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dustymojave Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007 Posts: 5802 Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:29 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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Look at the Berrien (Acme) site under Berrien Buggy - Sand Rails - Options & Accessories for their "CHASSIS BRACE KITS". It will fit right into your frame, even if yours is a Beeline I believe.
http://www.acmecarco.com/berrien-buggy/sand-rails/options-and-accessories
I wouldn't worry too much about the 90" wheelbase. Check out Iguana's videos of the shorter little Tow'd they took to the NORRA Mexican 1000.
I have stock arms and torsions on my Hi Jumper with 8" travel KYBs on 8" plate towers and the stock lower shock mounts. It has 10" of travel that way and it works great.
If you're going for 3x3s, you might want to go for a +6 beam. That could be built from a pair of stock beams.
Fox or King type shocks would be nice, but are not necessary to get a play buggy that works pretty nice. Rancho or Skyjacker or Pro-Comp double tube shocks will serve quite well for play use. My friend has a big 4 seater with 15" front travel and 20" of rear travel. It has Rancho shocks. They've worked very nicely. They will fade a bit after a couple hours of hard desert whoops and rough terrain at the high speed his 400+hp Acura NSX engine will push the car. It never gets serious, but I wouldn't try to race the car that way. Still, for play use, it works just fine. _________________ 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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I Ride Dirt Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2014 Posts: 33 Location: The Badger Hole
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:38 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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I think I Ride Sand needs to update this thread.. |
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I Ride Sand Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2012 Posts: 567 Location: utah
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2016 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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I Ride Dirt wrote: |
I think I Ride Sand needs to update this thread.. |
what about your non existent build thread that you've told me you going to start? |
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I Ride Sand Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2012 Posts: 567 Location: utah
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:50 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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So i took the rail out to the dunes for the first time, and a couple things have become quite apparent to me.
(1) it needs more power.
(2) it needs more suspension travel.
(3) it needs better gearing.
(4) it needs more light.
(5) steel wheels and drums are heavy. need to add disks to the spindle mounts.
but those are always issues, right?
the good news is i make about 3 times what i did now annually than when i started this thread, so this project will get a shot of monetary stimulation soon. i just need to buy a few tools first like a lathe, a mill, tube bender, and a plasma cutter suitable to be set up on a cnc plasma table. once that is done in the next few weeks, i'll be looking for a 091 trans to swap in with some 3x3's or bigger.
so a couple questions, how much travel can i eek out of torsion bars before coils will be required? is there any real need to go to some exotic stub axle if i'm shooting for say 14" travel?
also, just to show how it did in the sand, check this out!
Link
_________________ Just a dirty coyote playing in the desert.
now where'd that dirty badger run off to? |
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dustymojave Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007 Posts: 5802 Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 5:31 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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Quote: |
so a couple questions, how much travel can i eek out of torsion bars before coils will be required? is there any real need to go to some exotic stub axle if i'm shooting for say 14" travel? |
A friend of mine has a 4 seat buggy with an Acura NSX V6 engine. It has a beam front end with +4" arms on torsion leaves for about 15" of front travel, 5x6 rear arms with VW hubs, on torsion bars (Sway-A-Way 28mm long bars in a wide torsion housing, with modified short torsion swingaxle spring plates) for about 20" of rear travel. We've beat the HELL out of that car for years. It works well.
_________________ 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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Vanillagurilla Samba Member
Joined: November 21, 2017 Posts: 1061 Location: California
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:33 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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dustymojave wrote: |
Quote: |
so a couple questions, how much travel can i eek out of torsion bars before coils will be required? is there any real need to go to some exotic stub axle if i'm shooting for say 14" travel? |
A friend of mine has a 4 seat buggy with an Acura NSX V6 engine. It has a beam front end with +4" arms on torsion leaves for about 15" of front travel, 5x6 rear arms with VW hubs, on torsion bars (Sway-A-Way 28mm long bars in a wide torsion housing, with modified short torsion swingaxle spring plates) for about 20" of rear travel. We've beat the HELL out of that car for years. It works well.
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I haven't found ANY +4 arms that will work with torsion. All that I found were through rod. Biggest I've found were 2x1 I believe. |
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dustymojave Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007 Posts: 5802 Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 7:49 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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Those arms were made in the 90s. They haven't been made with the square bore for torsion leaves for many years. _________________ 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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Vanillagurilla Samba Member
Joined: November 21, 2017 Posts: 1061 Location: California
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:02 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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dustymojave wrote: |
Those arms were made in the 90s. They haven't been made with the square bore for torsion leaves for many years. |
I wonder if I could have them broached somewhere or milled out. |
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I Ride Sand Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2012 Posts: 567 Location: utah
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:24 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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welp, its the end of a saga. the rail has been sold, and a suzuki samurai has been bought. it was fun, but i like having a windshield and a heater. the 50 year old parts have been drying up and the new ones are junk. figured it was time for a different offroad rig. _________________ Just a dirty coyote playing in the desert.
now where'd that dirty badger run off to? |
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I Ride Sand Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2012 Posts: 567 Location: utah
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: IRS's build thread |
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Well its been a minute. I did sell the sandrail a while back, and it popped up for sale, I talked to the guy. We have agreed on a price!
So this thread may get a revival if all goes as planned. _________________ Just a dirty coyote playing in the desert.
now where'd that dirty badger run off to? |
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desertwrx Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2007 Posts: 351 Location: Borrego Springs, CA
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="I Ride Sand"]OK! so after carefully inspecting all of the empi parts, i have decided they suck. however, i have them and nothing else, so i am running them. One of the biggest issues with the kits is the caliper bracket is quite a bit thicker than factory backing plates, i measured .055". so to compensate i decided to face off the bearing cap to allow for the added thickness without moving the seal outward.
Today I found I had .063 thickness difference for the caliper bracket thickness.
Into the lathe go my brackets too! _________________ 2 fiberglass buggies, 2 non-running Corvair Sandrails!
SCCA |
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