Taking it's name from the Baja California peninsula , where it has roamed freely for years , the Baja is a VW Beetle modified with fiberglass body panels , tube steel bumpers and larger wheels and tires ( among other things ) . They all go into making it a more capable off-road vehicle . While purists cringe at the sight of these anything but stock Bugs , Baja owners are far from purists . We build our VW's to take on terrain that would , and often does send some 4x4's running for cover ! From the rock gardens of the high desert to the varying terrain of the east coast and everything in-between , Bajas have conquered it all !

Owners of the Baja Bug know that these little monsters can take just about anything you can throw at them , and still get you home for dinner . Thier high level of traction comes in part , from having the engine / transaxle combo , located directly over the rear wheels . Suspension is another area where VW did things right . The front and rear suspension give with the terrain , retracting up and back to smoothly follow the grounds surface . It has been said that Dr. Porsche designed the perfect suspension for racing Baja ! While that point can be argued , one has to admit that it does incredibly well for a suspension system , designed over 50 years ago .

The Air-Cooled flat four cylinder engine keeps the car's center of gravity low , and has fewer parts than its liquid cooled brethren . It is light weight and has fewer things to go wrong , which is especially important when you're 200 miles from the nearest garage . The Baja is not a luxury car by any means , but then it was never designed to be . What it is , is rugged , reliable , inexpensive and a hell of a lot of fun to drive !

In the begining....., there was a 1969 VW Baja , and God said "Give it to Lenhart , he's a glutton for punishment" ! Pretty it ain't . Well , not yet anyway , but it is typical of the breed . While serving dual duty as a daily driver and off-road Desert Beast , this little car has brought my daughter and I , hours of quality time and fun !

Deep sand ? - Been there . Rocky terrain ? - Done that . Old mining , fire and other roads ? - Got the T-shirt ! It has gone through some of the most god-awful areas you can imagine ( We don' need no steenkin 4 wheel drive ! ) and survived intact . OK OK , Scratched paint , a couple rock hits and a much used skid plate , but otherwise unharmed .

Stats

• 1969 VW Baja

• Engine - 1600cc
  • 12V Alternator
  • Chrome Doghouse Fan shroud / cooler
  • Bosch 009 distributor / Blue Coil
  • Bobcat 1 1/2 in Extractor w / spark arrestor
  • K&N Air Cleaner

• Transmission - Stock Type-1

• Suspension , Front - Ball Joint

• Suspension , Rear - IRS

• Shocks - KYB Gas-A-Just

• Wheels - Steel White Spokes

• Tires - Rear P235 Generals- Front P 185 Michlens

• Roll bar - 2 in , 4 point

• Double Tube bumpers - 1 1/2 in

• Rear Skid Plate

• Welded Seams

• Stereo
  • Realistic CD ( don't laugh it works !)
  • Urban Audio Works 600 Watt Amp
  • Jensen / Lanzar Speaker System
  • 15" Hollywood Sound Labs Sub-Woofer ( and it has not killed the battery yet ! )

As you can see , It's not going to be on the cover of the magazines anytime in the immediate future , but I've had my fill of trying to build "Show Cars / Trucks" . I'd rather have fun off-roading without going totally broke just trying to have the best looking rig on the trail . It also takes all the fun out of off-roading when you have to worry about every branch and rock you come across . With this Baja , all the mods I will make will be for increased functionality and reliability . In short , a hard core Desert Beast . The one area that Im going to splurge on is a new paint job with the ORC logo / scheme . Hey , it never hurts to brown nose the boss !I gotta paint the thing , why not ?

I'll hold off on a long wish list of future plans , and tell you the definite's . I have a rear arm beef kit waiting to get welded in , and an Anti Environmentalist ehem , er , ah push bar / front skid plate combo to build which I should have done within the next month . I already have a King / Link pin Long travel front end to install , and a full cage won't be far behind that . The biggest mod to be made and what will be the hardest by far is installing an A/C unit . I got my paws on a fully functional system from an 86 Plymouth Voyager that I'm going to fight with over the winter . It's too hot in AZ not to have one . Sure , it would be a lot less hassle to buy the kit , but I'm a motivated ( read that as " not rich " ) kind of guy ! Look for a "How-To" article to accompany the installation .

It's mine , it's ugly it's paid for and I hope you like it !

Oh yea , one more thing . Do any of you know who builds an adapter to mate a Type -2 (Bus) Tranny to a 460 Ford motor ? (Kidding ! Just kidding !)