Someday it will run again... (Kert0307's Buggy)

[kert0307]

Here are some teaser picts of what I've been working on. The welds look pretty ulgy because the flux hasn't been cleaned off yet, and I'll probably still add some more triangulation to it too.

 

[FROADER]

That 600 should get that thing going pretty good. Looking good.

When I get home I'll find a pic of a homemade buggy I took while in pismo. I think he said it was a ~'91 honda 650, that he used. It hauled ass!!

 

[carguy101]

wow that looks like a blast good luck on this awesome project. i new this guy who put a gixxer 750 motor on a shifter frame now that was fast.

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

looks like it will be really fun to ride on when it's done..looks cool so far.

 

[tdavis]

That 600 should get that thing going pretty good. Looking good.

When I get home I'll find a pic of a homemade buggy I took while in pismo. I think he said it was a ~'91 honda 650, that he used. It hauled ass!!

The yellow two seater? That was cool.

I keep thinking I need to make something like that..

 

[FROADER]

Damn, I thought I posted it. I also thought I had better pictures of it.

Here is what I have.

 

[Charlie]

The buggy looks sweet!

 

[j602]

looks hella cool, although i don't care too much for the massive amounts of square tubing.

that one above is fuggin' sick.

 

[gijoecam]

Looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to take a used Formula SAE car from a school trying to raise some money, extend the suspension a bit, and run it un-restricted!! I might have to go buy back my alma-mater's car just for that purpose!!

Froader, what's that got for a rear end in it? I know we ran a Torsen T-1 out of a VW, but I know Torsen sells a 'University Special' that's way smaller now.

-Joe

 

[IZwack]

Looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to take a used Formula SAE car from a school trying to raise some money, extend the suspension a bit, and run it un-restricted!! I might have to go buy back my alma-mater's car just for that purpose!!

Oh didnt know you competed in Formula SAE!
I was a newb at the time and thought airplanes were cooler so I joined the AeroDesign SAE.

 

[Charlie]

Our Baja SAE invitational for my school was this Saturday. Lots of fun, looks a lot like that buggy!

 

[kert0307]

Ya, SAE baja is pretty close to that. I was in SAE Baja my freshman year, but didn't keep with it because the leadership of the group would rather get trashed than work on the car, then they got pissed that the car never got done in time... From what I've heard it's now a lot better, but I'm to busy now to work on a baja car every weekend. Plus, a 600cc v-twin puts out a little more than the 10hp briggs they use for baja.

 

[IZwack]

Plus, a 600cc v-twin puts out a little more than the 10hp briggs they use for baja.

Thats why gijoecam suggested the Formula SAE cars -- which, as I recall, run the 600cc from the Honda CBR

 

[Charlie]

Ya, SAE baja is pretty close to that. I was in SAE Baja my freshman year, but didn't keep with it because the leadership of the group would rather get trashed than work on the car, then they got pissed that the car never got done in time... From what I've heard it's now a lot better, but I'm to busy now to work on a baja car every weekend. Plus, a 600cc v-twin puts out a little more than the 10hp briggs they use for baja.

Your school was here this weekend!

 

[Charlie]

Yeah, the 10hp ones are a little underpowered, but it is still fun.
The car we are building this year will have a Polaris gearbox, so that will help some.

 

[kert0307]

Ya, our car always had a Polaris CVT in it. From what I've heard they are working on a two speed gear box with reverse to put inline with it. It's a lot better now than it was when I was there, partly because one of our senior design professors took over when the program after it basically died a year or two ago.

 

[Charlie]

Speaking of, do you have any updates on your buggy?

 

[kert0307]

Well, the steerings pretty much done, I installed a steering rack for a sand rail. the engine cage and pretty much all of the welding is done. I've go the gas tank mounted, brake cylinder, radiator all mocked up. I trailered it it up to my parents this past weekend, because the guy who was letting me use his garage was starting to want to use it since it's getting colder out. I'm planning on tearing it down to paint this weekend, and since I have a few days off for Thanks giving, I'm hoping to pretty much have it running in about two weeks. I still have yet to wire up the ignition system for the engine, I have all the parts I need, but no wiring harness, so I'm going to have to wire up my own...which might not sound like much, but consider I have to wire the ICM, both Coil packs, stator, rectifier, ignition, radiator fan, lights, ect...

 

[gijoecam]

Thats why gijoecam suggested the Formula SAE cars -- which, as I recall, run the 600cc from the Honda CBR

Indeed, the majority of them run 600CC bike motors, but in '02, there was a team that ran a turbocharged Harley twin-pot motor (until the turbo seal blew oit, at which point it put out enough smoke to fog the entire Silverdome parking lot in typical Harley style!), and a Japanese team that built their own 600cc V-8. There were a couple twin-pot motors there, but AFAIK, none of them ever fair very well.

When is someone going to teach those MiniBaja guys about chassis design!??! Those front shock mounts are right in the middle of the frame tube, instead of being triangulated like they should be.


There's a guy that has a 600cc snowmobile motor in his mini-B buggy running a CVT. He runs it out at Silver Lake here in Michigan just about every time I'm out there. IIRC, it's a water-cooled snowmobile motor... it's got some scoot to it, but the thing that stinks is that it has no reverse, so if he digs in going up a hill, he's got to get out, manually drag it out of the holes, and hope it doesn't roll back down on its own... Not much fun.

And, yes, I was the co-leader and brake system engineer for the 2002 LTU FSAE team. We took 13th overall, 8th in design, 3rd in Autocross, and I drove it to a 5th place finish in the skidpad. Oh, and we kicked Cornell's arse in the Road and Track Triathalon!

 

[gijoecam]

Ya, SAE baja is pretty close to that. I was in SAE Baja my freshman year, but didn't keep with it because the leadership of the group would rather get trashed than work on the car, then they got pissed that the car never got done in time... From what I've heard it's now a lot better, but I'm to busy now to work on a baja car every weekend. Plus, a 600cc v-twin puts out a little more than the 10hp briggs they use for baja.

Oh, yeah, and you mini-B guys get to work on your car only on weekends... I was there almost every night until 10:00 or later from December 16th until May 18th. I worked full-time too... that was a rough year for me...

Our mini-B team that year experienced some suspension issues... welds failed, their caster and camber adjustment was done with washers stacked on control arm bolts, and their steering looked like something off the ScarySuspensions web page... but that's what you get when you only work weekends, I guess!

-Joe