Was wandering if EMP's would be an issue?if so, older non electronic system BOV's would make more since, but what about a super beetle with suspencion mod and roof rack.

Just read up on EMP's on the NDLSE forum and it might not be that much of a concern, but still what about the bug.

I'm not sure about it mechanically or anything, but I'd give you props for using a super beetle as a BOV, it'd be cool!

In all seriousness, yeah, EMPs don't seem like that much of a threat, you can also look into diesel. My father ran a diesel suburban for a couple hours w/o an alternator, batteries died, it wouldn't shift out of first or second (25mph, automatic, go standard!) but it got him where he was going.

Okay, I hope this won't cost me my guy card (it's already been reduced to probationary!), but how can a diesel run without an alternator or battery? How does it ignite the fuel?

The fuel is compressed by the piston in the engine cylinder at the top of the stroke and this ignites the fuel due to the temperature rise of the compression stroke. But you still need a battery to initially turn the engine over to get the diesel cycle to start unless of course your vehicle has hand cranking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_cycle

My uncle (RAF) used to have a VW Beetle and used to refer to it as the 'Nazi Hairdryer on Wheels'.

Huh! I did not know that. Mucho danke!

Right, so on the previously mentioned trip, my father started out with a working alternator, it failed, then he depleted the significant reserve of battery he had (the truck has two car batteries in it) and eventually was running with little or no electricity (I say little because maybe the alternator was running at some diminished capacity, but I do not know). Frankly, despite the fact that diesels don't in theory need glow plugs runnings, etc, I figured it wouldn't run w/o the computer system operating and I thought the truck had electric fuel injectors, but I guess I was wrong about both. Don't misunderstand, it ran terribly, but it ran. He was actually towing a boat, so it ran well enough to tow a boat to his destination at an extremely reduced speed.

I'd say perhaps the best BOV solution if you're THAT worried about EMP would be an old small diesel w/mechanical fuel injections and a standard transmission. You could, in theory, pop start this, but due to the higher compression in a diesel it'll be harder than w/a gas automobile.

So I'd never thought about that story very hard before, but unless I'm misunderstanding something my father must have had enough current to run the DS4 Electric Injection pump fitted on the '97 6.5 liter diesel. If you found an early 90s (90, 91, and 92, I think) 6.5 liter it should have a mechanical injection pump.

I don't know much about cars, so, please someone who does, please feel free to correct anything I've said about them!

Compu - You may find this interesting as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieseling

Thanks!

At this rate, I may get that "probationary" taken off my guy card!

or a superbeetle with a body transplant to resemble a kubelwagen , perhaps?

http://www.kooblekar.com/

May be better off with a Jeep Cherokee for a BOV more space and power but cost more to build up.

I have owned 2 Volkswagen Beetles. In terms of design and the ability to take a massive amount of punishment, they make terrific off-road vehicles.

Like any small vehicle though, they are hampered by a lack of storage space...even with a moderate size roof rack. By time you pack your belongings, extra food, fuel etc, you be soon wanting for more space.

At one time many people (including me) who used their Bug for their on/off-road travel would remove the back seat completely to make more room...This is a non starter if you have a family to bring along.

Today any Beetle in any reasonable condition that does not have the floorboards and fender joints rusted out and the front suspension not needing repair is going to command a good price and if you want a Beetle in great condition, I hope you have deep pockets.

Also consider that outside bigger areas, parts for Beetles are getting harder to find due to their now somewhat rarity. This is not idea if you are 200 miles west of nowhere....

Personally I would shoot for a very common, capable and fairly easy to work on vehicle. I would think one of the common pickup trucks would be ideal. The F-150 is, I have been told, the most common truck out there. The engine and suspension remained relatively unchanged for decades. If you toss out the AC and power steering the area under the hood is roomy.

A Ford Ranger or Toyota truck, both very popular, have a lot going for them.

If your main concern is vulnerability to EMP, natural or man-made, the fact that all these vehicles is common means you can go to a pull-it-yourself junkyard or used parts place and buy the ignition modules and other EMP vulnerable parts in considerable numbers cheap. Store the spares in a shielded container and switch out as needed. With practice, and possibly the creative use of connectors, the few parts shouldn't take very long to change out.

The F-150 design predated electronics and it might be possible to get one that avoids the problem entirely or retrofit a more modern F-150 with older, non-electronic, ignition system.

Any of these pickup trucks would give you far more to work with than a Beetle. They all have compact camper tops that can be fitted and all are capable of towing a trailer. Within limits and not necessarily at the same time and the full-sized F-150 gives you more capacity than the mid-sized units but all give you more than a Bug.

All three makes also have a lot of aftermarket gear available. Lift kits, winches, skid plates, heavier rear axles, performance parts are all pretty easy to find.

The things the Beetle has going for it are weigh and fuel efficiency but once you load in a bunch of gear you're going to lose a lot of those advantages.

I have to say, realistically, my bug out vehicle would be whatever I'm driving at the time. I drive a Subaru Outback, I can't afford another vehichle just for this purpose (nor would I want to, maintaining one car is enough for me), so that's it. My BOV is a Subaru Outback. Does it have any particularly great merits towards that end? I don't know, but it gets me skiing and carrys everything I need for duck hunting and fishing, and I do those things more than I Bug Out. It also gets me to work, which I suppose, if it did that a little less often, I would be okay with it

If you have a choice between a Beetle and a SuperBeetle, choose the older Beetle. The SuperBeetle uses a Macpherson strut front suspension that doesn't modify well for off road use. Gas mileage-wise though, either one will have you miles ahead of the other guys when you need it! Post some pics when you build it up!

I've always thought the Kommander Kar version of the beetle to be the cool version. It's essentially the beetle with off-road suspension, larger wheels, and racks for: water/fuel cans, spare tire, weapons, etc. I've always loved the older beetles and this off-road military version is awesome.

Kommander Kar

Cheers,

Tom