By Lance Plahn, Australia
You can read about Lances buggy here.
Have you ever done repairs on your vehicle and had to research or refer to a manual, only to find it did not tell you what you wanted to know. But then manuals are only written by journalists who have never done that job. Or have you completed a task then said if you did that again you would do it differently.
Well this story covers some of the above issues, having recently shortened a floor pan to put under my beach buggy (Kalita). It is not a step by step how to, as this information is available from the manufacturer or off the net. But it contains tips and suggestions to make things easier and improve your buggy. If your pan is in good order or your not planning a replacement, read on, as there could be some ideas to improve your buggy.
Most buggies design come from the 60's and were made to fit on a 60's VW floor pan. These floor pans or chassis are in reasonable supply at a fair price. Later floor pans that have IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) and a ball joint front end are harder to find and more expensive, most by now are under hot Ovals. To acquire a floor pan I purchased a complete cheap super bug, thus giving me all I needed (well, all most). The draw backs being having to remove the strut bulk head (drill out the spot welds) and fit (align and weld) a ball joint bulk head, then purchase a 1500 ball joint and disc front end. The other challenge being the later set up has a wider track, the wheels protruded outside the guards, easily fixed by widening the guards. Certainly a lot more work, but the end product is very nice to drive and worth the extra effort.
SHORTENING the FLOOR PAN
After obtaining a pan and stripping it down in preparation for shortening, the first thing is to measure the clutch and accelerator tube protrusion and exit angles from the floor pan for later reference
Then unpick (angle grinder/hacksaw blade) the welds securing these two tubes to the rear of the floor pan.
Mark out the section to be removed, found this easier to do with the pan upside down. Use the torsion tube as a reference, to mark and draw the cut line square across the pan.
Then cut, a angle grinder is good for this task. Be sure not to cut the clutch, accelerator and fuel tubes. Cutting the heater and handbrake tubes will be ok.
Gently separate the two halves, guiding the three tubes out of the back half of the pan
If the heaters are not to be retained, remove the heater cable tubes and weld the tube holes in the horns to prevent water entering the tunnel during creek crossings.
To join the handbrake cable tubes; I got some tubing to fit over the handbrake tube from a Hydraulic Hose repair shop. Two lengths approximately 60mm long, slide it over the hand brake tube in the front half of the floor pan, then weld in position (braze - good penetration from oxy or Mig may cause damage inside the tube, causing the cable to premature wear)
With these sleeves now protruding out of the pan, join the two halves, not easy guiding the three tubes (clutch, accelerator and fuel) through the back half, along with guiding the hand brake tubes into the new sleeves.
After a trial fit, weld the two halves (Mig is best for this task)
Position and reweld the clutch and accelerator tubes in back half, cut excess tubes, including fuel line.
It may be necessary to add a support/brace, in the tunnel, for the clutch tube. Use 75mm of 25 x 3 mm flat. Weld lengthways along the inside of the tunnel and braze along the clutch tube. This task may be undertaken before joining the halves, working out the position during the trial fit.
To shorten the hand brake cable, cut to correct length at handbrake lever end. Make a new fitting out of 10mm hexagonal rod, 70mm long. Thread one end 40mm (6 x1mm) drill a hole (just large enough to accept the handbrake cable) in the centre of the hexagonal rod at other end. Drill and tap one or two holes into the side to accept a setscrew. This will prevent the cable from coming out.
Before shortening the chassis, you may wish to remove both left and right-hand floor pan sections. This is done by drilling out the spot welds. Suggest you purchase a spot weld drill from a good tool supply shop, a 3/8 drill will do the job.
With the left and right pan section removed, shorten and reweld the chassis. Then shorten the floor pan sections and refit. It is easier to do it this way but involves a lot more work. Instead of refitting the pan section you may wish to use 2mm sheeting.
In some buggies (Kalita) the side body panels do not extend to the floor, requiring a 2 x 2 inch box section pipe (50 x 50mm RHS) to be attached to the pan and when secured to the rear torsion bar tube and extended to the front end, firms the chassis, reducing twisting which in turn is a cause of the tunnel to crack. It is like a lift kit but only on the sides.
To add strength to the sides of your body you wish to use some thick wall 30 x30 mm RHS, either inside or underneath. Bend to required shape (cut out a v and reweld or have it bent at fabrication shop) put a length of 20 x 10 mm flat inside the RHS, secure by drilling some holes in the RHS, then spot weld (through the holes) into position, cap both ends. Mark holes in RHS to coincide with mounting holes in floor pan/body, drill and tap. Apply some rust preventive into the RHS through the holes, done this way no water will enter the RHS and should last many years.
During the pan shortening you will have noticed VW used a sealer in some of the joins, remove all remaining sealer and clean, reapply new sealer (3M Drip-Chek sealer)
Clean floor pan, using wire buff on angle grinder, paint with fish oil, and allow a few weeks to dry then paint with a good paint.
You may even consider getting your floorpan Galvanized; there are companies that cater for large objects like boat trailers, charging by weight. Excellent for constant beach work.
FLOOR PAN MODIFICATIONS
You will notice the rear section of the floor pan drops down, reducing ground clearance. To improve clearance, cut the side out of the drop, bend the front of the floor up, reweld. It will give a flat under carriage and original look.
Water drains are a necessary to allow washing (salt and sand after beach work) off the pan, as well as to allow rainwater to exit. Many owners just punch holes in the floor, but this allows water to enter during creek crossing. Rust usually starts around these holes. I cut the large bungs out of 44 gallon drums (205 litre drum) then welded in to the back section of the floor pan on the under side. Placed 15mm of 80mm inside diameter pipe over the bung, using 150 x 3 plate as a sump guard or ramp over the pipe, cutting a hole in this plate to fit over the pipe.
One area that can cause trouble is the front gear box mount, even though it does not hang down, in some off road situations the mount can catch on large rocks or logs, either braking the mount or selector housing nose cone. To reduce this occurring, weld a piece of flat, 90mm x 6mm and 140mm long, between the mount and floor pan, parallel with the horn and ground. It will act as a skid plate and reduce the tendency of objects getting caught on the mount.
The tunnel is the backbone of the floor pan, with the body now removed more stress is placed on the tunnel. The handbrake hole is a weak area, I got some 3mm plate, cut a hole in it to fit over the handbrake hole, then bent it to go down the side of the tunnel towards the floor, then weld in position. Many off road racers did this in the early days.
Pedal clusters often seize up due to the hostile environment they live in, requiring removal, dismantle and freeing up then regreasing. To prolong this task, drill and tap a hole in the brake pedal pivot, fit a grease nipple and grease often. Some pedal cluster setups will not allow this to be done to the clutch pedal pivot.
Trust the above information is of some help to you in shortening your floor pan, if you have any comment or queries regarding the above, Please feel free to contact me by E-mail on lanceplahn@harveynorman.com.au
And remember to enjoy your beach buggy and keep it up right.