Mud Bug 3
 

A little video montage of Sponge Bob’s first offroad excursion. I left all the footage of me being stuck on the cutting room floor. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEaRISTmTJw

Several of the guys that I work with have ATV's. Huge monsters with 28" tall tires. I've seen pics of them tooling around in the mud. Your version looks like a lot more fun to me.

a little silly nazi trick..................take thick carpet 4' long cut to width of rear tires. make 2 of them. they are called sand mats. during afrika days germans and allies used this to get unstuck in sand /mud /snow this eventually led itself to aluminum ones that were latched onto side of vehicle, for quick use.

3 other items on our SCORE 1/2 1600...............come-along/snatch-em strap/glock shovel.

ask me about the time my buddies class 8 truck sank itself(or was it swallowed) in the dunes of gloom and doom in mexico right on top of a freeking RATTLESNAKE! blew 2 fire extinguishers on him, to make him move!!!!! now thats excitement and memories that will last forever!

Charles good ideas. It's on the list.

i used to carry a blanket in my Bug to put under the rear wheels to help get it unstuck.

No, it was not for making out on the beach. I categorically deny that, and I was out of town when she got pregnant...

dont forget to sh$$ can the stock valve covers if they have the bail that holds them on. buy the GOOD ones that have (2) studs per side, and loctite them on. reason............first branch/ rock you hit will knock off valve cover and the next thing you know........................$$$$$$$$$$$. since that used to be a SCORE class 5 car, should have dual HP-1 oil filters, dual fram fuel filters, dual voltage reg, dual everything! if not make it so. redundancy when your 100 miles away in BFE! zip ty spare belt to cage.

SAFETY WIRE EVERYTHING! you will come home each and everytime! being stuck or broke down w/out beer IS A SIN!

oh yeah........................DUAL THROTTLE CABLES. just run spare w/zip-tys right along stock tube. if not rig one up with copper tubing. if it breaks at foot pedal its right there, if it breaks at solex pict-28-32-34 whichever one you have, the carb end is right there. and of course you would have spare barrel nuts in a film canister. simple field fix!

AND................buy (2) new axles and CV'S. take electric 3m tape and wrap axles a few times to gain mil thickness. place coffee can lids on each CV, and duck tape fully greased CV'S. weld brackets on cage, attach with HOSE clamps(not zip-tys-OUCH) and have attached tool bags on QD's, so you may remove bag w/tools and pull out handy dandy big ass allen wrench to replace CV'S. that YOU WILL BREAK sooner than later!

if it doesnt have big ass WRIGHT ARMS on the front.................BUY them or you will be walking(ask me how i know!)

I carry a full set of tools, I have a fan belt ziptied to the cage believe it or not, an axle boot (swing axle), one gallon of gas, a quart of oil, a pint of brake fluid, and I carry a spare coil wire, cap and rotor.

I do need to get the 2 bolt valve covers and the throttle cable idea is a good one. Although my throttle cable is the heavy duty one so I don’t know if another one would fit in there… I also want to add redundancy when I have extra cash.

I have VERY heavy gusseted front arms.

The car is a class 5/1600 car from way back. It’s old school. I don’t plan on entering the Baja race anytime soon and most of my off-road driving is in mud and forests, but keep the suggestions coming. Knowledge is power.

right on.....................we raced one for years. noticed your first post and the SCORE sticker didnt escape my eye. have done the SCORE thing since dirt was dirt, and dinosaurs roamed. to show my age..................MINT 400's and PARKER 400's, aside from the baja more times than i can count or care to count!

SPARES and sitting for many weekends drinking your fave beverage and safety wiring/loctiting/ torqueing etc ie. PREP will keep that BUG running thru thick and thin.

ANOTHER GREAT IDEA...............the old RED LIGHT on dash to indicate you are about to have a total MELTDOWN due to EARL loss. simple and cheap.

when faced with eng. rebuild.................ONLY GERMAN PARTS! no hecho en messiko or brazilia.

ours was an all german engine with only a solex pict-28 w/restrictor plate and beefed up bus tranny. ran that puppy at a MILLION MILES AN HOUR in 3rd gear ALL DAY AND NIGHT LONG! only time we put it into 4th was when it was a downhill, with TAIL WIND! LOL!