Dougryan
Bronze Member
Seems that your exhaust pipe exits below your frame. That will definately get damaged. Any way to route it up higher?
Doug
Doug
building a dirt buggy
- Thread starter Renze
- Start date
- Views: 32329
Yes, the original exhaust downpipe goes below the subframe under the floor of the car.
I bolted the first muffler off, the elbow above the rear axle rotted off on its own, one of the reasons i bought a new car and use this one for fun.
Anyway, there is no chance to re route the pipe unless i make a new downpipe/manifold behind the turbo. Its a cast iron piece that collects both the mainstream exhaust flow, as well as the flow from the waste gate into 1.
I need a straight tractor pipe sticking upwards, but as long as i dont have everything else installed, no need for an exhaust anyways... It's going to be one of the last things to be done.
I am thinking of making some kind of ski's on the front of the buggy, to make it slide easier over obstacles.
Some sheetmetal plate on the original Volvo front end caused trouble by penetrating the radiator, which was the reason that we could only jump for 1 saturday. because the buggy is rear engined, i dont have to worry about the radiator anymore, but i think a belly rack would help sliding over obstacles, and would reduce the risk of front flip when the nose digs into the ground.
I bolted the first muffler off, the elbow above the rear axle rotted off on its own, one of the reasons i bought a new car and use this one for fun.
Anyway, there is no chance to re route the pipe unless i make a new downpipe/manifold behind the turbo. Its a cast iron piece that collects both the mainstream exhaust flow, as well as the flow from the waste gate into 1.
I need a straight tractor pipe sticking upwards, but as long as i dont have everything else installed, no need for an exhaust anyways... It's going to be one of the last things to be done.
I am thinking of making some kind of ski's on the front of the buggy, to make it slide easier over obstacles.
Some sheetmetal plate on the original Volvo front end caused trouble by penetrating the radiator, which was the reason that we could only jump for 1 saturday. because the buggy is rear engined, i dont have to worry about the radiator anymore, but i think a belly rack would help sliding over obstacles, and would reduce the risk of front flip when the nose digs into the ground.
My friend put a video on YouTube of the car that we took the parts off for the buggy, prior to disassembly:
YouTube - springen met een auto
A fully 1050 kg car was a bit too much on smooth springs to jump with: I guess with a buggy being half the weight on the same springs, it will be a bit better in terrain, as the ride height is a lot higher which leaves more spring travel.
YouTube - springen met een auto
A fully 1050 kg car was a bit too much on smooth springs to jump with: I guess with a buggy being half the weight on the same springs, it will be a bit better in terrain, as the ride height is a lot higher which leaves more spring travel.
RobertN
Super Member
I was thinking the same thing. I do not know how popular they are outside the US, but they would be worth investigating.
Steering brakes would be a great thing for a buggy like this.
You might also search on the old Honda Odessy. Not the mini-van; this is a 70's/80's single seat buggy with a rear single cylinder air cooled engine. On thing they used to do on those was had restraints on the steering wheel, so your arms didn't fly all over during a roll over.
Steering brakes would be a great thing for a buggy like this.
You might also search on the old Honda Odessy. Not the mini-van; this is a 70's/80's single seat buggy with a rear single cylinder air cooled engine. On thing they used to do on those was had restraints on the steering wheel, so your arms didn't fly all over during a roll over.
aspenelm said:
Some photos of yesterday:
photo 1 shows the work so far: seats mounted, and a lot of struts and crossbars added. Now i need to weld some strips against the pipe to bolt the plywood floor to, and i want to make a mid tunnel to mount the gearstick to, and run all the cables underneath.
Photo 2 shows the workshop after i added 2 500 Watt halogen lights: As you can see from previous photos, my workshop was a dark cave. It's amazing how much light 15 Euro worth of Halogen lights can give !!!
I just need to screw them to the roof beams in the highest part, so that they only shine their light down: When i put them to the wall and aim them at 45ｰ the lamps are still to bright in the edge of your eyes to work properly...
photo 1 shows the work so far: seats mounted, and a lot of struts and crossbars added. Now i need to weld some strips against the pipe to bolt the plywood floor to, and i want to make a mid tunnel to mount the gearstick to, and run all the cables underneath.
Photo 2 shows the workshop after i added 2 500 Watt halogen lights: As you can see from previous photos, my workshop was a dark cave. It's amazing how much light 15 Euro worth of Halogen lights can give !!!
I just need to screw them to the roof beams in the highest part, so that they only shine their light down: When i put them to the wall and aim them at 45ｰ the lamps are still to bright in the edge of your eyes to work properly...
Attachments
RobertN said:
You cant find any real buggies in Holland: i've only seen 1 or 2 VW based street buggies. Problem is that most of our rough land is protected and cops will be all over you if you head into the dunes or bush. I live in the bush too, and know the playground better than any cop so i'll keep ahead of them...
After looking at some YouTube movies of LS1 V8 powered sand rails, i'm not afraid of the weight distribution of ours: Those sand rails have the engine placed behind the transaxle, putting a lot of weight out back. Our buggy has the engine a little bit in front of the rear axle. When i put the heavy Scania truck battery up front, i estimate the weight will be distributed perfectly to get enough traction at the rear and at the same time be safe to corner at speed.. But time will tell.
patrick_g
Elite Member
Renze, I'm glad to see your going to have some fun. Not to pour cold water on it but... I think your tube frame will rack and don't you need some triangularization in the corners in the horizontal plane?
Not trying to be spoiler of your fun but I have spent years playing in tube frame rides off road in Baja California, SOCAL, Arizona etc. (Would you believe we even have a little set of desert dunes called Little Sahara hear in Oklahoma.) I have seen an awful lot of frame failures in home brew rigs and not nearly all of them were welding problems. They were design problems. If you can get your hands on a copy of "Sand Sports" or a similar magazine you could see many examples of tube frame off road fun cars. Here is their URL:
Welcome to Sand Sports Magazine Online<meta name="keywords" content="Motorcycles,rails,sand,sand sports magazine,engine,tools,wheelie,speed, quad,atc,atv,offroad,offroading,jeep,dirt,vacation"> <meta name="description" content="Sand Sports Magazine preveiws and sales information">
All I have left these days is an air cooled '62 VW bug with wheel base shortened 14 inches and the body replaced with fiber glass beach buggy (Myers Manx style) It has a full roll cage over the people and another over the engine. Never rolled it so far but it should roll like a scarab hauling manure with all the overhead protection.
I haven't got a lot of engine work in this one so it doesn't wheelie. Fuel cell is in front, batt amidships. I have put some creature comforts on it since moving to Oklahoma. I have a removable surrey top for sun protection. It attaches to the roll cage. I have removable cloth doors with plastic view ports and snap in place curtain around the back. IT doesn't rain into the car much unless you drive fast or the wind blows hard. It is street legal and lisc for the street but IT is mostly used off road. It is good for running the sandy areas beside the local rivers when they are not in flood stage. I catch a little air once in a while on my land but try not to break it too much. So far I have had no major crashes with it but did have a rear axle break and fall off while towing it through Dallas Ft Worth area on its own wheels. Apparently the axle was cracked from my previous antics and just chose that time to finish cracking and fall off.
Back to your project:
An in-line style electric lift (fuel) pump is only a few bucks so getting the tank out front for helping with the CG should be dead easy. It isn't that your fuel tank is really heavy but when you take it off the back and put it in the front it helps nearly double. If you put the radiator out front and use an electric fan in addition to moving the fuel tank you will probably not have to move the seats to get a decent CG.
Best of luck, keep showing pix and HAVE FUN!
Pat
Not trying to be spoiler of your fun but I have spent years playing in tube frame rides off road in Baja California, SOCAL, Arizona etc. (Would you believe we even have a little set of desert dunes called Little Sahara hear in Oklahoma.) I have seen an awful lot of frame failures in home brew rigs and not nearly all of them were welding problems. They were design problems. If you can get your hands on a copy of "Sand Sports" or a similar magazine you could see many examples of tube frame off road fun cars. Here is their URL:
Welcome to Sand Sports Magazine Online<meta name="keywords" content="Motorcycles,rails,sand,sand sports magazine,engine,tools,wheelie,speed, quad,atc,atv,offroad,offroading,jeep,dirt,vacation"> <meta name="description" content="Sand Sports Magazine preveiws and sales information">
All I have left these days is an air cooled '62 VW bug with wheel base shortened 14 inches and the body replaced with fiber glass beach buggy (Myers Manx style) It has a full roll cage over the people and another over the engine. Never rolled it so far but it should roll like a scarab hauling manure with all the overhead protection.
I haven't got a lot of engine work in this one so it doesn't wheelie. Fuel cell is in front, batt amidships. I have put some creature comforts on it since moving to Oklahoma. I have a removable surrey top for sun protection. It attaches to the roll cage. I have removable cloth doors with plastic view ports and snap in place curtain around the back. IT doesn't rain into the car much unless you drive fast or the wind blows hard. It is street legal and lisc for the street but IT is mostly used off road. It is good for running the sandy areas beside the local rivers when they are not in flood stage. I catch a little air once in a while on my land but try not to break it too much. So far I have had no major crashes with it but did have a rear axle break and fall off while towing it through Dallas Ft Worth area on its own wheels. Apparently the axle was cracked from my previous antics and just chose that time to finish cracking and fall off.
Back to your project:
An in-line style electric lift (fuel) pump is only a few bucks so getting the tank out front for helping with the CG should be dead easy. It isn't that your fuel tank is really heavy but when you take it off the back and put it in the front it helps nearly double. If you put the radiator out front and use an electric fan in addition to moving the fuel tank you will probably not have to move the seats to get a decent CG.
Best of luck, keep showing pix and HAVE FUN!
Pat
Patrick,
i'm taking it step by step: the triangularisation in the floor and roof will follow, but i have to work out the previous steps first.
Actually i want to add 2 slide rails of 1x2" square tubes underneath, to make the belly slide easier over the hills and dunes in the bush.
Putting the fuel tank and radiator up front might be a good idea: this way we'll get a little warm when racing the corn stubble after harvest during the chilly autumn.
The intercooler should stay back, or the hoses get too long and i'll be getting too much turbo lag...
When i put the radiator above the engine, it takes away all my rear view, and putting it in its original position wont work really well either, because then it would be right behind the seats where the air flow is limited.
So, things to throw forward: a 30 kg Scania truck battery (heavy duty) an original Volvo fuel tank with electrical prime pump, and a radiator...
The original fan of the Volvo, like most fwd cars, is electric anyways. I kept the originals from 2 cars..
i'm taking it step by step: the triangularisation in the floor and roof will follow, but i have to work out the previous steps first.
Actually i want to add 2 slide rails of 1x2" square tubes underneath, to make the belly slide easier over the hills and dunes in the bush.
Putting the fuel tank and radiator up front might be a good idea: this way we'll get a little warm when racing the corn stubble after harvest during the chilly autumn.
The intercooler should stay back, or the hoses get too long and i'll be getting too much turbo lag...
When i put the radiator above the engine, it takes away all my rear view, and putting it in its original position wont work really well either, because then it would be right behind the seats where the air flow is limited.
So, things to throw forward: a 30 kg Scania truck battery (heavy duty) an original Volvo fuel tank with electrical prime pump, and a radiator...
The original fan of the Volvo, like most fwd cars, is electric anyways. I kept the originals from 2 cars..
patrick_g
Elite Member
Renze, If you have enough fan power you can tilt the radiator quite a ways, even horizontal and have a decent sized radiator up front but not obscuring too much view.
Skid plates under everything that can be harmed by impact with dirt, stumps, rocks and such is a terrifically good idea.
Now that I have seen pix of the more completed car, it is looking much much better except for the skinny little undersized tires. You can go narrower up front to get some bite to help turn it but you need more tire in back.
From the safety aspect I recommend at least some decent 5 point harnesses and good helmets. If you don't put canvas or sheet metal or something on the sides to keep body parts in during a roll over you invite trouble. Expanded metal (not too big of holes) is good as dirt will always find a way in to the car but will fall out through expanded metal. It is good to have at least some expanded metal in low areas to avoid collecting sand and dirt.
I didn't see a rack or tie down for the cooler or beverage holders. Some of the gimbaled holders used on boats work sort of OK if the can is at half capacity. What, no audio system? Not even a PA horn and amp to enable you to blast out several bars of "Ride of the Valkuries" from Die Walkure ala "Apocalypse Now?" I didn't see any signs of a mount, regulator, or other parts of a propane injection system to super boost the diesel when appropriate. It could be separately controlled from the manual waste gate override that lets you get some REAL BOOST.
Pat
Pat
Skid plates under everything that can be harmed by impact with dirt, stumps, rocks and such is a terrifically good idea.
Now that I have seen pix of the more completed car, it is looking much much better except for the skinny little undersized tires. You can go narrower up front to get some bite to help turn it but you need more tire in back.
From the safety aspect I recommend at least some decent 5 point harnesses and good helmets. If you don't put canvas or sheet metal or something on the sides to keep body parts in during a roll over you invite trouble. Expanded metal (not too big of holes) is good as dirt will always find a way in to the car but will fall out through expanded metal. It is good to have at least some expanded metal in low areas to avoid collecting sand and dirt.
I didn't see a rack or tie down for the cooler or beverage holders. Some of the gimbaled holders used on boats work sort of OK if the can is at half capacity. What, no audio system? Not even a PA horn and amp to enable you to blast out several bars of "Ride of the Valkuries" from Die Walkure ala "Apocalypse Now?" I didn't see any signs of a mount, regulator, or other parts of a propane injection system to super boost the diesel when appropriate. It could be separately controlled from the manual waste gate override that lets you get some REAL BOOST.
Pat
Pat
Pat,
i cancelled the two 15" Conti offroad tires, even though i could get them for a 50% OEM rebate through my employer. I cant fit them or they'll touch the spring struts...
Anyways, i'm not riding sand dunes, but mostly forest soil and dirt roads. In mud, wide tires dont help, because you'll be moving too much mud before the tires get any tractions in the solid underground.
I think i'm going to buy a set of deepcut rally tires. They are of chinese chewing gum make, but they dont cost much anyways.
I think i'll stick with my original 14" rims and buy those 185/70 R14" rally tires from opgesnedenbanden.nl
The propane and water injection, i''m thinking of that... I was thinking of using an additional waste gate actuator to control water and propane injection, but off course as you say, i can attach to the existing waste gate actuator to control both the waste gate as usual, and also the propane valve and water nozzle.
Do you know of a valve that could be used to dose the propane ? Maybe dismantle my old gas BBQ ???
i cancelled the two 15" Conti offroad tires, even though i could get them for a 50% OEM rebate through my employer. I cant fit them or they'll touch the spring struts...
Anyways, i'm not riding sand dunes, but mostly forest soil and dirt roads. In mud, wide tires dont help, because you'll be moving too much mud before the tires get any tractions in the solid underground.
I think i'm going to buy a set of deepcut rally tires. They are of chinese chewing gum make, but they dont cost much anyways.
I think i'll stick with my original 14" rims and buy those 185/70 R14" rally tires from opgesnedenbanden.nl
The propane and water injection, i''m thinking of that... I was thinking of using an additional waste gate actuator to control water and propane injection, but off course as you say, i can attach to the existing waste gate actuator to control both the waste gate as usual, and also the propane valve and water nozzle.
Do you know of a valve that could be used to dose the propane ? Maybe dismantle my old gas BBQ ???