Dirtbox Venom Texas build!

[mysteryboy28]

finally got the steering done. yay!

next is the swingarm. gotta figure out the hubs and axle. the sportsman hubs ended up being all aluminum, so i can't use them. gotta have at least a steel sleeve so i can bore out the splines and weld them permanently onto the axle. this means i may have to give up the rear set of shiny chrome rims for something with the right bolt hole pattern for the right hubs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4DxSXChUs0

 

[mysteryboy28]

moved the pedal assembly forward a couple of inches. made sure i had enough clearance for brake hoses.

got the tank and rear axle mocked up. tank seems low enough that i can run a fill spout to the side of the buggy for easy filling, and hopefully high enough that the motor will have enough clearance for up and down suspension motion.

think i'll pull the motor out of the sled next.

 

[mysteryboy28]

motor pulled from the sled. that was fun and messy! lol. still need to pull the chaincase/gearbox, driven pulley, and jackshaft, as well as the last of the wires.

 

[Desertduler]

Do you use adjustable shocks for your buggies with compression and rebound adjustments and adjustable spring preload?
How do you select your spring rates for your buggies do you estimate the weight of the buggy with the amount of tubing and components that are installed on the buggy and the driver and or passenger weight?
The buggy is coming along nicely.

 

[mysteryboy28]

i cross my fingers and hope for the best. lol. if it doesn't work well on the first attempt, i try another solution till i get it right.

so far the quad shocks i have been using have worked out good. the buggies with the rear swingarms are a bit lighter in back (cuz the motor is on the swingarm), so we will see how the polaris sportsman rear shocks work out. if i gotta add a few bricks, i might... lol. but the sportsman shocks are pretty beefy compared to a lot of the shocks i've come across. you want at least a LITTLE droop, so that the wheels can sink into holes as you're riding (as well as absorb the bumps), without making the whole front of the buggy drop. if the shocks are too firm, then that defeats the purpose.

no damping adjustments on the cheap quad shocks. if a customer wants to spend $300 per shock, they're more than welcome to. lol. they do have a little bit of adjustable preload (pretty common on MOST shocks).

 

[Desertduler]

Yes you need some sag I have spent thousands over the years in buggy and motorcycle racing suspension the right combos keep you alive desert racing most certainly and I know the cost is huge in the overall price of a build but when it is right you can hit stuff that you thought was not even possible sometimes when you are racing and are in the dust you hit what I call no sees ums and you get air bourne but if your suspension is neutral you will land decent there is nothing worse than going end over end because of your rear end kicking your nose over you have no control over it a play buggy is a whole other story most people drive them way less aggressive than racing mode.

 

[mysteryboy28]

so i got the chaincase/gearbox off the sled finally, along with the driven pulley and shaft. still need to pull the track off the sled and get the jackshaft out of the sled.

studying the back of the buggy, and doing some mock-up positioning of the motor and driven pulley - i think i'm starting to feel like hacking the sled up for the whole motor and gearbox mounting frame.... the chaincase requires several oddly positioned bolts to secure it to the swingarm. it also supports one side of both the driven pulley shaft, and the jackshaft, so it has to be alligned perfectly. i will also have a third shaft for further gear reduction (so that i can keep the axle sprocket smaller for better ground clearance.

pain in my a$$... lol. i really am NOT concerned about losing some recovery money on the sled. exenos always gives me crap about hacking up the sleds - but i can't seem to sell the parts for squat anyway. so... simplicity or complexity? hmmm...

 

[MisterRoboto]

cut it.

 

[mysteryboy28]

i'm really leaning towards hacking the front of the sled off. it's like 100 degrees and super muggy out, so hopefully it'll cool down good tonight and i'll get started.

 

[machinist@large]

i'm really leaning towards hacking the front of the sled off. it's like 100 degrees and super muggy out, so hopefully it'll cool down good tonight and i'll get started.

Hey Dave!!! it's about a quarter to 7, and it's still 86* out; and as far as I know, I'm one of your closest neighbors on the site. Lansing is only an hour away, so unless you get a pop up T' shower w/ a really awesome down draft, you are probably SOL on the temp. front......

Pat

 

[mysteryboy28]

Yeah Pat, really wishing I had an air conditioned shop. Lol. I'm gonna work on tunes for band practice till 11 or so, then see how the heat is. Tearing up a sled is messy business, and also a good workout on the arms and back. Lol.

 

[smack911]

added apic of a homemade air conditioner for Mysteryboy in my photo album crude but effective and cheap...

 

[mysteryboy28]

that's great! lol. the weather is supposed to cool down by sunday, and the humidity is working it's way down too. the other night i was just drenched in sweat when i was tearing apart the sled. blah! that ghetto cooler really would have came in handy.

going camping with the family tomorrow, then it's back to work on the buggy.

trying to cobble together a quick little fun kart to take out on the golf course (with very little attention to appearance). i don't think the cops will care much about a little 13hp 1-seater, compared to a beastly 80hp 2-seater. lol. hopefully i'll actually still enjoy the slower karts, after having been spoiled by the bigger/faster ones. 3600 rpms? zzzzz.... lol.

 

[smack911]

I apologize publicly to mysteryboy..... My wording in a private Msg, was harsh... I don't know him personally or his demeanor.
I was speaking in a No BS state of mind and should have chosen my words better. I mean't no dis-respect or ill feelings towards(you Dave) him. I am in a corporate executive position and have a HR officer to speak on my behalf more elegantly than I could do. In this particular case it was a personal business arrangement I took to the text in my own hand.

Sincerely,
Billy

 

[mysteryboy28]

i love you billy. it's all good. and sorry my a$$ is going so slow. lol.

 

[mysteryboy28]

not so pretty snowmobile!

looks like there'll be some nice shocks and other parts leftover for another kart project.

 

[mysteryboy28]

motor frame extraction complete! now i gotta add about 6 inches to the swingarm.

 

[mysteryboy28]

swingarm extended, motor frame rails cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gATYI-sNn38

 

[greaser]

looks like it fits in well now.

 

[mysteryboy28]

sorry for the delayed post. getting back to business after a fun weekend playing out with the new band. building the buggies just isn't thrilling any more since i don't have anything fun to ride and keep giving my hard earned work away. lol. plus i don't have any new customers lined up, so money sucks. this buggy and the single seater for my landlord will probably be my last ones.


so meanwhile, let's get this thing done!