Bugging Out! SoCal to OK in a 68 VW Baja Bug

Dubs Chops

Well-Known Fanatic
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
325
Location
Inola, OK
OK Guys and gals. I have been itching for an open road adventure for a while and also Own a company called PlanB Outfitters (You may have heard of it). Stick with me this is going somewhere I promise. PlanB Outfitters is my passion, Helping people Get prepared for anything, Whether adventure or apocalypse we Carry the gear to get you through it. ( OK shameless plug over!) So while discussing the ideal BOV (Bug Out Vehivhle) with a customer one day I had been talking about the simplicity of older diesel engines. Mainly the Multifuel Hercules Motor in the M35A2 military 2 1/2 transport.
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Seems like the perfect choice at first. And for some it may have been but given all the factors that I took into account it just wasn't the one for me. So time passed along with more discussion and then one day it hit me! a late 60's to early 70's VW Bug! I know your thinking how did he go from a deuce and a half to a bug? Well the simplicity of the motor (Basically EMP proof if you carry few small parts) along with the availability of those parts and a few other factors made it perfect. I had decided a Bug it was, But not just any bug. It needed to be fast, Agile, reliable, and good off road. A Baja it was! So after some Google Foo I found the one. A 1968 VW Baja Bug. Fully Caged, Good suspension and a 1835 Turbo Charged rubber band. I Know the TC'ed 1835 doesn't necessarily scream reliability But here is where it gets better, It came with a Nice Fresh 1600 Dual Port motor complete from Intake to exhaust! =] SO some phone calls were made and a deal was struck. Me and a good friend are flying out to pick it up from SoCo on Monday. We are going to hit the Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, And Canyon De Chelly National Park On the way home in a 72 hour period in a vehicle I have only seen on the computer! Sounds like an adventure huh! I will update this thread for you all along with family and friends from now until we arrive home.

And without further adieu Here She is!
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By dubschops at 2012-04-20
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By dubschops at 2012-04-24
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By dubschops at 2012-04-24

We are hoping to be home by 1-2:00 AM on Wednesday
Wish us luck!
 
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Road trips are so cool!
I go to Little Sahara on occasion with the 3wheeler, and get to see just about every variation of mods to the VW engine as well as some Porche models. The Baha VW's are especially awesome.
 
I am Home. I didn't get to update from the road like I had wanted. I will do a write up here pretty quick with all the pictures. Lets just say It did not end like I had hoped it would.
 
OK, Here is a much needed update.

Xanthracroid on the phone with his wife promising her we will be home by Wednesday night.
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Here is some of the weirdness that is the Denver airport. We didn't pass the apocalyptic murals in but we did pass a Myan looking area that i could not find a sign or anything saying what it was.
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The next morning we were up early enough to catch the sunrise over what I think was part of the San Bernadino mountain range.
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And finally after driving it around made the deal on the 68 Baja
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[video=youtube;o485uhX2u-E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o485uhX2u-E[/video]

Here is a video of us cutting through the Mojave national preserve with the car already starting to act up. =] Should have probably stuck with the highway but we couldn't resist. I know it doesn't look very fast or rough but it was and we were booking it. The car did great too.
 
Sweet ride!

I don't have a Bug, but I'm down in Baja a coupla times every month -- hope to see you there!
 
So it sounded like you had some mechanical problems? Its a really clean looking ride. That Denver airport is kind of wierd, but I've never bought into the underground thing.
 
Here we are heading out of Ont. Monday morning

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Some of the landscape right outside of Ontario

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This is about the time I realized how bad the bug was running. It was loading up and losing power. Pulled over and adjusted the carb. Leaned out the Air Fuel a little and it helped but it was still not right. Here is the place we stopped to do the adjusting at the first time
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On the way to vegas we decided to cut through the Mojave national reserve even though the bug was starting to act up. We figured what the heck when is the next time we will ever be right here. The landscape is pretty Barron, Some Joshua Tree's and what I call scrub brush is all you can see for quite a ways.
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Then we came to a visitors center and decided to take a break.
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Adam "Xanthracroid" checked the map to see how far we had to go.
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