That’s pretty cool.
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
muddysub's JHF buggy
- Thread starter muddysub
- Start date
Done messing with leaf springs and bodies, time to commit.
So I got some shit done over the weekend. Rear links are sorted out and tacked in place. The numbers look good to me, unless someone comes up with a reason not to go forward with it, I’ll start on bump stop and shock mounts next and then move on to the front. Full bump puts the axle centerline 4” above the belly pan, that’s where the upper links start hitting the chassis in two different places. I’ll set the bump stops to keep that from happening obviously.
My atlas should be here soon, seats shouldn’t be too far out. My beadlock rings and fuel cell showed up last week. Raceline was great to deal with, I called and said my rings and hardware were missing, later that day they called back with a tracking number for them. I appreciate that. Summit racing however, sent my fuel cell to my old house in NV, claiming it was PayPal’s fault, PayPal claimed it was Summit’s fault. (one of the three items on the order showed up at my current address.) So I had my old neighbor grab the boxes and ship them up here to me. The fuel cell showed up dented after its tour of the country, I’ll take it apart and get it flattened out. I went with a 22gal rci steel/plastic bladder tank, it fits really well though it is a little bigger than I imagined. It’ll leave me room for a cooler and stuff behind it.
My atlas should be here soon, seats shouldn’t be too far out. My beadlock rings and fuel cell showed up last week. Raceline was great to deal with, I called and said my rings and hardware were missing, later that day they called back with a tracking number for them. I appreciate that. Summit racing however, sent my fuel cell to my old house in NV, claiming it was PayPal’s fault, PayPal claimed it was Summit’s fault. (one of the three items on the order showed up at my current address.) So I had my old neighbor grab the boxes and ship them up here to me. The fuel cell showed up dented after its tour of the country, I’ll take it apart and get it flattened out. I went with a 22gal rci steel/plastic bladder tank, it fits really well though it is a little bigger than I imagined. It’ll leave me room for a cooler and stuff behind it.
Last edited:
I don’t know shit about numbers, but don’t you want the top center link as close together as you can get it? Aka more triangulation?
Chevy350Ben
Part time mall crawler
Sub'd. I want a buggy!
That upper link binding on that tube above it?
Yeah, he has it at max up travel in those pics.
Not necessarily, the separation between them affects the arc the axle moves in as it articulates. You can tune out the swing or steer with spacing them just right.
Not much actual work has gotten done lately. I fixed the dent in my fuel tank.
My PRP seats and Atlas transfer case showed up. The seats are perfect, extra wide low backs with black suede and carbon fiber and seat heaters. The atlas was built wrong however, my shift rails are installed in the wrong locations, giving me front only high range but not rear only high range. I was so bummed when I put the shifters on Saturday and found that my atlas wasn't right, I waited three months for that thing. It stalled me, I lost motivation for the weekend... So I came inside and ordered a bunch of parts, like, a bunch... Soon I'll have the whole steering system, some engine parts, transmission parts, interior parts, fabrication parts, motor mounts and some atlas parts on hand to keep me busy. lol!
My PRP seats and Atlas transfer case showed up. The seats are perfect, extra wide low backs with black suede and carbon fiber and seat heaters. The atlas was built wrong however, my shift rails are installed in the wrong locations, giving me front only high range but not rear only high range. I was so bummed when I put the shifters on Saturday and found that my atlas wasn't right, I waited three months for that thing. It stalled me, I lost motivation for the weekend... So I came inside and ordered a bunch of parts, like, a bunch... Soon I'll have the whole steering system, some engine parts, transmission parts, interior parts, fabrication parts, motor mounts and some atlas parts on hand to keep me busy. lol!
Ok, time for an update. I’ll admit that not much has happened lately, I’ve had a lack of enthusiasm along with waiting on a few parts the last couple weeks. Last weekend I went to the MN4WDA swap meet and met a bunch of local buggy guys, it was a good time and it helped light a fire under my ass to get to work on this thing.
Advance adapters sent me a seal kit so I could tear the atlas apart and fix it myself. They sent the wrong o-rings for the idler shaft so I sourced some locally and took care of that. The shift rails were installed in the wrong locations, it was an easy fix aside from the seal kit issue. It’s back together and ready to go.
I’ve been cleaning up the engine here and there, I swapped the pan and extracted 6 broken exhaust manifold bolts and I’m going to take it to work so I can degrease it somewhere other than my driveway. Soon I’ll swap the cam and valve springs along with a full reseal. I also got the motor mounts tacked together so I can mock it up into the chassis, I’ll need to have someone help me with that part. I don’t like working on engines, I’d rather do axle, suspension and chassis stuff so I’m looking to get that part over with.
I got seat mounting figured out, though I’m still waiting on tabs to do the passenger side. Eventually I’ll throw in some 3/8 push button pins to make seat removal quick and easy. I also tacked the steering column/orbital mount in so I could get a feel for it. The rear link geometry looks good where it’s at so I’m going to go ahead and cut the DOM tube for those. Once the drivetrain is tacked in I’ll start on front links.
Sorry this thread has been dead, I’ll try to update more often
Advance adapters sent me a seal kit so I could tear the atlas apart and fix it myself. They sent the wrong o-rings for the idler shaft so I sourced some locally and took care of that. The shift rails were installed in the wrong locations, it was an easy fix aside from the seal kit issue. It’s back together and ready to go.
I’ve been cleaning up the engine here and there, I swapped the pan and extracted 6 broken exhaust manifold bolts and I’m going to take it to work so I can degrease it somewhere other than my driveway. Soon I’ll swap the cam and valve springs along with a full reseal. I also got the motor mounts tacked together so I can mock it up into the chassis, I’ll need to have someone help me with that part. I don’t like working on engines, I’d rather do axle, suspension and chassis stuff so I’m looking to get that part over with.
I got seat mounting figured out, though I’m still waiting on tabs to do the passenger side. Eventually I’ll throw in some 3/8 push button pins to make seat removal quick and easy. I also tacked the steering column/orbital mount in so I could get a feel for it. The rear link geometry looks good where it’s at so I’m going to go ahead and cut the DOM tube for those. Once the drivetrain is tacked in I’ll start on front links.
Sorry this thread has been dead, I’ll try to update more often
Last edited:
Looking good!
Don't be sorry about the pace of your build. It looks like no easy task, so any progress is good progress, however fast it is.
I spent most of the day in the garage, knocking things off the list. I got my engine mounts welded up, the passenger seat is mounted, I cut the 3 bolt flanges off my headers to weld on v-bands and assembled my bump stop cans.
Since I had both seats in, I had to get my wife in there with me and see how it feels. There’s about 4” between the seats, it’s a good thing we love each other. Haha! I have more stuff to do tomorrow, next weekend the drivetrain goes in!
Since I had both seats in, I had to get my wife in there with me and see how it feels. There’s about 4” between the seats, it’s a good thing we love each other. Haha! I have more stuff to do tomorrow, next weekend the drivetrain goes in!
Well, nothing exciting to update with today. I moved the chassis back away from the door a few feet to allow better access to the front. I’ll be mounting the drivetrain and front suspension soon. Cleaned up the garage and took a bunch of measurements/stared at it.
Coolio. Is this going to be rear Mounted radiator? I’m pretty sure mine is going to be haha.
I’m actually trying to front mount it if I can. If it’s in the front axle’s way too bad I’ll throw it behind the passenger seat.
Last weekend was cool, a friend came over to help and we got the engine, trans and t-case into the chassis. It was really nice having help from another mechanic, I would have been exhausted getting all that done by myself but we had fun. The engine mounts are tacked in, this weekend I’m going to work on the t case support and a transmission mount. It looks like the atlas has to go in through the cab. I might make the center of the seat mount tubes removable to get things in/out easier. I had to stretch the atlas shifter a bit and I’ll have to trim one floor panel under my seat for the front driveline. The rear drive line is a straight shot, looks like it’ll be about 25” long. We got the rear yoke lined up with the rear link mounts pretty well so drive line plunge shouldn’t be an issue.
I’ve got parts on the way to build the exhaust, trans cooler and plumbing and some interior stuff like a gas pedal, some switch panels and such. There’s so much that I can get started on now, i should be able to stay busy as long as I keep parts rolling in.
I’ve got parts on the way to build the exhaust, trans cooler and plumbing and some interior stuff like a gas pedal, some switch panels and such. There’s so much that I can get started on now, i should be able to stay busy as long as I keep parts rolling in.
Man, it's been a while. I'm still building the buggy, it's a lot closer to being done than it was in May of last year. There's obviously not much interest in a tube chassis car here in CK5 but I'll try to catch this thread up to speed.
After getting the drivetrain mocked up the engine, transmission and atlas didn't move for almost a year, they're out now. With the drivetrain in place I was able to get seats, shifters, pedals, drivelines, exhaust and a bunch of other stuff placed in the chassis. The radiator and transmission cooler are mounted low behind the seats, the battery is between the seats down low under the center console. I ditched that huge fuel cell for a 12gal RCI aluminum tank and got it mounted in the back next to the cooler and still have space for tools, lunch boxes, etc. At the front of the chassis I've build a removable structure that mounts the engine oil accumulator, steering cooler, steering reservoir, headlights and the solenoid pack for the winch. It gets pretty crowded up front, which forced the rear mounted radiator setup.
I spent quite a while cycling the suspension and building different shock mounts last year. I ended up at the ride height I want with 5" up travel in the front and 7" up in the rear. The belly will sit at 20", roof line at 71" and the wheelbase is 110" on a 43" tire. Bump stops are in, links are welded and everything clears well enough. (there are a couple adjustments to be made before final welding still.) I'm still going to change a couple things on the front axle to allow more steering angle, move the link and shock mounts in a little. The drivelines ended up within 1" of being the same length, with only 5/8-3/4" of plunge throughout the suspension cycle. I built the drivelines myself with kits from Wide Open Design, I'm using their carrier bearing kit for the front shaft as well. They're built with 1410 joints front and rear and 2.5x.250" DOM tubing.
I've got the engine opened up right now, swapping the cam and freshening things up some. I installed an Elgin ep1840p "sloppy stage 2" camshaft, new timing set, valve springs & seals. The bottom end looks great, typical of a junkyard LQ4, I might have mentioned earlier that it compression tested really well. No reason to pull the heads or pistons. I've got a few parts left to collect for the engine and it'll be done. The engine is topped off with a Trailblazer SS intake manifold, 92mm throttle body and 36lb injectors. After that, it's out through a 2.5" mandrel bent stainless Y pipe into a 3" Flowmaster HP2 muffler all held together with V-bands. I've built 4 different tailpipes so far and I'm still not happy.
I'm running the engine with a Holley terminator X system, the ECM mounts under the driver seat along with the fan relays. Just under the panel they mount on is the fuel pump and filter. All the fuel plumbing is Fragola -6AN with a bosch pump and GM filter/regulator. The transmission just came back from Harmon performance transmissions over in Wisconsin this week. It's built with some 4L80 parts and some upgraded stuff that I can't remember right now, Hughes 2500rpm stall torque converter and full manual reverse pattern valve body. It's got -10AN lines running to a big Derale cooler. It'll sit on the shelf until the chassis is fully welded and painted, then everything goes back in.
Before I tore everything back apart, I got the hood and grille mounted up, I think they look pretty good. I have to order up some hardware and materials for the side panels still. Haven't decided on a color for the car yet, the chassis will be grey Steelit I already have two cases of it. I've thrown around some ideas involving old school Toyota truck stripes, solid colors, two tones, etc. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm open to it.
OK I'm tired of typing, there's your rough, condensed update. I'll try to keep this going a little better than I have. Let's finish this off with a bunch of photos.
After getting the drivetrain mocked up the engine, transmission and atlas didn't move for almost a year, they're out now. With the drivetrain in place I was able to get seats, shifters, pedals, drivelines, exhaust and a bunch of other stuff placed in the chassis. The radiator and transmission cooler are mounted low behind the seats, the battery is between the seats down low under the center console. I ditched that huge fuel cell for a 12gal RCI aluminum tank and got it mounted in the back next to the cooler and still have space for tools, lunch boxes, etc. At the front of the chassis I've build a removable structure that mounts the engine oil accumulator, steering cooler, steering reservoir, headlights and the solenoid pack for the winch. It gets pretty crowded up front, which forced the rear mounted radiator setup.
I spent quite a while cycling the suspension and building different shock mounts last year. I ended up at the ride height I want with 5" up travel in the front and 7" up in the rear. The belly will sit at 20", roof line at 71" and the wheelbase is 110" on a 43" tire. Bump stops are in, links are welded and everything clears well enough. (there are a couple adjustments to be made before final welding still.) I'm still going to change a couple things on the front axle to allow more steering angle, move the link and shock mounts in a little. The drivelines ended up within 1" of being the same length, with only 5/8-3/4" of plunge throughout the suspension cycle. I built the drivelines myself with kits from Wide Open Design, I'm using their carrier bearing kit for the front shaft as well. They're built with 1410 joints front and rear and 2.5x.250" DOM tubing.
I've got the engine opened up right now, swapping the cam and freshening things up some. I installed an Elgin ep1840p "sloppy stage 2" camshaft, new timing set, valve springs & seals. The bottom end looks great, typical of a junkyard LQ4, I might have mentioned earlier that it compression tested really well. No reason to pull the heads or pistons. I've got a few parts left to collect for the engine and it'll be done. The engine is topped off with a Trailblazer SS intake manifold, 92mm throttle body and 36lb injectors. After that, it's out through a 2.5" mandrel bent stainless Y pipe into a 3" Flowmaster HP2 muffler all held together with V-bands. I've built 4 different tailpipes so far and I'm still not happy.
I'm running the engine with a Holley terminator X system, the ECM mounts under the driver seat along with the fan relays. Just under the panel they mount on is the fuel pump and filter. All the fuel plumbing is Fragola -6AN with a bosch pump and GM filter/regulator. The transmission just came back from Harmon performance transmissions over in Wisconsin this week. It's built with some 4L80 parts and some upgraded stuff that I can't remember right now, Hughes 2500rpm stall torque converter and full manual reverse pattern valve body. It's got -10AN lines running to a big Derale cooler. It'll sit on the shelf until the chassis is fully welded and painted, then everything goes back in.
Before I tore everything back apart, I got the hood and grille mounted up, I think they look pretty good. I have to order up some hardware and materials for the side panels still. Haven't decided on a color for the car yet, the chassis will be grey Steelit I already have two cases of it. I've thrown around some ideas involving old school Toyota truck stripes, solid colors, two tones, etc. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm open to it.
OK I'm tired of typing, there's your rough, condensed update. I'll try to keep this going a little better than I have. Let's finish this off with a bunch of photos.
Nice update. And tube buggies are the ultimate wheeler. So keep posting.
False.
+1
Badass build dude, and I love the detail you’ve captured here.
David
