DSBE Number 2 and Manxter DualSport #2 is coming to life ...

[Iguana]

Well after a successful intro to the market and over 10 000 miles of testing including a quick 1000 plus race miles in Baja and a trip across to e Buffalo NY and back again we have pulled the Trigger on building Manxter DualSport Baja Edition Number 2. It will be a bit different from number one in that it is jig built and assembled and has been modified to be more production friendly rather than free hand.

As we get into it I will outline the upgrades we have undertaken to address some minor issues we found in DSBE 1.

Of course we start every build with Buggy Porn so here was todays presents, well we picked them up yesterday from DownSouth Motorsports (http://www.downsouthmotorsports.com) but I didn't unwrap them till today lol .

We are running the same shock setup we used in DSBE 1 with 2.5 Piggy Back Coil Overs on each corner with 12" rear and 10" front, we also run 2.0 bumps in the rear.

These have been valved and sprung to the same spec as the first batch as after spending the day at Plaster City with Sonny we love the valving and spring rates.

[Iguana]

Got to take the Truck out for a Drive to pickup a load from Dans Parts (http://www.dansperformanceparts.com/), I knew from previous orders I had no hope of getting it in my DSBE.

Anyway todays stuff was all about stopping power, the DSBE uses a full set of Jamar Pro X Brakes with 4 piston calipers.

Rear are Microstub as after breaking more than a few Type 1 Stub Axles there was no chance of anything but MicroStubs getting into the DSBE

We are also running a second set of calipers on the rear to ensure we have an isolated e-brake system. This is not confirmed 100% yet and I currently have 3 different sets in testing to find which e-brake will work best.

Upfront are Jamar Pro X again with matching caliper for rear. These are made to go on the Foddrill King Kong Spindles each DSBE uses.

Pedals are reverse swing 14" long with 3/4" Masters for brake and clutch. The new 14" pedals worked very well in the 1st DSBE and the Teflon washers and custom design was much nicer to adjust and use than the older design.

So the parts pile is growing and by the end of the week the Method Wheels and BFG KM2's should be on the floor as well.

[Iguana]

Here is the Body which will be coming to life.

[Iguana]

Well DSBE Build Number 2, which technically is the 1st of the Production builds is under way. We have been lucky enough to have the hindsight of DSBE Number 1 which was a prototype. Anyway one of the things we found was the front beam on DSBE 1 which was 2 1/4" 4130 Molly with a 0.120 wall took a hit and had a small bend. The bracing held it square so no issues there but it did highlight the exposed nature of the front beam even with a 1/4" 6061 T6 Bash plate.
If you get flex in your beam at all you run the risk of breaking control arms as they are usually rather brittle after heat treatment and this is BAD !!!

After a lot of research the decision was made that for the weight increase ( approx 13 lbs ) we would increase the lower beam to 2 1/2" @ 0.250 wall. Now when you say it fast it doesn't seem like much .... but when you see it in the flesh that baby is big lol. Front beam is again set at 8 Degree Caster relative to the floor at zero. It is important to remember this as setting ride height needs to be obtained to gain the benefit of the beam caster. If you build it ass up or down then you need to allow for that in the chassis jig.

Another design change was the inclusion of seat belt bosses to allow fitment or 3 pt retractable seatbelts front and rear and the increase of foot pad sizes to meet the 7500 sq mm cross section that is recommended to reduce punch force in an accident.

Again like DSBE number 1 the chassis and roll cages are fully Tig Welded DOM with relative 0.120 and 0.095 wall thicknesses as required to suit the application.

More details will flow as we get stuff done but so far all is going to plan and the jigging and alignment is almost done.

[streetbuggy8804]

40" beam width?

[Iguana]