My 4 Seater Buggy Project

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It rained for about 54 hours or so without stopping and the back field is a bit damp. We took a break from homeschool to spin a wheel this morning. The car likes 2nd gear the best. Reminded me of the days we had the waverunners and jetskis... no steer unless you're in the gas!

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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[dustymojave]

So your next improvement for the buggy is a set of wet suits, Huh?

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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

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No real updates on the buggy as of late, been working on the new house and another basement too. But today I picked up a couple more subarus, a 95 and a 99 2.2/5 speed, with 2 complete transmissions and another trans case, along with some spare parts in the car. I saw an oil pan and pick up tube so far. I'll have to set the Subaru engine/transmission combo in a chassis some day and decide if it needs to be a mid-engine or rear engine then.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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Well, these Subaru donors couldn't have come in at a better time. My wife had a friend come over yesterday and asked me to take her for a ride across the field. Something inside the bus box sounds like a rock stuck in a brake rotor. It still moves, there wasn't any "big bang" or anything, it just came on. I was about 1/4 mile from the house when it really came on, so I took it easy on the way home and parked it.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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Good news... for a slacker! The noise was actually an exploded wheel bearing on the left rear. So, whenever I get around to popping that apart, I'll see if it's as simple as replacing the bearing and race, or if there is any other carnage. Otherwise, I bet everything in the trans is just fine.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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So, it’s been a while... I ‘spose. Last October I believe, we cracked the chassis at the dunes. Come to find out, almost every weld on the lower right rail was cracked at least half way around. I now have a bender, notcher, bigger welder and a nice shop with a lift. Plans are to eventually cut this car in half, stretch it, get it the way I want, then jig it and build new. But for now, the cracks are ground out, drilled, welded up, gusseted where I think they need more support, and a front brace built. Dune trip tomorrow for a shakedown! Oh yeah, suspension seats, harnesses up front, and more floor/subframe support. Our “German Kid” Jil, who was our exchange student 5 years ago, is in town and gave me some help in the shop! Sorry for duplicates if that happens, getting the hang of posting from an iPad instead of PC.

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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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The seat mounts will hopefully transfer power forward as well as support the seats... they are as close to the trailing arm / trans mounts as possible.

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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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We all had fun, the car came back in one piece, mostly! I think I ripped a tube in my right paddle and I need to upgrade the cooling system. Maybe another civic rad, and mounted/shrouded on the sides. It got hot and spewed some coolant after about 2 hrs of second gear, close to wide open. I still can’t believe the power difference in the sand with the Subaru mill vs VW. The front handles well, but of course could use coil overs still... but the rear NEEDS coil overs. It bucks hard and bottoms out frequently.

Got a new truck this spring, a 2018 Colorado with the baby Duramax 2.8L and a ZR2 package. Thanks Grandpa for the GM discount! It did great climbing hills and handling most whoops but with the tires aired down it sits pretty low for big dips. It was great for momma to drive around, there wasn’t enough room for the whole family in the buggy.

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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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After countless jumps and abuse, my chassis braces are doing their job! I see little to no flex in the front end, and it seams now that the suspension is working better as well. Yesterday we planned a 6 hr round trip to the dunes, rolled in the driveway just shy of 12 hrs gone. Multiple trips from Appletree Auto near the highway to Duneland next to the dunes entrance, ended up with new wheels, tires, stud adapters and that ooooo shiney moment. Total bill close to $1400.

Next pull at test hill, fuel pump died! I had a spare in the truck, and I’m thankful for generous folks who offered me rides to the parking lot to retrieve my truck and tools!

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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[dustymojave]

One thing that will help with that sort of break is to install the diagonal small diameter truss tubes so they are evenly cornered up. It is far easier for a fabricator to cut the ends of those tubes with one angle. But the correct way is to cut 2 angles.

Also, if the welder uses CO2 for welding gas, the weld will have deep penetration, but will be narrow. 75/25 will produce a wider heat penetration and will thus be less likely to crack. I'm not saying for certain that's the situation here. Just suggesting it's a possibility.

These suggestions are put forward with the thought of you doing substantial modifications to your existing frame.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[dustymojave]

I suggest that to stretch the wheelbase, you move the torsion housing back to where it's right under the B-pillar.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

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Richard, thanks for those comments, I’ll be sure to consider those two points seriously in this next phase of the buggy work! This weekend I developed a HARD rod knock and I’m afraid this mill is toast. Along with that, my wife suggests I start fresh with a new chassis. Bummer moment, along with a yay moment at the same time.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[dustymojave]

She makes sense.

I could provide some advice before you pull the trigger on that new frame.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

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Room for 4 good seats with leg room, safety in mind, (headroom far from the cage) and definitely a 10 degree trans mount integrated into the next one! Even with the short pan and the ground clearance of the suspension work done, I’m on skid plate far too often.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

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I found a YouTube video of a knock sound, that came from a timing belt tensioner. It sounded just the same as what I’ve been hearing, so I had to check it out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case this time. Next, I’ll pull the valve covers and look for any abnormalities for each set of valvetrain components. I noticed too that my skid plate frame must move a ton, because both exhaust tubes coming from the engine are crushed pretty good. There’s about an inch between my skid plate frame and the exhaust at rest!
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[dustymojave]

I constantly see buggies and Bajas including LOTS of race cars with their skidplates RIGHT up AGAINST things like engine cases. The 1st HP book on building Bajas and Buggies, "Baja Prepping VW Sedans And Dune Buggies", published in 1970, made a point of talking about allowing some space between skid plates and what they're supposed to protect. It's STILL a VERY VALID point, in spite of technological advancements in suspension.

For you engine, I really hope that knock wasn't the timing belt tensioner going out. Have you checked the muffler bearing?

One time out at El Mirage Dry Lake (close enough I can see it from here), there was a tube frame buggy that pulled up to our camp with a knock going on. It would get faster as the engine RPM increased, and slow with the engine. As he stopped, he shut the engine off. Then as a group gathered around the buggy, he re-started it, the knock came right back. So he shut it off again. Got out and checked the oil. Meanwhile the guy in the right seat had a smile on his face that was wide as Texas thinks it is. Then as the discussion went on, he got out of the buggy and stood up. Then he couldn't hold it in any longer and bust out laughing his head off. Turned out he had picked up a rock in his right hand when they were going slow in a canyon and was knocking it against the side tube of the frame. He nearly had to walk back to their camp.

I hope your engine knock is solved as inexpensively. But doubt it.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

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Man oh man I’d have loved to see that go down! Yeah, my knock happens even when it’s just me in the shop, so unless it’s a screw loose in my head, it’s hurt for sure.
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4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0