Dirtbox Venom mini-buggy, 40+ horsepower!

[mysteryboy28]

fun night of work, followed by a test drive! with no brakes... lol.

lots of wiring, re-did the brake cyclinder mount for better leverage, hooked up the throttle cable and return spring, made the switch panel for the ignition, light switches, and lighter socket. adjusted the drivers side front tire and steering angle, added oil to the gear box, temporarily connected a gas can to use as a fuel tank.

time to sleep, then off to the auto parts store for steel brake line and brake fluid. tonight we will have brakes, and hopefully a rack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HRhzrpuq4&feature=youtu.be

 

[Kawabuggy]

Sweet sounding engine! I can never get used to the revving of those motors that use automatic/slipper type clutches. I keep thinking, "let the clutch out!". Ha ha!

Great work, in record time! To say I'm impressed by your ingenuity is an understatement. Keep posting your work as it is inspiring to those of us who have projects, but have not found the money, time, or drive, to finish them.

 

[mysteryboy28]

thanks! i really do enjoy building these things, although they are a LOT of work. especially when building them by yourself!

now i need to find a good gas tank, preferably a nice round aluminum or stainless steel one with 5+ gallon capacity. anyone got one?

 

[newrider3]

If you can settle for mild steel, Harbor Freight sells 5 gallon air tanks that can be converted pretty easily, around $20 if you catch the right sale.

 

[OzFab]

If you can settle for mild steel, Harbor Freight sells 5 gallon air tanks that can be converted pretty easily, around $20 if you catch the right sale.

Air tanks are usually of pretty "sturdy" construction. Nice idea but, wouldn't it be heavy?

 

[exenos]

You should also offer minibikes, not as hard to find a buyer and fast to make. I just tossed one together in a day and a half and it looks just as good as a minidoodle or any other bike (Ie: not a junk pile project) Just something to think about after you finish this buggy, which should be within a week and a half, right?

 

[newrider3]

Air tanks are usually of pretty "sturdy" construction. Nice idea but, wouldn't it be heavy?

The one I did couldn't have been more than 5-10lbs, seemed about right for a tank that size. 5 gallons of fuel weighs way more than any tank will.

 

[OzFab]

The one I did couldn't have been more than 5-10lbs, seemed about right for a tank that size. 5 gallons of fuel weighs way more than any tank will.

I realise the fuel will have some weight to it but, you wouldn't want a tank that weighs more than it's contents. Having said that, 5 - 10lbs isn't that heavy...

 

[mysteryboy28]

i'm really interested in the air tank idea! harbor freight has em for $25 right now, and i'm sure i can dig up a 20% off coupon. now the trick will be finding a fuel barb/nipple and weld-on gas cap around here for cheap.

my wife helped me bleed the brakes tonight, it was even past her bedtime. aww, thanks sweetie! Carquest sold me a 6 foot line and a 2 foot 6 inch line for $12, but then all the adapters to connect everything (plus brake and gearbox fluid) made the total come to almost $50. blah.

i thought i'd repostioned the master cylinder where i wanted it for good leverage, but the pedal is still way too hard to push on for my liking. so i started grinding/cutting the master cylinder mount off the buggy so i can lower it for better leverage - and my grinder literally burst into flames! this is the new grinder that i sent Mike, my current customer, up to harbor freight to buy me just over a week ago! jeez...

 

[newrider3]

now the trick will be finding a fuel barb/nipple and weld-on gas cap around here for cheap.

The air tank already has a 1/2" NPT bung welded in, so I just pointed that downward and used brass fittings to plumb in a petcock. For the fuel cap, I got the filler from an early '70s Ford pickup, but any older truck with an in-cab fuel tank has the same stubby fuel filler. You could really use any car or truck fuel filler neck and cap as long as it's steel, and cut it to length.

 

[mysteryboy28]

looking at the picture of the harbor freight tank, the fitting looks bigger than 1/2", looks more like 3/4" or 1". but i'm sure i can get adapters to make it all fit. just want to keep my overall cost under $40.

edit: just found a tank only about 10 miles from me for $10. waiting for a response from the guy to go pick it up.

 

[mysteryboy28]

life without a grinder is not pleasant. hate waiting till tomorrow to replace my flame-throwing grinder!

 

[mysteryboy28]

so the brakes are giving me a hard time. the front right tire stops on a dime. the front left tire isn't even grabbing unless i give it a ton of foot pressure. even then, it's only BARELY slowing down. swapped out the caliper for a different one - same thing.

bad master cylinder? god i hope not. i got a lot of grief from the seller on ebay that i bought it from. they didn't include the banjo bolts and mounting hardware that was pictured in the auction. claimed that those items were "throw-away" parts that were magically included with the cylinder from the manufacturer. they finally managed to dig the parts up (from the trash?) and send them to me in 2 seperate packages that came almost 2 weeks apart from each other. i left them neutral feedback, with a brief decription of what happened, and they went apesh!t on their feedback they left for me - as well as basically calling me crazy on their response to the feedback i left them. sigh...

any suggestions for troubleshooting would be appreciated. i bled the heck out of the caliper, no bubbles (it's a short hose). i think i'll try switching connections on the cylinder to see if it's something internal that isn't doing what it should do.

 

[OzFab]

The air tank already has a 1/2" NPT bung welded in, so I just pointed that downward and used brass fittings to plumb in a petcock. For the fuel cap, I got the filler from an early '70s Ford pickup, but any older truck with an in-cab fuel tank has the same stubby fuel filler. You could really use any car or truck fuel filler neck and cap as long as it's steel, and cut it to length.

looking at the picture of the harbor freight tank, the fitting looks bigger than 1/2", looks more like 3/4" or 1". but i'm sure i can get adapters to make it all fit. just want to keep my overall cost under $40.

edit: just found a tank only about 10 miles from me for $10. waiting for a response from the guy to go pick it up.

Look closely; 1/2" NPT (National Pipe Thread) is measured by the internal diameter of the pipe it fits. In reality, 1/2" NPT is closer to 3/4".

Most air tool/hose fittings are 1/4" NPT (just for comparison)

 

[greaser]

its getting there. those **** grinders lol thats what 3 so far on this build?

 

[r97]

Have you considered buying a nice grinder (Dewalt, Milwaukee, Hitachi, etc), instead of replacing the HF ones? Sure it would cost more, but I think the time savings would be worth it for you.

Does the master have interdependent pistons for the left and right calipers? I would assume not, leading me to believe you have a restriction in the line/banjo bolt somewhere.

 

[mysteryboy28]

yeah, did a quick study on the web, and there are 2 pistons. one has 2 connections (for front brakes) and the other has a single connection. i had one front tire on the same piston as the rear brake. lol. not remedied yet, still trying to get my pedal angle correct for easy braking, and need another helper to bleed the brakes. i tried doing the fronts by myself, and i think i've got the air out of the lines, but need a grinder to repostion the pedal arm to test it out.

sleepy time now!

 

[fowler]

Have you considered buying a nice grinder (Dewalt, Milwaukee, Hitachi, etc), .

couldnt agree more

that really isnt economical, money wise and enviromentally
u are using 3 per build most have 1 grinder for 4 years before it breaks
then u take it in and they fix it for anougther 4

are u using 1 master cylender with 3 connections or 1 master cylender with 1 connection and a seperate master cylender with the other 2

 

[greaser]

I can't recommend dewalt anymore black and decker bought them and shipped almost all production to china so harbor freight quality at dewalt pricing. I usual look for Bosch or Hitachi some Milwaukee is made in china also. But that's just me.

 

[r97]

Sure if something is made in China it is more likely to be crap, but just because something is made in China doesn't automatically make it crap. Same thing in reverse applies to USA made products, it's more likely to be good, but being made in USA doesn't automatically make it a great product (although it does support a US factory with workers!). Until I start seeing people returning dewalt tools as frequently as harbor fright tools, I'm going to say dewalt is better. I can't say I have had any problems with my black and decker tools either, my corded drill has been running strong for about 5 years now.

What exactly is failing on the angle grinders? Have you checked the brushes? I would bet that you are just getting the grinder too hot, I have had a HF grinder for about 3 years now and it hasn't hiccuped.

Fowler,

I think he is using a single master with two pistons inside of it, two ports for one piston, and one port for the other piston. Most of the Chines buggies use those, and I have seen them for sale on ebay several times.