So my car club has a dirt auto khana this saturday. I'm trying to wrangle a seat in a friends car, but if not I'd like to take my beetle out. Only one real issue... The car is lowish. My single biggest concern is ripping the deep sump off the motor. So what I'm trying to sort out is if I can make some sort of skid plate. I'd rather not go all the way forward because I've got a camber compensator and I'll have issue with that. So, here's a few pics of the underside of the car.
This is a slightly earlier pic and a few things have moved but I still have the oil filter in the same spot...
Thoughts? Am I an idiot, or can I cobble something together to prevent tragedy?
Deep sumps and skid plates.
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petew
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Deep sumps and skid plates.
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
You do have a busy underside for sure.
If you are going to play in the dirt or sand the skid plate is a good idea more so in the dirt... I think. Usually, when off-roading, there is an engine cage to attach a skid plate to. I tried to see if you have a Kaffer/Truss bar but if you have one or not I still would be very leery about putting the pickle forks in the mix or use the engine as an attach object. What ever you come up with put a bend in the forward and rear sides of your skid-plate not just for strength but so the skid plate does not pick up dirt like a bulldozer. Pack-in or packing in dirt could be just as bad as an engine hit.
I didn't realize that the off-road gymkhanas' were still being done. They and some other kinds of "gimmick" (fun/driving ability check events) autocrosses/gymkhanas' like skills types of days were fun and tested other driving skills.
If you are going to play in the dirt or sand the skid plate is a good idea more so in the dirt... I think. Usually, when off-roading, there is an engine cage to attach a skid plate to. I tried to see if you have a Kaffer/Truss bar but if you have one or not I still would be very leery about putting the pickle forks in the mix or use the engine as an attach object. What ever you come up with put a bend in the forward and rear sides of your skid-plate not just for strength but so the skid plate does not pick up dirt like a bulldozer. Pack-in or packing in dirt could be just as bad as an engine hit.
I didn't realize that the off-road gymkhanas' were still being done. They and some other kinds of "gimmick" (fun/driving ability check events) autocrosses/gymkhanas' like skills types of days were fun and tested other driving skills.
Lee
My opinion is worth slightly less than what you paid for it.
My opinion is worth slightly less than what you paid for it.
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Piledriver
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
Rally-cross is huge... everywhere other than the US.
Addendum to Newtons first law:
zero vehicles on jackstands, square gets a fresh 090 and 1911, cabby gets a blower.
EZ3.6 Vanagon after that.(mounted, needs everything finished) then Creamsicle.
zero vehicles on jackstands, square gets a fresh 090 and 1911, cabby gets a blower.
EZ3.6 Vanagon after that.(mounted, needs everything finished) then Creamsicle.
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
Pile, we have rally-cross here in the PNW, as a matter of fact a few years ago there was a fatal in one of them by Ocean Shores... where we happened to be at the time. The WSP was advising them and recommended they not use this one area which is the exact spot where the fatal took place. It was a very somber day in town that day.
Pro-rally was closed course with open (street) running (timed like a Friday night rally) between the sections of closed course. The "Press on Regardless" (POR) in the Mid-West and the ORCA rally in the PNW were two examples. The group that put on a lot of the closed course (I forget their name but it was not SCCA) tried to take over and ended up ruining it because of their rules only fit on close courses (like a ambulance every few hundred feet on a 30 mile dirt road course thru mountain located timber logging roads). The club I belonged to at the time was very involved in both rally and autocross while I was into drag racing.
The auto-crosses I was talking about were held in the dirt but more like autocross on pavement but they were also referred to as "Gymkhanas'".
The fun/skill autocross I was talking about was a standard timed autocross but there were skill portions such as backing into a parking space (measurements taken as to the sides rear [center of the coned spot and were added to the time]) and parallel parking (measurements' taken and were added to the time).
The other one was on a drag strip. You left hard on green, ran through a slalom course then full throttle to the finish... for time.
For the drag racers, when all the electronics were started they had a one minute drag race. You had to leave hard but finish exactly at one minute. Points added for early or late. I don't know if this is still done but, at the time, it convinced me that w/o a lot of $$$ my car would not compete in this or class racing so it got torn down and now I only have the running gear. The other thing was I raced a guy who had blown his car up the week before and borrowed a friend car leaving with an .001 over and getting to the finish line with a .0001 under time. I was .01 over (I don't remember the reaction time but it was an OK leave. This was a" play day" (now called "test and tune" I think) at the track and the first time out for my car).
Sorry for diverging but I thought I should clarify my post.
Lee
Pro-rally was closed course with open (street) running (timed like a Friday night rally) between the sections of closed course. The "Press on Regardless" (POR) in the Mid-West and the ORCA rally in the PNW were two examples. The group that put on a lot of the closed course (I forget their name but it was not SCCA) tried to take over and ended up ruining it because of their rules only fit on close courses (like a ambulance every few hundred feet on a 30 mile dirt road course thru mountain located timber logging roads). The club I belonged to at the time was very involved in both rally and autocross while I was into drag racing.
The auto-crosses I was talking about were held in the dirt but more like autocross on pavement but they were also referred to as "Gymkhanas'".
The fun/skill autocross I was talking about was a standard timed autocross but there were skill portions such as backing into a parking space (measurements taken as to the sides rear [center of the coned spot and were added to the time]) and parallel parking (measurements' taken and were added to the time).
The other one was on a drag strip. You left hard on green, ran through a slalom course then full throttle to the finish... for time.
For the drag racers, when all the electronics were started they had a one minute drag race. You had to leave hard but finish exactly at one minute. Points added for early or late. I don't know if this is still done but, at the time, it convinced me that w/o a lot of $$$ my car would not compete in this or class racing so it got torn down and now I only have the running gear. The other thing was I raced a guy who had blown his car up the week before and borrowed a friend car leaving with an .001 over and getting to the finish line with a .0001 under time. I was .01 over (I don't remember the reaction time but it was an OK leave. This was a" play day" (now called "test and tune" I think) at the track and the first time out for my car).
Sorry for diverging but I thought I should clarify my post.
Lee
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petew
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
Just found out I'm booked up on saturday and can't race. Grrr. Not happy.
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petew
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
My wife asked me if I was ditching the family thing on Saturday to race. So it might be back on! To the shed!
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petew
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Leatherneck
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
Nice score on the Turbo, looks like fun!
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petew
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Re: Deep sumps and skid plates.
Went and raced today. Did a write up on the thread posted above. 
Thanks guys.
Thanks guys.