Race Ready is a series of monthly updates on building a race worthy baja. I am not giving these updates from first hand experience because at the moment I can't afford to have my baja chopped up in the back yard. I am how ever giving first hand from friend and what I have read. So please if you cut your prized baja in half and can't get it back together I'm not to blame. This is why I suggest starting out with a junkyard VW pan.
Race Ready
No question about it, if you have any intention of racing or just building the ultimate baja you will need to start out from the ground up with the basic VW pan.
Since I started this page I have been asked several times weather it was easier to take an IRS pan and install king/link pin front suspension or vice versa. I have always said to start out with an IRS pan and install kingpin. To back this up I asked my friend Matt's dad, a former builder and driver of the class 5-1600 baja bug. He said the only way to go was to have both IRS and king/link pin. He said that he started out with an IRS pan and had to cut the front end off, since none of the front suspension parts are interchangeable from ball joint to kingpin. Then he took another pan that had King pin and cut it off. Then the only thing there was to do was to install the king pin front end on the IRS pan. "It's not a perfect fit", he said. "You will have to do a little work to make it fit."
At this point I am thinking it might be worth the $150 or so to let the professionals to do the work.
In the end you should have a VW pan with suspension from the best of both worlds. I saw this one buggy that had rod iron welded under the car in the rim of the pan going all the way around. The owner told me that that it was a good idea if you ever plan on doing any heavy off-roading. Which is what? Stunt car in the next James Bond movie? Actually when I think about it it seems like it would make the pan extremely rigid and strong. I have actually heard the rod iron idea from a few other people, so I guess it is a good idea.
I would like to make a note here: Joe sent me a list of ideas for this section that I think need to posted. He says “Rather than welding a new frame head on an irs pan to mount a link pin front end, all you need to do is weld irs mounts to a swing axle pan with link pin front end. It’s much easier and safer than swapping the frame head. The irs stuff bolts right in after you weld in the mounts. You then use the irs torsion bars, or modified swing axle arms, the choice is yours. Kits are available for this swap, and this is the recommended way to do it now a days.” He also brought up the point of that “irs can be raised” but if you “ raise a stock irs more than a inch, it will cause much stress on the cv's, and they will break. Irs is fine, but many parts will need upgrading to make it handle off road abuse.” Another note he brought up is “If you want to strengthen your pan, use 1 1/4 angle iron, it fits perfect in the pan channel where the pan to body bolts are.” Also he brought to my attention that I had SCORE as SCHORE. Thanks Joe for for all your help!!
I would like to make a note here: Joe sent me a list of ideas for this section that I think need to posted. He says “Rather than welding a new frame head on an irs pan to mount a link pin front end, all you need to do is weld irs mounts to a swing axle pan with link pin front end. It’s much easier and safer than swapping the frame head. The irs stuff bolts right in after you weld in the mounts. You then use the irs torsion bars, or modified swing axle arms, the choice is yours. Kits are available for this swap, and this is the recommended way to do it now a days.” He also brought up the point of that “irs can be raised” but if you “ raise a stock irs more than a inch, it will cause much stress on the cv's, and they will break. Irs is fine, but many parts will need upgrading to make it handle off road abuse.” Another note he brought up is “If you want to strengthen your pan, use 1 1/4 angle iron, it fits perfect in the pan channel where the pan to body bolts are.” Also he brought to my attention that I had SCORE as SCHORE. Thanks Joe for for all your help!!
