Installing the Engine on the - Home Made Mini VW Baja Bug!! - Part 7

In this video we are building a Mini Baja Bug using a Polaris XLT 600 two stroke snowmobile engine and a go kart fiberglass body of a VW bug.
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[@magnareomachine]

I want you to realize how excited we all get Sunday afternoons man.

[@Jonathan_Grider]

Hell yeah! He’s the #1 channel I wait for to watch on Sundays!!!

[@breakshot7451]

same here, and the bug is really a cool project. looking forward to see the finished little wheely machine

[@tballertv]

Best part of my Sunday nights, always watch this and then do my homework that I have procrastinated all weekend

[@jessejones1689]

Yep makes me feel like a kid waiting on a cartoon again

[@magnareomachine]

@jessejones1689 inspired me to build my own

[@lex2715]

This mini-bug has more HP than a real one! What a masterpiece!

[@centennialfarm11]

A lot more 😂

[@breakshot7451]

red somewhere that a 3 zylinder 2 stroke has the most power in ratio to his own size and weight. so it will be wheely monster;)))

[@mostlymotorized]

It's actually zero horsepower as it sits. I wonder how many months of videos will have to sit through before the carbs are dialed in this time

[@Addison0526]

@@mostlymotorizedidk why don’t you make one and get the carbs tuned faster?

[@garyreeves5705]

I implore you to add a roll hoop/headrest...it must be done. Have it come out throu the rear window so it can double as a mounting spot for your radiator, too.

[@andystokes8702]

Of all the vehicles you have built this is by far the silliest project to date. It is utterly ridiculous - I'm loving it.

[@ryandean69]

Looks awesome! Some Baja Bugs back in the day had spun aluminum gas tanks on the front pushbar like a gasser drag car. That would get some weight in the front. Keep up the killer job!✊

[@gregholloway2656]

Chris, I’ll bet you wish that fiberglass body was 10% bigger in every direction. What a cram-job! 👍

[@bryanirwin5473]

Looking at this now you may have been better off mounting the engine longitudinally over top of the unmodified differential setup and moving the brakes outboard to the wheels. Underslinging the diff setup would have opened up a bunch of space options as well. Check out what Jimbo (Robot Cantina) did with the setup on his little Renault

[@DeMiAnD92]

I really love how you approach a small and compact project like this, where you really have to think twice or thrice to fit everything in the back so that the Baja Bug body still holds its shape even if it sticks up some engine parts here and there and that you are so careful with the aesthetics and don't just put everything together in the simplest possible way, but come up with really nice solutions! An aluminum rim around the expansion chamber will be great and dress up the CVT transmission with an aluminum cover too! Really nice work so far Chris and it will only continue in that direction no doubt!

[@unforsakendc]

I can’t live my life without you thank you for your hard work

[@MIKEH.777]

You should make a gas tank long and skinny so that it can go up in between your legs and the gas cap can be in the top center of the hood right under the windshield. Make the back of the body the same on both sides with aluminum then paint it white. Keep up the fantastic work and God Bless you and your family brother 😊👍

[@independentd.8167]

Just thinking of a Baja style scoop for the radiator. Been watching for a couple years and I wanna say. Great job.

[@griffinlyon]

You could use some fibreglass to fill in the rear window and then cut it out to make an oval window like a pre-'57 bug, which would give you some more room for cutting up the sides...

[@robert5]

Fill in the rear window and then cut it out to make an oval window like a pre-'57 bug: now that is a cool idea.👍

[@thomask.8533]

The exhaust sticking out like that looks super cool!

[@rhyswoodman6781]

Chris how about running two smaller radiators up under the body in front of the back wheels? Obviously mounted out of harms way and with high-flow thermo fans. I think having radiator at the back window will take the gloss off of how awesome this thing is going to look.

[@jasonbirch1182]

That's a great idea. Triangular nerf bars to stop the rear wheels from catching trees and such with a small rad mounted in them on each side.

[@rhyswoodman6781]

@@jasonbirch1182 yep. But I think mounted behind the fibreglass body as not to be seen. Perhaps even with vents or louvres in front of the rear wheel fenders.

[@jasonbirch1182]

@@rhyswoodman6781 I doubt that is feasible. They need real airflow. Fans are ok for idle but not full rip.

[@BlackAndBlueGarage]

Your builds are crazy awesome from motorized bicycles, to Cross Cart style stuff. I love your "one of a kind", "design as you go" style. 👌🏻

[@davidwalters4014]

There’s always a point in a project where decisions take place. Then there’s another point where you get a better idea, and repair what you’ve done. I’m enjoying the build! Good luck!

[@BenNawrath]

That time lapse where you chipped away at the body to lower it around the pulley and exhaust was awesome.

[@Mad.Man.Marine]

Reason why the mounts are at an angle like that is to help deal with the forces of the cvt that are applied to the rubber isolation mounts. When you have them at an angle it squish’s the rubber in the mount. When they are mounted flat it puts a shearing force on them and they will break apart much faster. I’d suggest installing a torque arm between the two clutches like a lot of sleds use. Make it a beefy one since you changed the way the mounts are oriented. I’d also put one from the side that is away from the cvt that goes from the motor to the frame. Nice work. Wish you’d put a body like the bug on the trophy truck. (Just not a bug. A real trophy truck looking body.

[@michaelblacktree]

Such a cool project! BTW, the resin in the fiberglass is flammable. Also, the fiberglass can warp / sag with heat. So it would be a good idea to make some heat shielding.

[@grantbuxton]

One of the best if not best fabrication guys on the internet! Thanks man for all your work and for showing people our capabilities

[@Shadow0fd3ath24]

CVT engines and 2 stroke engines just make everything a pain in the ass, doing the best you can do honestly

[@prestondaniels6227]

Dude I swear on everything I would pay you to just stand in your shop and watch you and ask questions!

[@itarry4]

You might have been better off chopping the fiberglass body from the very back of the sunroof down through the door, Movie the back part backwards 1 or 2 foot and making and putting an extension in the gap to extend the entire body a bit making all the fittings of pipes a CBT etc cleaner and much easier. Would probably have looked much nicer and nearer as well with section of Aluminum plate as the extension. Also expansion chambers on a 2 stroke can run as hot as 1500F and on average run around 700F-800F I'd say that was pretty hot but it's different depending on what part of the chamber you take a reading from and obviously from engine to engine so I'd definitely cut a bigger hole for it and surround it with Aluminum. Loving this build so far man you've come a long way from the early days. Still think you should do a build that you design totally first on CAD so you know what you're doing and what you'll need etc. I mean it'd make a nice change and be interesting to watch as a viewer and if you don't like it or end up changing a lot anyway then you don't need to try again. Just an idea due to how much you've improved in every other aspect of the build process.

[@jimhowell4937]

Commercials are out of hand. And yes fiberglass is flammable and difficult to extinguish. Nice build.

[@JETHO321]

Could have really simplified that by reversing engine rotation and flipping the engine around.

[@kenselleck2414]

Perhaps consider making new fenders that are 1" larger than the rear tires @ full stuff. That combined with the oval rear window suggestion would keep the Baja Bug flavor with more strength. running 2 small radiators on either side of you blowing the air out through the "doors" might open up some different packaging options for you. The angle of the expansion chamber can be altered by pie cutting, rotating, and rewelding if need be.

[@dynamicdopamine]

I just found this Channel and this is something very similar to what I'm wanting to build. I want it to be a Volkswagen Baja buggy with huge shock range so I can take it and jump big enormous jumps and go really fast through the woods

[@xpndblhero5170]

This is gonna be a Really, Really fun vehicle when it's done.... Can't wait to see it driving, or doing wheelies. 😁👍

[@SandMan-e3i]

Powerwheels needs to give you a contract line of " adult fun vehicles" !

[@hsklar5941]

tip: people often put bedliner on the inside of fiberglass flares/fenders to strengthen it.

[@adhdrebel982]

You may have to get a small wing for the front variable pitch controled to keep front end closer to ground under extreme throttle and maybe cornering in loose surfaces..

[@brianstandish6862]

You should do a plexi covering over the cvt, maybe a srtip of aluminum around the slot you created to reinforce where you rivet it onto the fiberglass.

[@indyjones3287]

The edit for trimming body down, was great! Enjoying this build. Cheers

[@sudhirnaik4751]

Wow, another excellent project. I guess you will know if things need to be moved after the first few test runs, proof is in the pudding! Respect the thought processes and design thinking.employed, real engineering.

[@jstephenallington8431]

Great work Chris, I seriously doubt that I could have come anywhere near getting all of that gear packed into that tight of an area, I am in awe. As far as the radiator goes, maybe you could use something like the old Bonneville racers did. Instead of a radiator that allows air to flow through it, you just need a large tank (or two smaller ones) big enough to circulate water through to cool it off. The advantage is that it wouldn't need to be anywhere in particular, since it isn't dependent on air flow as much to cool the coolant down. Just a thought. Looking forward to seeing your next video!

[@adhdrebel982]

You've probably already found out the amount of torque and short mounts are iffy in holding those horses in place . Tubing and wall thickness second look a must DOM workable

[@javman03]

I think you should have used 2 smaller radiators mounted in front of the rear fenders on each side, and built nerf/bash bars to protect them and the fenders. Then you could have ran the exhaust out the back window without having to cut away so much of that sweet body.

[@cthulhu8977]

My vote is exhaust out back window and 2 smaller radiators behind seat down low. You can make them face any direction you want to fit in that Tetris project.

[@terminalpsychosis8022]

Lookin' good! Maybe consider losing the fenders completely (at least rear ones)? Maybe some mesh or thin panels for "wheel wells", like a real bug. Very common for them to run just tiny flares, or even no fenders at all. Check out some pics? Also, why not have the exhaust coming out the back and intake in front? Wold make life so much easier!

[@seansullivan3795]

Been watching your channel for i think at least 5 years now and this is my favorite build so far.....probably just because of the body but I'm excited to see you ripping wheelies in that thing.

[@ianellithorpe5918]

This is definitely one of your coolest Builds

[@jeradlawrence6852]

The front window would be a good spot for the radiator, assuming your head will be sticking out of the roof anyway. That would look cool as all get out

[@jimmyhughes5392]

you should look and see if you are able to cut out the trunk from the shell and then hinge it and wedge it open as it may solve the clearance issues. it's a mod not unusual for a bug to have a fixed wedged open trunk flap for extra space and cooling etc...

[@JussiLindstrom]

I was thinking this too..

[@oilio5465]

You could probably move the rear wheels back a bit, while leaving the diff in place. This will help the balance point

[@BraxxJuventa]

Great progress Chris! Thanks for filming. 😁👍🏼

[@pwayne3580]

Yo looking good, it’s going to rip proper. Get ready! I saw a full size rail at the St Anthony Sand Dunes that had two Polaris 900’s. One behind the shaft like yours and the other engine in front of the shaft. His secondary’s were directly on his drive shaft. It absolutely shredded the dunes.

[@janreitsma1096]

The exaust is perfect look

[@raymondjohns7617]

Awesome project, thanks Ray

[@DwWorks]

man i look forward to sundays just to watch the progress on your projects. really liking the 2 smoke bug .

[@aarongrabowski3775]

I love this build. I can’t wait to see you driving it. This thing is gonna have awesome horsepower to weight ratio.

[@aarongrabowski3775]

That thing is going to be so much fun. Nice job Chris.

[@garypease7414]

Try running the expansion chamber over the differential and under the axle/engine, then put a muffler pointing up and away from the engine. It'll be out of the way, and clear everything including the ground

[@glennhargrave3975]

I like the pipe out the window...you can use a split radiator system like a dirt bike

[@JokerInk-CustomBuilds]

this will be some fun future test drive videos! Love it so far.

[@jimmyhamm6041]

An awesome gokart bug .

[@jaysunkreuze1466]

Sweet build. As a sled enthusiast myself, I highly suggest and recommend you not forget to shield the secondary with a belt shroud. If a belt lets loose under full throttle without a shroud it can injure you and destroy other things. Ask me how I know. Sweet build though. Huge fan of 2 cycle CVT builds.

[@AkPacerPilot]

You might want to include a secondary clutch guard, I’ve seen those belts go thru the side of a snow machine hood when the belt explodes. It’s awfully close to the driver

[@mikemchaney1003]

Look at doing dual radiators like some sport bikes or Porsche do. My VFR has one on either side. You could put one in front of each rear fender and mold in a housing that would look good. This would allow a spun aluminum tank in the back window for fuel.

[@1981dasimpson]

i would put 2 rads with fans either side of the seat set back a little

[@mahdialsenussi3066]

This project is Amazing

[@davidowen888]

I figured there is much figuring on this one 😵‍💫 wheelie machine probably, much torques for outboard mounting 🤔 I thinks maybe stretch body but fiberglass work sucks.....oh my 😮 that's a big hole in that bug fender 😢 need a bigger scale bug body now 🫢 tough building around that little body good lucks Chris🤞☮️ and happy itching 😅

[@alan.schertz]

I really do not know what I'm talkin-a 'bout, but please install some sort of chain guard between that center chain, that is inline with your head when in the seat. We need to keep you around into the future! I love the build. Sometimes I wonder: where is that first lathe that you built!?!?! I will crack up if it is still in plain view all this time. It has really been fun

[@raccoonvallie]

I can't wait to see that run

[@leslienixon9274]

IMHO this is your best build yet!

[@mostlymotorized]

Bringing roll bars up over the engine and tying them in above the rear window of the shell then mounting the jackshaft near the cylinder head off those roll bars would have solved all your problems and without cutting the fiberglass shell. Oh well. Also two-stroke exhaust gets just as hot as four-stroke exhaust. Same air fuel ratio required = same exhaust temperatures produced

[@ULTIMATIVFREAK]

You could Change the angle of the outlet of the expansion chamber and put the muffler between the engine and the jackshaft, above the header so it blows right through the inside of the belt...

[@Mad.Man.Marine]

One more thing. Make sure you leave that Polaris secondary clutch “full floating”. It makes the clutch run cooler and smoother from what I’ve seen/done over the years.

[@hemibreath]

Definitely needs a secondary belt guard ! To stop the belt from hitting you in the back of the head (and clutch parts) 😮 The sled had one! Don’t neglect it ! I’m a snowmobiler and I’ve seen what they can do 😮😮! High RPM primary is the biggest explosion (lots of sharp steel parts in there) Had one go through -drywall, insulation, 5/8” ply and lares of ash fault roof- not good . Safety First

[@igokarts4510]

My favorite build so far.

[@Survival_is_Key]

You should fiberglass over the Jack shaft to where it doesn't look so ugly with it sticking out it would make it look better

[@kriskersey9927]

Im not sure if you have ever thought about it, but if you ran the engine backward , the exhaust would be in the back. May make for better fitment. Would only have to come up with a way to change the ignition timing and a way to change the direction of the starter . Just a thought

[@nathanpellham7387]

I thought you did a great job making the diff and chain drive setup with cutting breaks, I'd be really interested in possibly making a LSD that's chain drive so you get the added traction when slippage acures but still will allow you to use the cutting breaks as well

[@whitecompany18]

Oscillating tools are best for fibreglass, rotary tools blow it and throw it everywhere👍

[@davidadams6811]

Awesome build! My favorite of yours so far!

[@jayhohonson7614]

Your one of the best utube builders too watch ❤

[@michaelfowler8289]

It's also going to change the way the fuel runs into the engine it's going to go flat and be sucked in rather than pour in because it's at an angle😊 and it will also change your float bowl levels that is a most definite and I think with your extensive education on your bills and what runs them you completely understand the schematic of the deal yo y'all 😮😊

[@GarcBomber]

Radiator on top angled down from the motor, duals fans, wrap removable cage down for protection.

[@TrackMania753]

Might as well put the battery on the front end that’s the only weight that comes to mind. Also that aluminum heat shielding is going to look amazing on the body I just know it.

[@tinkerne-round4079]

Heres another idea. Biuld a box from behind the window back covering everything.

[@jimwhite8789]

Baja bugs typically mount an oil cooler just above the engine on the part of fiberglass between engine and bottom of the rear window. You could just make stand off brackets. Mount the radiator and then an electric fan pulling air through radiator. It wouldnt take up much room and the addition of the electric fan would make sure it ran cool even when you werent running very fast to move the air naturally around the radiator. Just a thought. I was going to post a picture of this setup but cant on here.

[@markboniface6579]

Hey there Mr RBW maybe fibreglassing the whole rear window hole up and recutting the older smaller oval window shape to give you back the body structure around that monstrosity of a pulley sticking out the back ?? Mark from NZ

[@got2soar]

Hope ya got video of you blowing out the shop. Hope ya blew out the shop. Looking good Chris! We should take bets on how much ballast it is gonna take to settle down the wheelie popping machine.

[@michaelfowler8289]

Well if you remember right Baja bugs back in the day had exhausted shot straight up sometimes through the back window I mean think about it back in the seventies eighties how they did the Baja bugs and exhaust you can do some pretty cool stuff without cutting the fiberglass or at least having to make a nasty delete little round cutouts near or a round cut out near the back window the lower half upper half whatever you got to do but they did just used to run it straight up off the motor and face it back lightly yo

[@jaubuchon28]

My street bug has a stinger lmao

[@miketee2444]

For future reference. A two stroke definitely doesn't need back pressure. It's been proven that a megaphone type exhaust will send a reverse pulse as good or better than any expansion pipe. The important part for performance is that one cylinder exhaust pulse doesn't interfere with another. Separate pipes makes this easier to calculate. Harry Brinkman book can inform on pipe length related to intake volume if you ever want to get into custom pipes.

[@hemibreath]

FIY I don’t know if that “vintage” Polaris had one but there should be a adjustable bolt with a rubber head pushing on the block behind the primary clutch, inline with the crank should be a flat area for it on the 2 block half’s. It takes torque-pull away from the motor mounts and keeps belt in alignment.

[@johnanderson1818]

Cant wait to see this beast wheeling! Just like the big boys do! 💯

[@albertjenkins8121]

I'd make scoops on side blowing or directing air to radiator and then also figure a fan in for it somehow to help for extreme heat possibilities and after the body is trimmed out all the way use door trim stripping to trim the body out maybe would make it look clean or factory looking I'd guess just a thought and give a secondary color too

[@thebinderbuilder]

Have you thought about putting the radiator in a drag wing over the motor and flat (horizontal). The wing can hide it, and may be situated to cover the CVT bits

[@VermontPaintandPhoto]

Look up Baja bug roof oil cooler. That scoop style may help your rad mount idea.

[@Shadow0fd3ath24]

this thing is gonna wheelie easier than a 450 dirtbike lmao cant wait

[@MrMorepower71]

Exhaust should go out center rear. It is the baja bug style of exhaust. Spun aluminum tank gas tank in the front is baja style also.

[@systomattic8469]

Ooo lala!!! Fancy new music Chris!!!

[@michaelfowler8289]

I definitely think you're going to be changing the oiling features & cooling featuers. of this engine they are designed to be at that angle on the bike & or a snowmobile for a specific reason😮😮😮😊

[@suzukiman650]

Engines in XLT sleds are mounted straight up.

[@lukegroeneweg4464]

I think it would look great if you cut the rear fenders off and remade the back of the bug and fenders. It think everything would flow better and look more proportional, so the engine isn’t sticking so far out. Great build I like it!!

[@ShaunKjar]

This buggy is going to wheelie all day!

[@tujuprojects]

Use the pipe frame as radiator. Hook the hoses at rear and run the coolant all over the frame around. There is more pipe you need.

[@tujuprojects]

You could also make a front ”cattle bumber” from pipe and hook it to coolant circuit that runs in the frame.

[@rockyrivermushrooms529]

seeing all that fiberglass dust gave me flashbacks from modifying a jetski hull. what a nightmare. that stuff is powdered satan

[@tinkerne-round4079]

You could put rock bars on the sides and put two smaller radiators on them at an angle and duct them.

[@rasmusdahl232]

Watching from sweden! U have the best channel on KZbin! Keep it up😁

[@supadeluxe]

Have you thought of a large spoiler mounted at the base of the rear window? This would help cover stuff in the back, strengthen the body and look cool!

[@zaneshaw7913]

Im really surprised you don't have more sponsors