I am so glad I found your channel. I'm really impressed. I'm in the middle of a frame-off on my '87 YJ. The usual, 5.2, 8.8. This is a complete rebuild though. I'm in NE. but this has never been driven in winter. All the wiring and dash in the trash. New custom flat dash all new wiring, my design. Every episode of your build gives me new ideas. Your presentation is one of the best I've seen anywhere on here. Thank you, Sir.
Thanks for the comment. I love builds like yours. Doing it yourself managing the whole project yourself doing it just how you want. Doesn't get any better than that. Good lock with the build.
hi doug if you get 4 pieces of 3/8 thread rod and some 5/16 tube you can weld the thread to the tube then spot weld 3/8 nuts on to the 4 corners of the roll cage screw the thread rod with the tube on to the nuts and you can screw the rods up and down to fine tune the height of the fibre glass roof instead of using the wood braces quick and simple and fast to adjust put rubber bungs on the top of the adjustable tubes this will stop the roof from moving when placed on them and no holes need to be drilled in it also makes good for when you make the top of the roll cage you can lift the roof of and on as many times as you like because the adjustable rods will stay accurate cheers from down under
@@DougBugBuilder definetly not my first rodeo 54 year old panel beater always thinking outside of the box i think you might want to look at motor position can you cut the rear bar in front of the gearbox and shorten the 5 inches and re do? or have you thought about mid engine and put the gearbox at the rear is it a billet vw box you should be able to swap axles and diff centre from one side to the other and then you can run it as a mid engine my only concern was if the car was on scales with the way you are doing it would it be hard to get your 50 /50 weight ratio with the engine further back what does the other car weigh being 5 inches shorter or will the 5 inches longer help with stability i guess it all depends on are you short course racing or endurance racing keep up the great work
@@glennarnold3970 I can cut the bar. Originally I wasn't going to. But now I'm thinking I might cut it and bring the transaxle in some. I'm keeping it rear engine though. I really like rear engine. With the little engine I'm putting in here it'll have good balance.
I like the roof panel and think the mods to the cage will be a good idea. One point though....if you are doing ANY competition with Wratchet the main roll cage hoop behind you head has to be one continuous piece...no welded joints! looks like you have two more bars to take out. This is going to be one hell of a machine when done....lovin it! An old mate of mine who used to make Beach Buggy Body kits always said "if you've never had the resin mix set itself on fire in the mixing bucket ....you ain't mixed enough to call yourself a pro!" ...I came close once but it didn't light...just smoked for quite a while lol Keep up the good work matey.
Oh boy, it would be tough to make that one continuous bar. I'll keep that in mind though and see if I can do it. During all this fiberglass work I had one pot smoking and hard to hold it was so hot. It never lit though. Worse part was I didn't get to use it all because it was curing to fast. Felt like a waste. 😒 Thanks for the tips!
Great progress. Bug roof on Wratchet=awesome. I think it will look cool if you move the roof section back about 5" and lay the windshield back on an angle...
Thanks, since the video I have the seat in there and I've been experimenting with moving things around a little. Haven't decided on it's position yet. Thanks for the ideas!
I suggest you look at the Funco sand cars for a cage design to add doors to your new car. After awhile climbing in & out over the roll cage. gets old real fast. You design and manufacturing is crazy good. Very inspiring....
Thanks! I don't know about doors. Man I hate the doors on Mauler. It's like impossible to get those things to stop rattling around on the trail. But I hear ya, even climbing in and out in the shop it gets old.
@@DougBugBuilder the latches used in the side-by-sides (polraris RZR) work very well without rattling. Go to a local offroad road dealer and study the doors. The dune car builders are using the door parts from the side-by-side vehicles. Joe Fabb would be a good resource for help. Very quified and good guy.
How long are the ecotech motors compared to the old VW AC motors? I've seen them before, but I've never put my hands on one. I'm just wondering how much junk it will have in the trunk.
When I put the Ecotec in Mauler I had to extend the engine cage 4". So if you put the radiator in the bug you only need 4". If you put the radiator behind the engine it would be 8-12" longer. I don't want it to stick out very far, but I do need the wheelbase a little longer than Mauler, he's actually pretty short.
Hey man Kevin here from Australia. Wratchet is going to be the bee's knee's when finished. And i do understand about workshop housework i carn't work in mess as well and i also have to think of my side kick Lewis 🐶 i dont want metal fillings in he's paws . Anyhoo see you on the next one. ✌ Peace man.
Kevin, my wife asked me the other day why I'm in barefeet in the garage. And I told her it helps me judge if it's safe enough for the dog to be walking around. So I know what you're saying. 👌😁
On the bug you call maller you mention that you replaced your heater channels with steel squire tubing by any chance do you have a video on that and the way you replaced your pan to where it is now , thx for any help you can give me
Sorry man, did most of the chassis work on Mauler before I had this channel. So aside from the engine and suspension there's not a lot of Mauler chassis videos on here.
In the video I acted like I wouldn't push the trans back any farther. But once I lay things out a little more and get a feeling to how things will fit. If I think I need to bring it in some I'll modify that bar to get the transaxle farther in.
Doug Bug I had to buy a Honda Talon for my job because I’m a welding inspector on the pipeline but I much rather have what your building. I sit back and eat popcorn when you’re videos come out. I love what your building. I can weld about anything but never build myself a car. I love it.
Yes this transaxle is able to be mid engine. But I'm not going to go that route with this chassis. I still want that engine hanging out the back. Although the performance gains of mid engine are compelling.
I was wondering that, also. The built up front suspension, two thumbs up, might offset some of the weight being so far back. Is the extra gear worth the 5 1/2 inches of extra leverage the weight of the engine is gonna have on the chassis?
Howzit Doug Love your build, well presented and informative. Quick question, are you going to build the back end of the bug to look similar to the Wilkey works Bug they built and sold years ago? Its one of the best looking bugs I've ever seen and I hope to see some of it on your build.
Actually I never paid that much attention to the rear of his original bug. I'll check it out. I have a rough idea how I want it to look. But some inspiration might help. 😉
@@DougBugBuilder I know when I built my Class 5 Baja Years ago I just used the windshield frame.. and the cage was exposed. kind of a convertible Baja..
Bug doesn't have good visible?? If you move the front up and not the back it may look like the back is swatting. If you take the hole roof back and up it may help I have done on a trike project. My mate is over six feet tall . But be careful not to move it to much or it well look (nodded car or postman pat van if you no what I mean) ps keep doing the thay are great I love watching them.
@@DougBugBuilder cool I don't know if you get what I mean can you drop your sit lower. Lower runs. But you still have to be able to drive the vehicle so be for you set it in stone make sure you and the sit are right roof is only cosmetic as I said you video are great
Why don't you want to disrupt the transverse beam in front of the gearbox? I know it's structural, but there are ways around that. I don't really see it. That also opens the way to something way more radical and that is mid-engine. You could make the adaptor plate between the engine and the 'box structural, tied in to the aforementioned transverse beam. That eliminates all unnecessary overhung weight*, while still having about that same weight over the rear axle, and makes the car much more nimble. *Also think about the increased ground clearance and exit angle.
I've considered the benefits to mid engine, and there are a lot of them. But at the beginning of this build I decided to stick with rear engine. I think there's something about rear engine that I really like, even if there are some sacrifices with it. Originally when designing this chassis I was going to push the rear back four inches. When I laid it in there and realized if it was less than five and a half inches I'd have to modify the chassis I decided that five and a half was just fine. But we'll see, none of that is permanent yet.
@@DougBugBuilder OK. That explanation is good enough. You want the engine out of the back, so you should do exactly that. Can I come with another idea? A Subaru flat four, or even a flat 6? Edit: both are shorter.
@@Paul_VanGo Ya know, originally I was looking at the Subaru motors. They seemed like a good choice, and plentiful horsepower. But......then I helped a friend rebuild one for his sons car. And I came away thinking that was just to complex of an engine. I mean they had panels you had to remove to get to piston pins and all sorts of crazy stuff. So I went with the Ecotec..... Think about it, inline upright 4, dual overhead cam, VVT, and if you remove the balance shafts and put in the right valve springs they will reach 10,000 rpm. In my opinion that engine had some real potential. And they are the easiest motors I've ever worked on.
I can't say I'm totally committed to the Ecotec at this point. But they are cheap, lightweight, and with a turbo capable of pretty good horsepower. I should check the boneyard near me to see what the 4.3 availability is like.
Dry Colorado air. 👌 Seriously, when I lived in Illinois stuff would flash rust in a couple days. So you'd need to stay ahead of it with paint. Here in Colorado the metal you see here is totally naked. It's just so dry if it doesn't get rained on it doesn't rust.
Nice ya I owned a boat marine so I now how to work with fiberglass and making molds but I just don’t have the time with all the other customers stuff and then my stuff
In person it seems really low. It's hard to tell without any side body panels. But either way the way it is in this video is where a stock VW roof would be.
for the upper windshield visiblity issue.... mabbee find n copy in glass a super beetle windshield shape? curved at top might be the ticket and retain the "factory" look.... nobody in the history of forever uses stupid beetle body so it would be really different thankfully ya dont need the clowncar fenders/lights from a stoopid beetle lmao
You talk way too much we want to see you at work not listen to you droning on about every little thing . And as a professional mould and fibreglass and carbon Laminator you made several mistakes and your going to get stress fractures and the jell coat is not bonded to the glass properly
I am so glad I found your channel. I'm really impressed. I'm in the middle of a frame-off on my '87 YJ. The usual, 5.2, 8.8. This is a complete rebuild though. I'm in NE. but this has never been driven in winter. All the wiring and dash in the trash. New custom flat dash all new wiring, my design. Every episode of your build gives me new ideas. Your presentation is one of the best I've seen anywhere on here. Thank you, Sir.
Thanks for the comment. I love builds like yours. Doing it yourself managing the whole project yourself doing it just how you want. Doesn't get any better than that. Good lock with the build.
@@DougBugBuilder Thank you Sir.
You have the right amount of explanation of WHY you're about to do what we will see, then we see the actual process. It's all good!
That was hard to follow, but I get it. Thanks! 😂
Very Nice! When I see "Doug Bug" --> "click" is the next sound I hear!
Keep up the good work and great educational material. Love it!
Cool, thanks!
Mr Doug bug you are the only videos i actually watch on a regular basis!!!
Thank you! That is a great compliment to me. 👍
Was amazing the transformation, once you put the fiberglass parts on, it was like this ghost bug, LOL
Love the videos. Thanks for the detail you put into showing how you do your builds.
No problem 👍 Thanks for watching.
Is going to look great awesome job you are doing
Thanks buddy, appreciate the support. 👍
Can't wait to see the finished product.
meticulous job.
Thanks!
hi doug if you get 4 pieces of 3/8 thread rod and some 5/16 tube you can weld the thread to the tube then spot weld 3/8 nuts on to the 4 corners of the roll cage screw the thread rod with the tube on to the nuts and you can screw the rods up and down to fine tune the height of the fibre glass roof instead of using the wood braces quick and simple and fast to adjust put rubber bungs on the top of the adjustable tubes this will stop the roof from moving when placed on them and no holes need to be drilled in it also makes good for when you make the top of the roll cage you can lift the roof of and on as many times as you like because the adjustable rods will stay accurate cheers from down under
Hey that's not a bad idea. This isn't your first rodeo. lol
Thanks!
@@DougBugBuilder definetly not my first rodeo 54 year old panel beater always thinking outside of the box i think you might want to look at motor position can you cut the rear bar in front of the gearbox and shorten the 5 inches and re do? or have you thought about mid engine and put the gearbox at the rear is it a billet vw box you should be able to swap axles and diff centre from one side to the other and then you can run it as a mid engine my only concern was if the car was on scales with the way you are doing it would it be hard to get your 50 /50 weight ratio with the engine further back what does the other car weigh being 5 inches shorter or will the 5 inches longer help with stability i guess it all depends on are you short course racing or endurance racing keep up the great work
@@glennarnold3970 I can cut the bar. Originally I wasn't going to. But now I'm thinking I might cut it and bring the transaxle in some. I'm keeping it rear engine though. I really like rear engine. With the little engine I'm putting in here it'll have good balance.
I like the roof panel and think the mods to the cage will be a good idea. One point though....if you are doing ANY competition with Wratchet the main roll cage hoop behind you head has to be one continuous piece...no welded joints! looks like you have two more bars to take out.
This is going to be one hell of a machine when done....lovin it!
An old mate of mine who used to make Beach Buggy Body kits always said "if you've never had the resin mix set itself on fire in the mixing bucket ....you ain't mixed enough to call yourself a pro!" ...I came close once but it didn't light...just smoked for quite a while lol
Keep up the good work matey.
Oh boy, it would be tough to make that one continuous bar. I'll keep that in mind though and see if I can do it.
During all this fiberglass work I had one pot smoking and hard to hold it was so hot. It never lit though. Worse part was I didn't get to use it all because it was curing to fast. Felt like a waste. 😒
Thanks for the tips!
Great progress. Bug roof on Wratchet=awesome. I think it will look cool if you move the roof section back about 5" and lay the windshield back on an angle...
Thanks, since the video I have the seat in there and I've been experimenting with moving things around a little. Haven't decided on it's position yet. Thanks for the ideas!
Great project and video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I suggest you look at the Funco sand cars for a cage design to add doors to your new car. After awhile climbing in & out over the roll cage. gets old real fast. You design and manufacturing is crazy good. Very inspiring....
Thanks!
I don't know about doors. Man I hate the doors on Mauler. It's like impossible to get those things to stop rattling around on the trail.
But I hear ya, even climbing in and out in the shop it gets old.
@@DougBugBuilder the latches used in the side-by-sides (polraris RZR) work very well without rattling. Go to a local offroad road dealer and study the doors. The dune car builders are using the door parts from the side-by-side vehicles. Joe Fabb would be a good resource for help. Very quified and good guy.
How long are the ecotech motors compared to the old VW AC motors? I've seen them before, but I've never put my hands on one. I'm just wondering how much junk it will have in the trunk.
When I put the Ecotec in Mauler I had to extend the engine cage 4". So if you put the radiator in the bug you only need 4". If you put the radiator behind the engine it would be 8-12" longer.
I don't want it to stick out very far, but I do need the wheelbase a little longer than Mauler, he's actually pretty short.
Very interesting project. Do you build chassis for customers? Been looking for a Baja Bug.
Thanks.
I only build my own stuff, sorry.
Hey man Kevin here from Australia. Wratchet is going to be the bee's knee's when finished.
And i do understand about workshop housework i carn't work in mess as well and i also have to think of my side kick Lewis 🐶 i dont want metal fillings in he's paws .
Anyhoo see you on the next one.
✌ Peace man.
Kevin, my wife asked me the other day why I'm in barefeet in the garage. And I told her it helps me judge if it's safe enough for the dog to be walking around.
So I know what you're saying. 👌😁
On the bug you call maller you mention that you replaced your heater channels with steel squire tubing by any chance do you have a video on that and the way you replaced your pan to where it is now , thx for any help you can give me
Sorry man, did most of the chassis work on Mauler before I had this channel. So aside from the engine and suspension there's not a lot of Mauler chassis videos on here.
Looks really good mate 🤙
Thanks Buddy! ✌
You could weld yourself a Hoop and then set the trans further in
In the video I acted like I wouldn't push the trans back any farther. But once I lay things out a little more and get a feeling to how things will fit. If I think I need to bring it in some I'll modify that bar to get the transaxle farther in.
Doug Bug I had to buy a Honda Talon for my job because I’m a welding inspector on the pipeline but I much rather have what your building. I sit back and eat popcorn when you’re videos come out. I love what your building. I can weld about anything but never build myself a car. I love it.
With the added length, It would be a good candidate for a mid engine set up. Can you flip the transmission around?
Yes this transaxle is able to be mid engine. But I'm not going to go that route with this chassis. I still want that engine hanging out the back.
Although the performance gains of mid engine are compelling.
I was wondering that, also. The built up front suspension, two thumbs up, might offset some of the weight being so far back. Is the extra gear worth the 5 1/2 inches of extra leverage the weight of the engine is gonna have on the chassis?
Howzit Doug
Love your build, well presented and informative. Quick question, are you going to build the back end of the bug to look similar to the Wilkey works Bug they built and sold years ago? Its one of the best looking bugs I've ever seen and I hope to see some of it on your build.
Actually I never paid that much attention to the rear of his original bug. I'll check it out. I have a rough idea how I want it to look. But some inspiration might help. 😉
Was that the wife's vacuum? ... Looking Good,.. it gets easier on the second or 3rd build... don't think too much...build it and have funn
My vacuum her attachment. ;-) I find myself getting more and more neurotic as the build continues.
@@DougBugBuilder I know when I built my Class 5 Baja Years ago I just used the windshield frame.. and the cage was exposed. kind of a convertible Baja..
Bug doesn't have good visible?? If you move the front up and not the back it may look like the back is swatting. If you take the hole roof back and up it may help I have done on a trike project. My mate is over six feet tall . But be careful not to move it to much or it well look (nodded car or postman pat van if you no what I mean) ps keep doing the thay are great I love watching them.
I know what you mean, if I make any adjustments they will be small enough it'll hopefully be barely noticeable.
Thanks for the comment.
@@DougBugBuilder cool I don't know if you get what I mean can you drop your sit lower. Lower runs. But you still have to be able to drive the vehicle so be for you set it in stone make sure you and the sit are right roof is only cosmetic as I said you video are great
Why don't you want to disrupt the transverse beam in front of the gearbox? I know it's structural, but there are ways around that. I don't really see it.
That also opens the way to something way more radical and that is mid-engine. You could make the adaptor plate between the engine and the 'box structural, tied in to the aforementioned transverse beam. That eliminates all unnecessary overhung weight*, while still having about that same weight over the rear axle, and makes the car much more nimble.
*Also think about the increased ground clearance and exit angle.
I've considered the benefits to mid engine, and there are a lot of them. But at the beginning of this build I decided to stick with rear engine. I think there's something about rear engine that I really like, even if there are some sacrifices with it.
Originally when designing this chassis I was going to push the rear back four inches. When I laid it in there and realized if it was less than five and a half inches I'd have to modify the chassis I decided that five and a half was just fine.
But we'll see, none of that is permanent yet.
@@DougBugBuilder OK. That explanation is good enough. You want the engine out of the back, so you should do exactly that.
Can I come with another idea?
A Subaru flat four, or even a flat 6?
Edit: both are shorter.
@@Paul_VanGo Ya know, originally I was looking at the Subaru motors. They seemed like a good choice, and plentiful horsepower. But......then I helped a friend rebuild one for his sons car. And I came away thinking that was just to complex of an engine. I mean they had panels you had to remove to get to piston pins and all sorts of crazy stuff.
So I went with the Ecotec..... Think about it, inline upright 4, dual overhead cam, VVT, and if you remove the balance shafts and put in the right valve springs they will reach 10,000 rpm. In my opinion that engine had some real potential. And they are the easiest motors I've ever worked on.
So you are going with an EcoTech....I wss thinking a Vortech 4.3 V-6 would be appropriate for this.
I can't say I'm totally committed to the Ecotec at this point. But they are cheap, lightweight, and with a turbo capable of pretty good horsepower. I should check the boneyard near me to see what the 4.3 availability is like.
@@DougBugBuilder IIRC the 4.3 has the exact same mounting layout as a 350
Yes it does but the plate is little different latter and early 4.3, doing 4.3 in mine. But the transaxle plate is a little diff. Heads up
what are you using on the chassis tubing to prevent it from rusting?
Dry Colorado air. 👌 Seriously, when I lived in Illinois stuff would flash rust in a couple days. So you'd need to stay ahead of it with paint. Here in Colorado the metal you see here is totally naked. It's just so dry if it doesn't get rained on it doesn't rust.
@@DougBugBuilder ever used or heard of a product called "Sharkhide Metal Protectant" ?
@@raven9965 Never heard of it, but I'm googling it now. 😉
Muy inprecionado por el trabajo realizado en fibra d vidrio, un saludo desde campeche mexico
¡Gracias amigo! Agradezco el apoyo. ¡Saludos desde América!
¡Me encanta cómo plataformas como esta unen al mundo!
Chop top! It's stretched out enough! I like it
lol, Thanks.
What’s the wheel base ?
Not sure yet, but I think it'll be between 97-102".
How do you spell OCD?
It's spelled "BAJA" 😉
@@DougBugBuilder Fantastic project! Those body parts are incredible!!
I wish someone would make these tops and sell them
There's a good chance if I can make the mold a little cleaner I'll make some of these to sell.
Nice ya I owned a boat marine so I now how to work with fiberglass and making molds but I just don’t have the time with all the other customers stuff and then my stuff
roof looks too tall (too high off the body)...
In person it seems really low. It's hard to tell without any side body panels. But either way the way it is in this video is where a stock VW roof would be.
LMAO barefoot fab work
🦶 😁
for the upper windshield visiblity issue.... mabbee find n copy in glass a super beetle windshield shape? curved at top might be the ticket and retain the "factory" look.... nobody in the history of
forever uses stupid beetle body so it would be really different thankfully ya dont need the clowncar fenders/lights from a stoopid beetle lmao
I actually thought about that windshield. I'll move this roof around some and see what I can realistically fit in there. Thanks for the idea.
Damn tweaker
I really don't know if you meant that in a good way or bad way. But I gave it a heart anyways cause I like to give good vibes out there. 😁
Your lungs are gonna be a mess...who cares about the floor
You talk way too much we want to see you at work not listen to you droning on about every little thing . And as a professional mould and fibreglass and carbon Laminator you made several mistakes and your going to get stress fractures and the jell coat is not bonded to the glass properly
Thank you for your opinions. 😊
Doug Bug lol
Too much of bla bla bla...