Dirtbox Venom mini-buggy upgrade/rebuild!

[jamyers]

"dammit jim, i'm a fabricator, not a 2-stroke exaust expert!"

Now THAT'S funny, I don't care who ya are!

 

[mysteryboy28]

got a couple of things done last night. hacked off the botched manifold/header from the motor, and hacked off the excess tube from the manifold to exaust connector. will be using some nice shiny 2 inch pipe and making something that SHOULD conform to exenos's standards. lol.

also messed around with the CV axles. i decided the one i had completed before was too short, so i cut the connecting sleeve off and tack welded it back together just to see how short it was. it was WAY too short, a good 1 1/2 inches probably. cut off the excess shaft on the other CV axle and welded the weld-a-hubs onto the ends. that CV axle's length was much better but still a little short.

so today i hit the scrap yard and got some nice heavy guage sleeve to use on the CV axles to lengthen them. also picked up a nice 5 foot piece of thin-walled 2" pipe for the exaust.

stopped at a couple of auto parts stores and found the paint i will be using for the roof/hood/fenders - Dupli-Color grabber green! about as close to arctic cat green as i'm gonna get without spending $18 a can (was just under $7 a can for the grabber green engine enamel).

and here's a little sample of what grabber green looks like...

oh and my new MIG welder is working MUCH better now, since i flipped the feeder roller around. still have a slight gas leak, but that should be an easy fix with more teflon tape.

also found a guy to turn down the hex jackshaft to 1 1/8" round (from 1 1/4" hex, about 12 inches of it) for $40. he even pulled the bearing off, slid the 2 10 tooth sprockets on, and re-pressed the bearing back on for me. he'll be dropping it off today. yay!

 

[exenos]

It doesn't have to meet my standards, it just has to work well enough to give to a customer. The 2" tube should work very well because thats roughly the same size as the y pipe as far as I can tell.

 

[greaser]

Looks like a good color, I am glad you are redoing the pipe for me. Can't wait to come meet you and pick up the buggy.

 

[mysteryboy28]

header and muffler almost done. just need a couple more "elbows" so everything points in the right direction without hitting the back of the seats.

and here's the finished jackshaft. i need to clean out the bearing and re-grease it, cuz it's quite dirty.

 

[greaser]

That looks much better nice work.

 

[landuse]

Nice! How long till you think you will be done with this build? How much more have you got to do?

 

[mysteryboy28]

Just waiting for some 32+ degree nights so I don't have to run my heaters continuously, which costs me about $20 every 3 nights to do. I'm fighting off a lovely cold right now. I've been banned to the couch till I'm no longer contagious. Lol.

I'm totally at the end stages of the buggy right now. I made up a big list of final things to do, so I just need some slightly warmer weather to do it in, and then the thing could be done in just a few days!

 

[greaser]

I am read for a road trip

 

[exenos]

How does it run with the new y pipe?

 

[mysteryboy28]

run? we haven't gotten THAT far yet. lol. soon grasshopper, soon...

 

[mysteryboy28]

toying with some different fender designs. here's a before and possible after...

keep in mind that this buggy won't have the sheet metal sidewalls.

 

[jamyers]

I like the bigger fenders, but curved instead of flat/corners.

 

[exenos]

I agree with jaymers, the large fenders look much better.

 

[souperman000]

The large ones make it look like a Can-am or something. They go well with the hood too. I like them.

 

[mysteryboy28]

got the exaust done, lengthed the CV axles, and figured out the gearbox using the diagram i found online.

 

[greaser]

I like the bigger ones I say go with them and I like the flat fenders.

 

[greaser]

Nice it should be really warm the next couple weeks so you should hopefully get to get out to the shop more.

 

[mysteryboy28]

yeah, i think the flat fenders will actually be a lot easier to make and mount than the little curved fenders. it'll just be a matter of cutting them just right, then weld on some little rails along the frame of the buggy to bolt them to, and one post sticking out (per fender) to wrap the fender over. i'm curious how much sag the plastic fenders will have, in which case if it's too noticeable i can weld on some supports.

 

[exenos]

Ooh, hard decision. Yellow or green?