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Single seat all purpose build advise
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:47 pm    Post subject: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Last year my then 9 year old started asking for something to "go where you go, Daddy". He has pretty much outgrown the mini RZR that he's been on the past few years and I'm thinking about building him a single seat buggy over the winter. I have this sitting in the garage.

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It was stripped down and the motor was sold a long time ago, but I held onto the frame thinking it might make a fun buggy some day. I'd really like to wind up with something like this.

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I've thought about lots of different options and about the ultimate goal. I know I want to stay at about 60" wide and I'd like to have something that can grow with him. What do y'all think about a 40 or 50 horse build now that we could swap motors on later for bigger power? We mostly ride tight trails here in the Appalachain Mtn. foothills, but we do like to occasionally load up and head out to Little Sahara and ride dunes. These Class 9 buggies like this seem like they would be pretty versatile.

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veeweeman
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Can you be my Daddy? Laughing Laughing

Your son is a lucky boy...I wish I had a dad like you growing up. ..your plan sounds great and you have a good foundation to start with. ...I think 12" of travel will be plenty of fun and cheaper on the budget. ...in fact, you can just adapt a stock link pin front beam and remove the springs and do some cheap coil overs for that light of a setup. ..best of luck with the new project.
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:11 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

As I think through it more, I'm becoming more firm on this being the direction that I want to go with the buggy. So, my question for the day is this:

If I can pick up a complete 1973 Super Beetle locally for around $1,000 should I go that route, or should I piece it together starting w/ custom torsion housing?

Thanks,

Jason
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Dale M.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:57 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Super Beetle has a coil spring/shock set up on front, if you go this way I would suggest replacing front suspension with either a king and link or ball joint front end...

However I believe there is a series of beetles in that year band with a flat windshield that was not a "super" and has a BJ beam front end...

Dale
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rkwfxd
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

He is nine today. He will be 16 tomorrow. Literally tomorrow, it happens that fast.

I'd build him a nice 2 seater VW based buggy. Stock 1600 for now. Add additional HP and suspension travel in a few years.

You'll be teaching him how to drive a manual transmission and probably how to build and repair his own buggy along the way. Skills he can use the rest of his life.
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 3:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

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I gave him his buggy for his birthday. He and his pawpaw immediately went to work tearing it down and getting it ready for the new suspension.

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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:20 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

We found some local parts. It looks like we now have a direction for our build. It will be an IRS late model rear with a kingpin disc brake front. Now the real fun begins. Smile

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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

More progress. We got the front beams pulled and my dad helped Jax get them stripped down. We have to get them sandblasted and cleaned up and then we'll be ready to mount them up on the midget frame.

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We need to decide exactly where to cut off the existing front suspension so we can mount the VW beam.

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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Seems to me it would have been easier and more effective to just put that dwarf car body and nose on the short back buggy frame. The front of the frame of the dwarf car is all wrong for the beam type suspension. Was the a-arm setup so bad? Beefier arms and bigger shocks might have fixed it.
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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Option 1 - For a low dirt oval track ride height. - You could cut off the lower frame rail at the point where the top rail meets the bottom rail, right behind the sway bar mounts. Put beam clamps to mount the lower tube of the beam Then replace the upper rail with larger tubing all the way back to the cage to mount to the upper tube of the beam, so it looks like the rail that you hacked used to look. Mount the radiator to the front of the beam.

Option 2 - For a more offroad ride height. - Cut the front of the frame off at the firewall. Extend the bottom rail (with PROPER connection method!) level out to the bottom tube of the beam as far forward as the point indicated above. Then create a new upper rail just like the upper rail on the dune buggy you cut apart.

Then you need to start thinking about how to raise the rear axle.

And I thought the body work would look cool for this offroad build.

OR BETTER - Just sell the dwarf car and buy a trophy kart.
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Richard
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

dustymojave wrote:
Was the a-arm setup so bad? Beefier arms and bigger shocks might have fixed it.


I had intended to keep the front a-arm setup that was on the car, but once I got the shocks off it, it only has about 4" of travel. So when I found the deal on the buggy and the bug I figured the easiest thing for my fab skills would be to go with the VW front end. From what I've seen they are more than capable for what I'm building. I'd still like to use the rack and pinion if I can once I get everything mounted up.

dustymojave wrote:
And I thought the body work would look cool for this offroad build.


My plan is to keep the body work. Just modified.

The reason I bought the little race car was to have a safe cage to put him in. Here in north Alabama we ride a lot of steep narrow trails and if he rolls it a couple of hundred feet off an embankment I want him in something that will protect him. It seems there isn't much of a market for them around here, though. I'd like to sell some of the parts to fund the build, but I haven't found anywhere to do that.
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:31 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

We got his front beam sandblasted and primed this weekend. Progress. Smile

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Here's a quick and dirty paint sketch of what I'm thinking for the frame. The "Z" in the existing frame is almost perfectly staggered to match the spacing of the VW beams.

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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:21 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

Looks like a good idea and where my head went before. 2 issues come up with that design though. 1st is it's a lot of weight in the frame. 2nd is that the frame will SERIOUSLY get in the way of tie rods.
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Richard
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:56 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

We got the race car front suspension stripped off and started mocking things up. I'm figuring it out as I go.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

We got the frame cut and the top VW beam mounted this weekend. I held the tie rod location from the race car and mounted the VW to match it, so we will be able to use the rack and pinion that came with the car.

I do have one question, though. I noticed that the "clamps" for the beam are not a tight fit. What is supposed to keep the beam from sliding in the clamps from left to right? Do I need to weld on some stops?

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cbeck
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 7:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

I used some 1/4" keystock on mine. Inside and out.
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2019 9:54 am    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

cbeck wrote:
I used some 1/4" keystock on mine. Inside and out.


Awesome. Thanks for the reply.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

cbeck wrote:
I used some 1/4" keystock on mine. Inside and out.
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There' is no "thumbs up" emoticon on the Samba (sure are a LOT of negative ones though???). IF there WERE one available (I used to have one in my Photobucket Rolling Eyes ) I would use it here.
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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
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JasonB.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Single seat all purpose build advise Reply with quote

We got our beam adjusters installed this weekend.

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