed NASCAR great Fireball Roberts. His death was what caused NASCAR to require 5-point competition belts in 1965. The lap belt MUST BE SNUGGED 1ST. In many years of checking racers as they approach the start of races, I've many times found race car occupants with the shoulder to crotch very tight and in a straight line from crotch to shoulder, with the lap belt raised up to the shoulder/crotch belts. The belts would have injured or killed people belted like that in a serious crash.

With 5-point belts:
- Lap belt holds you in the seat.
- Shoulder belts hold you back so you don't hit the dash or steering wheel or break your back as you bend forward.
- Crotch belt keeps the shoulder belts from pulling the lap belts up.

I have 5-point belts in my Baja Bug. Yup. They're a PITA. But then, so is death.

My Baja is a 58. No factory belts. No bosses in the B-Pillars to mount 3-point belts Bosses COULD be welded in. In California, I'm not required to wear seat belts in that Bug. But it's had belts since before my dad bought it in 1963 from his friend who he had installed lap belts for.

Didn't mean to turn this into a personal rant for seat belts. But I'm not turning it around now.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Metal Twister]

[Vanapplebomb]

[tripicana]

It would still be a good idea to weld the seams of the towers
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[Metal Twister]

[dustymojave]

Yes. It's a stock Thing beam with the factory shock tower gussets. If the pinch seams have arc weld along the edge, it has been welded by someone other than the factory. The shock towers only got spot welds at the factory. The gussets got arc welds, IIRC. The adjusters have been added. That should make a nice beam and work well. You can upgrade. Whether that's really necessary depends on how radical you intend to use it. Bumper to bumper cage structure including support for the beam would be needed long before an upgrade to the beam. Then you need to upgrade, spindles, arms, shocks, steering, etc. to go with the beam.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.