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shifty6d
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:55 am    Post subject: body spacer ? Reply with quote

When I pulled the body on my buggy I found a spacer made out of a weird hard rubber kind of like a tire side wall about 3/4" or so. I wanted to eliminate it but have found that without it the body contacts the top rib of the trans bellhousing at the rear. Anyone see any problems with making a new spacer out of wood like teak or jatoba coated with marine epoxy? I looked into HDPE plastic and its over twice the cost but if that's a better route I'll take it.
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jspbtown
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Composite decking material is very cheap, easy to work with, and durable. No coating required.
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MV8
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go to Tractor Supply and check out their horse stall mats. They come in different thicknesses. They make great custom cut to fit floor mats too.

It may be better to double two thinner layers across the front of the chassis where the greatest bend is.
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shifty6d
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Composite decking looks out, it's $4 a foot and I would have to buy a blade for my table saw to rip it into usable lengths. Tractor supply may be an option but it's 3/8" thick so I'd have to double stack it and I worry it would squish out between the fasteners. Looks like the HDPE may be the most economical solution after all when I consider my labor and final appearance. Oh well.
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Bermoco
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 10:39 pm    Post subject: Body spacer Reply with quote

I had the same problem with my buggy. I used some thick dense rubber gasket material that is used to seal large water gates.
Found the material at Allied packing in Oakland California. It can be bought in several different thicknesses and they were able to cut it in the correct width for my pan. I chose 5/8" thick which was adequate to lift it off the trans. It was easy to work with and form around the frame.
I believe the real problem was that the body was never supported properly at the rear and that the body sagged over time until it rested on the trans. Made a frame to support the rear with rods from the trans mount and adjusted the rods to lift and support the rear seat area.
There are many threads on this website from others with this same problem.
Look for body sag/ rear support/ body fitment problems.
Good luck,
Bart
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jspbtown
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

$4 per foot? That's crazy. Home Depot has it for about half that. And if you have a Grossman's Outlet near you its even cheaper. You might need 2, or 3, 8 footers to do a 2" lift all the way around.

That's less than $50.
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MV8
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HDPE and other rigid materials are great and can be used, but I think rubber would be best all-around for several reasons. (Better still would be to cut the flange and bolt it to the pan then support the body and glass the gap then fit a standard pan gasket, but I don’t think you want to do that. Your body is much too nice already. Another would be to weld in a diy or purchase a body lift kit to weld in, but you probably already know all that.)

With a rigid spacer of any type, if you want sealing, then it would need a seal above and below the spacer. Sealants do not stick well to HDPE, so that would leave either two pan gaskets or cutting a groove for a rubber chord on top and bottom, which still leaves the problem if end gaps for each piece. No problem for horse mat, which will conform to imperfections in the pan and body and will seal the ends if cut slightly long.

From Mcmaster, a 3”x3/4” strip of HDPE is about $6/foot. I figure 18 feet or so for about $110 plus shipping, plus pan gaskets and end seals if you want it to seal.

Tractor Supply has a 4’x6’x3/4” mat for $39 that should allow for cutting out one piece sides and the front and rear bulkhead seals, with some left over for other uses.

I have the 3/8” mat in my trike. It has high tensile strength for a 1,000 lb horse to walk around on. It takes multiple cuts with a new razor blade just to trim it. The fiberglass flange of the body with a large, load spreading washer on top would be damaged before the mat could be extruded, not that it should be very tight to begin with. Use nyloc nuts (prevailing torque fasteners with a nylon insert) and only snug all the bolts evenly. These nuts will prevent loosening of the hardware later on.

To get the front rubber to lay flat in the bends, I’d use ¼” hex head sheet metal screws with washers, two on each side around the outboard bends, run into the rubber until they countersink so as not to rub the body.

Of course, it is your buggy. I’m just discussing what I would do and why. My body needs a lot of glass-work anyway, so I intend to cut and glass to fit my pan and use a standard gasket.
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shifty6d
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks MV8, I picked up some horse stall mat and sliced it up today. We don't have a tractor supply or a lot of other major chains up here but I found it at a local farm store. I've got a 3.5'X6' piece left over, guess I need to build another couple of buggies, haha. Thanks again for the idea.


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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That actually looks pretty nice. How thick is it?
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Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
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MV8
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 3:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That does look good! Glad to help.With the left overs, with a taper cut, you now have a lifetime supply of door chocks.
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shifty6d
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's 3/4" joecoolcustoms, not too horrible to cut with a sharp utility knife, still about 5 passes though.
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Bermoco
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:45 pm    Post subject: Body spacer Reply with quote

Here is a picture of the rear body support that I fabbed up. I know it is not painted yet and somewhat rough but I plan on putting the buggy together than disassembling it for final paint. It is kind of a kafer bar arrangement.
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Dale M.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice work but I have to wonder if engine mounting forks flex and with offset of turnbuckles compared to line of shock mounts if its not going leverage (pivot) the assembly and put pressure on body and eventually flex body to where glass starts to fail....

Dale
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Bermoco
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 6:22 pm    Post subject: rear body spacer Reply with quote

Gee Dale, I USED to like you! All kidding aside I appreciate your comments. How much flex is there at trans support forks? I have a stock 1600 in it now. I plan on adding Kadrons eventually. Will this addition really tweak the forks?

Here are some more photos where the turnbuckles are attached to the trans support. Also a photo of the back seat rest area that wore through the body or was cut out to accommodate the top of trans. Also check out the custom trimming to allow for the dog house cooler the previous owner did.
I am going to post more pics on the Bermoco build thread.
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Bermoco
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 6:24 pm    Post subject: rear body spacer Reply with quote

Missed the cooler trim photo
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