evernon's Baja Build

[evernon]

Got most of the wiring squared away & have put about 2 miles on it so far. It is obvious that the 35" rears need to be replaced with a smaller tire as the gearing is to tall even with the 3 rib tranny. Unless things have changed since I last bought a 15" tire 15 yrs ago, 31" was the smallest size that would allow wide options. Any thoughts on who makes a lighter 31" x 11.5 or 12"? Looking for something somewhat aggressive that will perform in snow & mud etc.

I went to install my wipers & found that I am missing one of the thin nuts that hold each end of the mechanism to the body at the base of each arm. I took the one I had to Ace & it appears that it is not a standard metric size. Anyone else had to deal with this?

Torsions are a pain. Already adjusted up twice & it is still sagging. When I get the FOAs charged with nitrogen, how much lift will this provide? I am debating weather I should have them charged prior to re-adjusting the torsions.

[CentralWAbaja]

When I get the FOAs charged with nitrogen, how much lift will this provide?

None....

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=145718

[Leatherneck]

When I get the FOAs charged with nitrogen, how much lift will this provide?

None....

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=145718

Agree.

How old are the torsions, are they stock? I need to read more I guess.

[dustymojave]

Shocks should NEVER hold the car up unless they are coilovers or airshocks, as discussed before. Check the shocks thread.

[evernon]

Yes the torsions are stock. I was hoping to drive it for a spell while saving up some dinero for the coil overs. I'll give it another try with more pre-load on the springs.

On to the engine -

It starts up & idles well after a brief warm up (30 sec) and sounds amazing when I rev it up a bit. While driving though, it has poor low end response & stumbles off the start a bit. I know that I am loosing low end by running a 009 & the symptoms are worse due to the oversize rears but I am thinking that it may need to get tuned better. This morning I checked the accelerator pumps & they all squirt immediately when throttle is applied. While looking things over, I noticed that the rod & spring that actuate the accelerator pumps are wet or somewhat slimy like the carbs (DRLA's) are leaking gas into this area from underneath somewhere. I looks like they may be leaking slowly after shutdown where the gas is evaporating leaving the goo behind.

[dustymojave]

If you have dual DRLA carbs, you are NOT losing low end to the 009. That applies to the stock Solex 30-PICT-2 to 34 PICT-3 carbs.

Running double Dels or Webers will tend to lose bottom end, but gain mid and top end power. But the throttle will be more of an On-Off switch than with a smaller single carb.

What is your rear gear ratio?

[Steve Arndt]

Narrow is better so think of "not wide" for tires.

[Leatherneck]

See if you can find some higher number torsions. The stock ones are good for, well stock usage.

[evernon]

The engine idles perfect & when babied, accelerates very smoothly. It hesitates when given a little more gas & roars when given more pedal. I will pull a plug next weekend to see what color it has turned but I am guessing it is running a little lean. Head temp has not yet made it to 300 on either side. The transmission is a stock Three rib bus - not sure of the gear ratio but with the 35" rears, 1st feels good, 2nd a little too broad and I am doing 55mph in 3rd well under 4000rpm.

I still have not been able to get the turn signal to override the brake light with the trailer light adapter POS

Got the windshield wipers installed & the drivers side has about 4" off free play. The arm appears well attached to the shaft but the shaft is rotating (slipping) where it connects to the lever arm thingy. Any idea how the shaft is connected? if it was a splined connection you would think it would fail completely, not just partially.

The engine will not turn off unless I remove the power supply to the ignition relay. I found that if I probe the switched hot wire to the ignition relay with a test light (while in the off position with engine still running), the engine dies. If all it needs is a bulb, I am thinking that the dash light might be incorrectly wired. When I turn on the ignition, the dash light comes on. When running, the light goes out. when the ignition is turned off, the light comes on but the engine still runs.

I'll put more pre-load on the torsions this weekend & see if it will level things out more. I am thinking I will go for the coil overs before spending more for stiffer torsions that may leave me stranded after a hard landing.

Man, this thing is really going to be fun!! I can't thank you guys enough for all the help you have given me over the years. I can't believe it is almost ready for daily use, off roading etc.

[evernon]

Sort of bummed out that I finally got it going & it is too cold out to drive with no heat. Have any of you guys installed a gas or diesel fired auxiliary heater? Looks like I could buy a Stewart Warner from the 70's for cheap. Another new model is being sold through Ebay (Planar 44D-12-gp) burns diesel & even comes with a control panel, thermostat etc.

Has anyone converted from torsions to coil overs recently? Eagle performance sells a kit for $275 but Appletree has something similar for over a hundred cheaper. I don't want to be cheap here & have something break but they look like either setup would work.

[bajaherbie]

the cheaper conversion plates will work but make sure it has the large boss that fits into the torsion housing. don't buy the el-cheap0s that just use the four bolts to attach to the torsion housing. I bought the eagles but later someone came out with the knock-off with the big boss, maybe latest rage...

no help on the heater but the diesel one sounds safer

[TimS]

Steve A has a jet turbine under his hood. Check out his build page.

[BAJA-IT]

Has anyone converted from torsions to coil overs recently? Eagle performance sells a kit for $275 but Appletree has something similar for over a hundred cheaper. I don't want to be cheap here & have something break but they look like either setup would work.

I converted mine a wile back, but haven't driven the Baja much because of a low oil pressure problem. I received the cheaper plates as a Christmas present and then modified them. You can check them out in my build thread here http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... &start=225 half way down the page.

[evernon]

So I have decided to draw hot air from the oil cooler to heat the interior. The fan shroud I have has a separate compartment for the oil cooler which allows hot air to be ejected outside the cooling tins via a 3" circular hole. I plan on attaching a nipple over the hole that I can then attach ducting to. I need to find a 3" diverter flap valve or something similar so I can dump hot air when not needed. Hopefully I can find one that is simple to operate with a pull cable or something similar. I am not sure the engine cooling fan is going to push enough air to heat things up so I am planning on installing a 3" inline blower to help draw air through the ducting. If it provides enough heat & flow, I could then maybe add ducting to get air into the vent locations etc.

The auxiliary heat units look cool but they are expensive & are way more complex. I am not sure they would hold up to the vibration & dirty environment.

How did you guys get determine what coil over springs would work for the rear on a BAJA? The spring rate calculator on the FOA site does not seem to have an option for a trailing arm suspension. I am not sure of the vehicle weight either. After reviewing a few posts, I would guess that the vehicle weight should be around 2000lbs but I am guessing that there is a lot more in the rear with rear mounted tank & bus engine & tranny + rear seating (eventually).

[TimS]

I'm concerned about your heating plans. Do you know of a similar setup that worked? I would think that with as much airflow as is being pushed through there, the output wouldn't be very warm, plus that cooler is only really flowing oil when the engine is hot. Will it get hot enough in winter? I don't know.