Ever had a really bad idea? We sure did - 5/1600 Bug

Ever had a few beers with your friends and just have a really bad idea? We sure did except there was another critical ingredient, we also watched Dust to Glory. I think everyone can tell where this is going. For anyone that doesn't know, Dust to Glory is a movie known to be highly dangerous, inspiring, and, well, pretty glorious.

There was only one thing, they raced Class 11. A SCORE Class 11 car is a VW Bug. But not a Baja Bug, not a highly modified desert machine. A stock VW bug with 3.7 safety modifications and some new shock absorbers. Deciding very quickly that we didn't want spend 1000 miles like a piece of quartz in a 9 year old's rock tumbler, we had to find an alternative to Class 11. Not wanting to build a tube framed buggy as our very first race car and not really being able to afford a 6 figure budget, our class choices were quickly reduced to Class 7sx and Class 5/1600. For no explicable reason, we decided to go with 5/1600.

Class 5/1600 is a wonderful classic desert racing class, limited suspension (slightly modified stock VW Bug suspension) and limited engine (VW 1600cc only, single carburetor, etc.)  Baja Bugs, this seemed perfect. Because I happened to know a friend's father with a Bug rotting in his alley...and because we're impulsive....inside of 24 hours we were the proud owners of one very beat up 67 Bug.

Because she had mostly disintegrated tires, we had to winch/drag her into the trailer. Fortunately, Will, one of the team members, has a small towing company in his truck at all times. Incredible. 

Fortunately, there was a handy tree in front of where we wanted the car to end up so the unloading was easier. A pulley, a truck, and a mighty yank (okay, it was multiple very careful yanks) and the Bug was home!

Like most good projects, we proceeded to immediately abandon the project for a couple of months until the semester ended. But we got back to it. Just after New Years, we started cleaning out the car. Well, oh god.

The car had sat for about 10 years before we got it and it was obviously a pack rat palace. There was cactus, sticks, grass, cacti, and rat E36 M3 literally everywhere. This was compounded by an interior that had seen a stunning conversion from it's original vinyl to wood. Every trim piece in the entire car had been changed to wood best found at Home Depot. That took a day and then we were here.

Then we discovered some rust...

There is no easier or cheaper car to work on. Our 1974 looked worse than yours and for around $3500 USD, we got it looking like this

Day 3:

Goals: Clean out car, drop the engine, and move it into the garage. Unfortunately, that puts my Miata project out on the street for the time being. Guess I really need a new top for that now.

Winching the tire-less car into the garage. 

"What is that come-a-long attached to?" Why, I'm glad you asked...

Then we logically decided before we dragged the damn thing inside, we really could just drop the motor...

Then, we struck Craigslist gold. A man living in what could only appropriately be described as buttf*&@ nowhere, posted an ad along the lines of "I have a lot of VW parts, I want to get rid of all of them, $300 takes it all" accompanied with four bad pictures. We arrived at night with a 22 ft trailer and two trucks. Both were filled with: two sand rail frames, three complete engines, two transmissions, 5 engine cases, an engine stand, 6 wheels, 7 cases of assorted parts, a reel of braided stainless steel hose, exhausts, etc... 

Here are a few pictures, I probably don't have pictures of the half of it.

Using some of our profits from our sales so far, we've acquired a gas air compressor, a parts washer, a pressure washer, a lot of blasting media, and a link pin front beam to replace our original ball joint one.

After lots more cleaning, we eviscerated the rest of the Bug. Then, we got on to cutting. First with 7 inch angle grinder cut-off wheels which are quite impressive tools when you are only used to 4.5s. 

Then we stepped it up a notch. Plasma cutters are like really cool angle grinders....

In reply to loosecannon :

That's tremendous! It definitely has been a lot of fun so far! 

I like that front bumper!

If you still have a sand rail frame I'd trade you a one piece fiberglass from end for it. I have a friend in Phoenix who travels back and forth a few times a year who can handle the shipping.

Man I've always loved sand rails. Espeically after that member here built one for the challenge. (name escapes me at the moment.) It was painted green and called something lizzard. 

This looks excellent. Bad ideas are good. 

More! More! More! 

Looks like a fun idea to me

Can you build a sand rail with all the parts you got? are you gonna do it?

The purists aren't going to be happy about a '67 being cut up. There are a lot of one year only parts on '67s. My first project car was a Baja Bug made from a 'Turkis' 1961 Bug...I still haven't told the purists.

Very cool. I'm pretty sure I'd build a Class 11 car if I lived within 1000 miles of where they race. Something about the pain intrigues me. Might be the rock tumbler that is currently running in the garage? 

In reply to Mad_Ratel :

That was Jthw8 and the car was called "the lot lizard"

Well damn, now I want an air cooled Beetle...

In reply to oldopelguy :

I'll talk to all the other guys and get back to ya!

In reply to 2_3 :

We definitely had enough parts to build a full sand rail but we no longer have a spare transmission or a spare front beam so it's now unlikely. It would have made a great prerunner. 

My other consideration was that if I built a tube chassis frame car, I'd really want it to be a SCORE Class 9 or a Class 12 legal frame so, you know, you could race that one too!