Thread: Buggy Build

Khao Bin Cave?

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

An Apache! Here in Thailand??

It's been a while since I owned a pick up and since I stopped working I haven't had access to one. So to fix that problem;

1958 Chevy Apache. Currently left hand drive and running a Nissan BD25 diesel.

I have already collected a number of parts to get started on the Chevy build. Ford 9"LSD, front and rear suspension kit, air ride shocks, right hand drive rack and pinion. In the States I have a small block Chevy being built up. Based on a Dart block it will be increased to 420 CI and will run twin turbos at either 9 or 15 psi.

Most likely won't get started on it until the end of the year. Probably a day or two after Luigi's BBQ.

I think you are my new favoritist poster!

Where did you get the small block from? I was actually looking recently myself (project also) but no joy.

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

Khao Bin Cave?

Mate, although my Thai is not too shabby, I'm going to need a translation on that one.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

I think you are my new favoritist poster!

Where did you get the small block from? I was actually looking recently myself (project also) but no joy.

There are a number of places in the States that you can get engines from. Starting with eBay if you want to be cheap all the way to the big name big dollar builders (Banks, Nelson etc.). If I wanted something from a well known builder with a good name and can build within a reasonable timeframe and budget I would start with Proformance Unlimited. There are a few Thai guys here as well but I don't run in those circles so cannot recommend anyone from Thailand at this time.

The bloke who is doing my SBC is a one man shop out of California and while I trust that he does good work, as a one man shop you have to get in line and wait your turn which means that it could be 6 months to a year before you see your engine. In my case I have a couple of other projects going on so I am not too concerned about his schedule.

What engine are you looking for? I may have a mild 302 available.

Yeah I looked briefly at importing one too but it seemed taxes would be an issue?

I'd definitely be interested in a 302. Might actually be perfect for what I have in mind.

I'm on my phone so it's a bit of a pain right now but if it's ok I'll PM you tomorrow about it?

Originally Posted by Latindancer

This thing's really going to need a skirt and an aerofoil to stop it flipping.

I am guessing that you may have some experience with this. If you have any advice, please feel free to add.

The last picture of the buggy that I posted is more or less what the final version is going to look like. Obviously it is going to need a lot of other parts such as the engine, radiators, fuel and brake lines etc. There will be a bash plate under the engine and the rear drive as well as an aluminium plate under the cockpit. All of these plates will most likely have water drainage holes in them although I haven’t completely decided on doing that yet. Other than the plate under the cockpit it is going to be a (hopefully) very fast brick. I figured that bricks generally don’t fly very well. Also this brick is going to have my very overweight arse holding it to the ground.

I have built this to be an off road buggy and the ride height and suspension are currently setup for that purpose. However, on when running on asphalt I will drop the suspension down so that there is X amount of clearance between the underside of the frame and ground. X is yet to be determined because I don’t know how much camber and caster adjustment I will have with the lowered ride height.

My understanding of the flipping issue that other race cars have is when the engineers get a little too keen on the aerodynamics of their vehicle they can enter into a fine line between lift and downforce and if something gets a bit squirrely the car falls off the track.

As I am not adding any aerodynamic aid to the buggy I wasn’t expecting to have any of those types of aerodynamic issues. Please let me know if you think I am completely out of whack with my thinking.

Originally Posted by Barty

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

Khao Bin Cave?

Mate, although my Thai is not too shabby, I'm going to need a translation on that one.

Bugger, wrong thread and nice motor btw.

Thought I was responding with reference to a time trial track nearby.

What A Great Thread. Thanks Barty.

What a fantastic thread .Quality mate
And if your selling that beast when you're finished PM me

Days 12 – 14 week 4

I learnt a couple of things this week. First of all, if you are a fat bastard it's quite difficult to climb in and out of the buggy. Secondly, wearing tennis shoes in the workshop while welding teaches one how to dance like a Cossack.

I originally thought that we would start setting up the engine in chassis this week but I gave the differential to a machine shop a week ago so that they could machine the axle output shafts. The driven sprocket is on the diff and without it I can’t align the engine to the final drive. I should get the diff back next Monday so hopefully I’ll start on the engine installation next week.

All of the pedals are tacked into the final positions. Steering wheel is also tacked into position along with the seat frame.

I went to the Red Baron on Ramkahmhaeng road and brought a set of used motorcycle mirrors. Installing these is what taught me how to do the Cossack dance.

A couple of shots of the cockpit area.

Temporary lifting brackets to hold the engine while installing it through the frame.

We also fabricated brackets to hold the engine while in the engine stand. We will use this to change the sump and if (when) we do the turbo.

A couple of shots showing how it is sitting as of this afternoon.

Next week I hope to have a low profile sump that I ordered out of Australia delivered and installed. Also hope to have the Wilwood brake bias bar delivered so I can start sorting out the brake system. I should hurry up and get the floor in the forward cockpit area. It'll help getting in and out of the buggy (I really should think about losing some weight).

if the seat was on runners you may find more elegance in your entries and exits

Looking good!

But why the superfluous mirrors? You'll be cacking yourself staring straight ahead and holding on for dear life.

Genuinely exited for this thread ��! Good job indeed. Well done Barty.

Great thread Barty!

Thanks for the update, Barty...I doubt she'll "fly," too...Not like it's the land speed record where anything can "lift-off"...But she looks nice and "springy"...

Thread of the year for sure. Its like old time TD. No superfluous bullshit, just a thread to please the masses. Thanks so much, and update as often as possible.

Yes, I think we're lucky that Barty chose our forum to create this thread...DD would be lovin' it...

Gotta love that workshop, squeaky clean and air conditioned to. You certainly don't fuck around barty

Originally Posted by baldrick

if the seat was on runners you may find more elegance in your entries and exits

The seat is setup on runners. I set it up so that when I was in a comfortable position the seat is at the midway mark. Idea being that someone shorter or taller should be able to fit also. The issue with my somewhat overly wide arse is that to enter the buggy cockpit you need to stand on the nerf bars and enter between the hip bar and upper roll cage, sliding the seat back won’t make much of a difference. Losing about 30 kilo’s probably would make the difference.

Days 15 – 18 week 5

I often read car or fabrication build threads on other forums and am always amused by how the OP manages to always get everything photographed. On machining sites, the photos are well lit and there are no chips or swarf anywhere. Never figured out how they got anything done. Unfortunately, that is not me, I should have taken a few more photos this week. Nevertheless, this is what happened this week;

Got the engine on the stand to roll it over and change out the sump. The new sump is a lower profile sump with a higher oil volume.

Pulled the old sump off. Here is the original oil pick up and return tube.

The oil pick up is changed out with a swinging style and the return tube is removed.

The rear wheels and rear shocks were removed and we manhandled the frame back up onto the fabrication table. The frame is set back up onto the centreline and the level was rechecked.

Using an adapter and crane we put the engine into the chassis and aligned the drive and driven sprockets.

I wanted to get the engine as close to the rear drive as I possibly could but found that the sump was hitting up against the right hand frame rail. I was thinking about notching the frame rail, modifying the sump or leaving it as it is. At this point we stopped for the day while I had a think about what we were going to do. Decided the next day to leave it as we would probably only gain a couple of centimetres.

Put the chain on just to check that we had the right length. Looks long enough (Said the actress to the bishop)

This is how it looks as of Thursday afternoon. I’m hoping I can figure out how to snake the turbo, exhaust manifold and other piping into the space available. I guess I’ll worry about the in a couple of weeks.

Thursday night I picked up the daughter from Suvarnabhumi Airport. She is back from a year of university in Australia. Apparently she approves of the build. (Note her ice cream being held in the vice).

Friday morning VocalNeal dropped by for a coffee and a chat. Bit embarrassing as the workshop looks like the bottom of a whore’s handbag and needs a good clean up. We had a good chat and exchanged quite a few tips on where to buy tools and parts and get things done.

On that note if anyone else wants to drop by to have a look you are more than welcome, coffee is always on and if it’s the right time the beers are cold.

Thanks again, Barty...Nice of you to invite the lads over for coffee...Can't wait to see this baby "fly"...

Days 19 – 21 week 6

We have managed to get the engine mounted into the frame this week. We started off by getting the engine level in relation to the table and the buggy frame and then made sure that the engine was parallel to the frame and in line with the rear sprocket.

Checking the engine is level

We placed a straight edge up against the roll cage and measured to the engine's valve cover bolts to check that we were parallel to the frame.

Rear mount

Left hand side engine mount.

Right hand side engine mount.

Rear suspension and drive train.

Chain installed on the sprockets.

Front view



Rear View.

As it sits today.

As my daughter is back to Thailand on break from university in Australia I won't be flat out on the buggy for the next few weeks. When we get back into the project we will start all of the small jobs. Electrical, brake lines, master cylinders etc. The sort of jobs that pictures aren't going to show much progress. Unless something interesting happens I probably won't update this thread for a few of weeks.

Cheers, Barty...Looking forward to the next report...Have fun with your daughter...

Good stuff, Barty; very interesting thread.